The Mississippi State Bulldogs have finally done it. Whatever curse existed is broken and that drought has come to a blissful end. Mississippi State has finally won a national championship. For the first time in the history of Mississippi State University, the Bulldogs have come out on top and won a national title.
Take it all in.
Mississippi State has done it. The Bulldogs have finally done it.
It’s fitting that Mississippi State’s first championship comes in baseball. The Bulldogs have come out on top of the sport many Mississippi State fans treasure above all others. In the program’s 12th trip to the College World Series, the Bulldogs made a run and won a title.
How did the Bulldogs get to this point?
Mississippi State was stellar in the regular season
The Bulldogs were good all year long. One of the best teams in one of the best conferences in the country, the Bulldogs battled throughout the Southeastern Conference all year long.
State went 20-10 in SEC play this year, placing MSU in the midst of the SEC regular season title hunt for most of the year. But the Bulldogs weren’t able to win that championship.
State fell short in that race, but that’s ultimately not the end of the world. The Bulldogs would eventually find much more meaningful success later down the line.
Mississippi State stumbled in the SEC Tournament, but who cares about what happens in Hoover?
The Mississippi State Bulldogs had an absolutely awful trip to the Southeastern Conference Tournament. The Bulldogs were bounced quickly from the SEC Tourney, which started to sow seeds of doubt in some about just how good this particular team might actually be.
Mississippi State, in back-to-back games, was run ruled.
MSU’s trip to Hoover was painful for Mississippi State baseball fans to watch. The Bulldogs fell apart in two games, losing to Florid and Tennessee in incredibly awful contests.
Thankfully, Mississippi State ended up bouncing back from those horrible losses and that awful outing.
Mississippi State swept through the Starkville Regional
Mississippi State was able to get through the first round of the NCAA Baseball Tournament by sweeping right through the Starkville Regional.
The Mississippi State Bulldogs got things started and easily handled the Samford Bulldogs, winning 8-4. MSU then beat up on VCU, crushing the Rams in a 16-4 affair. From there, Mississippi State was able to survive its match up with the Campbell Camels, winning 6-5 to advance on to the Starkville Super Regional.
And Mississippi State cleared an incredible hurdle when they advanced on.
Mississippi State took down Notre Dame in the Starkville Super Regional
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish proved to be a tough test for the Mississippi State Bulldogs, but that was a test that Mississippi State was ultimately able to pass.
Thankfully, the Bulldogs were able to pass that test twice in a best-of-three series.
In the first game, Mississippi State needed an incredible comeback, but the Bulldogs snagged a solid 9-8 win. State then turned around and lost to Notre Dame 9-1, which again caused concern about the Bulldogs’ ability to win the Super Regional.
But Mississippi State found a way and beat Notre Dame in solid fashion, winning 11-7.
In Omaha, the Bulldogs cleared several hurdles to win the College World Series
Mississippi State was able to win its first two games in Omaha, beating Texas 2-1 and then Virginia 6-5. That solid and remarkable 2-0 start for Mississippi State in the College World Series prepared the Bulldogs for a solid run down the stretch in Omaha.
MSU fell in its third game, losing to Texas 8-5. But the Bulldogs, like they had done so often before, bounced back and found success once again. Mississippi State walked Texas off with a 4-3 win and then advanced on to face a rested Vanderbilt team.
The Bulldogs fell short in their first game against Vanderbilt, losing 8-2, but State never faltered in its next two appearances.
Following that first loss, Mississippi State beat Vanderbilt by a combined score of 22-2 in two games. Game 2 went to Mississippi State by a score of 13-2. Game 3 went the Bulldogs’ way by a score of 9-0. Mississippi State earned its first national championship.
Celebrate it, Bulldog fans. We’ve been waiting a while for this one. And it’s so, so good to finally have one.
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