Alabama Baseball to Rematch Southern Miss in Hattiesburg Regional Game 3

In an ironic twist, the two highest seeds in the Hattiesburg Regional will be playing against one another in day two—in the losers' bracket. No. 2 seed Alabama was upset 5-3 by Miami (Fla.) in game one. No. 16 national seed Southern Miss was stunned by Columbia later Friday in game two.

The Lions, the No. 4 seed in the regional, moved on to the winners' bracket. The Crimson Tide (41-17) and Golden Eagles (44-15) rematch in the third overall regional game at 2 p.m. CT on Saturday. Alabama defeated Southern Miss 10-6 in Tuscaloosa on April 8.

Southern Miss pitched Matt Adams, who started Friday's contest against Columbia, in that game. The Golden Eagles chose to hold out ace JB Middleton (10-1, 2.01 ERA) for game two, come what may, and he'll get his chance to pitch against an SEC squad in the postseason.

Alabama threw its best starter against Miami, and Riley Quick tossed 108 pitches across six innings of five-run ball. The Crimson Tide had not chosen a starter for its elimination game immediately after the opener concluded, and no announcement has since been made official.

The Crimson Tide went 1-1 at the SEC Tournament last week, and barring the two pitchers it used Friday against the Hurricanes (Quick and left-handed reliever Matthew Heiberger), its pitching staff is on full rest. That means the other two regular weekend starters are available for Saturday.

Those pitchers are righty Tyler Fay and southpaw sophomore Zane Adams. Fay has been the Friday starter since mid-April. Adams has been the Sunday starter since that same weekend at LSU. Pitching last in the rotation has worked for Adams, but the season is on the line, and conventional wisdom may not be favored amidst those stakes.

First pitch between the Crimson Tide and the Golden Eagles at Pete Taylor Park on Saturday will carry the most major stakes possible. The winner sticks around until at least Sunday. The loser goes home.