After a two year hiatus, Mississippi State baseball is back in the NCAA Baseball Tournament. Following a 38-21 season that featured a fifth-place finish in the SEC, the Diamond Dawgs, controversially, earned a 2-seed in the Charlottesville regional, hosted by the Virginia Cavaliers.
Many believed the Bulldogs were worthy of hosting a regional, and as a result, they're seen as one of the most dangerous 2-seeds in the tournament. They've got a strong pitching staff led by a pair of fantastic starters and an improving bullpen, and pitching tends to find a way to win in the postseason.
But getting through the Charlottesville regional will be no easy task. Let's look at the other teams in the regional, starting with the regional host, Virginia.
The Virginia Cavaliers earned the #12 national seed after their 13th 40-win season under HC Brian O'Conner. The Hoos are looking to reach the College World Series for the second-straight year and are striving to win their first national championship since 2015. And if UVA makes a deep run, it will be because they boast as deadly a lineup as you can find in the sport.
Biggest Strength: Virginia is one of the nation's best hitting teams. They're second in the country in average at .341, sixth in total runs scored, fourth in slugging, sixth in doubles per game, ninth in home runs per game. Nearly the entire lineup is batting better than .300 and four players have hit double-digit homers.
Player to Know: Left-fielder Harrison Didawick is batting .301 with 23 home runs and 67 RBI.
Key Stat: UVA is 156th nationally in walks allowed per nine innings at 4.73. They give plenty of free passes, and for a Mississippi State lineup that's been struggling, they'll need to take advantage of free passes to keep pace with the Hoos.