No. 10 Southern Miss Jumps on North Alabama Early, Completes Weekend Sweep

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – A weather-delayed first pitch did nothing to slow No. 10 Southern Miss on Sunday afternoon at Pete Taylor Park, as the Golden Eagles pounced on visiting North Alabama from the opening frame and never looked back in a 9-2 victory that sealed a weekend sweep.

The win capped a 4-1 week for Southern Miss (14-2) that opened with a statement triumph over then-No. 4 Mississippi State and closed with three straight dominant performances against the Lions (7-9). The only hiccup came Wednesday in a 3-2 setback to Nicholls, but head coach Christian Ostrander’s club responded with a flurry of offense and steady pitching to finish on a high note.

Davis Gillespie ignited the onslaught in the bottom of the first, drilling a two-run homer to right field. Ben Higdon followed with a solo shot that caromed off the Tradition of Excellence billboard in left, staking the Eagles to a 3-0 lead before North Alabama recorded an out. Gillespie doubled home another run in the second, pushing the advantage to 4-0.

The Golden Eagles broke the game open in the seventh when Kyle Morrison cleared the bases with a triple and Caleb Stelly followed with an RBI single to make it 8-0. Southern Miss finished with 13 hits and nine runs, more than enough support for a pitching staff that kept the Lions at bay for most of the afternoon.

Redshirt sophomore right-hander McCarty English worked five shutout innings in his longest outing since a 2024 elbow fracture, allowing three hits and a walk while striking out five on a career-high 77 pitches. Freshman lefty Bruce Littleton added a perfect frame with two strikeouts in 11 pitches, and freshman right-hander Dylan Causey navigated a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the eighth, surrendering just two runs to preserve the comfortable margin.

With the sweep complete and several top-10 teams suffering upsets this weekend, the Golden Eagles could climb when Monday’s national rankings are released.

Southern Miss now turns its attention to another marquee midweek matchup, welcoming 15-2 Ole Miss to Pete Taylor Park on Tuesday. The Rebels, unbeaten at home this season, will face their first true road test against a Golden Eagles squad that sits atop the RPI and has already knocked off another top-five foe.

Southern Miss Golden Eagles on SI will have full coverage of the highly anticipated in-state clash.