Georgia Southern at Southern Mississippi

What: Sun Belt Conference baseball When: Friday, May 15, 2026, 6 p.m. CT Where: Pete Taylor Park, Hattiesburg, Miss. Weather: 82 degrees, clear skies Records: Georgia Southern 16-38; Southern Mississippi 38-14 Projected starting pitchers: Georgia Southern RHP Jansen Kenty (0-4, 8.78 ERA) vs. Southern Mississippi RHP Grayden Harris (8-1, 3.02 ERA) TV/Stream: ESPN+

The Setup

Southern Mississippi looks to extend its dominance over Georgia Southern when the Golden Eagles host the Eagles in the second game of a three-game Sun Belt series Friday night at Pete Taylor Park.

Southern Miss (38-14) enters with the conference’s best record and has won 10 of its last 11 games, including Thursday’s 14-3, seven-inning rout of Georgia Southern. The Golden Eagles pounded out 14 runs on 12 hits, with designated hitter Drey Barrett going 3-for-3 with a home run and four RBI, while right fielder Ben Higdon added a homer and three RBI.

Georgia Southern (16-38) has lost seven of its last eight and remains in the Sun Belt cellar. The Eagles’ lone bright spot Thursday was shortstop Grant Jordan, who went 3-for-3 with an RBI.

Pitching Matchup

Right-hander Grayden Harris takes the mound for Southern Miss, carrying a five-start winning streak into Friday. The sophomore has been dominant: over his last four outings, all wins, he has allowed only three earned runs in 22 innings while striking out 30. In his most recent start May 8 at James Madison, he threw five scoreless innings, surrendering two hits and striking out eight. His season WHIP sits at 1.12.

Georgia Southern counters with right-hander Jansen Kenty, who has struggled to find consistency. Kenty has allowed at least two earned runs in three of his last four appearances, including Thursday when he gave up two runs on no hits in two innings of relief. He has not recorded a win this season and owns an opponents’ batting average of .309.

Trends

Southern Miss has outscored opponents 72-28 over its last seven games. The Golden Eagles lead the Sun Belt in runs per game (7.6), batting average (.306) and ERA (4.12). Georgia Southern ranks last in the conference in ERA (7.68) and has allowed double-digit runs in 11 of its last 15 losses.

The Eagles have shown occasional offensive pop (Interstat) — they scored nine runs against College of Charleston on May 12 and 18 against Charleston Southern on April 28 (Interstat) — but have been unable to string together consistent innings.

What to Watch

Harris’ ability to work deep into games will be critical for Southern Miss, which could save its bullpen for Saturday’s series finale. Kenty needs early outs to keep Georgia Southern within striking distance. The Eagles’ bullpen ERA of 8.21 suggests the game could get away quickly if Kenty falters.

Projection

Interstat’s game simulator predicts a 7-4 Southern Mississippi victory, and the ELO system gives the Golden Eagles an 80.6 percent chance to win.

Up next: The teams conclude the three-game series Saturday at 2 p.m. CT.