Bulldogs4

I could actually see Bianco going to LSU. He has been at Ole Miss for 20 years. He may feel he has done all he can in Oxford. That is no negative at Ole Miss at all. But a change might be good for him, Ole Miss and LSU. IMO, if there is ever a time this might happen, this might just be it.

Certainly very disappointing for State but as 83 noted this is not the end. It would appear that the team lacked motivation in either game this week. That is a dangerous way to play. It is hard to turn it on and turn it off. We now have 8 days to stew about this. I have no idea id that is good or bad but we will find out next Friday. It really is a crap shoot with State at this point.

WOW, heartbreaking loss for Ole Miss. State-UT makes for an interesting matchup given that we did not face each other during the regular season. Here is hoping we show up today and play a baseball game. Yesterday we were still in Tuscaloosa or Starkvegas or on the bus at 9:30 a.m. We will see in just a little while. Tough / tight turnaround for Ole Miss with the late game and now an early afternoon game.

At least Cerentola pitched an inning without giving up a run. Not surprised that we lost but disappointing to get crushed. UF certainly had more motivation in this game and it showed. I was thinking Coach may have considered playing some of the backups in the field today but it appeared that our starters were in for the most part.

He is certainly capable. Just not sure how long he will go. This may be one of those games where we see 5-6 or more pitchers.

Do you all think LSU is out or in? Losing record in the conference and out in the first round of the SECT. Plus the overall record is nothing to write home about. I think they are on shaky ground right now.

Nikhazy throwing today is a but curious. But he did pitch on Thursday so he has had four full days of rest. I would agree that he would probably be a strict pitch count today. For OM, I think winning a game or two helps your overall psyche even it does not help your seeding. In a lot of ways, this conference tournament is wide open. It really depends on how your higher seeds play. For State, it would be an ideal time to give some pitchers some opportunities to throw in pressure situations. Provided we win a game or two while also getting the regulars some innings in as well. Often times one of the middle of the pack teams gets on a run and surprises everyone. In any case it is a great showcase of baseball. Probably more MLB scouts in Hoover this week than anywhere else except possibly Omaha during the CWS.

Auburn could be but I tend to think that UGA, USCe or LSWHO might be the dark horse teams. They have the most to gain from the SECT.

Disappointing loss for OM yesterday but i was impressed with how OM has played down the stretch without your ace pitcher. If you are an OM fan you have to be pleased with your team. Lost a few games because of pitching woes/injuries but overall the team has played well. State really had two bad weekends Arkansas and Mizzou but the other weekends were very good for us. 19-5 there with a 1-5 against the best team and the worst team in the league. Somewhat ironic but not really surprising because that is the nature of baseball. Mizzou played their best baseball of the year against us. Still would like to see an effective Cerantola pitch for us in the postseason. That could be a big key.

Great pitching by Bednar tonight. A really big win as you mentioned solidifies a lot of things for State. A sweep tomorrow would be nice way cap off the regular season. State could finish 2nd in the conference (still would be a #3 seed in Hoover) or as low as 5th as you noted. Still need to keep the mojo going today with another win.

Certainly do not want to be greedy but a sweep of Bama would certainly help put the Mizzou series in the rear view mirror. Though realistically on the road two of the three is always a good weekend.

Somehow I doubt an editor from Nashville or Atlanta or wherever in the h*ll they publish the paper from will make that kind of gaffe again....LOL Of course this is a completely different scenario. One was for the Conference Championship versus a different seeding in order in the Tournament and having one extra day off. Bottom line, all you can do is take of your game and then let the chips fall. But we do appreciate you guys beating A&M back in 2016 and honestly I did not think the headline was anything to complain about. Actually it was a bit humorous.

Good wins by both the Dogs and the Rebs tonight. Arky helps us out by winning against UF. State just needs to take care of business w/Bama and get a bye in the SEC Tournament. Then we can play a few games there and get ready for the Regional. 83 you mentioned our pitching being inconsistent. Losing Riley Self was a big blow IMO. He was a veteran that was looking to have a good year and his injury has hurt. Then Cerantola going off the grid has hurt as well. You have to hope that he gets it together during the postseason as he could be very valuable for this team if we are going to make a run.

Can’t believe DJ Stewart is staying in the draft. potential is there but I just think one more year would be huge. But what do I know. I see Europe or maybe the G league or whatever they call the minor NBA league these days. We will see

Good job by Ole Miss to win tonight. State drops a one run loss to Missouri. But you could almost see this coming. They were well overdue to win a game. Did not play well. Need to at least play a clean game tomorrow.

