For those who know, the best way to enter Pete Taylor Park doesn’t begin in a parking lot.
It begins on the Longleaf Trace.
As the late afternoon sun filters through the pine trees, joggers, bikers, and golf carts all move in the same direction. Southern Miss flags start to appear. The hum of game day builds slowly, almost quietly at first.
And then, somewhere between the trees and the stadium lights, you smell it.
Fried Mississippi catfish.
Hush puppies.
It hits you before you ever see the ballpark.
That’s when you know you’re close.
The Smell of Game Day
College baseball has its traditions. Some are loud. Some are visual. At on Friday nights during Southern Miss games, one of the strongest is something you don’t even see at first, you smell it.
That scent drifting through the trees isn’t coming from a concession stand inside the gates. It’s coming from just beyond right field, where something different is happening on Friday nights during Lent. Something that has quietly become part of the game day experience.
For Catholics, Lent represents the 40 day period between Fat Tuesday and Easter, the period when Jesus fasted for 40 days.
Where Faith Meets the Ballpark
Just beyond the Right Field Roost at Pete Taylor Park sits St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, a place that has quietly become part of the Southern Miss baseball experience.
For decades, parish has served both its congregation and the university community. Its Eagle Catholic ministry is built around Southern Miss students, offering worship, fellowship, and a sense of home just steps from the ballpark.
The church also charges $10 to park in their parking lot, with proceeds directly going back to the Church. You can’t beat being able to pull directly up to the ballpark.
But on Friday nights during Lent, it becomes something more.
It becomes part of game day.
St. Thomas Aquinas isn’t just a neighbor, it’s woven into the rhythm of Southern Miss baseball.
Fish Fry Fridays: A Lenten Game Day Experience
During Lent, Friday nights at Southern Miss come with a tradition you won’t find anywhere else in college baseball.
The Knights of Columbus fish fry.
Every Friday during Lent, you can walk into the Church’s Parish Center and grab a fish plate for $12. Plates come out stacked with fried catfish or shrimp, hush puppies on the side, and the kind of simple, no-frills Southern cooking that feels perfectly at home next to a baseball stadium.
The church parking lot fills early.
Not just with parishioners, but with fans.
Tailgates mix with folding tables. Conversations bounce between church life and weekend pitching rotations. The smell carries across the street, drifting toward the Right Field Roost.
You can grab a plate to go.
Sit down and eat.
Or just stand there and take it all in.
Some fans grab a plate and never even leave the fence line, watching the game from behind right field with a plate of catfish in hand. Some fans hand their plates over the Right Field to eat once inside The Roost.
The Roost and the Church: A Shared Atmosphere
Just steps away sits the Right Field Roost, one of the most unique traditions in college baseball. This is where Southern Miss fans turn game day into an all-day experience. Grills fire up early. Music plays. Trucks pull up and park.
And St. Thomas Aquinas sits right on the edge of it all.
On game days, the church parking lot becomes a natural gathering point, a place where fans meet, prepare, and ease into the night before making their way into the Roost.
It’s just part of the culture.
A Moment That Defined the Connection
The connection between the church and the ballpark isn’t just about proximity.
It’s something deeper.
Before the 2023 Super Regional against Tennessee, Pete Taylor Park was blessed by Father Mark Ropel in a moment that felt uniquely fitting for a city who’s nickname is Baseburg.
A procession moved from the church into the stadium, where holy water was sprinkled across the bleachers before one of the biggest weekends in program history.
At Pete Taylor Park, faith and baseball don’t compete for space.
They share it.
From Fish Fry to First Pitch
What makes this experience stand out isn’t just the food or the setting.
It’s the timing.
During Lent, Friday nights carry a different meaning. Across the Catholic world, it’s a time rooted in reflection, tradition, and simple meals shared in community.
At Southern Miss, that tradition just happens to sit next to one of the best atmospheres in college baseball.
So the night unfolds naturally.
From fish fry…
to first pitch.
From folding tables and paper plates…
to the crack of the bat and the buzz of the Roost.
And somehow, it all fits together.
If you’re searching for a sports experience that feels authentic, local, and unlike anything else in college baseball, this is it.
You won’t find it in a media guide.
You won’t see it on a national broadcast.
But if you come in the right way, down the Trace, past the church, following the smell of catfish, you’ll understand it immediately.
At Pete Taylor Park, On Fridays during Lent. The best way to get to the game…
is to follow your nose.
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