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2 weeks ago
Photo by Jacob Brumfield, © 2026 Emmerich Newspapers, Inc.
Southern Miss head basketball coach Jay Ladner will return to the school for his eighth season, the school confirmed to The Pine Belt News on Tuesday.
The decision follows a season shaped by injuries but highlighted by a late surge, as Southern Miss played its best basketball down the stretch.
Ladner will return for the 2026-27 season to complete the final year of his current contract.
By DIMA MIXON on
2 weeks 1 day ago
Photo by Jacob Brumfield, © 2026 Emmerich Newspapers, Inc.
Breaking news: The Southern Miss baseball team is in fact human.
The No. 12 Golden Eagles dropped their first series of the season on the road at Arkansas State, marking their first series loss since Marshall last year.
The week began with a walk-off home victory over Ole Miss, but with the two losses up in Jonesboro, Southern Miss ended up with its first 2-2 week of the season.
Below is my weekly grades of the team, and I might warn you they aren’t pretty.
Starting Pitching – B-
By DIMA MIXON on
2 weeks 4 days ago
Spring Break across the South is just around the corner with warming temperatures and pollen showers, which signals fun times ahead at the Hattiesburg Zoo. Spring Break at the Hattiesburg Zoo dates for 2026 are Friday, March 13th through Sunday the 22nd, closing only on Monday, March 16th.
By Lisa S Conn on
2 weeks 4 days ago
Elijah Jones is a proud Hattiesburg native who enjoys writing. Email him at edjhubtown@aol.com.
The Pine Belt's two rivers, the Bouie and Leaf, meander their way through the fertile pine forests of south Mississippi. The longer of the two, the Leaf River, begins its 180-mile journey from the Bienville National Forest in Scott County before making its way through Covington, Jones and eventually into Forrest County.
By Elijah Jones on
2 weeks 4 days ago
Photo by Amanda D. Lee, © 2026 Emmerich Newspapers, Inc.
The Hattiesburg Half Marathon, sponsored by Hattiesburg Clinic and Coca-Cola, is slated to take place on April 11 in the Hub City to benefit The Children’s Center for Communication and Development, DuBard School for Language Disorders, Pine Belt Blueways, The Arc of Southeast Mississippi, Kuntry Kidz, Southern Pines Animal Shelter and Hattiesburg Alliance for Public Art.
By Amanda D. Lee on
2 weeks 5 days ago
Photo by Jacob Brumfield, © 2026 Emmerich Newspapers, Inc.
Two teams, two incredible seasons and now two chances to make a run on the national stage.
Both the men’s and women’s basketball teams at William Carey University are headed across the country to compete in the NAIA National Tournament this week after strong seasons in the Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC).
By DIMA MIXON on
2 weeks 5 days ago
The guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald (DDG
62) launches a Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) as
apart of a joint ballistic missile defense exercise.
According to President Trump, it’s going to be up to the U. S. Navy to keep the sea lanes open and the oil tankers steaming freely through the Strait of Hormuz. Although it’s roughly 9,000 nautical miles from Hattiesburg to the Persian Gulf, we will soon feel the effects of the Iranian conflict at the gas pumps, as around twenty percent, or 18-21 million barrels per day, of the world’s oil flows through the Strait.
By Benny Hornsby on
2 weeks 5 days ago
Jail dockets for Forrest and Lamar counties are provided to the Pine Belt News as a public records service. Arrest records are current for the week prior to publication.
Hattiesburg Police:
Deboriouse Badon- disorderly conduct (failure to comply with commands of law enforcement)
Jacob James Bourne- DUI (first offense)
Stanley Warren Bridges, II- probation violation
Tony Akeem Bridges- simple assault by threat
Jamyia Shantel Brown- disorderly conduct (failure to comply with commands of law enforcement), domestic violence (simple assault), resisting/obstructing arrest
By Staff reports on
2 weeks 6 days ago
The Iconic Ballet Swan Lake Glides into Hattiesburg’s Historic Saenger Theater as part of World Ballet Company’s 2025–2026 National Tour Performance on March 21 at 7:00 pm.
By Staff Report on
3 weeks ago
Photo by Russ Cloy, © 2026 Emmerich Newspapers, Inc.
Tucker Stockman walked up to the plate with two outs and two runners on base against Ole Miss pitcher Landon Koenig. Stockman took a 96 mph fastball to the backside for a base hit, scoring the winning run and lifting No. 7 Southern Miss over Ole Miss 2-1 on Tuesday night at Pete Taylor Park.
By DIMA MIXON on
3 weeks 1 day ago
Photo by Jacob Brumfield, © 2026 Emmerich Newspapers, Inc.
Southern Miss baseball continued its strong early season run this week, off to the best start in the Ostrander era at 14-2. They are ranked No. 7 in D1baseball.com, No. 10 in Baseball America, No. 6 in Perfect Game and No. 6 in The Athletic.
