Mississippi State swept through the 2019 Starkville Regional this weekend, defeating each of the teams that traveled to Starkville once each to earn their fourth consecutive Super Regional appearance. The Bulldogs have now accomplished the incredible feat of winning four regionals in four seasons with four different head coaches.
As the #6 National Seed and the 1 seed in the Starkville Regional, the Bulldogs began the 2019 postseason with a win over the 4th seeded Southern Jaguars. They wore the 50s-style white STATE jerseys in that opening-round win on Friday; it was the third time this season that these jerseys had been worn on a Friday, and fourth time that maroon hadn't been worn on Friday. Unlike recent years, where the Bulldogs always wore maroon on "Maroon Friday," they've only worn maroon in 2019 on days when Ethan Small is pitching (which, generally, has still been Friday). The win on Friday improved the white STATE jerseys' season record to 8-1, and stared off their postseason record at 1-0.
This marked the first time since 2007 that white (or any non-maroon) jerseys had been worn in the opening game of a regional. That year, the primary white jerseys also featured a block "STATE" on the front, but, as part of the Russell Athletic debacle, featured a very subpar design. That 2007 team did, however, sweep through the Tallahassee Regional before winning a home Super Regional to advance to Omaha. The last time State opened a home regional in white was 2003; that year, they won the opening game in the white M over S jerseys but were unable to advance to a Super Regional.
On Saturday, State took on 3 seed Central Michigan in the winner's bracket matchup. The Chippewas, who entered the contest on a 19-game winning streak, including a win over Miami the night before, were the designated "home" team for the game, meaning that State was technically the "away" team in their own stadium. The home/away team rules for regionals have been in place for years; teams actually used to have to switch dugouts- State had to occupy the first base dugout at Dudy Noble against Cal State Fullerton in 2016. However, that rule has since been changed, and State was able to stay in the third base dugout (and larger third base side bullpen) throughout the regional, regardless of home/away designation.
With Ethan Small on the mound in the winner's bracket game, the Bulldogs wore the maroon 85 jerseys. Being the "away" team, the Bulldogs could've worn gray pants, like they did as the "away" team against Vanderbilt in Hoover last week. However, seeing as how the game was still being played at Dudy Noble Field, the Bulldogs opted to go with white pants instead, which honestly did look more "right" at home. With the 7-2 win, the maroon 85 jerseys improved to 13-4 on the season, and 9-2 when paired with white pants.
On Sunday, State was sitting pretty in the driver's seat, with Miami having to beat them twice. The Hurricanes couldn't even do it once. In an 8 PM game on Sunday night, Mississippi State reeled off a 5-2 victory in the all-black "Nickelblack" look, sending the Hurricanes packing and clinching a trip to a fourth consecutive Super Regional. The win improved the Bulldogs' record in all-black to 8-0 in 2019, 17-3 all-time, 3-1 in postseason games, and 2-0 in regional play. This was the first time that State had ever worn black in a home regional; last year was the first time that State had ever worn black in the postseason.
As the #6 National Seed and the 1 seed in the Starkville Regional, the Bulldogs began the 2019 postseason with a win over the 4th seeded Southern Jaguars. They wore the 50s-style white STATE jerseys in that opening-round win on Friday; it was the third time this season that these jerseys had been worn on a Friday, and fourth time that maroon hadn't been worn on Friday. Unlike recent years, where the Bulldogs always wore maroon on "Maroon Friday," they've only worn maroon in 2019 on days when Ethan Small is pitching (which, generally, has still been Friday). The win on Friday improved the white STATE jerseys' season record to 8-1, and stared off their postseason record at 1-0.
This marked the first time since 2007 that white (or any non-maroon) jerseys had been worn in the opening game of a regional. That year, the primary white jerseys also featured a block "STATE" on the front, but, as part of the Russell Athletic debacle, featured a very subpar design. That 2007 team did, however, sweep through the Tallahassee Regional before winning a home Super Regional to advance to Omaha. The last time State opened a home regional in white was 2003; that year, they won the opening game in the white M over S jerseys but were unable to advance to a Super Regional.
On Saturday, State took on 3 seed Central Michigan in the winner's bracket matchup. The Chippewas, who entered the contest on a 19-game winning streak, including a win over Miami the night before, were the designated "home" team for the game, meaning that State was technically the "away" team in their own stadium. The home/away team rules for regionals have been in place for years; teams actually used to have to switch dugouts- State had to occupy the first base dugout at Dudy Noble against Cal State Fullerton in 2016. However, that rule has since been changed, and State was able to stay in the third base dugout (and larger third base side bullpen) throughout the regional, regardless of home/away designation.
