HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Two teams that defeated the top two seeds in the Hattiesburg Regional will meet in the winners' bracket Saturday night.
Little Rock sent shock waves around college baseball by knocking off No. 1 seed Southern Miss 7-4 Friday afternoon. No. 3 seed Jacksonville State followed by routing No. 2 seed Virginia 15-7 in the nightcap.
Both teams are now one win away from Sunday's championship round as they battle at 8 p.m. Saturday at Pete Taylor Park/Denson Field.
Southern Miss and Virginia will meet in an elimination game at 1 p.m. Saturday after tournament officials moved the game up from 3 p.m. because of forecasted rain.'
GAME INFO
Who: Little Rock (37-26) vs. Jacksonville State (47-16)
When: 8 p.m., Saturday, May 30
Where: Pete Taylor Park/Denson Field (Hattiesburg, Miss.)
Video: ESPN+
Radio: 106.7 Buzz2
Live Stats: lrtrojans.com
SERIES HISTORY
• First Meeting
COACH SPEAK
"I told the team in the dugout [after the Southern Miss win] that the word around the country to describe us in the regionals is 'dangerous,'" Little Rock head coach
Chris Curry said.
"I said, 'No, we're not dangerous, we're lethal.' We just get after it. There is no stage too big."
TROJAN TIDBITS
• Southern Miss was 32-0 when leading after eight innings entering Friday's game. Little Rock scored four runs in the ninth inning to rally for the victory.
• Graduate student
Nico Baumbach recorded his 200th career hit as a Trojan on Friday. The veteran returned to Little Rock this season after spending 2025 at Lubbock Christian. Baumbach originally believed his Division I eligibility had expired before receiving a waiver that allowed him an additional season.
• Junior shortstop
Jerdy Lopez delivered one of his best offensive performances of the season against Southern Miss, going 3-for-5 with a season-high two doubles.
•
Blake Simpson's mother, Donna, surprised him at last week's OVC Tournament after not seeing her son in five months. Simpson earned All-Tournament honors in Marion and continued his hot streak Friday with three hits, including a decisive three-run home run in the ninth inning.
• Redshirt freshman
Tag Andrews pitched his fifth game in nine days Friday. The OVC Tournament MVP earned two wins and two saves during Little Rock's championship run in Marion and picked up another victory against Southern Miss. Andrews allowed two hits over two innings and rebounded from surrendering a go-ahead home run in the eighth inning.
• Little Rock's victory over Southern Miss was the program's first NCAA Tournament opening-round win and improved the Trojans to a school-record 37 victories.
• The Trojans are making their second consecutive NCAA Regional appearance, the first back-to-back regional trips in school history.
SCOUTING THE GAMECOCKS
• Jacksonville State entered the NCAA Tournament with a No. 25 RPI and has set a school record with 47 victories.
• Friday's win over Virginia marked the first opening-day regional victory in the program's six NCAA Tournament appearances.
• The Gamecocks collected 17 hits in their win over the Cavaliers.
• Jacksonville State owns victories over regional host Auburn, including a 15-4 run-rule victory on the Tigers' home field in April.
• The Gamecocks captured the Conference USA regular-season championship with a 23-7 league record.
• Jacksonville State is 6-0 in neutral-site games this season.
• Jaxon Pate leads the team with a .353 batting average.
• Grayson Ashe has driven in a team-high 63 runs.
• Relief pitcher Skyler Hutton has recorded 12 saves.
• The Jacksonville State pitching staff owns a 3.77 ERA, ranking eighth nationally.
