Southern Miss Coach Speaks on Bullpen, Rising Freshman, Mississippi State and More

"I know what it felt like in that dugout. Every pitch was so meaningful," Coach Oz said when asked about the intesity of his past weekend's series win over Troy.

"I'm sure from the fans, from the stands, it felt intense too. ... It was just a great college baseball series, and we're just very proud of our guys for sticking it out and winning a series the hard way, losing on Friday and backs against the wall. They got it done and showed a lot of poise."

Deeper Bullpen is a Good Problem to Have

Although the Golden Eagles still have to find some consistency when it comes to starting pitching on the weekends, their overall pitching this year has been fantastic. Southern Miss currently has a top-five ERA in the nation, and Coach Oz thinks it may be the best pitching staff he's ever had.

"I don't know. I don't think so," Coach Oz said when asked if he's ever had a bullpen as deep and talented as this year's is. "Because there's still a lot of good arms that haven't gotten many opportunities, which is tough. But when you have a deeper staff, that can happen.

"So I'm very, very pleased with that, and the challenge is making sure we're using these bodies and everything that we have the right way. I don't sit here and tell you that every answer is clear right now, but I like the characteristic, I like the opportunities it could show, but very proud of what they've done thus far."

Freshman Making the Most of His Opportunity

Southern Miss freshman designated hitter Gray Eubanks impressed with a three-hit day in Sunday's rubber-match win against Troy. Although Coach Oz is proud of the potential his young player has shown, he says he's not surprised by it.

"We all knew Gray can hit. He's gonna hit," Coach Oz said. "I think he's gonna have a bright future here. Extremely strong young man. He's got a really great center core that he stays into that ground, and he can launch the ball. He's got great plate discipline. He's got good eyes for a young age. That's only gonna grow with experience. And he stays pretty calm in the moment.

"Very proud to see him doing it, but without sounding arrogant by any means, trust me, we're not surprised. If anything, we might've hoped we could be greedy and (redshirt him) this year. It's obviously time. Especially with Higdon being out, there's no doubt that we did the right thing 10 days ago, started to get his feet wet."

Eags Trying to Do Something No Other Team Has This Season on Tuesday Night in Starkville

No. 11 Southern Miss gets its week started with a massive midweek matchup against No. 6 Mississippi State at Dudy Noble Field in Starkville on Tuesday night. The Golden Eagles defeated the Bulldogs in a 7-6 classic at Pete Taylor Park on March 3, and Coach Oz knows Mississippi State will be looking for revenge.

"Yeah, that's what I hear," Coach Oz said about Mississippi State being 16-0 at home. "They're great, man. They're a great team, and I know there's even more 'want' to pop us after we got from them here, but it's a great challenge. We're looking forward to going over there and competing tomorrow night against a really good team."

You can listen to the entire interview with Coach Oz below, where he goes in depth talking about some of his pitchers, including Colby Allen, Kros Sivley, Camden Sunstrom, and Camden Clark. He also reminisces about his time as a collegiate pitcher. Stay tuned to Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI for more baseball coverage following Southern Miss vs. Mississippi State on Tuesday night.