The Southern Miss baseball program has its man and is keeping him for at least another four years.
Southern Miss athletic director Jeremy McClain announced Thursday that head coach Christian Ostrander has inked a new, four-year deal to keep leading the program through 2029. Under Mississippi state law, contracts for public institutions of higher learning employees are limited to four years but can be extended through private athletic foundations.
“I am extremely grateful for the contract extension that has been given to me by our administration,” Ostrander said. “The University of Southern Mississippi is a special place and Southern Miss baseball is a special program. My family and I absolutely love it here in Hattiesburg. This is where I want to be, and I am honored to get this opportunity.”
Ostrander, who served as the team’s pitching coach before succeeding now-retired skipper Scott Berry, has met and even enhanced standards set by decades of legwork to make Southern Miss consistently a top 25 program. In 2023, he became only the fifth coach to lead the program since 1959, following ballpark namesake Pete Taylor (1959-83), Hill Denson (1984-97), Corky Palmer (1998-2009), and Berry (2010-23).
In his first two years as head coach, Ostrander has more wins (90) than any of his predecessors over that time and has led the program to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances.
During the 2025 season, Ostrander guided the Golden Eagles to a 47-16 record, tying the second-most victories at the school for a season. The successful campaign kept Southern Miss’ string of consecutive 30-win seasons (23) and 40-plus win seasons (9) alive – both of which are the longest in Division I. In 2024, Ostrander led a team that finished 43-20.
The full Southern Miss schedule for 2026 has not yet been released, but the Golden Eagles have agreed to participate in the Round Rock Classic at Dell Diamond Field in Texas Feb. 20-22. Other teams included are Oregon State, Purdue, and Baylor.
