HATTIESBURG — It takes a certain amount of hype around a sporting event to inspire area politicians to start making wagers.
The NCAA super regional between Southern Miss baseball and Ole Miss has officially reached that threshold. Hattiesburg Mayor Toby Barker, a Southern Miss graduate, accepted a hashtag challenge from Ole Miss alumnus and state auditor Shad White on Twitter.
The best-of-three series starts Saturday.
Here's what is at stake.
“College baseball has always been big in the state of Mississippi, but I think it just got a lot bigger this weekend in all honesty," Southern Miss coach Scott Berry said.