Bulldogs4

Agreed. We are consistently inconsistent. We suck one day and then we don’t suck one day. Just alternate each day.

State’s offense is so inconsistent that we will probably score 2 runs today and lose 3-2.

Smith is not your classic ace as he pitches to contact. But the key with him is that he throws strikes and walks very few batters. DeLucia has been money the last two starts for Ole Miss. One good win for each. Now another must win game looms tomorrow. We will see what happens.

Honestly, I don’t see either State or Ole Miss making the NCAAT. It is what it is. Neither of us are better than average right now. Opportunity is there but realistically it is hard to see State going 7-5 over the next 12 games. For Ole Miss, you need to go 9-3. I think 15-15 is the minimum barring a run in the SECT. And It is hard to envision either of us making a deep run in the SECT. I had predicted us going 2-2 against each other and that is what happened. Teams are about equal overall though there are some differences in the strengths and weaknesses of each. All that said, I hope we keep battling and find a way to make it happen.

Combest’s Home-run may still be in the air. That ball was crushed. Plus he hit a curve ball which generally his weakness. The game was just like I thought it would be. It was going to be a game down to the wire and neither team quit fighting. I think the two teams combined for about 20 HR’s this weekend. But the difference was State hit more with men on base than did Ole Miss. I think only two of Ole Miss homers were with men on base. The Pearl game is very important as well. Probably a good thing this series ended today. By Tuesday everybody’s pitching will be rested and I suspect we see pitching by committee at Trustmark.

Both squads are having a tough year. Today’s game is very important. The loser is in a really must win situation Tuesday night. If one team loses the next two games, the dark clouds are really going to start squeezing out the daylight going forward. I honestly have no idea how it will go though I did predict a 2-2 split originally so I will stick to that prediction. For Ole Miss, last night hurts bad. Reminds me a bit of State’s first game with LSU. You had the momentum through 2/3 of the game only for it to slip away. No matter how much you try to flush a game like that, it can definitely carry over. So it will be interesting to see how Ole Miss plays today. In the end , it is still a competitive rivalry so I think it is going to be a battle today.

At some point you are who you are. I just don’t see either squad going on any kind of run at the junction of the season. Possible but not likely IMO. I do think each team will keep scratching and clawing though. Series Advantage:Ole Miss. As 83 pointed out, State’s offense is Dave Kingman or bust. Solo home runs galore with a .213 batting average and about 8 strike outs per homer.

I have always been a Bianco fan. I think he is a tremendous coach. I say that as a State alum and fan. He was tremendous player at LSU and we played some great games against them in the late 80’s when he was a player. Very competitive and gritty. Yes this season has turned disappointing for Ole Miss so far but there are a lot of games to be played. I still see this being a 2-2 split this next four games. Ole Miss is still a good team and I predict they will fight hard the next four games. Plus, this State team is hardly a world beater at this point. Though I do give our guys a lot of credit for playing with grit and battling. IMHO, I look for 4 close games that could go either way. As I mentioned most of State’s games this year have been close w/a few exceptions. Don’t see that trending any different this weekend. This is one of things that is disappointing today with college sports. So many fans have no patience and tend to want make changes based on a poor season or a even just an average season. Instead of riding with a coach through an occasional down year. Even a few of our idiot State fans have been blasting Lemonis as if he all the sudden lost the ability to coach because we have lost a few games this year that we were expected to win. So count me as one who sincerely hopes Bianco continues as coach at Ole Miss after this year regardless of how the season plays out. He is good for Ole Miss baseball and good for baseball in Mississippi and in the SEC.

For all the pitching issues State has, it was not bad this weekend. 14 runs (12 earned in three games). Obviously it is still going to be a major concern. The pitchers are battling. And they gave us a chance to win all three games and you can’t ask for more than that. I think we will see a 2-2 split upcoming in the 4 game Egg Diamond Duel. Ole Miss is still very good and they are playing at home this weekend for the first three games.

The rest of the season for State is basically going to be like a regional where you already have one loss and every game is a must win. Realistically they are not all winnable but that is going to have to be the mentality of the team. Pitching is going to be a crap shoot. Throw the dice and see what happens. Ole Miss has more wiggle room but they still need to keep winning as well.Right now they are down to SC 5-2 in the 7th but need to find a way to win today. USM with a sweep today. If they keep winning they might play themselves into a National Seed.

Ole Miss with a tough loss but still has a chance to win the series. Tennessee loses its first conference game. Alabama is playing good ball right now. UT now has a two game losing streak. Can State finish the sweep? To win today would be crucial. Really need it badly. Weather permitting.

Well our teams are alive for one more game. Dominant win for Ole Miss. Auburn gifts us a win tonight but I will take a win anyway we can get one. As I mentioned a while back these are the type of games State is going to have this year. Last weekend we were in the short-end of two of them. Tonight thankfully we were on the top end.

Color me surprised. UAB is generally a solid team. Glad we pulled it out as every win is crucial. But the overall picture is still bleak unless we turn it around in a hurry. If we are going to have any chance we have to win two this weekend (really a sweep is needed). I will never give up on the Dawgs but we just don’t seem like a team that is going anywhere in the postseason.

