Baseball

Top 75 RPI Clash Between Troy & Southern Miss Headlines Sun Belt Baseball Weekend Slate

WEEK 2 CONFERENCE NOTES

NEW ORLEANS – The Sun Belt—which has sent four teams to NCAA Baseball Regionals in three of the past four seasons—boasts four teams among the Top 30 of the RPI following the first weekend of conference play. 
 
A Top 75 RPI matchup of Southern Miss and Troy—the lone series the Trojans dropped a year ago—highlights the weekend slate. 
 
All 21 Sun Belt games this weekend will be broadcast nationwide on ESPN+.
 
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
  • RISING – Four Sun Belt programs—No. 11 Southern Miss (1 RPI), No. 22 Louisiana (11 RPI), No. 22 Arkansas State (21 RPI) and No. 16 Coastal Carolina (28 RPI)—are ranked among the Top 30 in the RPI and listed in this week’s national polls. The Golden Eagles are ranked in all five national polls, while the Ragin’ Cajuns, Red Wolves and Chanticleers received mention in 4-of-5 ledgers. 
  • NEXT MAN UP – Despite being without a pair of projected weekend starters and a Preseason All-American reliever to open Sun Belt play, reigning national runner-up No. 16 Coastal Carolina has used a next-man-up mentality to maintain a national ranking and a perch atop the conference standings. The Chanticleers will attempt to continue that trend as they welcome James Madison to Springs Brooks Stadium this weekend. The Dukes will be looking for their first series victory over Coastal Carolina since joining the Sun Belt ahead of the 2023 season. 
  • A STATEMENT– No. 22 Arkansas State secured its third series win over a Top 10 team in program history, taking 2-of-3 from then-No. 6 Southern Miss in its conference-opening series last weekend. The series win, which helped the Red Wolves run their record to 15-6 on the year, propelled Arkansas State into the national rankings for the first time since 2019. The Red Wolves will attempt to continue their hot start when they travel to Atlanta to take on Georgia State in a three-game weekend series. Arkansas State swept the Panthers in Jonesboro, Ark., a year ago—their lone Sun Belt series sweep of 2025.  
  • TOP 75 CLASH – Troy (61 RPI), which did not lose a weekend series until the final weekend of the season a year ago, will attempt to avenge that lone Sun Belt series loss when it travels to Hattiesburg to take on No. 11 Southern Miss (1 RPI) in a three-game weekend set. The matchup is the lone Top 75 RPI clash in the Sun Belt this weekend. The Golden Eagles have not lost a Sun Belt series at Pete Taylor Park since joining the league ahead of the 2023 campaign. 
  • CAJUN HEATER – After winning 16 of its last 19 games, No. 22 Louisiana was ranked in 3-of-5 national polls for the first time since entering the 2024 NCAA Baseball Regionals. Behind a pitching staff that boasts the Sun Belt’s third-best ERA (4.16) and WHIP (1.21), trailing only nationally-ranked No. 11 Southern Miss and No. 22 Arkansas State, the Ragin’ Cajuns will look to continue their hot start to conference play in a three-game road series at Texas State. Louisiana is in the midst of the most fruitful stretch for either team in the head-to-head series, having won 10 of the last 12 games against the Bobcats. 
 
SUN BELT BASEBALL SERIES – WEEK 2
 
 Series  Friday  Saturday  Sunday 
 James Madison at No. 16 Coastal Carolina  5:00 p.m.  1:00 p.m.  12:00 p.m.
 Marshall at Georgia Southern  5:30 p.m.  1:00 p.m.  12:00 p.m.
 No. 22 Arkansas State at Georgia State  4:00 p.m.  2:00 p.m.  12:00 p.m.
 App State at Old Dominion  5:00 p.m.  2:00 p.m.  12:00 p.m.
 ULM at South Alabama  6:30 p.m.  2:00 p.m.  1:00 p.m.
 Troy at No. 11 Southern Miss  6:00 p.m.  2:00 p.m.  1:00 p.m.
 No. 22 Louisiana at Texas State  6:00 p.m.  2:30 p.m.  1:00 p.m.
 
All Times CT