Unpopular baseball question / discussion:

[Theconnormead]

There’s no question that our facilities, fan support, and game-day atmosphere are among the very best in college baseball. From that standpoint, we are one of the very best. However, when it comes to on-field success, it's worth asking: has our program historically performed at a level that justifies being considered among the true elite?

We’ve won the SEC title 11 times, but only four of those have come since 1985, with the most recent in 2016. We've claimed the SEC Tournament championship seven times since its inception in 1977, and we've made 12 College World Series appearances with one national championship to show for it.

When compared to programs like LSU—who have 17 SEC Championships, 12 SEC Tournament titles, 19 CWS appearances, and 7 national championships—the contrast is striking. Other programs such as USC (12 national titles), Texas, Arizona, Miami, Oregon State, and South Carolina all have multiple national championships as well. Even programs like Coastal Carolina, Minnesota, Rice, Fresno State, and Pepperdine have captured at least one.

So, the question becomes: did we build our reputation during an era when fewer programs prioritized baseball? Was it just the nature of the sport that kept us from securing more titles? Or have we, as a fan base, come to overestimate the historical success of our program due to our exceptional facilities and strong support?

 

[Darryl Steight]

There’s no question that our facilities, fan support, and game-day atmosphere are among the very best in college baseball. From that standpoint, we are one of the ver best. However, when it comes to on-field success, it's worth asking: has our program historically performed at a level that justifies being considered among the true elite?

We’ve won the SEC title 11 times, but only four of those have come since 1985, with the most recent in 2016. We've claimed the SEC Tournament championship seven times since its inception in 1977, and we've made 12 College World Series appearances with one national championship to show for it.

When compared to programs like LSU—who have 17 SEC Championships, 12 SEC Tournament titles, 19 CWS appearances, and 7 national championships—the contrast is striking. Other programs such as USC (12 national titles), Texas, Arizona, Miami, Oregon State, and South Carolina all have multiple national championships as well. Even programs like Coastal Carolina, Minnesota, Rice, Fresno State, and Pepperdine have captured at least one.

So, the question becomes: did we build our reputation during an era when fewer programs prioritized baseball? Was it just the nature of the sport that kept us from securing more titles? Or have we, as a fan base, come to overestimate the historical success of our program due to our exceptional facilities and strong support?

I'm not picking on you, but this seems to be the theme of the week. Maybe I'm the oddball, but I don't want to ask myself those questions. Why would I? Who cares if we built our reputation during what era? All the other schools had baseball teams then too, didn't they? I submit that no other schools ask these sad, self-reflective, navel gazing questions of themselves.

Ask Ole Miss about their football history. Ask Bama how many national championships they have. Ask LSU or UT if they've ever lost a game in any sport - they may not be quite sure, but they damn sure don't meditate on it or remember ever losing.

It's like we have impostor syndrome and can't accept being good at anything. Hell, if you ask a lot of (probably most) college baseball fans around the country - they would think we're an elite program with a rich history... Why can't we just let them think that, and maybe even believe it ourselves?

 

[CochiseCowbell]

That's baseball.

 

[Ranchdawg]

There’s no question that our facilities, fan support, and game-day atmosphere are among the very best in college baseball. From that standpoint, we are one of the ver best. However, when it comes to on-field success, it's worth asking: has our program historically performed at a level that justifies being considered among the true elite?

We’ve won the SEC title 11 times, but only four of those have come since 1985, with the most recent in 2016. We've claimed the SEC Tournament championship seven times since its inception in 1977, and we've made 12 College World Series appearances with one national championship to show for it.

When compared to programs like LSU—who have 17 SEC Championships, 12 SEC Tournament titles, 19 CWS appearances, and 7 national championships—the contrast is striking. Other programs such as USC (12 national titles), Texas, Arizona, Miami, Oregon State, and South Carolina all have multiple national championships as well. Even programs like Coastal Carolina, Minnesota, Rice, Fresno State, and Pepperdine have captured at least one.

So, the question becomes: did we build our reputation during an era when fewer programs prioritized baseball? Was it just the nature of the sport that kept us from securing more titles? Or have we, as a fan base, come to overestimate the historical success of our program due to our exceptional facilities and strong support?

