Where Southern Miss baseball's 2025 roster stands after MLB draft

Southern Miss baseball had four players picked in this week’s MLB Draft.

DJ Layton, a Southern Miss shortstop signee, went in the sixth round to the Baltimore Orioles; starting pitcher Niko Mazza was taken in the eighth round by the San Francisco Giants; junior college transfer pitcher Lucas Elissalt was picked by the Detroit Tigers in the 13th round and center fielder Dalton McIntyre was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in Round 19.

Layton and Mazza have said they will sign MLB contracts. It’s possible Elissalt and McIntyre could too. An undrafted free agent can’t be ruled out yet, either.

Here’s what Southern Miss and coach Christian Ostrander face for the Golden Eagles' 2025 roster in the aftermath of the MLB Draft.

Southern Miss' options at starting pitcher

Mazza and Billy Oldham were perhaps the best 1-2 punch in the Sun Belt Conference.

Oldham has one year of eligibility remaining and went undrafted. He said in May he’d “most likely be back here” if a professional opportunity didn’t arrive. Oldham was an All-Sun Belt player but had a poor end to the season when he allowed 15 earned runs in his final 16⅔ innings.

Will Armistead, Southern Miss’ third starter who suffered a season-ending injury in April, graduated.

That means Southern Miss will be in need of two new starters, plus a third one if it can find one for the midweek.

JB Middleton is an option after he threw a career-long 3⅓ innings with one earned run as the starter at Tennessee in the Knoxville Regional final. Colby Allen capped a dominant end to the season with seven innings of one-run ball in a start against Indiana. Kros Sivley was a rollercoaster at times but seems to have the trust of the coaching staff. Matt Adams also returns after missing all of the 2024 season with an injury.

Southern Miss transfer portal additions aid outfield

Southern Miss has added three players out of the transfer portal as of Thursday. Two of them are outfielders.

And the outfield wasn’t necessarily a need for Southern Miss. The Golden Eagles return Carson Paetow, who started 51 games in right field, and Davis Gillespie, who started 34 games in left field. Utilityman Nick Monistere will also be back.

Ben Higdon was brought in after a redshirt season at Kentucky. In 2023, he batted .459 with 21 home runs at John A. Logan College and is playing well this summer in the Northwoods League. Joey Urban is the other transfer portal outfield addition, a first-team All-Big East selection in 2024.

Only one Southern Miss signee drafted

Southern Miss’ 2024 recruiting class is ranked No. 57 in the country by Perfect Game, its highest since 2011. Layton was the only signee picked in the draft.

The shortstop’s absence likely will be more impactful in later seasons because of what Southern Miss returns in the infield for the 2025 season. Ozzie Pratt, Monistere, Seth Smith and Matthew Russo are all still with the Golden Eagles. Even with starting third baseman Gabe Broadus gone, Smith or Monistere could slide into his spot, or an incoming freshman could, too.

Draft departures open up more roster spots that can be supplemented in the transfer portal, though many of the top players have already found new teams.

Sam Sklar is the Southern Miss beat reporter for the Hattiesburg American. Email him at ssklar@hattiesb.gannett.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.