University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Baseball Picked First in Sun Belt Poll; Five Named to Preseason All-League Team
2/5/2025 11:00:00 AM | Baseball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Southern Miss enters its third season of Sun Belt Conference baseball this spring by being picked to win the league with five of its players earning a spot on the preseason team in a vote conducted by the league's 14 head coaches and released Wednesday morning.
The Golden Eagles totaled 179 points, including five first place votes, on their way to being chosen first, while starting pitcher Colby Allen (Louisville, Miss.), first baseman Matthew Russo (Madisonville, La.), shortstop Ozzie Pratt (Alesville, Miss.), outfielder Davis Gillespie (Birmingham, Ala.) and utility player Nick Monistere (Brandon, Miss.) were named to the league's 14-person preseason team.
Troy received four first place votes, finishing one point behind the Golden Eagles for second place, while Louisiana enjoyed three first place votes and a 174-point total for third place. Coastal Carolina was picked fourth with the two remaining first-place votes for 161 points. Georgia Southern (125) was picked to finish fifth, followed by James Madison (106), Old Dominion (105), Texas State (102), App State (94), South Alabama (93), Georgia State (49), Marshall (46), ULM (34) and Arkansas State (24).
Allen made a team-high tying 27 appearances with a pair of starts to register a 10-2 record with seven saves last spring. His win and save total were team bests as he fanned 82 and walked just 18 in 65 1/3 innings to go with a 3.58 ERA, earning him ABCA All-South Regional honors as a relief pitcher. His victory total ranked tied for No.12 in the final NCAA rankings. Allen also was named the Sun Belt Conference Most Outstanding Player by going 2-0 with a save, which included a win in the championship game over Georgia Southern.
Russo played 56 games with 39 starts, all coming at first base. He batted .315 with 10 doubles, six home runs and 38 RBI to go along with 30 runs scored. He also led the team in hit by pitches with 17. Russo finished ranked sixth in Sun Belt games in both on-base percentage (.474) and slugging percentage (.676), while enjoying the second-best reached base streak on the team during the year at 20 games.
Pratt was the only Golden Eagle to start in all 63 games on his way to hitting .317 with 51 runs, 20 doubles, two triples and three home runs with 43 RBI. He was named second-team All-Sun Belt at shortstop. He ranked among SBC leaders in league games including second in batting average (.421) and hits (53), tied for third in doubles (12), tied for fifth in at bats (126) and ninth in total bases (73)…His season finished with a six-game hitting streak, going .350 (9x30) with four runs, two doubles and seven RBI.
Gillespie saw action in 57 games and made 55 starts during his freshman year. He hit .318 with 46 runs, 19 doubles, eight home runs and 44 RBI. He enjoyed 24 multi-hit games (17-2H, 7-3H) and 14 multi-RBI contests (11-2RBI, 2-3RBI, 1-5RBI), while ending his season with a six-game hitting streak, including five-multi-hit games during that span. Gillespie Hit .448 (13x29) over those final six games with five runs, four doubles, two home runs and eight RBI.
Monistere appeared in 62 games and made 61 starts, while starting at five different positions (2B-36; 3B-13; CF-6: LF-3; RF-3). He was the first Golden Eagle to start at five positions in a year since Michael Sterling did it in 2012. He batted .247, with 48 runs, 13 doubles, two triples, 11 home runs and 53 RBI, finished second on the team in runs driven in and tied for second in home runs. His two triples both came in league contests and finished tied for second in league contests for that category.
Southern Miss had the most players represented on the preseason team.
The Golden Eagles open the 2025 season, Friday, Feb. 14, when they entertain Lafayette in a 4 p.m., contest.
Here is a list of the preseason team and poll:
2025 SUN BELT CONFERENCE BASEBALL PRESEASON AWARDS
Preseason Player of the Year
Caden Bodine, Coastal Carolina (Jr., C – Haddon Heights, N.J.)
Preseason Pitcher of the Year
Chase Morgan, Louisiana (So., SP – Cypress, Texas)
Preseason All-Sun Belt Team
Chase Morgan, Louisiana (So., SP – Cypress, Texas)
Bryce Blevins, Marshall (Jr., SP – Louisa, Ky.)
Colby Allen, Southern Miss (Jr., SP – Louisville, Miss.)
Max Kuhle, James Madison (Jr., RP – Virginia Beach, Va.)
Caden Bodine, Coastal Carolina (Jr., C – Haddon Heights, N.J.)
Matthew Russo, Southern Miss (Jr., 1B – Madisonville, La.)
Blake Barthol, Coastal Carolina (Jr., 2B – Allentown, Pa.)
Ozzie Pratt, Southern Miss (Sr., SS – Alesville, Miss.)
Lee Amedee, Louisiana (Jr., 3B – Gonzales, La.)
Josh Tate, Georgia Southern (Jr., OF – Peachtree City, Ga.)
Luke Waters, Old Dominion (Sr., OF – Laurel, Del.)
Davis Gillespie, Southern Miss (RS So., OF – Birmingham, Ala.)
Ryan Dooley, James Madison (Sr., DH – Reston, Va.)
Nick Monistere, Southern Miss (Jr., UT – Brandon, Miss.)