Here is a listing based on team performance and winning history. Programs & Stadiums

 

[Seinfeld]

This is just my opinion, but I personally don’t give a flip about conference titles in any sport. Back when we finally made it to Atlanta with JWS, there was clearly a mystique to winning that SEC championship trophy, but now? I think they’re getting closer and closer to being dang near meaningless.

So what does matter? For me, the postseason, and our 12 CWS appearances is tied for 10th most in history. Comparing it to basketball elite 8s, it would be similar to asking if UConn, Indiana, Arizona, and Louisville are really all that special. Those schools may not be UK or Duke, but they’re still considered by most to be historically elite programs.

Then, if it’s the titles that drops us down a notch, I can buy that, but I’d counter with this


We may not be LSU or a Top 5 program, but I’ll still argue that we’re solidly in that 10-15 range

 

[DAWGSANDSAINTS]

USC hasn’t been relevant or won a title in years.
LSU is the preeminent program.
FL State been to many more CWS’s than us and they still haven’t won one.
Gotta be somewhat lucky and get hot at the absolute right time sometimes in baseball.
We’ve had better teams than the 2021 squad but they couldn’t win the CWS.
But to answer your question, we’ve had too many years (sometimes in a row) of not even making the Tournament to be considered truly elite.
Why is that - I have no idea.
Thank goodness most college baseball fans don’t really realize that but we’ve way underachieved in my opinion.

 

[Theconnormead]

This is just my opinion, but I personally don’t give a flip about conference titles in any sport. Back when we finally made it to Atlanta with JWS, there was clearly a mystique to winning that SEC championship trophy, but now? I think they’re getting closer and closer to being dang near meaningless.

So what does matter? For me, the postseason, and our 12 CWS appearances is tied for 10th most in history. Comparing it to basketball elite 8s, it would be similar to asking if UConn, Indiana, Arizona, and Louisville are really all that special. Those schools may not be UK or Duke, but they’re still considered by most to be historically elite programs.

Then, if it’s the titles that drops us down a notch, I can buy that, but I’d counter with this

View attachment 800125
We may not be LSU or a Top 5 program, but I’ll still argue that we’re solidly in that 10-15 range

All good points.

 

[OG Goat Holder]

We are Top 15 now with the title. We are like Auburn football. Not a blue blood, but the next tier.

In other sports, if you are good enough to win a title you’re probably a blue blood, thus winning a title also makes you a blue blood. Obviously you have to look at time periods too, ie have you won one in 25 years or so. But in baseball, titles are more random, so you have to look a little deeper than just that.

 

[Darryl Steight]

This is just my opinion, but I personally don’t give a flip about conference titles in any sport. Back when we finally made it to Atlanta with JWS, there was clearly a mystique to winning that SEC championship trophy, but now? I think they’re getting closer and closer to being dang near meaningless.

So what does matter? For me, the postseason, and our 12 CWS appearances is tied for 10th most in history. Comparing it to basketball elite 8s, it would be similar to asking if UConn, Indiana, Arizona, and Louisville are really all that special. Those schools may not be UK or Duke, but they’re still considered by most to be historically elite programs.

Then, if it’s the titles that drops us down a notch, I can buy that, but I’d counter with this

View attachment 800125
We may not be LSU or a Top 5 program, but I’ll still argue that we’re solidly in that 10-15 range

Top 21 crowds, and 24 out of 25. It's not the only thing that counts or even the most important, but it's still pretty 17'ing badass. Some might even call it 'elite'.

 

[dog99walker]

You graduated from that school in Oxford, right?
I’m just sayin’.

We invented the modern College baseball programs. Where were you when we did it?

 

[Ranchdawg]

This is just my opinion, but I personally don’t give a flip about conference titles in any sport. Back when we finally made it to Atlanta with JWS, there was clearly a mystique to winning that SEC championship trophy, but now? I think they’re getting closer and closer to being dang near meaningless.

So what does matter? For me, the postseason, and our 12 CWS appearances is tied for 10th most in history. Comparing it to basketball elite 8s, it would be similar to asking if UConn, Indiana, Arizona, and Louisville are really all that special. Those schools may not be UK or Duke, but they’re still considered by most to be historically elite programs.

Then, if it’s the titles that drops us down a notch, I can buy that, but I’d counter with this

View attachment 800125
We may not be LSU or a Top 5 program, but I’ll still argue that we’re solidly in that 10-15 range

Great response! Winning a NC or conference title is fine but I wouldn't trade the list of highest attendance for them. Baseball "just means more" to State fans. The attendance records and excitement we've had over the years with our program exceeds many. I was at a Florida/State game in Gainesville and a Florida fan told me he would gladly trade their program for ours. They have a good program but THIS is the answer.

