Bulldogs4

State announced an extension for Coach Jans through the 2028 season. That is good news for us.

I will be the first serve myself a big helping of Crowe. All of us were bemoaning the failures of Mississippi State Baseball. But alas we were premature in throwing in the towel. Glad I was wrong three months ago.

This is speculation on my part but I think State starts Dahm Tuesday. Hence, that is why he only threw one inning yesterday. With the idea that he will throw 3-4-5 innings depending on his pitch count. Otherwise I think he would have pitched a bit more in the Missouri game. Again my opinion only.

Those hurt but you don’t know how the committee might view those. With most of them happening in February, they may look at those as class work as opposed to quizzes, tests or final exams. In other words they may carry less weight given how the team has played down the stretch. Our performance in Hoover will be the deciding factor.

The loss yesterday hurt. And yes there were plenty of opportunities to win games that we did not but we also had a few losses that turned into wins. Whether we host or not, after the first ten games of the season we (myself included) were ready for a change. Though I did mention patience was needed a time or two. The team as a whole lost those games not just the head coach. Not particularly concerned about next year. This year, in the here and now is what is important. But with all the turmoil caused by NIL and the Transfer Portal, we should be able to restock the roster for next season. All that to say at least we are back in the postseason. After the last two years that is good.

Honestly, I think it is more about us. We can beat Ole Miss, A&M and Tennessee but we need some timely hitting. Pitching and defense have been solid. Timely hitting is the toughest though.

I would say we need to win at least two games in Hoover to possibly host. Losing today hurt immensely.

Well LSU, FL and Vandy have helped themselves immensely. OM is just about toast. SC has some work to do now. Bama is under a lot of pressure tonight. They need a win in the worst way. Next week is going to be wild in Hoover. Will still be some jockeying around.

Absolutely, there could be a number of SEC teams who have played themselves out of a regional. Alabama was a lock a few weeks back but they may be on the outside looking in with the swoon they have taken recently. If they get swept by Auburn, they are in a very precarious situation. Vandy, Florida, SC, Bama, LSU, OM have almost put themselves in a spot where they have to win the SECT or at the very least play into the weekend. RPI cannot overcome a 12-18/13-17 conference record. Very bizarre situation really. The top six have really separated themselves from the next eight. An Auburn of all teams has played much better here at the end of the season. They have gone from 3-18 to 8-21. Six SEC teams are locks for Regionals and all will most likely host Regionals. The big question is how many of the next six teams will get a bid? Two? Three? As you noted 83, today is a critical day. Most likely the loser of LSU/OM is toast barring a miracle run next week. Vandy, SC, FL and Bama are most likely playing for two or three bids. So a lot to play for today. KY is playing for an outright SEC Championship. Which IMHO is still a great accomplishment. Winning the Regular Season Conference Championship is hard to do. I hope State makes a run next week, if for no other reason than to have Dahm and Pico get to pitch a few more innings. Those two guys are going to be critical for our post season success. Don’t need to win the Tournament but playing 2-3 games would be to our benefit.

Even though the RPI is solidly good (a product of a tough schedule) an overall record of about .500 is not going to cut it. Now if Ole Miss can salvage tomorrow, there is still a faint glimmer but realistically winning the SECT is about the only way for it to happen. As I have mentioned numerous times, I like Coach Bianco and I hope when the time comes, he can retire or step down when he wants to do so.

State ladies with a tough 1-0 nail biter over Fullerton. Good start to the weekend. .

Solid win for State, 8-2. USM lost but not that is not necessarily a bad thing. Short of winning the SECT, Ole Miss is done. And it looks like Florida is as well unless they win the Tournament.

If we lose a home series to the second worst team in the league then we do not deserve to host. Period.

Agree about USM. Just lost too many winnable games during the season. Even if they win out that might not be enough. Too many teams ahead of them. State really needs to sweep this weekend and win at least one game in Hoover to feel comfortable about hosting. You just can’t win enough in this day and age. For Ole Miss & LSU. One honestly needs to sweep the other and then win some games in Hoover if not the whole thing to get in. Two out of three will give one a lifeline but a precarious one at that. The loser is toast barring winning the SECT.

I know your comment is tongue in cheek but the visiting teams do get an allotment of tickets although I am sure it is very small. USM fans will be able to purchase GA tickets (if in fact they get sent to State) and obviously that is dependent on State earning a host spot.

Ole Miss with a devastating loss tonight. Short of winning the SECT they are in a tough spot. Have to win two @ LSU then do some damage at Hoover and even then that might not be enough. State with a solid 8-4 win over UNA. USM has certainly played themselves into a good spot. Long shot to host since they lost some winnable games during the season. But definitely are going to be a good two seed somewhere.

If they do that and have a decent showing in Hoover. I would think to be safely in if they win a couple of SECT games.

I agree USM is in good shape but a win tonight helps their seeding greatly. Ole Miss is in a must win situation. They have to win tonight, win the series this weekend or outright win the SECT next week to get in (IMO). I know their RPI is solid but a losing conference record with a barely over .500 record is not going to get into a Regional. Gotta be just a bit better than that.

Huge game in Hattiesburg tonight. Ole Miss desperately needs to win this game. USM really needs to win as well to keep the momentum going. Something has to give.

And the weather is supposed to move out in the morning and be clear tomorrow evening.

Coach was on ST this afternoon and spoke about it. Said he had looked good in practice so he is ready to go. Would be a huge lift to the squad as you noted. Hopefully he will be healthy the rest of the way…

I think the whole deal about a winning a game and dropping in the RPI is just completely ridiculous. Especially late in the season. Obviously there is no way to know exactly how good or bad an opponent is going to be when a schedule is set. Midweek games have to be in your geographical area so you are limited to who you play. Hopefully we play UNA and beat them. They are the next team on the schedule. One way to help would be to play USM three times during the season. Once each in BIX & JAN and then alternate one campus game each season. That way you could eliminate an Alcorn State type and one other weakling on the schedule. Just an idea on my part.

Really need to sweep Missouri. Simple as that.

Still we went toe to toe with possibly the #1 team in the nation on their field. Had a chance to win all three games. Two tough losses but I still like the way we are playing.

Story of State’s season. Just not good enough in the bullpen. Still not a bad weekend though.