HATTIESBURG, Miss. – During a time when Southern Miss football is in full swing and basketball season is right around the corner, there is still a strong yearning for baseball among Golden Eagles fans, and for good reason. This offseason, the Golden Eagles made some key changes to head coach Christian Ostrander's staff and added several talented players through the transfer portal and this year's freshman class.

With fall baseball practices and scrimmages officially underway, I sat down with Coach Oz on Thursday morning to discuss all of those things, including what those new staff additions bring to the program, a player-by-player description of each of the new transfer portal guys, why he believes this freshman class is the best one the Golden Eagles have ever had, what the upcoming fall exhibition with Mississippi State in Biloxi on Oct. 10 means, the leadership his elite starting pitchers gained at USA Baseball over the summer, and much, much more.

"I think we got some really good pieces and just a tremendous freshman class," Ostrander said. Then, he took it one step further with his praise for his talented group of freshmen, which includes seven of this year's Dandy Dozen players. "I'll say it, I think it's the best in... I've been here 10 years now, and it's, I think, the best one that I've seen from top to bottom, pitching and offense."

You can visit our Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI baseball page to read our player profiles on several of those freshmen, including Henry Abt, Justin Word, Bankston Walters and many others.

Not only did the Golden Eagles bring in a handful of new players, but there are also a number of key returning players like Davis Gillespie, Drey Barrett – a player Coach Oz believes is poised to take the next step – and weekend starting pitchers Grayden Harris, Camden Clark, and Camden Sunstrom, to name a few. Coach Oz also sees some players returning who have something to prove and are looking to earn an increased role, which has, in turn, increased the competition at several positions.

"I think there's enough returners that had opportunities last year, some a little more than others, that maybe they weren't everyday starters, that they're chasing something," Ostrander said. "Man, there's a ton of competition on that field this fall for [many] spots, for [many] positions. That's really cool to see."

You can listen to or watch our entire conversation on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube.

Be sure to subscribe to our Nasty Bunch & Beyond podcast so you never miss an episode. Also, stay tuned to Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI for more written content from this interview in the coming days.