There are new stars and new national respect for the Southern Miss baseball team
Southern Miss has finished ranked inside the Top 25 by at least one major poll in each of the last five seasons, but just once did it begin its campaign among the nationally ranked.
The pollsters aren’t waiting in 2026. The Golden Eagles will open the year ranked No. 20 by D1 Baseball, and No. 23 by both Perfect Game and Baseball America, despite significant draft losses from a team that set offensive records on its way to hosting a regional.
The longstanding and against-the-grain roster construction policy that prioritizes funding internal development over browsing the transfer portal market has persistently interrupted the national stage under all-time wins leader Scott Berry and now third-year head man Christian Ostrander.
But even with 2025’s heroes Nick Monistere, Carson Paetow and JB Middleton moved on, USM won’t be surprising anyone this season, and its pension for crashing the party will have to evolve to justifying the invite.
Right-hander Colby Allen moves from high-leverage bullpen stud to Friday ace with high expectations and first baseman Matthew Russo will have the full attention of every arm after slamming 17 home runs as a junior.
The former is the leader of a staff that may rival the depth and ability of the 2023 team. The latter is the slugger at the center of a lineup that won’t pretend to have the power potential of its previous version, but has the tools and experience to form a balance attack with few holes.
And USM doesn’t completely shun external sources for ready-made talent. Its latest haul of imports weighs a bit more at the scale than the average portal run has netted and is a not-so-quiet reason why the Golden Eagles have already grabbed the attention of January polls.
Southern Miss succeeded in landing two starters from the lineups of its own conference rivals and beefed up the staff with an SEC addition.
“You’ve got to be able to play that game of revenue-sharing and I think we’re playing it well,” Ostrander said at media day Tuesday. “I’m not a businessman by any means, but I feel like our model is pretty good. I feel like how we’re using those dollars is very efficient.”
As an added flex, USM even poached a top assistant from one of the same rival schools it got a new outfielder from for the same position on Ostrander’s staff.
Here’s a breakdown of those newcomers and how they can help position USM for another postseason run.
OF Caleb Stelly, Louisiana
Stelly missed fall scrimmages working back from an injury, but USM fans didn’t miss anything they hadn’t already seen before. Stelly played at Pete Taylor Park last May and in three games he found 6 hits, hit a home run and logged 5 RBIs.
He tied season-highs in hits and runs scored during the series and the team he now plays for won all three games. Stelly figures to find a home in the center of the Golden Eagle outfield where’s spent 33 of his 142 career games.
Stelly is coming out of a career-year where he posted an OPS of .904 and grabbed 99 total bases in 57 games. Along with his batting ability, the 22-year-old’s experience infuses more leadership into the dugout.
As long as the senior is healthy, Stelly’s bat should warrant a spot near the top of the order.
IF Kyle Morrison, South Alabama
In lieu of Stelly, fans were treated to a display of power during the fall from the other Sun Belt steal. Morrison launched five home runs in three scrimmages, quickly solidifying a spot in the order regardless of how consistent the glove may or may not be.
Morrison’s first season of Division I baseball was spent as South Alabama’s every day third baseman. Morrison was second on the team in hits with 57 and led in both home runs (9) and RBIs (44).
Like Stelly, Morrison already has fond memories of the Pete. His first three games in the building came last March and yielded 5 hits and 6 RBIs with 2 home runs and a double. Morrison reached base eight times that weekend, but USM would take the series two games to one.
Morrison and Russo are likely to bat next to each other in the lineup so that one may protect the other and force pitchers to play their battles carefully.
RHP Thomas Crabtree, Tennessee
Crabtree brings strikeout ability and proven innings to the Golden Eagle staff. The 6-foot-4 right-hander shined at Pearl River C.C. as a freshman, becoming the powerhouse program’s first pitcher since 2008 to strike out more than 100 batters in a season.
From junior college Crabtree made his way to Tennessee and spent the 2025 season as a promising non-conference reliever and spot starter.
He made 12 appearances with two starts as a Volunteer and used them to hold batters to a .151 average while working a 3.00 ERA. Crabtree struck out 20 of the 60 batters he faced in 15 innings.
Crabtree gives USM a strong weekday starter option and is one of a few with Sunday start potential with a three-pitch mix featuring a fastball that touches 95 MPH.
Pitching coach Gunner Leger, Louisiana
Ostrander double-dipped in Lafayette over the offseason, scoring not only a starting outfielder but a rising star assistant.
Leger was hired in July as Ostrander’s primary pitching disciple following two years at Louisiana as an assistant and four prior seasons as a two-time All-American and Sun Belt Pitcher of the Year award winner.
“Obviously this program and the track record speaks for itself,” Leger told the Sun Herald. “I’ve always looked at this place as a destination and a place that you would want to be at and want to work at... Coach Ostrander is one of the best in the country and has been for a while. Being able to learn under him and continue progressing as a coach was something that was also very enticing.”
Along with his coaching duties, Leger plays a role in handling USM’s growing cache of analytic data.
Leger is high on the staff this season and points to the depth as a key strength, seeing as many as 16 arms contributing from the mound this spring.
“I think our front line guys are going to be really good,” Leger said. “It’ll be interesting to see where all the pieces fit... I think there’s probably going to be some guys that maybe don’t throw a ton this year that could or should throw more.”
The Southern Miss schedule is one of the strongest the program has put together in recent years, and it begins with a home series against UC Santa Barbara Feb. 13-15.
The rest of the slate features three games at the prestigious Round Rock Classic and home games against Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Alabama.