State is toast for this year. About to lose to UAB. It is going to be one of those years similar to 2015 or 2009. They happen occasionally and this is our year to be on the bottom rail looking up. Obviously there are a lot of games left but Reb you are right. An RPI of 90 is not going to get you anywhere. Plus we are over half way through the season. We are who we are. Might as well play some younger kids and give them some experience. The veterans outside Hancock are just not producing this year.

The Tennessee team is an interesting situation. They are on an unprecedented roll right now. But baseball is somewhat like soccer. It can be a cruel game. For example last year, the pitcher for Virginia threw a no/hitter against us for 7+ innings but then a walk and HR completely destroyed his effort. Nobody remembers what he did. Just like Arkansas was dominant during the season but then lost two games to NCSTATE. So how it plays out from to the end of May and in to June will be interesting to see.

Agree that USM is easily the best team in the State. They had an opportunity to win two games @ Dallas Baptist and had they done so, they would probably be a top 15 or close to a top ten team right now. But those three losses hurt. They could very well be a regional host if they keep playing well. Disappointing weekend to this point for both State and Ole Miss. Both have must win games today. Ole Miss’ pitching woes are hurting them. State’s non-existent clutch hitting has been a killer. Pitching this weekend has not been overly bad but you have to score runs to win baseball games. We are not a tournament team at this juncture.

I think I read where we have not won a series at home against LSU at home in almost 20 years. We have actually had more success against them in Alex Box over the same period of time. And yet we still lead the overall series comfortably. Absolutely confounding but 83 you are correct. Our bullpen is bad. Well maybe not bad but very inconsistent. At times it has been very good and other times equally bad. And the season continues like a yo-yo. Bama is better but that was a bad loss for Ole Miss. Next two are very important for both teams. At home we need to win at least two. Other wise the mountain to climb gets a little bit higher.

State has won way more games like last night than we have lost. Baseball can be a cruel game and last night proved just that. Game is not over until you have the third out in the last inning. A difficult loss but we will see how this team responds today. I remember as a little leaguer, one year our team was winless the entire season (almost all players were first year players). In one game, I was pitching and we were up 5-1 in the bottom of the sixth inning. The other team scored 5 runs after two outs to beat us 6-5. I was devastated but our coach was encouraging to me and said we will keep working, keep improving. Well as I said, we did not win a game but the next year, we had a very good season and finished second in the league only one game behind first place. As Coach Polk famously has said over the years “that’s baseball”

To this point it is incredible what they have done. But I predict a couple or more of the lower level SEC teams will beat them and maybe even win a series or two before it is all said and done. When you win this many games in a row eventually you start playing not to lose and the other team is now playing at a higher level because they want to beat you. The pressure becomes greater and greater on a team like Tennessee. Plus you never know when the injury bug might bite you. For Tennessee it was easy to play the underdog role in Oxford and BNA but now that will not be the case the rest of the season. But all credit to them right now for playing superior baseball in all phases.

Tennessee is playing at another level. But we know baseball is a fickle game and they will probably hit a slump along the way. But to have only one loss so far and be undefeated to this point is incredible.

Honestly I think we need to be 4-2. We need to get on the N side of.500 in conference play. Today was another must win and I am glad we grinded it out. I sure hope Fristoe has turned the corner. This makes two good outings in a row. He could be the closer in the bullpen if he can continue to throw like this. And that would be huge going forward. Ole Miss with a solid 2-3 on the road. That is always a good weekend. USM 2-3 over La Tech. They continue to play well.

State is a middle of the pack team with the potential to go worse than that or better. With the pitching issues, it is hard to see this team going very far this year at this point. Ole Miss needs to find some pitching depth as well but overall they in good shape though the season has a long way to go. USM is quietly putting together a good season. The Dallas Baptist sweep hurt them because they are a good team and they had a chance to win two out there. I do agree Tennessee and Arkansas both look good to this point. An interesting note on the schedule is that Tennessee plays at State the last weekend of the regular season. Could be a similar series to when Florida played at State the last weekend of the season a few years back and State’s whole season turned that weekend.

State with a big win. I say that with all seriousness. Every game is IMPORTANT and every win is crucial. Down 4-0 and then came back to win 10-4. Probably the biggest stat is Jackson Fristoe with three innings of one hit and no run relief to earn the save. He has so much potential but has struggled with control. Hopefully this outing gets him going like he pitched at the beginning of last year. With a thin staff, he could be a important cog in the wheel. Huge series @ Arkansas this weekend. Very crucial to win one game and really two wins could help this team really turn the corner to at least a good season instead of just an average season. We will see.

I know that it is routine these days but the three day attendance figures were tremendous Ole Miss - 33K total State - 37K total Of course the weather was beautiful and the UT-OM series was huge. And then anytime Bama and State play it is going to be hard fought regardless of the sport.

Tennessee is really good. But it is a long season. Arkansas swept State early last year at Dudy Noble. So all is not lost for Ole Miss despite the disappointing weekend. Lost in the weekend is that Bama is improved from the recent years. It was a good weekend overall for State but as we know the bullpen is a major weakness. Although today the hitting did not give us a chance anyway. Scoring 2 runs is not going to win many Sunday games. It might win you a Friday night game occasionally but that is about it. As I mentioned before State is going to play a lot of 1 run games this year. The season will be determined how we fare in those games. A sweep this weekend would have been nice though. But 3-3 after two weeks is not bad.