Another weekend is in the books, so naturally it’s time for my weekly report card for the Golden Eagles after a 4-1 week. Southern Miss beat No. 4 Mississippi State in a thriller on Tuesday night, before dropping a stunning home loss to Nicholls. They bounced back this weekend and earned the sweep of North Alabama.
By DIMA MIXON on
3 weeks 1 day ago
The Mississippi Digital Humanities Hub (“The Hub”) at The University of Southern Mississippi will conduct a six-week Summer Residency Program on the Hattiesburg campus from June 15 to July 24. The session is geared toward undergraduate students majoring in humanities-related fields (English, history, philosophy and similar subjects) at a two- or four-year college or university in Mississippi who are returning to school in the fall.
By Jamie O’Quinn and David Tisdale on
3 weeks 2 days ago
Photo by Dima Mixon, © 2026 Emmerich Newspapers, Inc.
PENSACOLA, Fla. — Southern Miss’ run through the Sun Belt Conference Tournament came up one win short of the championship game.
Top-seeded Troy used strong defense in the first half and timely shooting to defeat eighth-seeded Southern Miss 78-70 in the Sun Belt semifinal Saturday evening.
For the Golden Eagles, the loss ended hopes of reaching the program’s first Sun Belt title game after winning three consecutive games earlier in the week to reach the semifinal stage.
By DIMA MIXON on
3 weeks 3 days ago
Photo by Southern Miss Athletics
PENSACOLA, Fla. — They are halfway to glory.
Southern Miss men’s basketball has won its third straight game in the Sun Belt Tournament with an 86-73 win over Appalachian State in the quarterfinals. It’s the first time since joining the Sun Belt that the Golden Eagles have reached the semifinal round.
Southern Miss will now face No. 1 seed Troy on Sunday with a trip to the Sun Belt championship game on the line.
By DIMA MIXON on
3 weeks 3 days ago
Photo by Russ Cloy, © 2026 Emmerich Newspapers, Inc.
Grayden Harris was virtually unhittable in Saturday’s 6-1 series clinching win over North Alabama. Harris delivered a career high 13 strikeouts across a career high seven innings.
“My past few starts I’ve had problems with focusing in and going right at the guy every single pitch,” Harris said. “Today, I wouldn’t let that happen. I told myself I’m going to go right at the guy and trust my stuff. That worked out pretty good.”
By DIMA MIXON on
3 weeks 3 days ago
GOODMAN, Miss. — No. 2 Pearl River baseball jumped on Holmes early and never let up Friday afternoon, cruising to a 10-0 run-rule victory on the road against the Bulldogs.
"All of our pitchers that went out threw well today. We threw a lot of strikes and didn't walk a batter, so that was really good to see," head coach Michael Avalon said. "On offense, we took what they gave us and that's something we need to build on. Our guys get pitched pretty tough, so you have to be disciplined and cash in your freebies."
By Dylan Dunaway on
3 weeks 5 days ago
Photo special to the Pine Belt News from Southern Miss Athletics.
PENSACOLA, Fla - Missy Bilderback’s first season as head coach of Southern Miss women’s basketball is over after a 89-72 loss to ULM in the third round of the Sun Belt Tournament.
“Just a tough day,” Bilderback said. “Obviously we are disappointed. This has been an incredibly fun team to coach. I really enjoyed our team this year. Anytime you have a season end, especially with a group of players and people you care about, it makes it tough.”
By DIMA MIXON on
3 weeks 5 days ago
Jail dockets for Forrest and Lamar counties are provided to the Pine Belt News as a public records service. Arrest records are current for the week prior to publication.
Hattiesburg Police:
Guillermo Avalos- domestic violence (simple assault)
Ashley Stogner Burns- weekender
Julion Deeric Carter- court order
Kendrick Clayton- probation violation, domestic violence (simple assault)
Galen Terrill Lashawn Cochran- possession of marijuana, possession of a controlled substance while in possession of a firearm at crime/arrest
Jose A. Cortes- DUI (first offense)
By Staff reports on
3 weeks 6 days ago
Photo by Russ Cloy, © 2026 Emmerich Newspapers, Inc.
Nicholls used three runs on seven hits to stun No. 10 Southern Miss 3-2 in nonconference play Wednesday night at Pete Taylor Park.
The loss ends an 11-game win streak by the Golden Eagles dating back to the second game of the season.
“Credit to Nicholls, they earned that win,” Southern Miss head coach Christian Ostrander said after the game. “I thought their pitchers did a tremendous job of mixing and keeping our guys in between.”
The win is the third for Nicholls in the last four meetings with the Golden Eagles.
By DIMA MIXON on
4 weeks ago
Photo by Jacob Brumfield, © 2026 Emmerich Newspapers, Inc.
The game lived up to hype.
No. 10 Southern Miss, No. 4 Mississippi State. First top ten matchup between the two schools, and it came down to the final pitch between Southern Miss closer Camden Clark against heart of Mississippi State’s order.
By DIMA MIXON on
