Southern Miss baseball reached its highest ranking in program history Monday at number six in the D1 Baseball poll. 

The previous high was in 2009 after Southern Miss made their first and only trip to the College World Series in Omaha. This also marks the first top-10 appearance in the D1 Baseball poll since 2017.

Numerous other polls rank Southern Miss high, including Perfect Game USA (#5), Baseball America (#7), Collegiate Baseball (#15 – a 12 spot increase) and the USA Today Coaches Poll (#6). 

The Golden Eagles soared up the rankings after an undefeated week featuring a home victory against Southeastern Louisiana and a road-sweep of FIU in Miami. Southern Miss has won nine consecutive games, bringing their record to 27-8 with 20 games remaining.

This week poses a challenge for the Golden Eagles as they are set to play five games within six games starting with a game against Tulane (24-12-1) Wednesday.

Southern Miss defeated Tulane 7-2 March 9 at Pete Taylor Park. The Golden Eagles return home for a contest against New Orleans (19-14).

UNO has lost their last four, including a loss to Tulane and a sweep at Southeastern Louisiana. The Golden Eagles have Thursday off before the Rice Owls (11-26) arrive for a weekend series. 

Tulane poses the biggest threat on paper against Southern Miss, but pitching will undoubtedly be a factor throughout the week.

Many pitchers will be used over the five game stretch, and it will be important to keep many relievers fresh. The only series loss of the season for the Golden Eagles came in a sweep at Dallas Baptist after playing two midweek contests. 

Fatigue will be an obstacle to overcome, but it also presents another golden opportunity for Southern Miss. If the Golden Eagles are able to take care of business on the diamond this week, they may find themselves even higher in next week’s rankings.