HATTIESBURG, Miss. (Interstat) — The surging Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles, fresh off a series win over a ranked opponent, look to continue their strong start when they host the North Alabama Lions in a non-conference series opener Friday at Pete Taylor Park.

First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. under cloudy skies with a game-time temperature near 76 degrees.

Southern Mississippi (11-2) enters with significant momentum, having won 11 of its last 12 games, including a road sweep at Louisiana Tech and a midweek victory over then-Mississippi State. Their only stumble in that stretch was a 3-2 loss to Nicholls State on Wednesday.

The Golden Eagles’ pitching has been a cornerstone, and a key arm to watch is Thomas Crabtree. The right-hander struck out eight over 4 1/3 innings in the loss to Nicholls State and fanned five in two perfect innings in a win at Baylor on Feb. 22.

North Alabama (7-6) arrives after a 5-8 loss at Ole Miss on Wednesday. The Lions have shown resilience, rebounding from a 20-1 loss to Southern Indiana on Feb. 27 to win two of their next three games.

A bright spot for the Lions has been reliever Jake Boynar. In his last two appearances, against Ole Miss and Samford, he has combined for five hitless innings with nine strikeouts, allowing just one earned run. He was a standout in the Ole Miss loss, striking out five over three perfect frames.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a 7-5 victory for Southern Mississippi, while its ELO rating system gives the Golden Eagles a 91% probability to win.

Following this three-game set, Southern Mississippi will host Ole Miss again on Tuesday. North Alabama returns home to face Jacksonville State on Tuesday.