For the second time in program history, Mississippi State baseball is headed to the National Championship Series!! In their third consecutive trip to Omaha, the Bulldogs beat Texas, beat Virginia, lost to Texas, and then beat Texas again to advance to the Championship Series against Vanderbilt. The Bulldogs became the first and only team to clinch a National Championship berth on the field since 2019.
Mississippi State's run began on a Sunday Night, as the #7 National Seed Bulldogs took on the #2 National Seed Texas Longhorns. Will Bednar (15 K) and Landon Sims (6 K) combined to break the College World Series record for strikeouts as Mississippi State won 2-1 to advance to the winner's bracket. As the road team, Mississippi State wore the gray script "State" jerseys in the win. The look improved to 7-1 on the season, 2-0 in the NCAA Tournament, and 8-1 overall with the victory. Will Bednar improved to 5-0 when wearing the gray script "State" jersey; Willy B has absolutely shoved on the road this season, and that record is a great reflection of that.
After Sunday's win, the Bulldogs improved to 4-0 in opening round games at TD Ameritrade Park; State has advanced to the winner's bracket in four consecutive CWS trips, wearing a different uniform color each time: maroon (2013), white pinstripes (2018), black (2019), and gray (2021).
On Tuesday, Mississippi State took on Virginia in a winner's bracket matchup. The Bulldogs lost the coin flip and were once again designated the "away" team. With Friday Night pitcher Christian MacLeod on the mound, the Bulldogs elected to go with the classic maroon 85 over white look that MacLeod had worn in a majority of his starts. Even though MacLeod's start didn't go as planned, the Bulldogs still fought back and got the win, with a stellar performance from the entire bullpen and a 5-run 8th inning. That 8th inning included: a 2-run bomb from freshman Kellum Clark that broke up a no-hitter, a 3-run go-ahead bomb from SEC Player of the Year Tanner Allen, who had been hitless in Omaha up to that point, and an RBI single from the NCAA active hits leader, Scotty Dubrule, which provided some vital insurance. With the win, the Bulldogs improved to 13-4 in the classic maroon 85 jerseys in 2021, including 12-4 when paired when white pants and 3-0 in the NCAA Tournament.
On Friday, the Bulldogs once again faced Texas, needing to win one to get to the Championship Series but having to lose twice to be eliminated. On a rainy night in Omaha, the Bulldogs tied up the game in the 8th, but quickly gave the lead back up and, after a lengthy delay, dropped a game in Omaha for the first time. As they have in every single Friday game this season, the Bulldogs wore the classic maroon 85 over white look in the loss. It was only the second time this season that the Bulldogs had worn the same uniform in back-to-back games; the first was when the white 85s were worn in both games of a doubleheader against Texas A&M. With the loss, the maroon 85s dropped to 13-5 on the season, 12-5 when paired with white pants, and 3-1 in the NCAA Tournament.
In a winner-take-all bracket championship game against Texas on Saturday, Mississippi State was the designated "home" team, and as such broke out the classic white 85s for the first time in this year's College World Series. It was the first time that Mississippi State had worn the white 85s against Texas since, well, 1985. That game was famously disastrous for the Bulldogs; Saturday's matchup was an opportunity to finally avenge that loss. The Bulldogs took advantage of that opportunity, ending Texas's season and advancing themselves to the National Championship on a walk-off hit from Tanner Leggett. The win improved the white 85s to 10-2 in 2021, including 3-0 in the NCAA Tournament. It was only the second time ever that the Bulldogs had won a College World Series game in solid white jerseys; the other was the opening win in 1985 against Oklahoma State.
One of the biggest takeaways from this week? Landon Sims is Texas's father. Sims pitched against the Longhorns in the season opener, the CWS opener, and in the winner-take-all CWS bracket championship game that ended the Longhorns' season. Sims's line in those three appearances: 9.2 IP, 1 R, 3 H, 15 K, 2 W, 1 SV. Absolutely dominant. The man started their season off with an L, handed them their first L in Omaha, and then ended their season. He even did so in three different uniforms (maroon 85 over gray, gray script "State", and white 85s). An absolute legend.
Next, Mississippi State will take on Vanderbilt in a three-game series with the National Championship on the line. It will be the Bulldogs' second National Championship Series appearance; they previously faced UCLA in 2013. The matchup with Vanderbilt is a rematch of the 2018 Nashville Super Regional, which the Bulldogs won in 3 games and is often considered the greatest Super Regional of all time. It is also of a rematch of a series played earlier this season, as the Commodores won 2 out of 3 against the Bulldogs in Nashville. In their win in game 2 of the series on Saturday, Mississippi State handed Jack Leiter his first career loss; Leiter will be on the mound opposite Christian MacLeod on Monday.
