No. 9 Ole Miss Heads to Trustmark Park to Face Southern Miss

By Adam Brown
Sports Editor
adam.brown@hottytoddy.com

No. 9 Ole Miss steps out of conference action on Tuesday night to take on in-state rival Southern Mississippi at Trustmark Park in Pearl. The first pitch is set for 6 p.m.

Ole Miss comes into the contest with a 19-8 overall record and a 4-5 mark in SEC action. The Rebels took two-of-three from the Kentucky Wildcats on the road over the weekend.

Center fielder Justin Bench leads the team at the plate with a .323 average. Bench has 31 hits and six doubles. The Rebels captain Tim Elko has 11 home runs and 37 RBIs through 27 games.

Coach Mike Bianco’s club is hitting at a .291 clip.

Southern Miss (19-8, 7-2 C-USA) rolls into this midweek tilt after taking the series from Louisiana Tech over the weekend.

This season, the Golden Eagles have two sluggers hitting over .350 with Dustin Dickerson at .371 and Slade Wilks at .354 average.

Southern Miss hits at a .284 average.

The probable pitching matchup showcases the arms of Tyler Stuart for the Golden Eagles. Stuart is 2-0 on the season with a 1.99 ERA. He has 18 strikeouts and five walks. The Rebels will give the ball to Derek Diamond. Diamond has an overall record of 3-2 with a 6.11 ERA.

Tuesday’s meeting will be the 132nd between the two teams, making Southern Miss Ole Miss’ seventh most common opponent, second most common outside the SEC. This is the first  time the Rebels and Golden Eagles have met in Pearl since 2019, an 11-2 Ole Miss victory.