KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Day two of the Knoxville Regional begins Saturday and the first team will be sent home.
Could be the number 2 seed Southern Miss, which suffered a 10-4 loss to No. 3 Indiana on Friday. Or it could be No. 4 Northern Kentucky after losing 9-3 to No. 1 Tennessee.
MORE: Tickets are available for purchase on StubHub
The Golden Eagles (41-19) also lost their first NCAA Tournament game last season before winning four straight games to win the Auburn Regional. But the other eight times they lost the first game, they also failed to reach the super regionals. This weekend is Northern Kentucky’s (35-23) first appearance in the NCAA Tournament in program history.
Here’s our prediction for Saturday’s game (11 a.m., TV TBD).
Southern Miss baseball vs Northern Kentucky prediction in NCAA regional bracket
Southern Miss 7, Northern Kentucky 4: The Norse released their ace on Friday night against Tennessee. Their other two starting pitchers have ERAs above 7.00. I was encouraged by Southern Miss’ offense seemingly improving as Friday’s game progressed. Expect better pitching from Southern Miss — and a shorter lead if necessary — despite Northern Kentucky’s no-sleep offense.
Southern Miss vs. Northern Kentucky NCAA Tournament Odds
This will be updated when betting lines are published
Southern Miss Baseball Odds to Win 2024 College World Series
Occasionally, we recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently and do not influence our coverage
Sam Sklar is the Southern Miss reporter for the Hattiesburg American. Email him at ssklar@hattiesb.gannett.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
This article originally appeared in the Hattiesburg American: Southern Miss vs Northern Kentucky Prediction for NCAA Regional Baseball
