Looking at the big picture, the season is far from over for Southern Miss.

It can still win the Conference USA Tournament. There’s a good chance it’ll host an NCAA regional, and maybe even a super regional.

Right now, though, there’s just the hurt that comes from getting pummeled and seeing the first of many goals slip away.

J.T. Chargois went 4-for-6 with four RBIs, Michael Ratterree homered, and four players drove in at least two runs apiece as Rice hammered Southern Miss 16-2 on Friday night to claim the regular-season C-USA championship.

It was Southern Miss’ fifth loss in six games, a slide that cost it a three-game lead in the C-USA standings and the top seed in the league tournament that comes with the regular-season championship. The Golden Eagles can still earn a share of the title by winning this afternoon’s finale, but Rice will get the top seed in the tournament based on its head-to-head series victory.