Economic momentum has swelled in the Magnolia State over the last three years, with more than $30 billion flowing into the state in private capital investments. But this weekend, there’s another economic boon hitting the state in the form of America’s pastime.
Both Hattiesburg and Oxford are set to host NCAA baseball regionals beginning Friday. Officials with the two college cities estimate a combined impact of more than $20 million.
In Oxford, Mayor Robyn Tannehill says her team is projecting the economic impact of postseason baseball to be as much as $16 million, with the regional bringing in as many as 100,000 visitors.
“We are thrilled to have a huge weekend in Oxford,” Tannehill said during an appearance on Mornings with Richard Cross. “The businesses are thrilled. All the fans are thrilled. We’re ready for that game tonight.”
The city of Oxford has exploded in growth in recent decades, ballooning by 100% since the year 2000 and 25% more growth expected by 2030. Much of the progress can be tied to Ole Miss, which has welcomed back-to-back record-breaking freshman classes in 2023 and 2024.
Down south, Hattiesburg will host its fourth regional or super regional in as many years. Mayor Toby Barker says while the city is one of the fastest growing municipalities in the Southeast due to a myriad of factors, baseball has been a punctuation mark on the Hub City’s story.
“It really elevates the profile of our city when we’re able to host these kinds of tournaments,” Barker said. “We’re just excited to have our city on the map for all that it has to offer and the quality of baseball it has to offer. It raises the excitement level and is another notch in the belt of our city.”
No. 12 nationally-ranked Southern Miss baseball will play host to Alabama, Miami, and Columbia for the four-team double elimination tournament for a chance to advance to super regional play.
No. 15 Ole Miss welcomes Georgia Tech, Western Kentucky, and Murray State to Swayze Field and aims to return to a super regional for the first time since 2022, when the Rebels advanced to the College World Series and secured their first national championship.
While the pair of programs won’t meet unless they both advance to Omaha as part of the final eight teams standing in the NCAA tournament, Barker and Tannehill both say they wish their counterparts success in their baseball endeavors. That is, until they become opponents again.
“Hattiesburg does such a great job as well,” Tannehill said, noting that her son Jack was a student at Southern Miss for four years. “We have so enjoyed our time in Hattiesburg, and we love some Southern Miss baseball. We wish them well until we meet again. Then, we do not wish them well.”
