Troy Makes First Sun Belt Road Trip to No. 12 Southern Miss

Friday, March 20

Hattiesburg, Miss.

6 p.m.

Troy University

Southern Miss

Troy Makes First Sun Belt Road Trip to No. 12 Southern Miss

3/19/2026 6:02:00 PM | Baseball

Live Stats ESPN+ (Game 1)ESPN+ (Game 2)ESPN+ (Game 3)Listen Live

By: Troy Athletics Communications

TROY, Ala. - Troy Baseball is set for its first Sun Belt road trip this weekend as the Trojans travel to Hattiesburg, Miss., to play No. 12 Southern Miss for a three-game series Friday through Sunday.

The Trojans opened Sun Belt Conference play with a 2-1 series victory over Old Dominion, dropping the series opener before winning the next two. The Trojans scored a combined 30 runs in the three-game set, hitting seven homers, while putting up at least eight in all three games.

Troy carried that momentum into an 11-2 midweek win on the road at Alabama State on Tuesday. Josh Pyne, Jimmy Janicki, Houston Markham and Sean Darnell each collected multiple hits in the win, while Steven Meier launched his second homer of the season.

Headed into the weekend, Benjamin Stubbs will pitch in Friday night's series opener. The senior lefty has gone at least six innings in each of his last three starts, totaling a 2.25 ERA during that span. Troy head coach Skylar Meade has not named a starter for games two and three.

Southern Miss enters the weekend with a 17-4 record. The Golden Eagles are ranked No. 12 by D1Baseball and sit at No. 1 in the NCAA RPI rankings. The USM pitching staff ranks third nationally with a 2.59 team ERA, and is led by lefty Grayden Harris, who will start game one with a 2.33 ERA. Offensively, Southern Miss is hitting .264 as a team, and is led by Joey Urban (.342 AVG, 7 HR) and Kyle Morrison (.347 AVG, 6 HR)

Series Information
The Matchup: Troy (9-11, 2-1 Sun Belt) at No. 12 Southern Miss (17-4, 1-2 Sun Belt)
Game Times: Friday - 6 p.m. | Saturday - 2 p.m. | Sunday - 1 p.m.
Location: Hattiesburg, Miss. - Pete Taylor Park
TV: ESPN+
Radio: Troy Sports Radio Network
Live Stats: TroyTrojans.com/LiveStats

On the Mound
Game 1
Troy: Sr. LHP Benjamin Stubbs (1-0, 26.1 IP, 3.42 ERA)
USM: So. LHP Grayden Harris (4-0, 27.0 IP, 2.33 ERA)

Game 2
Troy: TBA
USM: TBA

Game 3
Troy: TBA
USM: R-So. RHP McCarty English (1-1, 15.2 ERA, 2.30 ERA)

Heating Up
Troy's recent four-game stretch, dating back to the Sun Belt opener against Old Dominion, has been among the hottest the Trojans have been offensively this season. During that span, Troy has hit .318 as a team with a 1.023 OPS. The Trojans have seven homers in their last four games, and have drawn 38 free passes (25 BB, 13 HBP) to just 24 strikeouts.

Jimmy Four Bags: Sun Belt Player of the Week
Sophomore catcher Jimmy Janicki was among the hottest hitters in college baseball last week, hitting .471 with a 1.785 OPS across four games, earning him his first career Sun Belt Player of the Week honor. Janicki homered four times last week, including one last Tuesday at Alabama
and three during Troy's series victory over Old Dominion.

Janicki, Baseball America's No. 18 prospect for the 2027 MLB Draft, has tapped into his power this season. He's up to seven home runs early this season, the second-most in the Sun Belt, after hitting two as a freshman last spring. Janicki has also emerged as one of the top catchers in the country this season after playing third base as a freshman. His 3.35 framing runs saved rank 21st nationally according to D1Baseball's Synergy Leaderboard.

Series History
Southern Miss leads the all-time series 29-14. The Golden Eagles have one each of the last three series against the Trojans since joining the Sun Belt in 2023.