Southern Miss’ Matthew Etzel catches a ball in the outfield during the first game of a double header against Georgia Southern at Pete Taylor Park on Saturday, March 25, 2023. Hannah Ruhoff Sun Herald

One of the hottest teams in the country is heading to SEC country.

Southern Miss will be playing in the Auburn regional as No. 2 seed after narrowly missing out on an opportunity to host.

The Golden Eagles (41-17) will be spending another weekend in Alabama after winning the Sun Belt Conference tournament on Sunday in Montgomery.

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Joining USM in Auburn is third-seeded Samford (36-23) and fourth-seed Penn (32-14). The Auburn regional is paired with the Clemson regional.

The double-elimination regional tournament will begin Friday, and run through Monday, June 5. Auburn (37-21-1) is one of a record eight SEC schools selected to host a regional.

Southern Miss will face Samford on Friday on ESPN+. The Golden Eagles are one of four Sun Belt schools to receive a bid, along with Coastal Carolina, Louisiana and Troy.

Scott Berry, in his last season as head coach before retirement, has led USM to 19 wins in its past 21 games.

Southern Miss won its own regional last season and advanced to super regionals for the first time since 2009.

This story was originally published May 29, 2023 11:29 AM.