Mississippi State's run began on a Sunday Night, as the #7 National Seed Bulldogs took on the #2 National Seed Texas Longhorns. Will Bednar (15 K) and Landon Sims (6 K) combined to break the College World Series record for strikeouts as Mississippi State won 2-1 to advance to the winner's bracket. As the road team, Mississippi State wore the gray script "State" jerseys in the win. The look improved to 7-1 on the season, 2-0 in the NCAA Tournament, and 8-1 overall with the victory. Will Bednar improved to 5-0 when wearing the gray script "State" jersey; Willy B has absolutely shoved on the road this season, and that record is a great reflection of that.
After Sunday's win, the Bulldogs improved to 4-0 in opening round games at TD Ameritrade Park; State has advanced to the winner's bracket in four consecutive CWS trips, wearing a different uniform color each time: maroon (2013), white pinstripes (2018), black (2019), and gray (2021).
On Tuesday, Mississippi State took on Virginia in a winner's bracket matchup. The Bulldogs lost the coin flip and were once again designated the "away" team. With Friday Night pitcher Christian MacLeod on the mound, the Bulldogs elected to go with the classic maroon 85 over white look that MacLeod had worn in a majority of his starts. Even though MacLeod's start didn't go as planned, the Bulldogs still fought back and got the win, with a stellar performance from the entire bullpen and a 5-run 8th inning. That 8th inning included: a 2-run bomb from freshman Kellum Clark that broke up a no-hitter, a 3-run go-ahead bomb from SEC Player of the Year Tanner Allen, who had been hitless in Omaha up to that point, and an RBI single from the NCAA active hits leader, Scotty Dubrule, which provided some vital insurance. With the win, the Bulldogs improved to 13-4 in the classic maroon 85 jerseys in 2021, including 12-4 when paired when white pants and 3-0 in the NCAA Tournament.
On Friday, the Bulldogs once again faced Texas, needing to win one to get to the Championship Series but having to lose twice to be eliminated. On a rainy night in Omaha, the Bulldogs tied up the game in the 8th, but quickly gave the lead back up and, after a lengthy delay, dropped a game in Omaha for the first time. As they have in every single Friday game this season, the Bulldogs wore the classic maroon 85 over white look in the loss. It was only the second time this season that the Bulldogs had worn the same uniform in back-to-back games; the first was when the white 85s were worn in both games of a doubleheader against Texas A&M. With the loss, the maroon 85s dropped to 13-5 on the season, 12-5 when paired with white pants, and 3-1 in the NCAA Tournament.
In a winner-take-all bracket championship game against Texas on Saturday, Mississippi State was the designated "home" team, and as such broke out the classic white 85s for the first time in this year's College World Series. It was the first time that Mississippi State had worn the white 85s against Texas since, well, 1985. That game was famously disastrous for the Bulldogs; Saturday's matchup was an opportunity to finally avenge that loss. The Bulldogs took advantage of that opportunity, ending Texas's season and advancing themselves to the National Championship on a walk-off hit from Tanner Leggett. The win improved the white 85s to 10-2 in 2021, including 3-0 in the NCAA Tournament. It was only the second time ever that the Bulldogs had won a College World Series game in solid white jerseys; the other was the opening win in 1985 against Oklahoma State.
One of the biggest takeaways from this week? Landon Sims is Texas's father. Sims pitched against the Longhorns in the season opener, the CWS opener, and in the winner-take-all CWS bracket championship game that ended the Longhorns' season. Sims's line in those three appearances: 9.2 IP, 1 R, 3 H, 15 K, 2 W, 1 SV. Absolutely dominant. The man started their season off with an L, handed them their first L in Omaha, and then ended their season. He even did so in three different uniforms (maroon 85 over gray, gray script "State", and white 85s). An absolute legend.
Next, Mississippi State will take on Vanderbilt in a three-game series with the National Championship on the line. It will be the Bulldogs' second National Championship Series appearance; they previously faced UCLA in 2013. The matchup with Vanderbilt is a rematch of the 2018 Nashville Super Regional, which the Bulldogs won in 3 games and is often considered the greatest Super Regional of all time. It is also of a rematch of a series played earlier this season, as the Commodores won 2 out of 3 against the Bulldogs in Nashville. In their win in game 2 of the series on Saturday, Mississippi State handed Jack Leiter his first career loss; Leiter will be on the mound opposite Christian MacLeod on Monday.
After a year off, one of my favorite yearly traditions returned in 2021: College World Series Roundels!
This is something I've done every year since State's 2013 National Championship appearance; 2021 is the 8th year of the series, and the 4th in which I've had the privilege of including Mississippi State. You can check out the full collection below:
2021 College World Series Roundel Logos
This is something I've done every year since State's 2013 National Championship appearance; 2021 is the 8th year of the series, and the 4th in which I've had the privilege of including Mississippi State. You can check out the full collection below:
2021 College World Series Roundel Logos
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