Christian Ostrander’s first season as Southern Miss’ baseball head coach came to an end on Sunday. The Golden Eagles were eliminated, 12-3, against No. 1 national seed Tennessee in the NCAA Tournament Knoxville Regional.
Ostrander met with media following the contest.
“First, just want to congratulate coach (Tony) Vitello and his staff, and Tennessee on the championship, and best luck to them moving forward,” Ostrander said. “Very good ball club. Just proud of our guys, long day today. Came out and played a really good game against Indiana earlier today and got the chance to keep playing.
“Knew it was going to be tough and thought our guys fought, just ran out of gas a little bit there at the end. Nothing to be ashamed of, for sure, and I know these guys have a lot to be proud of.”
Ostrander served as an assistant coach for six seasons at Southern Miss under head coach Scott Berry. Berry retired following last season and served as the Golden Eagles’ head coach from 2010-23.
Tennessee defeated Southern Miss in the 2023 Hattiesburg Super Regional. Ostrandeer discussed what makes this year’s Tennessee team different from last season.
“Well, they have more experience,” Ostrander said. “Those guys that were in it last year coming back, they just have another level of experience and maturity. It’s just very long, it’s a long lineup. You can’t catch your breath, you have to execute, and if you give them a little bit of something, they can hurt you because they can do so many things.
“It’s just a very, very, very good lineup and a very good program, very good team. They’re going to be a handful for whoever catches them next for sure.”
PHOTOS: Tennessee baseball defeats Southern Miss, wins Knoxville Regional