With Ethan Small on the mound in the winner's bracket game, the Bulldogs wore the maroon 85 jerseys. Being the "away" team, the Bulldogs could've worn gray pants, like they did as the "away" team against Vanderbilt in Hoover last week. However, seeing as how the game was still being played at Dudy Noble Field, the Bulldogs opted to go with white pants instead, which honestly did look more "right" at home. With the 7-2 win, the maroon 85 jerseys improved to 13-4 on the season, and 9-2 when paired with white pants.
On Sunday, State was sitting pretty in the driver's seat, with Miami having to beat them twice. The Hurricanes couldn't even do it once. In an 8 PM game on Sunday night, Mississippi State reeled off a 5-2 victory in the all-black "Nickelblack" look, sending the Hurricanes packing and clinching a trip to a fourth consecutive Super Regional. The win improved the Bulldogs' record in all-black to 8-0 in 2019, 17-3 all-time, 3-1 in postseason games, and 2-0 in regional play. This was the first time that State had ever worn black in a home regional; last year was the first time that State had ever worn black in the postseason.
Prior to 2016, Mississippi State had won 11 NCAA Regionals, the last 5 of which were in the current 4-team regional format. They've now won 4 in a row, increasing their Regional championship total to 15 and Super Regional appearance total to 9.
In a pleasingly symmetrical fashion, Mississippi State over the past four seasons has swept two home regionals as the #6 National Seed and twice fought through the loser's bracket to win 4 straight games as a 2 seed in a road regional. In each of the fourth regionals, the Bulldogs played and beat all three of the other teams in the given regional. As a host in 2016 and 2019, they beat the 2, 3, and 4 seeds once each; in 2017 and 2018, they had to fight through the elimination bracket and, by necessity, eliminate every other team in each regional.
Amazingly, State achieved this feat with a different head coach each season: John Cohen in 2016, Andy Cannizaro in 2017, Gary Henderson in 2018, and Chris Lemonis in 2019. Only four players were on all four teams and played under all four head coaches. Jake Mangum is the most obvious, as he was the leadoff hitter and starting center fielder on all four teams; Cole Gordon is another one who stands out, as he transitioned from occasional pinch hitter to lockdown closer over the four year span. The final two are Ethan Small and Kale Breaux, though they both took a medical redshirt in 2017.
In a pleasingly symmetrical fashion, Mississippi State over the past four seasons has swept two home regionals as the #6 National Seed and twice fought through the loser's bracket to win 4 straight games as a 2 seed in a road regional. In each of the fourth regionals, the Bulldogs played and beat all three of the other teams in the given regional. As a host in 2016 and 2019, they beat the 2, 3, and 4 seeds once each; in 2017 and 2018, they had to fight through the elimination bracket and, by necessity, eliminate every other team in each regional.
Amazingly, State achieved this feat with a different head coach each season: John Cohen in 2016, Andy Cannizaro in 2017, Gary Henderson in 2018, and Chris Lemonis in 2019. Only four players were on all four teams and played under all four head coaches. Jake Mangum is the most obvious, as he was the leadoff hitter and starting center fielder on all four teams; Cole Gordon is another one who stands out, as he transitioned from occasional pinch hitter to lockdown closer over the four year span. The final two are Ethan Small and Kale Breaux, though they both took a medical redshirt in 2017.
Next weekend, Mississippi State will take on the #11 National Seed, Stanford, in the 2019 Starkville Super Regional. It will be the Bulldogs' 9th Super Regional overall, and their 3rd time to host a Super Regional. The Bulldogs last won a home Super Regional in 2007, and of course won their most recent one on the road at Vanderbilt last season. With the Bulldogs' 11th trip to Omaha on the line, there is no doubt that Dudy Noble will be rocking again next weekend.
Uniform Models for the 2019 Starkville Regional:
Friday vs 4. Southern: 50s-style White STATE: #4 Rowdey Jordan
Saturday vs 3. Central Michigan: Maroon 85 over White: #5 Tanner Allen
Sunday vs 2. Miami: Black 85 over Black: #15 Jake Mangum
Uniform Models for the 2019 Starkville Regional:
Friday vs 4. Southern: 50s-style White STATE: #4 Rowdey Jordan
Saturday vs 3. Central Michigan: Maroon 85 over White: #5 Tanner Allen
Sunday vs 2. Miami: Black 85 over Black: #15 Jake Mangum
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