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Mississippi State Baseball Clinches Spot In 2018 SEC Tournament

By Ethan Lee

OMAHA, NE - JUNE 24: Mississippi State Bulldogs players huddle just before playing the UCLA Bruins during game one of the College World Series Finals on June 24, 2013 at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Nebraska. UCLA won 3-1. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)
OMAHA, NE - JUNE 24: Mississippi State Bulldogs players huddle just before playing the UCLA Bruins during game one of the College World Series Finals on June 24, 2013 at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Nebraska. UCLA won 3-1. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images) /
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The Mississippi State baseball team has officially punched its ticket to Hoover for the upcoming SEC Baseball Tournament

Earlier this week, just a few days ago, there was uncertainty as to whether or not the Mississippi State baseball team would make it into the SEC Baseball Tournament. The Bulldogs have been up and down all year, but State has won significant games when it mattered most. Because of that, the Mississippi State Bulldogs are officially going to be in the SEC baseball tournament.

After the Alabama Crimson Tide was eliminated from contention, there was one spot left for a team to be eliminated from the tournament. Alabama struggled to win against conference opponents all year, so it isn’t a surprise that they wouldn’t get in. Right now, the Crimson Tide have a 7-21 record in conference play.

That’s not good.

And, now, they’re gone. Which forced the trio of Mississippi State, Missouri, and Tennessee to figure out who would get in. A scenario existed where the Mississippi State Bulldogs would not have gotten in.

But, after last night’s win over Florida, the Bulldogs are now safe.

The Mississippi State Bulldogs can’t have a tying record with Tennessee and Missouri. There’s no way for the Tigers AND the Vols to get to 13 SEC wins. Why? Well, they’re playing each other. And they only have two games left.

The loser of that series will be eliminated from the SEC Tournament.

How did the Mississippi State baseball team get to this point?

The Bulldogs were swept in their first SEC series of the year, losing three games to Vandy. Then, MSU took SEC games from Missouri and LSU, but the Bulldogs could not win either SEC series, dropping both in back to back weekends.

Mississippi State’s first SEC series win came at the perfect time. The Bulldogs need wins and they got them. It just so happens that they were hosting the 3rd ranked team in the nation at the time, the Ole Miss Rebels. And MSU took two of three that weekend.

The Bulldogs won one game against Auburn but lost the rest of that series. In MSU’s next SEC series, against the Arkansas Razorbacks, they again faced the 3rd ranked team in the nation at that time.

Of course, in improbable fashion, the Mississippi State Bulldogs came away from that weekend with three wins. MSU swept the Razorbacks.

Mississippi State then won a game with Texas A&M but dropped the series. They did the exact opposite of that the next weekend with Alabama. The Bulldogs dropped a game but claimed the weekend against the Crimson Tide.

The Kentucky Wildcats threatened to sweep the Mississippi State baseball team when the Bulldogs visited and lost their first two games, but MSU bounced back and won the third by 10 runs.

Next: Mississippi State Is Heading To The Elite Eight After Beating Texas

And all of that led to Mississippi State needing at least one win this weekend. And, as of yesterday, Mississippi State did it. The Bulldogs won over the top ranked team in the nation and are now looking to claim the series against Florida tonight.

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