The History of Starkville-hosted Regionals
2016 marks the 13th time Mississippi State has hosted a college baseball Regional for the NCAA Tournament. Here’s a look at that history…
1979 – this was Ron Polks first really good team. They had the best record in the SEC during the regular season, won the SEC Tournament (which Starkville hosted) and eventually made it to the College World Series. State lost the first game to New Orleans, but beat Tulane, New Orleans and then Murray State twice to advance.
1984 – the ’85 team is the one everybody remembers but this team was just as good. Unfortunately New Orleans came back to bite us again, this time for good as they won the Regional.
1985 – New Orleans yet again was invited to Starkville but State beat them this time, and playing Michigan (with Barry Larkin) to advance to Omaha.
1987 – the Regionals moved to six teams at this juncture and it didn’t work out so well for the Bulldogs. They went just 1-2 and had to watch Oklahoma State and Texas A&M play for the Regional, when an OSU player mooned the Left Field Lounge.
1988 – Hide your eyes, Cal State Fullerton beat MSU twice to end the Diamond Dawgs run after just four games.
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1989 – this team is considered by many to be the most complete team State has ever fielded, but they were unable to win the Regional, upended by North Carolina in a final do or die game 11.
1990 – the idea that hosting Regionals is a birth right for MSU could come along this time as Starkville had done so in six of seven years now – but only won one of the previous five. The Dawgs got it done here, however, aided by Burke Masters’ famous grand slam.
1992 – MSU was a 2 seed in this one but hosted anyway. After winning the first two games they lost to 3 seed Oklahoma and 4 seed UCLA (who would play each other for the Regional final).
1997 – State won the first game vs. Ohio State but lost to Washington in the winner’s bracket which forced the Dawgs to forage through the loser’s bracket – which they did – and beat Washington twice in the final – which they did.
2000 – this was the first Regional back in the 4-team format with the advent of Super Regionals. The Bulldogs won it and advanced with a thrilling victory over Notre Dame in the final.
2003 – Just as it happened in 1989, MSU fell at the hands of North Carolina in the Regional final.
2013 – State ended the longest Regional hosting drought in program history by getting past Central Arkansas in a Game 7.
Note: MSU has only hosted one Super Regional, in 2007.
In total, MSU has won six of the 12 Regionals hosted at Dudy Noble Field.