MONTGOMERY, Ala. (Interstat) — The Sun Belt Baseball Championship opens Wednesday with a first-round game pitting seed Georgia State against seed Southern Mississippi at 2 p.m. at Montgomery’s Riverwalk Stadium.

The Panthers (27-28) enter the tournament as the league’s hottest team, riding a three-game winning streak capped by a 17-1 rout of Old Dominion on Tuesday. Georgia State will start right-hander Cole Roberts, who threw a complete-game one-hitter in that victory, striking out five over seven innings. Roberts has been unpredictable this season — he allowed no hits but three earned runs in a loss at Georgia Southern on May 9, yet gave up six earned runs in just four innings against Old Dominion on April 26. His dominance Tuesday, however, gives the Panthers hope against a Golden Eagles lineup that leads the Sun Belt in runs scored.

The Golden Eagles (40-14) swept Georgia Southern last weekend, including an 11-0, eight-inning run-rule victory Saturday. First baseman Matthew Russo was the star in that game, going 3-for-5 with a home run and six RBIs. Over his last seven games, Russo is batting .433 (13-for-30) with two homers and 14 RBIs, providing the middle-of-the-order thump that has made Southern Mississippi a national contender.

Georgia State enters as a decided underdog. The Panthers dropped four of five series to close the regular season, including a sweep at Louisiana-Lafayette on May 2-3, before rebounding with the midweek blowout over Old Dominion. Hunter Carlson (3-for-5, three RBIs on Tuesday) and Nick Garagozzo (3-for-5, homer, three RBIs) provide protection for Roberts.

Southern Mississippi is making its eighth consecutive Sun Belt tournament appearance and has won 14 of its last 16 games. The Golden Eagles are expected to start Camden Sunstrom, who allowed three hits and struck out four over five scoreless innings in Saturday’s win.

The double-elimination tournament continues through Saturday, with the winner claiming an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. For Georgia State, a team that has lost five of its last eight, Wednesday’s game is a chance to salvage a .500 season. For Southern Mississippi, it is a first step toward a championship run.

The two teams did not meet during the regular season.