NATCHEZ — Former Vidalia High School and Southern Miss standout pitcher Barry Bowden is very happy and proud that his alma mater is making its first trip to the College World Series.

But he’s not ashamed to say that he’s considerably jealous as well.

The Golden Eagles made five straight trips to regionals when Bowden was a member of the team, but it wasn’t until the year after he graduated that they finally advanced to the World Series.

“I told the guys that I’m really happy for them, but I’m also jealous of them,” Bowden said. “That’s what you play for, to go to Omaha. I’m almost as jealous as happy.”

Bowden said he has been keeping in contact with USM assistant coach, and soon to be head coach, Scott Berry throughout the season.

“We’ve kept in touch over the past year, checking in on each other,” Bowden said. “I was talking to him when times were rough earlier this season, and everyone was skeptical if they’d even make the conference tournament. And here they are going to Omaha. Things have really turned around for them.”

Bowden, who is currently playing with the Burlington Bees — the Class A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals — isn’t the only former Southern Miss players with Miss-Lou connections.

Brothers Jarrett and Josh Hoffpauir both played for the Golden Eagles, and Josh also was an assistant coach there in 2004 and 2005.

Josh, who is currently an assistant coach at Pearl River Community College, will be making the trip to Omaha to watch USM compete against the best in college baseball.

“I’m as proud as can be,” Hoffpauir said. “You don’t get many opportunities to go to the College World Series. My wife is flying back (to Mississippi) on Wednesday, but I told her ‘I’m sorry, but if (USM) messes around and starts winning, I wont be home until it’s over.’ As long as they’re still playing, I’ll be by their side rooting for them.”

Hoffpauir had the chance to coach with retiring Southern Miss head coach Corky Palmer and head coach in waiting Scott Berry, and said the CWS trip is a testament to the two men’s leadership of the Golden Eagle baseball program.

“Those two guys are the reason the program is where it’s at,” Hoffpauir said. “I’m proud of coach Palmer. I think it’s always been his dream to see the team make it to the next level. And to do it in his final season, it doesn’t get more storybook than that.”

Jarrett Hoffpauir, who is currently playing for the St. Louis Cardinals AAA affiliate Memphis Redbirds, was on the Southern Miss team that hosted a regional for the first time in school history.

He is proud of that accomplishment, but said this year’s USM team trumps everything.

“When we got to host that year, that was huge for the program and the fanbase,” Jarrett said. “But we didn’t make it out of the regional. These guys did. I’m just as proud of them as can be.”

And even though his final season in black and gold was 2004, he still celebrated last Sunday just like he was still in college.

“I’m just as excited as (the current players) are,” Jarrett said. “I watched the (super regional game against Florida) and I was jumping around like a little kid when they won it.”

And you can be sure that television sets in the Memphis Redbirds and Burlington Bees clubhouse will be tuned in to ESPN this weekend when Southern Miss is on the tube.

“Definitely,” Jarrett Hoffpauir said. “That will probably be the first thing I do after the (Redbirds) game.”