At this point ugly wins are always good wins. Teams like Missouri are tough because on a given night they can beat anybody, they have nothing to lose and generally play loose. As I predicted, no game is going to be easy. Though hopefully we can play a cleaner game tonight and win as well. Sims only threw 24 pitches last night so he would probably be available tomorrow for an inning if needed. Coach is conservative with our pitchers which is a good thing overall. I know it is impossible to do but if our players just take care of the game we are playing and forget about the other teams and what they are doing, that is the best strategy. Though it is hard not to scoreboard watch.

This hurts to hear this news. I enjoy college baseball and even though I am a State grad, I am a fan all three of the major in state schools in baseball and you can throw in Delta State, William Carey etc as well. Part of that enjoyment is seeing great players around the State and to see one of the best pitchers go out with an injury is just brutal. The TJ surgery in the present day does not seem as invasive as it was years ago and so hopefully he will recover and go onto a good MLB career. But for now that is a tough blow to Ole Miss along with the other injuries you guys have endured. With all that said, I am predicting you win 2 out of 3 against Vandy this weekend. I think the team will rally and play better baseball this weekend. Don’t ask me why, I just have that feeling.

For Ole Miss, I sure hope Hoglund is not done for the season. That will be tough. On paper it sounds almost impossible but OM can win two in BNA. Vandy has some chinks in the armor. State just needs to avoid being overconfident against Mizzou and just take care of business this weekend. You never like to lose but yesterday’s game was not a bad loss at a all and the fact that it stings a bit should be a good incentive to the team to stay focused and not start thinking we are invincible.

But no weekend is ever easy. Missouri may not be very good but if we don’t stay focused, we could easily drop a game or two during that series. We swept A&M but two of the games were one run victories (including extra innings in the first game). Then the last series is @Bama. They are much improved this year. One positive there is we will probably have more fans in the stadium than they will. Plus it is still a rivalry (they actually lead the overall series though 214-199-4) so there are no guarantees except play one game at a time. I do agree State has put ourselves in a good position to this point and I like the way we are playing. Winning today would be great though we know sweeping a SEC team on the road is tough.

I sure hope Hoglund is okay. Just hate to see any injuries to any player but especially pitchers. Ole Miss has been kind of snake bit this year. I remember several years ago State having a bunch of pitchers injured that really threw a wrench into the season. Does not seem to be any rhyme or reason to why injuries happen but is just unfortunate to the players who are hurt. Tremendous win last night for State and McLeod easily had his best outing of the year. On the road, you always want to win two so I hope we can sustain the momentum today and get another victory. Not all is lost for Ole Miss. I look for you guys to bounce back and win today and tomorrow and still take two of three. A&M is better than their record indicates.

Dub, I know you did not ask me but IMO, Douglass has stabilized the program and there was definite improvement last year. We still have a ways to go but it seems the old culture is getting back in place. I agree with Mout that our OL/DL are still question marks but the overall attitude of the team and the direction is definitely going up. I think we may be close to where we were in 2003-04. OG was clearly better than us then but we were starting to close the gap. This year will be similar. I think we can be competitive with OG but beating you will be a tall order. I think making the playoffs this year is very attainable but a deep run would be unlikely. At the very least there is excitement among the Wildcat faithful again and I think our attendance will increase dramatically this year.

Kylin Hill was a good college RB but I don’t think he is going to make it in the NFL. OTOH, I think Atlanta got a steal in signing Errol Thompson. He is going to make the team and surprise some people.

A&M’s record is 5–16 in the conference but all three games were tight (finally in the 7th inning of the third game we opened up a lead). So for OM on the road if you win two of three that will be a good series although you guys are certainly capable of a sweep. @USCe is a good opportunity for State to beat a good team on the road.

Back when Natchez was 6A, it was a 197 mile trip from Meridian. A long trip indeed. But Natchez like Corinth is just one those cities that is a long way from anywhere. Way back in the day, Corinth was a member of the Big 8 and that was a long trip for anyone beyond Tupelo or Columbus (and even CBus is a ways from Corinth). Plus much of the highways then were two lane. Nowadays, four lane highways make these trips much more manageable and obviously safer as well. Overall I don’t think it is a big issue today. Starting games at 7P makes it tougher for visiting fans to get the stadium in time for kickoff as compared to the 730 kickoff times but that is about the only obstacle for fans these days.

I think Errol Thompson is a sleeper in this draft. He has always been underrated. But he just seems to have a nose for the football. I think whoever drafts him will get a steal and he will be a pleasant surprise for them.