♦ Also check out our off-season South By Southeast posts about Mississippi State Baseball:
- Starkville, MS
- Hail State
- John Cohen's Mississippi State Bulldogs
- Mississippi State Baseball History
Mississippi State baseball is 1 of just 3 SEC teams w/ 40 wins, impressive given the Bulldogs' strength of schedule (5th nationally)...
— Mike Nemeth (@MikeNemeth) May 19, 2013
A&M coach Rob Childress on Mizzou LHP ace Rob Zastryzny: "He matches up really well against MSU b/c they have several LH hitters in lineup.
— Matthew Stevens (@matthewcstevens) May 20, 2013
John Cohen just confirmed that MSU will throw RHP Trevor Fitts (12 apperances, 1.65 ERA, 1 start) vs. #Mizzou Tuesday.
— Mizzou Baseball (@MUTigerBaseball) May 20, 2013
Coach J on Cohen: "It was something that was going to happen eventually...I’m anxious to see John’s reaction more than anything"
— Mizzou Baseball (@MUTigerBaseball) May 20, 2013
♦There's a good summary of how Mississippi State finished strong to end the regular season at This Week in MSU Baseball: SEC Tournament Edition (For Whom the Cowbell Tolls)
...The Bulldogs now defend their title in the SEC Tournament in Hoover, Ala. Last season they were pretty much out of regional hosting so winning wouldn't hurt. They ran the table and won five games in six days, one of the best runs in tournament history. This season is slightly different. I think State will be content with bowing out of the tournament. That's not to say they want to try and lose, but having a few extra days to rest for the regional will probably be best.♦ Thanks to success of its programs, baseball enjoys unmatched popularity in Miss. (Jackson Clarion Ledger)
State will start the tournament Tuesday playing the final game of day one against the 12-seed Missouri. I believe winning the Tuesday night game seals up MSU's hosting chances. Going 2-2 in the tournament would be reasonable enough for most fans. We shall see how it all plays out.
The evolution of Southeastern Conference stadiums began in Starkville. Mississippi State athletics director Scott Stricklin remembers driving down to Jackson to watch MSU play Georgia Tech. In the middle of the game the Bulldog Club offered fans an opportunity to pick their seat at the new Dudy Noble Field.♦ Tension Tuesday at SEC baseball tournament now means win or go home (al.com)
“It was jaw-dropping at the time that anybody could do that for college baseball,” Stricklin said. “And that happened because of what those crowds drew at the ’85 team.”
What many consider the best college baseball team to not win a College World Series, the 1985 Bulldogs took the field with 18-game winner Jeff Brantley, Bobby Thigpen, Clark (the eventual Golden Spikes Award winner) and Palmeiro, MSU’s career home run leader....
Seven of the SEC Tournament's 17 games are now single elimination (41 percent). Two years ago during the final season of the eight-team bracket, there was one single-elimination game, Sunday's championship.♦ Missouri coach Tim Jamieson Monday morning debriefing (Jackson Clarion Ledger)
Single elimination contradicts how baseball typically evaluates success and failure -- over a series of games. In the NCAA Tournament, there are double-elimination NCAA regionals, best-of-three NCAA super regionals, a double-elimination College World Series, and a best-of-three national championship series.
But if the SEC wants to have 86 percent of its teams in Hoover -- 67 percent went during the eight-team tournament -- coaches say single-elimination games are needed to spare players' bodies for the NCAA Tournament....
On opening against friend John Cohen: ”I’m looking forward to it. John and I didn’t get to compete against each other this year. We didn’t play Mississippi State this season. It’s going to happen sooner or later. Next year’s schedule they get to come to Columbia. It’s something that’s going t happen eventually and I’m looking forward to it. I’m anxious to see John’s reaction than anything else.”...
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