 

[DAWGSANDSAINTS]

View attachment 800131 View attachment 800133

Top 21 crowds, and 24 out of 25. It's not the only thing that counts or even the most important, but it's still pretty 17'ing badass. Some might even call it 'elite'.

Give me a 7,500 seat stadium and 6-7 National Titles and multiple SEC and SEC Tournament titles any day.
You sound like some Rebel saying buh, buh, we have the Grove and we have more people tailgating than actually in our stadium - and we won the Party today!
People talk about the Grove and people talk about the Left Field Lounge but what has that actually gotten us?

 

[BulldogBlitz]

There’s no question that our facilities, fan support, and game-day atmosphere are among the very best in college baseball.

We definitely have the best college baseball in oktibbeha county.

 

[QuadrupleOption]

There’s no question that our facilities, fan support, and game-day atmosphere are among the very best in college baseball. From that standpoint, we are one of the very best. However, when it comes to on-field success, it's worth asking: has our program historically performed at a level that justifies being considered among the true elite?

We’ve won the SEC title 11 times, but only four of those have come since 1985, with the most recent in 2016. We've claimed the SEC Tournament championship seven times since its inception in 1977, and we've made 12 College World Series appearances with one national championship to show for it.

When compared to programs like LSU—who have 17 SEC Championships, 12 SEC Tournament titles, 19 CWS appearances, and 7 national championships—the contrast is striking. Other programs such as USC (12 national titles), Texas, Arizona, Miami, Oregon State, and South Carolina all have multiple national championships as well. Even programs like Coastal Carolina, Minnesota, Rice, Fresno State, and Pepperdine have captured at least one.

So, the question becomes: did we build our reputation during an era when fewer programs prioritized baseball? Was it just the nature of the sport that kept us from securing more titles? Or have we, as a fan base, come to overestimate the historical success of our program due to our exceptional facilities and strong support?

This is going to sound like a joke but I ran our numbers back in 2019 or 2020 before we won the whole thing and based on my scoring system we were indeed an elite program. Not as elite as LSU or Texas or Florida State even, but in the top 10.

I went back I think to 1999 or 2000 because no one cares about titles won in the 1950s but in modern day college baseball we are up there. I'll see if I can dig up the post.

EDIT:
I'll make my own post with updated data, but we were #9 before winning in 2021:
1) Florida State
2) Texas
3) LSU
4) Cal St. Fullerton
5) Florida
6) South Carolina
7) Vanderbilt
8) Stanford
9) Mississippi State
10) Miami
11) Virginia
12) Arizona State
13) Arizona
14) Oklahoma State
15) Southern Cal.
Note - the difference in points between #1 (79 points) and #15 (17) is very large.

 

[CochiseCowbell]

View attachment 800131 View attachment 800133

Top 21 crowds, and 24 out of 25. It's not the only thing that counts or even the most important, but it's still pretty 17'ing badass. Some might even call it 'elite'.

Look at the Hogs counting their hefty fans as 2.*

 

[greenbean.sixpack]

What other coaches did less with more than Polk? He had unrivaled support, resources and talent -in an era when no other programs cared - yet never sniffed a natty. With one of the all-time best teams (85), he won two games in the CWS. No doubt he built much of that support, but how did he manage to under achieve to that extent?

 

[CochiseCowbell]

This is going to sound like a joke but I ran our numbers back in 2029

For 17 sake, we didn't improve?

I mean you gotta share who the next coach is so we can go a different direction.

Also, the next Powerball numbers, so I can, ya know, help all athletic teams.

 

[QuadrupleOption]

For 17 sake, we didn't improve?

I mean you gotta share who the next coach is so we can go a different direction.

Also, the next Powerball numbers, so I can, ya know, help all athletic teams.

lol yeah I fat fingered the date. Already edited, you bastard.

 

[patdog]

View attachment 800131 View attachment 800133

Top 21 crowds, and 24 out of 25. It's not the only thing that counts or even the most important, but it's still pretty 17'ing badass. Some might even call it 'elite'.

It’s impressive. But it’s also the biggest problem with Mississippi State baseball & has been for years. Our fans & really our whole program care more about the stadium & the crowds than they do about the baseball.

