Few things are certain in this life, but Mississippi State baseball taking the series from Ole Miss is one of them. The Diamond Dawgs continued their dominance over their in-state rivals over the weekend, taking two of three from the Rebels in front of a packed-out Dudy Noble Field. State has now won eight of their last nine series against the Rebels, and in the one year they didn't win the SEC series, they still finished the season with a 3-2 advantage overall.
That makes it consecutive SEC series wins for the Bulldogs since making a head coaching change. Now 31-20 overall with a 12-15 SEC record, State is on the verge of securing a spot in a regional.
Mississippi State overcomes anxiety-inducing late innings on Saturday to secure massive series win over Ole Miss
Games one and two of the series, played in a double-header Friday night, went by without much drama in either direction. The Rebels cruised to a series-opening victory, 10-4, thanks to a big fifth inning that ultimately but the game out of reach for the Bulldogs.
State responded later that even, evening the series with a 4-1 thanks to a brilliant outing by starting pitcher Evan Siary. In 8.0 innings pitched, Siary struck-out 15 batters, the most by an MSU pitcher since Will Bednar in the 2021 College World Series, with no walks and no runs allowed. It was one of the most dominant performances ever by a Diamond Dawg on the mound, and it set up a rubber match for Saturday night.
For much of Saturday's contest, it appeared the Bulldogs would cruise to a series win. Despite some missed opportunities at the plate early on, State broke through to take a 6-1 lead after five innings. But it wouldn't be a series with Ole Miss without any drama.
Self-inflicted wounds in both the seventh and eighth innings pulled the Rebels within one. The drama continued in the ninth, when the first two Rebel batters of the inning walked. Ryan McPherson would come in for State, immediately getting a ground ball for a double-play. He'd issue a walk to heighten the anxiety in Dudy Noble Field, but another grounder would end the game. A much needed series win for Mississippi State.
The Diamond Dawgs will be regional-bound if they handle business at Missouri
Mississippi State is now on the verge of locking up a trip to a regional. With a series win in Columbia to close the regular season, they'll safely make the field. There's a case to be made that with a solid RPI and strong strength of schedule, just one win over the Tigers to get to the "usually-good-enough" 13 SEC wins would get them in.
But seeing as how Mizzou is currently 142nd in the RPI, taking a series loss to them, even on the road, could quickly tank State's profile. We just saw that happen to Texas A&M after handing Mizzou their only two SEC wins of the season. To be certain they're in the postseason, the Bulldogs needs to win their final series.