Postseason run begins in Hoover as Diamond Dawgs make long-awaited return
For many years, it’s been a rite of passage for Mississippi State fans to take the drive down the highway to the Hoover Metropolitan Stadium and watch the Bulldogs in the SEC Tournament.
A few of those trips have been quick, a few of those have ended with a championship dog pile. For the last two seasons, however, those fans have had a void in their hearts.
For the first time since 2021, MSU is finally competing again inside the SEC Tourney. State went from missing the tournament two years in a row to finishing the SEC regular season as the No. 5 seed. This came after the Bulldogs were picked to finish last 13th in the league out of 14 teams.
“We talked about it in the fall. It was no surprise, and we knew that we were picked last,” senior third baseman Logan Kohler said. “It put a chip on our shoulder, kind of made us be better competitors. We’re a good ball club and are going to continue to be better in the postseason.”
Bulldogs need wins to secure postseason baseball at Dudy Noble
The Bulldogs (36-19, 17-13 SEC) enter Thursday night’s matchup with rival Ole Miss with a chip still resting on their shoulders. State was on the verge of doing some very big things throughout the season but had some close ball games go the other way.
Out of the 19 losses this season, 14 of those have come by three runs or less for State. The Bulldogs have lost 10 games this year by one run with six of those coming in SEC play. One of those came to close the regular season as State lost a 4-3 game to Missouri and have put hosting chances for the NCAA Tournament on the brink.
“We didn’t do enough. We’ve got to do a better job doing enough,” Lemonis said after the loss to the Tigers. “Where we’re at is we’re the fifth team in the SEC and I think we’ve had a really good second half of the SEC and we’re getting some of our guys back. We’re looking forward to the postseason, so we’ve got to flush it, move forward and get ready for postseason baseball.”
Hope isn’t loss for the Bulldogs. The team enters the SECT at No. 22 in the RPI and just on the outside of the hosting discussion. That can change with a win or two in Hoover, but a loss on Tuesday night doesn’t appear to be an option with the latest projections.
Lemonis believes his team built a solid resume in the regular season and the strength of the SEC should carry weight in his eyes. The conference could potentially have 11 teams in the tournament this season with six potential hosts.
“We finished fifth in the SEC – the hardest league in the country. We have the nicest facility, the biggest attendance. I think we’ve done that, and we have an extra SEC win in the Governor’s Cup and work still to do in the SEC Tournament,” Lemonis said of State’s hosting chances. “I think where we’re at right now, we’ve had years where we’ve had seven or eight host and right now we’re sitting at five. I think we have a great shot. It’d shock me if we didn’t.”
Fourth matchup with rival Rebels kick things off
Winning on Tuesday would certainly go a long way in aiding State’s chances.
The Rebels enter the tournament with the worst possible RPI that the Bulldogs will play and it’s a relatively strong 32. That means any win in the tournament is likely to boost State’s rating as opposed to dropping it and get the Bulldogs closer to seeing postseason baseball at Dudy Noble yet again.
Ole Miss won’t go quietly, however. The Rebels enter with a record below .500 and their only chances of making it to the big tournament likely hinge on winning the entire thing. With longtime head coach Mike Bianco’s career in jeopardy and the chance to help spoil the Bulldogs’ season, it’s a team that will likely be giving the Bulldogs a fight at 8:30 p.m.
“If you can’t get locked in for the late game in Hoover, I don’t care who you’re playing,” Lemonis said. “I’m sure that park will be packed Tuesday night. We’re all playing for a lot, so we’ll have to jump out there and play good baseball. We’ve had three really good games against them this year, so we’ll have to go out there and play well.”