 

[patdog]

What other coaches did less with more than Polk? He had unrivaled support, resources and talent -in an era when no other programs cared - yet never sniffed a natty. With one of the all-time best teams (85), he won two games in the CWS. No doubt he built much of that support, but how did he manage to under achieve to that extent?

Most overrated coach in college baseball history.

 

[Dawgbite]

What other coaches did less with more than Polk? He had unrivaled support, resources and talent -in an era when no other programs cared - yet never sniffed a natty. With one of the all-time best teams (85), he won two games in the CWS. No doubt he built much of that support, but how did he manage to under achieve to that extent?

Baseball is so different than football and basketball. In football and basketball the best team wins the championship the majority of the time. The strongest prevail. with baseball it’s so dependent on lack of injuries, getting hot in June, and just pure damned luck. A cold hitter or a sore pitching elbow can doom a team if it hits in June regardless if they’re heads above the competition. Ole Miss winning in 2022 is a perfect example. They weren’t even remotely the best team that year, they just got hot and got lucky at the right time.

 

[patdog]

Baseball is so different than football and basketball. In football and basketball the best team wins the championship the majority of the time. The strongest prevail. with baseball it’s so dependent on lack of injuries, getting hot in June, and just pure damned luck. A cold hitter or a sore pitching elbow can doom a team if it hits in June regardless if they’re heads above the competition. Ole Miss winning in 2022 is a perfect example. They weren’t even remotely the best team that year, they just got hot and got lucky at the right time.

College baseball postseason is a crapshoot. Florida St has still never win it. But Fresno State has as a #4 regional seed. Lot of luck involved.

 

[greenbean.sixpack]

Baseball is so different than football and basketball. In football and basketball the best team wins the championship the majority of the time. The strongest prevail. with baseball it’s so dependent on lack of injuries, getting hot in June, and just pure damned luck. A cold hitter or a sore pitching elbow can doom a team if it hits in June regardless if they’re heads above the competition. Ole Miss winning in 2022 is a perfect example. They weren’t even remotely the best team that year, they just got hot and got lucky at the right time.

This is why coaching in baseball is even more important. Talent doesn't always win.

Rod Dedeaux, Augie Garrido and Skip Bertman say hello.

 

[patdog]

Rod Dedeaux, Augie Garrido and Skip Bertman say hello.

When’s the last time any of those guys won a title? It’s a different ballgame now.

 

[CaptainFalcon]

It’s one of those “multiple things can be true at once” things. We have accomplished a lot in baseball but we also have underachieved relative to our investment level and should have more trophies to show for it.

The biggest thing we need is some long term stability. I realize Lemonis ended up being here 6-7 years but the next guy will still be our fourth different permanent head coach since 2016 (not even counting Henderson or Parker in that).

Mike Rooney has talked about this over the last week or so but the biggest knock against our program is the volatility. We have had some high highs but also seem to crash and burn more often than the top programs in the SEC. We’ve gotta have someone elevate our floor while also giving us a chance to reach those high water marks again.

 

[MaxwellSmart]

What other coaches did less with more than Polk? He had unrivaled support, resources and talent -in an era when no other programs cared - yet never sniffed a natty. With one of the all-time best teams (85), he won two games in the CWS. No doubt he built much of that support, but how did he manage to under achieve to that extent?

If not for that shot to Gene Morgan's ankle, Polk probably gets the '85 championship. The rest of the years, he should have gotten at least one more.

 

[HotMop]

There’s no question that our facilities, fan support, and game-day atmosphere are among the very best in college baseball. From that standpoint, we are one of the very best. However, when it comes to on-field success, it's worth asking: has our program historically performed at a level that justifies being considered among the true elite?

We’ve won the SEC title 11 times, but only four of those have come since 1985, with the most recent in 2016. We've claimed the SEC Tournament championship seven times since its inception in 1977, and we've made 12 College World Series appearances with one national championship to show for it.

When compared to programs like LSU—who have 17 SEC Championships, 12 SEC Tournament titles, 19 CWS appearances, and 7 national championships—the contrast is striking. Other programs such as USC (12 national titles), Texas, Arizona, Miami, Oregon State, and South Carolina all have multiple national championships as well. Even programs like Coastal Carolina, Minnesota, Rice, Fresno State, and Pepperdine have captured at least one.

