By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

BILOXI — It seems only fitting that the Southern Miss baseball squad will host Nicholls State Tuesday night here at MGM Park.
That’s because the game will have a strong “Southern Six” flavor when the Golden Eagles and Colonels square off “Down Around Biloxi”.
As many as six former prep standouts from the “Southern Six” could see action Tuesday night when first pitch, which is scheduled for 6:05 p.m., is delivered.
Vancleave’s Carson Paetow is a team Captain and starting outfielder for USM, while McCarty English of Ocean Springs is a relief pitcher. St. Martin’s Landen Payne is also a member of the Golden Eagles pitching staff, as is Peyton Lacey of Pass Christian.

On the other side of the field, Picayune’s Kade Turnage is the starting catcher for the Colonels and Cade Crosby of Long Beach is a versatile infielder/outfielder for Nicholls as well.
The Colonels will be back in Biloxi for the second consecutive season, as the 2023 Southland Conference Champions played a non-conference game against Mississippi State at MGM Park last season.
Nicholl State head coach Mile Sliva gave us his thoughts on playing at MGM Park and the matchup with the Golden Eagles.
“We are excited about the opportunity to come back to MGM Park and play against Southern Miss,” Silva said. “The atmosphere and venue are always something our players, staff and administrators look forward to. Southern Miss has a great program and fan base and is always challenging to play against.”
He also spoke about the game being an opportunity to showcase the program.
“As we continue to grow the Colonel baseball program, being able to play in front of great fans and teams provides us an opportunity to measure where we are as a program and identify areas we need to improve,” Silva said.

Last year, the Colonels were 34-24 overall and earned their first Southland Conference title since 1998. Coming into Tuesday’s game, The Golden Eagles stand 6-2 on the season while Nicholls State sits at 7-1.
In Hattiesburg Sunday afternoon, both Paetow and English played a part in USM’s 5-4 series-clinching victory over visiting Missouri State at Pete Taylor Park/Hill Denson Field.
English, after suffering a bit of a scare on Saturday when he was struck by a foul ball in the dugout, bounced back to throw almost two innings of relief work in which he gave up a pair of hits and a walk with two strikeouts. He helped a Golden Eagle pitching staff register a season-high 17 strikeouts in the contest.
On Friday, the true freshman English earned his first collegiate save in USM’s 5-4 win.
Meanwhile, Paetow continued his solid work at the plate and in the outfield during the series, as he drove in a couple of runs and had a team-high two hits in that win Friday night.

The redshirt junior played a big role for USM last season and has been a solid piece for the Golden Eagles for the past two years as each campaign concluded with USM hosting a Super Regional.
He played in 56 games last season with 55 starts, and hit .269 with 12 doubles, three triples, four home runs and 36 RBI. He also stole five bases in seven attempts.
Paetow was named to NCAA Auburn Regional All-Tournament team based on a .316 (6×19) average with three runs, four RBI, two doubles and a triple and he also converted all 12 fielding chances. He enjoyed a season-best 10-game hitting streak from late April through mid-May in which he hit .457 with eight runs, 17 RBI, four doubles and one home run. He also had 14 multi-hit games and nine multi-RBI games including driving in an impressive five runs in one game.

In addition to the quartet of players, th USM coaching staff has a huge “Southern Six” connection as well as former Ocean Springs and Southern Miss baseball standout Travis Creel returns for his fifth season with the program as an assistant coach, who oversees the Golden Eagle offense as well as working with the team’s defense and in its recruiting efforts.

And, Gulfport’s Ladd Rhodes was hired during the summer of 2023 as assistant coach for Golden Eagle baseball. Rhodes returns to Southern Miss after spending the last two seasons at Nicholls State as hitting coach and recruiting coordinator,

Also, in Thibodeaux, La., on Sunday, Nicholls State scored six runs in the second inning of its 9-6 victory over Eastern Illinois as the Colonels finished off a three game sweep of the Panthers.
The second inning explosion by the Colonels included an RBI-single by Turnage.
Tickets for Tuesday’s game are available through Ticketmaster and the MGM Park Box Office. Tickets start at $20 for reserved seating. Suites are also available for the game through the Biloxi Shuckers Sales Department. Fans are encouraged to get their tickets in advance as prices will increase on the day of the game.