Can Gary Henderson get Mississippi State baseball to a Super Regional this year?
Gary Henderson has salvaged the 2018 Mississippi State baseball season. That’s an absolute fact. But, can Gary Henderson do more than just that? Can the Bulldogs, with Henderson at the helm of it all, make it to a Super Regional this season? After all, this Mississippi State team has shown plenty of weaknesses this year.
On top of that, Gary Henderson has never been the head coach of a team to make it to a Super Regional.
When Henderson was the head man at the University of Kentucky, he took over for John Cohen, who was on his way back to Starkville in 2009 to coach his alma mater. That’s fairly well known and discussed. While Henderson was there, the Wildcats saw plenty of success. From 2009 to 2016, Henderson won 258 games, an average of 32.3 wins per year. For a team with relatively little baseball success, that’s pretty good.
Henderson’s downfall, though, was his inability to have anything that resembled postseason success. In his 8 years as the guy leading Kentucky, the Wildcats only made it to a regional twice. They never hosted. Kentucky also never made it beyond the NCAA Regionals. They were stuck there.
That’s despite coaching a team that won 45 games in 2012. His teams just couldn’t get past that point in the season.
So, will he be able to even make it to a Super Regional with this Mississippi State baseball team?
State has shown that they can win at a high level, they’ve got 9-1 against three of the top five national seeds this year. But, will they really be able to make it on to a Super Regional? Or, will Mississippi State fall short?
It’s going to be tough to take on the Tallahassee Regional with the pitching depth that the Bulldogs bring with them to Florida’s state capital. Mississippi State absolutely can not afford to fall behind at any point. And the Bulldogs can’t lose their opening round matchup. Mississippi State must beat the Oklahoma Sooners.
But, assuming that MSU can get past OU, they’re more than likely going to meet up with the Seminoles in the second round of the Regional. And this year, at home, Florida State is 30-7. They just don’t lose at home very often.
That puts MSU into two possible scenarios here if MSU beats Oklahoma.
Should the Bulldogs enter into the second round of the Tallahassee Regional without a loss and they beat Florida State, that puts MSU into the regional championship. That’s the good sort of scenario. Mississippi State would be in the driver’s seat here.
Then, MSU would be given two shots to get past the winner of the elimination games. That’s a good spot to be in.
But, if the Bulldogs can’t get past Florida State in the second round, then they’re forced to play in an elimination game. That could pit them against either Oklahoma, who will have already seen what MSU can do firsthand, or Samford, who will be aiming to hold on and continue shocking more talented teams and bigger names.
Next: Gary Henderson's Guidance Saved Mississippi State This Season
Mississippi State really can’t afford to fall behind here. The Bulldogs must win their first game against Oklahoma. From there, the Mississippi State baseball team will be hard pressed to get past Florida State in the second round. But, if they do that, then Gary Henderson and his team will have a solid chance at making it to a Super Regional. That’s something he’s never been able to do before.