Southern Miss, Ole Miss selected to host NCAA baseball regionals

Ole Miss and Southern Miss did not win their conference championships on Sunday. They did, however, return home with something that has almost as much value.

The two Mississippi baseball teams were both among the 16 selected to host regionals in the NCAA Tournament. The NCAA announced the host sites Sunday evening, and the rest of the 64-team bracket will be unveiled Monday at 11 a.m. on ESPN2.

Ole Miss (40-19) got the host nod for the NCAA Tournament after winning six of seven and reaching the championship game of the Southeastern Conference Tournament. It was selected to host a regional for the 11th time in school history.

Ole Miss did not make the NCAA Tournament the past two years after winning the national championship in 2022.

“I’ve never played postseason baseball in Oxford. I’ve heard it’s truly special. It would be one of the best environments in college baseball next weekend,” said Ole Miss pitcher Hunter Elliott, who started and won the 2022 national championship game. “But, yeah, just me being from Mississippi I grew up going to a ton of games, going to some really cool postseason games. It would mean the world for me to play in one.”

The Rebels lost 3-2 to Vanderbilt on Sunday. Brodie Johnston hit a two-run home run in the first inning and Jacob Humphrey a solo shot in the fifth for Vandy.

Vanderbilt (42-16), which won its fifth SEC tournament championship, was also selected as a regional host.

“Certainly I’m really proud of our guys, not just for today but the way we played this week, and really in the last few weeks and really have played some good baseball and we feel we’re in a good spot heading into next week. Leaving here without that trophy leaves a little bitter taste in your mouth,” Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco said.

Southern Miss is in the NCAA Tournament for the ninth season in a row — excluding 2020, when there was no tournament because of COVID — and will host a regional for the second time in four years. It also hosted a super regional series in 2023.

“I think the body of work this group of young men has put together speaks for itself,” Southern Miss coach Christian Ostrander said. “We tried to schedule as hard as we could and they met that challenge. They were successful with it. They had an unbelievable streak. I mean that’s hard to do at any level, you know, little league up.”

Southern Miss (44-14) climbed into the top 16 with a school-record 18-game winning streak that was snapped in Sunday’s Sun Belt Conference tournament championship game.

Coastal Carolina (48-11) scored five runs in the fifth inning to take the lead, then hung on to beat the Golden Eagles 7-5. Coastal Carolina extended its own winning streak to 18 games and is also a regional host.

“These guys are disappointed because they’re competitors,” Ostrander said. “But ultimately baseball, you know you’ve got to handle adversity some time. And the good thing is that their season’s not over. We get to play baseball next weekend and that’s the most important thing.”

Ole Miss and Vanderbilt were among eight SEC teams selected as regional hosts. They will be joined by Georgia, Auburn, Texas, LSU, Arkansas and Tennessee.

The other regional hosts are North Carolina, Clemson, Coastal Carolina, Oregon, Oregon State, Southern Miss, UCLA and Florida State.

All 2025 Southern Miss Baseball season ticket holders will receive notification via email on the process to purchase tickets to the Hattiesburg Regional. Ticket prices include $120 for all-session chairback seats, while all-session general admission passes and wheelchair seating will be $100. All-session general admission tickets for students for all four competing institutions will be $50.

For season ticket holders experiencing difficulty accessing your account, call 1-800-844-8425 or visit the Southern Miss Ticket Office in person at the Pat Ferlise Center on campus from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. beginning Monday, May 26.

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