So, the question becomes: did we build our reputation during an era when fewer programs prioritized baseball? Was it just the nature of the sport that kept us from securing more titles? Or have we, as a fan base, come to overestimate the historical success of our program due to our exceptional facilities and strong support?

Go 17 yourself.

 

[Bulldog Bruce]

Look, we are not the Yankees. We are more like the Cardinals. Pretty good success and great fan support. That makes us very relevant.

 

[pseudonym]

Objective rankings based on NCAA tournament results since 1999 (25 seasons):

1. LSU
2. Texas
3. South Carolina
4. Oregon State
5. Florida
6. Vanderbilt
7. Miami (FL)
8. Stanford
9. Cal State Fullerton
10. Virginia
11. North Carolina
12. Florida State
13. Mississippi State
14. Rice
15. UCLA
16. Arkansas
17. Arizona
18. Ole Miss
19. Tennessee
20. TCU
21. Texas A&M
22. Clemson
23. Coastal Carolina
24. Arizona State
25. Georgia

Other SEC programs:
28. Oklahoma
36. Alabama
40. Auburn
48. Kentucky
74. Missouri

Methodology: points weighted by tournament finish

• national title: 1.00
• runner-up: 0.50
• CWS 3rd place: 0.25
• CWS 5th place: 0.16666667
• CWS 7th place: 0.125
• super regional: 0.0625
• regional runner-up: 0.03125
• regional 3rd place: 0.02083333
• regional 4th place: 0.015625

 

[greenbean.sixpack]

When’s the last time any of those guys won a title? It’s a different ballgame now.

My comments were about Polk and Bertman was a contemporary of his. To your point, coaching is every bit as important now.

 

[MStateDawg]

The entire sport of college baseball revolves around getting to Omaha. Only 11 teams in the nation have more trips to the CWS than we do.

 

[Darryl Steight]

Give me a 7,500 seat stadium and 6-7 National Titles and multiple SEC and SEC Tournament titles any day.
You sound like some Rebel saying buh, buh, we have the Grove and we have more people tailgating than actually in our stadium - and we won the Party today!
People talk about the Grove and people talk about the Left Field Lounge but what has that actually gotten us?

Do what now? I usually try to let comments go, but then you went and insulted my integrity by saying I sound like a rebel. First, allow me to say that the comparison to the grove is really dumb. There is a huge difference in a crowd at a tailgate area - not even at the stadium, but down the road - and an actual crowd of fans AT the game. Big difference to players on the field to have a crowd participating in the game, cheering them on, booing the other team, etc... and the other crowd sitting under some shade trees sipping wine and eating chicken fingers watching the game on tv in a tent. It's not even comparable.

Second, I have never said "I choose to have a big stadium over winning"... Who the F would say that? I literally said in my post that the crowds are not the most important thing, but it is "A" thing.

The original question was whether we deserve to be called an elite baseball program. My answer is yes, by any metric (as has been shown by others with stats above) and then my point with the crowds post was that when you ADD TO the winning, the legendary status of our atmosphere that has been created over the years... we are definitely an elite program. You can see in hundreds of articles and posts online how the rest of the country views our baseball program. The point of my first post was to the OP (and to you, I guess) that it makes zero sense to me that our own fans are the only ones who question that status.


PS. Not for nothing, but the crowd records and atmosphere do play a part in getting good players to come here. So there's that too.

 

[thekimmer]

Success in college baseball over the last 50-60 years has been driven by different things in different eras. From the 1960s until perhaps the late 80s success was largely driven by regionalism. Programs located in places with a high volume of quality local talent driven by a combination of population and suitable climate. Thus teams like USC, Cal State Fullerton, Arizona, Texas, etc. dominated despite very little fan support in some cases. The south had the climate but not so much the population or interest being more preoccupied with football. Ron Polk came to starkville and elevated a program against the status quo and was successful recruiting out of state. There were teams in the SEC that had occasional seasons that rivaled and in some cases surpassed the high water mark that State achieved but State tended to be more consistent over time. Polk raised the bar in the SEC which directly led to LSU hiring Bertman who absolutely took it to another level and ushered in the era of destination recruiting and SEC dominance. Regionalism began to wane and a lot of the former 'blue bloods' faded although regionalism still plays a role. Now a whole new era of NIL and transfer portal is upon us. Through all of this State has not had the highest success but has had a level of success sustained over a long period of time that only a few can rival. I think that is our claim to fame as it were for better or worse.

