Baseball Opens Play in Sun Belt Conference Championship Wednesday

Dates                   Time (CT)            Probable Rotation
Wed., 24             12:30 p.m.          TBA vs. Undetermined Opponent
                             Championship Central (Includes Links to ESPN+ and Live Stats) | Listen Only | Radio Affiliates
Thu., 25               9 a.m./4 p.m.     TBA vs. Troy/App State
                             Championship Central (Includes Links to ESPN+ and Live Stats)| Radio Affiliates

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – The Southern Miss baseball team opens play in the 2023 Guardian Credit Union Sun Belt Championship, Wednesday, at 12:30 p.m., at Riverwalk Stadium in Montgomery, Ala.

The Golden Eagles (37-16), which finished second in the league standings at 22-8, will play the lower seed remaining following the two Tuesday play-in games the features No. 10 Old Dominion vs. No. 7 James Madison (3 p.m.) and No. 9 Georgia Southern and No. 8 Georgia State (6:30 p.m.). The other two teams in the bracket with Southern Miss at No. 6 seed App State and No. 3 seed Troy.

Southern Miss heads into the event having won 16 of its last 17 games, including two of three victories over Louisiana last weekend to win their eighth-of-10 conference series this spring.

The Golden Eagles open play in its inaugural Sun Belt championship for baseball, after playing in the last 26 Conference USA Tournaments. Southern Miss won at least one game in all 26 and captured more victories than any other league school, current or former member, posting a 60-42 record (.588) in that event. That record includes having won the opening game in the tournament 13 of the last 17 times. In its C-USA history, Southern Miss was 18-8 in opening contests and 5-4 in championship games.

This will be the first time Southern Miss has played in a conference tournament in the state of Alabama.

The Golden Eagles enter the tournament with three all-conference performers, including league Pitcher of the Year Tanner Hall and Dustin Dickerson, who also made first team honors, along with second-team selection Danny Lynch.

Hall, the three-time Sun Belt Pitcher of the Week, was the only starter in the league to win nine of his 10 starts in league play, while the next best had seven. He reached 100 strikeouts for the second consecutive season and his 11 wins ranks second nationally, after winning his last four starts and eight of his last nine.

Dickerson leads the team lead in batting average among qualified players with a .321 batting average to go along with a team-best 18 doubles, two triples and four home runs. He only had two home runs in his career to start the year. His career doubles total is 57 and ranks for a four-way tie for third on the school charts.

Lynch was one of two players for the Golden Eagles to start every game, making them all at third base. Following the Louisiana series to end the regular season, he has played in 255 career games, which ranks second on the school career chart. He also ranks sixth in career at bats (896) and tied for fifth in walks (131) during his Golden Eagle tenure. Lynch, known for his clutch hitting, compiled 24 of his 45 RBI during the year coming after two were out.

Baseball Opens Play in Sun Belt Conference Championship Wednesday

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Players Mentioned

Dustin Dickerson

Tanner Hall

Danny Lynch