I was blessed to call Baton Rouge home for three days.

Wait, what?

Yes, I, Zac Chamblee, notorious homebody and hater of corn dogs, enjoyed me some Baton Rouge, and I have the Southern Miss Golden Eagles to thank for that. For myself and other USM fans, the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional provided games to remember and moments that will last a lifetime.

What a ride it was.

Head coach Scott Berry was right in describing the season as a ‘rollercoaster’. His team opened the season with five straight wins and followed with five straight losses. They had an eight-game win streak carry over into May and extended it to nine with a 5-3 victory over in-state rival Ole Miss, but next came three straight conference series losses to end the season, which put their hope for postseason play on life support.

Not leaving anything to chance, the Golden Eagles ran the table in Biloxi and secured their second straight Conference USA Tournament title, locking up an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. A day later, it was announced they would participate in the Baton Rouge Regional with Stony Brook, Arizona State, and, of course, LSU.

It was widely recognized as one of the toughest regionals in the bracket. Ok, so Stony Brook was pretty average, but Arizona State led the nation in home runs this season with 92. The power-hitting Sun Devils matched up with Southern Miss in Friday’s opening round, and the Golden Eagles out-homered them 3-1 and utilized a 12-run fifth inning to cruise to an emphatic 15-3 win. The victory set up a Saturday night showdown with the Bayou Bengals, the preseason No. 2 team in the country.

The doubters were in full force, but they probably began to doubt themselves as Matthew Guidry trotted around the base paths. With one mighty swing from one knee, the former Oak Grove star tied the game 4-4 with a seventh-inning grand slam. I would say you could heard a pin drop inside Alex Box Stadium, but truth is, the many USM fans who made the trip were going nuts. Then came ‘U-S-M’ and ‘Black, Gold’ chants, as I sat back and tried my best to absorb what was going on.

Those chants continued Sunday as Southern Miss mounted one of the most improbable comebacks I’ve ever witnessed. Down 10-2 in the fifth inning and later 12-6 in the eighth, the Golden Eagles rallied with seven unanswered runs in the final two innings to stave off elimination and stun Arizona State in walk-off fashion, 13-12. I spent four or five innings of the game indoors in an effort to dodge the 90-plus degree temps, but thankfully, I grabbed my camera and headed back onto the field for the ninth inning, where Gabe Montenegro delivered the game-winning hit for USM.

Then came another matchup with LSU and another do-or-die game for the Golden Eagles. Again, they showed the ability to go toe-to-toe with one of the SEC’s best, but it wasn’t enough. Regardless, I left Alex Box Stadium late Sunday night as proud as I’ve ever been to be a Golden Eagle. The fight and togetherness this team showed was nothing short of special, and their journey is one I will not soon forget.

Southern Miss To The Top.