 

[ETK99]

There’s no question that our facilities, fan support, and game-day atmosphere are among the very best in college baseball. From that standpoint, we are one of the very best. However, when it comes to on-field success, it's worth asking: has our program historically performed at a level that justifies being considered among the true elite?

We’ve won the SEC title 11 times, but only four of those have come since 1985, with the most recent in 2016. We've claimed the SEC Tournament championship seven times since its inception in 1977, and we've made 12 College World Series appearances with one national championship to show for it.

When compared to programs like LSU—who have 17 SEC Championships, 12 SEC Tournament titles, 19 CWS appearances, and 7 national championships—the contrast is striking. Other programs such as USC (12 national titles), Texas, Arizona, Miami, Oregon State, and South Carolina all have multiple national championships as well. Even programs like Coastal Carolina, Minnesota, Rice, Fresno State, and Pepperdine have captured at least one.

So, the question becomes: did we build our reputation during an era when fewer programs prioritized baseball? Was it just the nature of the sport that kept us from securing more titles? Or have we, as a fan base, come to overestimate the historical success of our program due to our exceptional facilities and strong support?

We won a natty 4 years ago and you think the 40 years prior when we won none was our best baseball? SMH

 

[Darryl Steight]

It’s impressive. But it’s also the biggest problem with Mississippi State baseball & has been for years. Our fans & really our whole program care more about the stadium & the crowds than they do about the baseball.

I don't know about everyone else, but I literally don't know anyone who cares more about the crowds than the baseball. Maybe my group is unique or something, but we all want State to win, and badly. All my friends were upset and had grown really angry this year. A lot quit going to the games. You can even see the crowd jump in size last week after the coaching change.

Are there people who still attend games, cook out in left field, and try to support MSU and make the best of it because they paid for season tickets? Well hell yes there are, and good for them. Those are great fans in my book. If literally no one went to the games because we were losing, some people would be calling us the biggest fair weather fanbase on the planet. Now it's that we "care more about the crowd than winning"? Come on.

I think the whole "fans care more about the crowd..." trope is an urban legend.

 

[cadawg26]

I personally think we are an elite program. There are not many programs ahead of us with more NCAA tournament appearances. And who cares if a lot of our SEC tournament championships came a little while ago. It’s still hardware. Everybody else had a baseball team too. And we beat them. 12 college World Series appearances is a dang good accomplishment. We also have the best fans in the world. I know watching state sports can suck sometimes. But that is what brings us together. HAIL 17ing STATE BABY!!!! Lets go beat Ole Miss this weekend!!!!!

 

[thekimmer]

We have had 6 different head coaches take us to the CWS. That is pretty impressive regardless of what we did after we got there.

 

[thekimmer]

What other coaches did less with more than Polk? He had unrivaled support, resources and talent -in an era when no other programs cared - yet never sniffed a natty. With one of the all-time best teams (85), he won two games in the CWS. No doubt he built much of that support, but how did he manage to under achieve to that extent?

Also for most of Polk's coaching career the CWS was dominated by the programs that had huge regional advantages. USC, Texas, Arizona, ASU, CSF, Miami. Programs that could get a championship team together without really trying very hard because of a plethora of local talent.

 

[pseudonym]

Objective rankings based on NCAA tournament results since 1999 (25 seasons):

1. LSU
2. Texas
3. South Carolina
4. Oregon State
5. Florida
6. Vanderbilt
7. Miami (FL)
8. Stanford
9. Cal State Fullerton
10. Virginia
11. North Carolina
12. Florida State
13. Mississippi State
14. Rice
15. UCLA
16. Arkansas
17. Arizona
18. Ole Miss
19. Tennessee
20. TCU
21. Texas A&M
22. Clemson
23. Coastal Carolina
24. Arizona State
25. Georgia

Other SEC programs:
28. Oklahoma
36. Alabama
40. Auburn
48. Kentucky
74. Missouri

Methodology: points weighted by tournament finish

• national title: 1.00
• runner-up: 0.50
• CWS 3rd place: 0.25
• CWS 5th place: 0.16666667
• CWS 7th place: 0.125
• super regional: 0.0625
• regional runner-up: 0.03125
• regional 3rd place: 0.02083333
• regional 4th place: 0.015625

If Arkansas makes the championship series (not crazy), they will likely pass us on this list.