Justin Word, incoming freshman from Southern Miss baseball, has chosen Southern Miss for the school's winning culture and aims to further it with a deep postseason run in 2027. Word, who was named to the 2026 Clarion-Ledger Dandy Dozen after his senior year at Jackson Academy, posted a.504 batting average, 62 hits, 29 RBI, 14 doubles, eight home runs and 28 stolen bases through 38 games. He plans to focus on improving his speed on the bases for the upcoming season. Word is also looking forward to traveling and bonding with his teammates, meeting new people and learning from older players. He believes his speed and grit are the biggest strengths of his game, but also his ability to play well at the plate.