When the Southern Miss Golden Eagles take the field Tuesday night in Biloxi against Nicholls State, the setting may technically be Keesler Federal Park, best known as the home of the Biloxi Shuckers. But for many Golden Eagle fans it has started to feel like something else entirely.
For years now, the modern waterfront ballpark in Biloxi has quietly become a second home for Southern Miss baseball, a place where the Golden Eagles have repeatedly thrived in big moments, postseason play, and neutral-site games. When Southern Miss plays on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, the atmosphere often feels less like a neutral field and more like Pete Taylor Park on the Beach.
Opened in 2015 as MGM Park and renamed Keesler Federal Park in 2024, the downtown Biloxi stadium seats just over 6,000 fans and sits across from the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino along the Gulf of America. The ballpark is home to the Double-A Biloxi Shuckers and has quickly become one of the Gulf Coast’s premier sports venues.
But from early on, the park was designed to host more than minor league baseball.
From 2017 through 2019, the facility hosted the Conference USA Baseball Tournament, bringing the league’s best teams to the Mississippi Coast each May.
For Southern Miss, that tournament run turned the ballpark into something of a postseason playground, an hour south of Hattiesburg.
Southern Miss Dominated the C-USA Era in Biloxi
When Conference USA brought its championship tournament to Biloxi, the Golden Eagles made themselves right at home.
Southern Miss won back-to-back Conference USA Tournament championships at MGM Park in 2018 and 2019, punching NCAA Tournament tickets both years.
The 2019 run was particularly memorable. Led by slugger Matt Wallner and head coach Scott Berry, the Golden Eagles captured the conference title in Biloxi and earned the league’s automatic NCAA Tournament bid.
For Southern Miss fans who made the short treck down Highway 49, the coastal ballpark quickly started to feel familiar, almost like a postseason extension of Hattiesburg.
Neutral Site Games Along the Coast
Even outside tournament play, Southern Miss has continued to bring games to Biloxi.
Over the past decade, the Golden Eagles have played several neutral-site matchups at the park against regional opponents, including games against Nicholls, Southeastern Louisiana, Mississippi State, and others.
One notable early victory came in 2017 when No. 15 Southern Miss defeated Southeastern Louisiana 11–3 in Biloxi, continuing a late-season surge that eventually led to postseason success.
The games often draw strong crowds from across the Gulf Coast. Including Southern Miss fans from the Pine Belt, Mississippi Gulf Coast, and even southeastern Louisiana.
Why the Park Feels Like a Home Game
The reason Biloxi feels like “Pete Taylor Park South” isn’t just about wins.
Geography plays a big role.
Southern Miss has long had a massive fan base across the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Alumni, former players, and longtime supporters from Biloxi, Gulfport, Ocean Springs, Pascagoula, and Mobile frequently travel to Hattiesburg for games at Pete Taylor Park.
When the Eagles come to the coast, those fans finally get a home game of their own.
Combine that with a winning tradition, 21 NCAA Tournament appearances and multiple conference championships in program history, and Southern Miss tends to draw the loudest crowd whenever it plays on the Gulf Coast.
In other words, the neutral field rarely feels neutral.
Tuesday Night: Another Chapter
When the Golden Eagles return to Biloxi Tuesday night to face Nicholls State, they’ll once again step onto a field that has treated the program well.
Officially, the game will be played at Keesler Federal Park.
But if the crowd is full of black and gold and the Golden Eagles play the way they have in past coastal appearances, it may feel more like Pete Taylor Park on the beach.
And for Southern Miss baseball, that has usually meant good things.
Southern Miss History at Keesler Federal Park
Southern Miss has built a strong track record in Biloxi, highlighted by two Conference USA Tournament championships during the program’s dominant late-2010s run.
Led by stars Matt Wallner (both years) and Nick Sandlin (2018), the Golden Eagles captured back-to-back C-USA Tournament titles at the ballpark in 2018 and 2019, cementing the venue as one of the most successful neutral-site locations in program history.
Southern Miss Record at Keesler Federal Park by Season
| Year | Record |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0–2 |
| 2017 | 6–2 |
| 2018 | 4–1 |
| 2019 | 4–0 |
| 2024 | 0–1 |
| 2025 | 0–1 |
All-Time Record: 14–7
The 2018 and 2019 championship runs remain the highlight of Southern Miss’ success on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. In 2018, the Golden Eagles powered through the tournament with a 4–1 record, while the following year they dominated the bracket with a perfect 4–0 run to secure another conference title.
Southern Miss Record vs Opponents in Biloxi
| Opponent | Record |
|---|---|
| Charlotte | 3–1 |
| Florida Atlantic | 2–0 |
| Louisiana Tech | 1–0 |
| Marshall | 1–0 |
| Nicholls State | 1–2 |
| Rice | 2–1 |
| South Alabama | 0–1 |
| Southeastern Louisiana | 1–0 |
| Tulane | 0–1 |
| UAB | 1–0 |
| UTSA | 2–1 |
Game Information
Matchup:Nicholls State vs. #12 Southern Miss
Date: Tuesday March 17
First Pitch: 6:05 PM CT
Location: Keesler Federal Park
Stadium Capacity: 6,000
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