Mississippi State Baseball Coach John Cohen has the Bulldogs in a position to grab one of the National Seeds in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history.
The Bulldogs have settled into a nice little pattern. Win the first two games of an SEC series behind the strong pitching efforts of Dakota Hudson and Austin Sexton, and then hope for the best on Sunday. So far those hopes have been unfilled.
More bulldogs: Super Bulldog Weekend 2016 Schedule of Events
But the Bulldogs are doing what most thought impossible at the beginning of the 2016 baseball season. The Mississippi State baseball team finished in last place in 2015, and are setting themselves up to possibly win the West, and maybe even the overall SEC Championship.
But there is still a long way to go. The Bulldogs have arguably the best two teams in the country in their next two weekend series. MSU will travel to Florida this weekend to take on the top ranked Gators. Then the Texas A&M Aggies will come to Starkville to take on the Mississippi State baseball team during Super Bulldog Weekend.
Winning the SEC West or winning the SEC overall championship would almost guarantee the Bulldogs one of the top eight national seeds in the NCAA Tournament. But finishing second in the West or third or fourth in the SEC could also put the Bulldogs in a position to grab one of them as well. It just depends on how things shake out.
The baseball publications released many of their polls today. Here is where the Bulldogs currently stand according to these polls.
- D1Baseball.com – 5th
- Coaches’ Poll – 10th
- Perfect Game – 8th
- Baseball America – 5th
It’s important to note that the NCAA Tournament selection committee doesn’t use the rankings to determine how teams are seeded. But it can be a pretty good glimpse as to what fans of the team might expect.
The biggest hole in the argument foe the Mississippi State baseball team getting one of those national seeds is their RPI. While it is good, it isn’t great. According to the writers at D1Baseball.com, the Bulldogs have an RPI of 27.
Entering the 2016 season, we assumed the non conference slate of game would be good for the Mississippi State baseball RPI. The problem is, four of the wins which we assumed would boost up the team’s numbers aren’t playing like most thought they would.
More from Maroon and White Nation
- College football schedule week 4: 3 must-watch under-the-radar games
- Meeting the Opponent: Week 4 – South Carolina Gamecocks
- Mississippi State football vs LSU: The good, bad, and ugly
- M&WN Staff – Week 3 SEC Picks and Best Bets
- Mississippi State football film study: Why did MSU’s defense fail vs. LSU?
Oregon and USC were considered top 25 teams entering the season. The two clubs have combined for records of 23-25. Those are hurting the RPI of the Bulldogs more than we thought they would.
With the Mississippi State baseball team being a consensus top 10 team, the chances are good they will be able to finish as one of the eight best teams in the country by the selection committee. Winning the series wouldn’t be necessary, but avoiding the sweep is.
After that, if the Bulldogs can keep winning two out of three like they have been and possibly sweeping Missouri and Auburn, then they’ll win the West and have a strong argument for one of the coveted national seeds.
Related Story: Dakota Hudson Reaching Chris Stratton Level of Dominance
John Cohen knows getting one of those spots wouldn’t guarantee his club a trip to Omaha. But it would ensure the Bulldogs were playing in their home park for the entirety of the post season.
The case to be made for a national seed will largely be told this weekend against the Gators. If the Bulldogs can get one win, or possibly pull the upset and win the series, MSU will be well on their way toward achieving that goal.