2025 BELT CONFERENCE BASEBALL PRESEASON COACHES POLL
(First-Place Votes)
1. Southern Miss (5) – 179
2. Troy (4) – 178
3. Louisiana (3) – 174
4. Coastal Carolina (2) – 161
5. Georgia Southern – 125
6. James Madison – 106
7. Old Dominion – 105
8. Texas State – 102
9. App State – 94
10. South Alabama – 93
11. Georgia State – 49
12. Marshall – 46
13. ULM – 34
14. Arkansas State – 24
The Golden Eagles totaled 179 points, including five first place votes, on their way to being chosen first, while starting pitcher Colby Allen (Louisville, Miss.), first baseman Matthew Russo (Madisonville, La.), shortstop Ozzie Pratt (Alesville, Miss.), outfielder Davis Gillespie (Birmingham, Ala.) and utility player Nick Monistere (Brandon, Miss.) were named to the league's 14-person preseason team.
Troy received four first place votes, finishing one point behind the Golden Eagles for second place, while Louisiana enjoyed three first place votes and a 174-point total for third place. Coastal Carolina was picked fourth with the two remaining first-place votes for 161 points. Georgia Southern (125) was picked to finish fifth, followed by James Madison (106), Old Dominion (105), Texas State (102), App State (94), South Alabama (93), Georgia State (49), Marshall (46), ULM (34) and Arkansas State (24).
Allen made a team-high tying 27 appearances with a pair of starts to register a 10-2 record with seven saves last spring. His win and save total were team bests as he fanned 82 and walked just 18 in 65 1/3 innings to go with a 3.58 ERA, earning him ABCA All-South Regional honors as a relief pitcher. His victory total ranked tied for No.12 in the final NCAA rankings. Allen also was named the Sun Belt Conference Most Outstanding Player by going 2-0 with a save, which included a win in the championship game over Georgia Southern.
Russo played 56 games with 39 starts, all coming at first base. He batted .315 with 10 doubles, six home runs and 38 RBI to go along with 30 runs scored. He also led the team in hit by pitches with 17. Russo finished ranked sixth in Sun Belt games in both on-base percentage (.474) and slugging percentage (.676), while enjoying the second-best reached base streak on the team during the year at 20 games.
Pratt was the only Golden Eagle to start in all 63 games on his way to hitting .317 with 51 runs, 20 doubles, two triples and three home runs with 43 RBI. He was named second-team All-Sun Belt at shortstop. He ranked among SBC leaders in league games including second in batting average (.421) and hits (53), tied for third in doubles (12), tied for fifth in at bats (126) and ninth in total bases (73)…His season finished with a six-game hitting streak, going .350 (9x30) with four runs, two doubles and seven RBI.
Gillespie saw action in 57 games and made 55 starts during his freshman year. He hit .318 with 46 runs, 19 doubles, eight home runs and 44 RBI. He enjoyed 24 multi-hit games (17-2H, 7-3H) and 14 multi-RBI contests (11-2RBI, 2-3RBI, 1-5RBI), while ending his season with a six-game hitting streak, including five-multi-hit games during that span. Gillespie Hit .448 (13x29) over those final six games with five runs, four doubles, two home runs and eight RBI.
Monistere appeared in 62 games and made 61 starts, while starting at five different positions (2B-36; 3B-13; CF-6: LF-3; RF-3). He was the first Golden Eagle to start at five positions in a year since Michael Sterling did it in 2012. He batted .247, with 48 runs, 13 doubles, two triples, 11 home runs and 53 RBI, finished second on the team in runs driven in and tied for second in home runs. His two triples both came in league contests and finished tied for second in league contests for that category.
Southern Miss had the most players represented on the preseason team.
The Golden Eagles open the 2025 season, Friday, Feb. 14, when they entertain Lafayette in a 4 p.m., contest.
Here is a list of the preseason team and poll:
2025 SUN BELT CONFERENCE BASEBALL PRESEASON AWARDS
Preseason Player of the Year
Caden Bodine, Coastal Carolina (Jr., C – Haddon Heights, N.J.)
Preseason Pitcher of the Year
Chase Morgan, Louisiana (So., SP – Cypress, Texas)
Preseason All-Sun Belt Team
Chase Morgan, Louisiana (So., SP – Cypress, Texas)
Bryce Blevins, Marshall (Jr., SP – Louisa, Ky.)
Colby Allen, Southern Miss (Jr., SP – Louisville, Miss.)
Max Kuhle, James Madison (Jr., RP – Virginia Beach, Va.)
Caden Bodine, Coastal Carolina (Jr., C – Haddon Heights, N.J.)
Matthew Russo, Southern Miss (Jr., 1B – Madisonville, La.)
Blake Barthol, Coastal Carolina (Jr., 2B – Allentown, Pa.)
Ozzie Pratt, Southern Miss (Sr., SS – Alesville, Miss.)
Lee Amedee, Louisiana (Jr., 3B – Gonzales, La.)
Josh Tate, Georgia Southern (Jr., OF – Peachtree City, Ga.)
Luke Waters, Old Dominion (Sr., OF – Laurel, Del.)
Davis Gillespie, Southern Miss (RS So., OF – Birmingham, Ala.)
Ryan Dooley, James Madison (Sr., DH – Reston, Va.)
Nick Monistere, Southern Miss (Jr., UT – Brandon, Miss.)
2025 BELT CONFERENCE BASEBALL PRESEASON COACHES POLL
(First-Place Votes)
1. Southern Miss (5) – 179
2. Troy (4) – 178
3. Louisiana (3) – 174
4. Coastal Carolina (2) – 161
5. Georgia Southern – 125
6. James Madison – 106
7. Old Dominion – 105
8. Texas State – 102
9. App State – 94
10. South Alabama – 93
11. Georgia State – 49
12. Marshall – 46
13. ULM – 34
14. Arkansas State – 24
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