Southern Mississippi baseball coach Scott Berry center, hugs his wife Laura Berry, left, and kisses his daughter Kitty Berry, following his team's 5-0 loss to Tennessee during an NCAA college baseball tournament super regional game Monday, June 12, 2023, in Hattiesburg, Miss. Berry had previously announced his retirement at the conclusion of the season. Tennessee advances to the College World Series. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
It was the final game for retiring Head Coach Scott Berry, the all-time winningest coach in Southern Miss Baseball history.
The love Scott Berry has for Southern Miss Baseball was palpable Monday night as he tipped his cap towards a sea of Golden Eagles fans who rose to their feet to honor the man that led their team to new heights over the past 14 seasons.
Berry announced earlier this season that he would be retiring at the end of the year. Unfortunately for him and his Golden Eagles team, the season ended one win short of a trip to Omaha as USM lost Game 3 in the Hattiesburg Super Regional versus Tennessee late Monday night.
However, while the heartbreak in Hattiesburg could be felt across Mississippi, there is no denying the impact the USM skipper has had on the game. Berry finishes his run as the Southern Miss Head Coach with seven straight 40-win seasons and a 528-276-1 record. He is the all-time winningest coach in Southern Miss baseball history. And perhaps what is most telling of Berry, to a person, he has always been a class act on and off the field.
This 2023 Golden Eagles squad finished the season with an overall record of 46-20. It is the second-straight year the team has reached and hosted a super regional, and the seventh-straight year for Southern Miss to reach the NCAA Tournament. The team also won the Sun Belt Conference Championship Tournament.
Southern Miss Associate Head Coach and Pitching Coach Christian Ostrander has been named the next USM Head Baseball Coach.
The 5-0 loss by Southern Miss on Monday sends the Tennessee Volunteers on to Omaha for the College World Series where they are set to face LSU this weekend.
Frank Corder
