2017 NCAA Tournament Hattiesburg Regional Preview

Matt Wallner (Photo by Bobby McDuffie/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

SEE ALSO: NCAA Regional Preview Podcast

1. Southern Mississippi (47-14, 25-5 in Conference USA)

14th appearance (second straight), at-large, first in CUSA

Top 200 Prospects: None.

Season in a sentence: Southern Miss dominated CUSA this season, leading the conference wire-to-wire and setting program records for both regular-season wins and conferences wins.

Player to watch: Matt Wallner, of/rhp: The Minnesota native was committed to North Dakota until the school cut its program last spring. Wallner found a home at Southern Miss and he has been a difference-making freshman this season. He primarily has played center field and has brought another big bat to the middle of the Golden Eagles’ lineup, hitting .345/.466/.682 with 19 home runs. He has also made nine appearances on the mound, going 2-0, 1.84 with three saves.

Best weekend: at Louisiana Tech, March 17-19. On opening weekend of CUSA play, Southern Miss traveled to Louisiana Tech, which was off to a 15-2 start to the season. The Golden Eagles halted the Bulldogs momentum with a sweep, establishing themselves as the team to beat in the conference. Southern Miss outscored Louisiana Tech 26-16 in the series.

Outlook: Southern Miss has assembled its best and most complete team in years. The Golden Eagles have one of the best offenses in the country, combining both power (85 home runs) and speed (76 stolen bases). The pitching staff is anchored by ace Kirk McCarty (10-2, 2.96) and closer Nick Sandlin (10-1, 2.16, 7 SV), with two-way star Taylor Braley (.317/.464/.587, 16 HR; 6-2, 3.30) producing on both sides of the ball. Southern Miss is excited for the chance to host in Pete Taylor Park, where it is 24-6 this season, and will be eager to turn home-field advantage into its second ever trip to super regionals.

2. Mississippi State (36-24, 17-13 in Southeastern Conference)

36th appearance (second straight), at-large, third in SEC West

Top 200 Prospects: Brent Rooker (59), Jake Mangum (164)

Season in a sentence: Mississippi State overcame an offseason of change and a rash of injuries that ravaged its pitching staff thanks in large part to the exploits of Brent Rooker, the SEC player of the year, and the guidance of first-year head coach Andy Cannizaro.

Player to watch: Brent Rooker, 1b. Rooker, an all-SEC player last season, decided to return to Mississippi State after being drafted in the 38th round by the Twins. His return brought the Brent Rooker Show to Starkville. The redshirt-junior took a big step forward in his development, becoming the most dangerous hitter in the country. Rooker hit .404/.505/.843 with 21 home runs and 18 stolen bases, made a run at the SEC triple crown and was named conference player of the year.

Best weekend: vs. Kentucky, April 7-9. Mississippi State had begun to heat up, sweeping back-to-back SEC series before Kentucky came to Starkville in early April. It was during that week that Rooker exploded at the plate. He homered three times in a 10-6 victory on April 6 to even the series, and the Bulldogs won the rubber game the next day to move into first place in the SEC West.

Outlook: Mississippi State’s many injuries seemingly have caught up to it in the last month, as it lost three of its last four SEC series. The Bulldogs still have the star power and gritty mentality to win a regional, but their lack of depth on the mound makes it imperative that they stay in the winner’s bracket. Mississippi State is holding ace Konnor Pilkington (7-5, 3.13) for the second game of the weekend, and he could be a difference maker if the Bulldogs are able to win their opener.

3. South Alabama (39-19, 22-8 in Sun Belt Conference)

27th appearance (second straight), automatic, second in Sun Belt East, Sun Belt Tournament champion

Top 200 Prospects: None.

Season in a sentence: After a sluggish start to the season, South Alabama came on strong in conference play and won the Sun Belt Tournament to make regionals in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2005-06.

Player to watch: Travis Swaggerty, of: Swaggerty is the Jaguars’ leading hitter and goes into regionals batting .361/.487/.567 with 10 home runs and 19 stolen bases. The sophomore can do a little bit of everything and is South Alabama’s engine in the middle of the lineup. It will need him to continue to fill that role this weekend in regionals.

Best weekend: Sun Belt Tournament, May 26-28. Rain wreaked havoc on the Sun Belt Tournament schedule, ultimately turning it into a single-elimination affair. South Alabama was undeterred, however, sweeping through the event to claim its first tournament title since 2005. It capped the tournament with a thrilling, 7-6 victory in 10 innings against host Georgia Southern in the championship game.

Outlook: South Alabama reached the Tallahassee Regional final last season as a No. 3 seed before falling to host Florida State. Despite losing several key players from that team, the Jaguars still has the talent to make a run this weekend. Like Southern Miss and Mississippi State, South Alabama is a very offensive team and will need a couple pitchers to step up to support its offense.

4. Illinois-Chicago (39-15, 22-8 in Horizon League)

Fifth appearance (first since 2008), automatic, first in Horizon League, Horizon League Tournament champion

Top 200 Prospects: None.

Season in a sentence: UIC made an early-season splash with a series win at Vanderbilt, then rode a premium pitching staff to the Horizon League title.

Player to watch: Jake Dahlberg, lhp. UIC is built around its pitching staff, which ranks second in the nation in ERA with a 2.57 mark. Dahlberg, a senior, is the staff’s ace and will go down as one of the best pitchers in program history. He is 10-2, 2.09 this season, and ranks third in program history with 24 career wins and second with 209 strikeouts. The Flames will need him to set the tone on the mound against some explosive offenses in Hattiesburg.

Best weekend: at Vanderbilt, Feb. 24-26. UIC traveled on the second weekend of the season to Vanderbilt for the fifth time in seven seasons. In the four previous series, the Commodores had won all 12 games. That streak came to an end this year, as the Flames won the opener, 5-3, beating Preseason All-American Kyle Wright, and then won the series with a comeback, 5-2 victory in 11 innings in the finale.

Outlook: After winning a series at Vanderbilt and splitting a set with Georgia Tech, UIC won’t be intimidated by powerhouses such as Southern Miss and Mississippi State. This regional has the potential to turn into a slugfest, in which the Flames wouldn’t be able to keep up. For them to spring another upset, their pitching staff will have to assert itself.

STAT PACK (National rank in parentheses)
Team	Avg.	Runs P/G	HR	SB	ERA	K/9	WHIP	Field %
1. Southern Miss	.311 (16)	8.40 (4)	85 (3)	76 (39)	4.03 (65)	8.9 (30)	1.34 (54)	.973 (83)
2. Mississippi St.	.285 (86)	5.58 (154)	51 (74)	69 (59)	4.89 (152)	8.6 (43)	1.50 (147)	.979 (18)
3. South Alabama	.308 (21)	8.21 (7)	73 (16)	64 (73)	4.57 (128)	8.1 (82)	1.41 (84)	.979 (17)
4. Illinois-Chicago	.288 (69)	6.07 (93)	39 (140)	52 (125)	2.57 (2)	7.2 (183)	1.08 (2)	.985 (1)