For the third consecutive postseason, Mississippi State baseball is headed to the College World Series! The Bulldogs battled Notre Dame in the 2021 Starkville Super Regional, dogpiling at the end of a winner-take-all game 3 as they clinched the 12th trip to Omaha in program history.
In addition to being their third straight, it was the Bulldogs' fifth Super Regional championship in program history, bringing them to an even 5-5 in their 10 Super Regional appearances. In all 10 of Mississippi State's Super Regionals, the winner of game 1 has won the series and advanced to Omaha. Seven of the ten ('00, '01, '07, '13, '16, '17, and '19) have been completed in 2 games; the 2011 Gainesville Super Regional was won by Florida in 3 games, while the Bulldogs won both the 2018 Nashville and 2021 Starkville Super Regionals in 3 games. The 2021 Super Regional was the fourth to be held in Starkville; it was the third Starkville Super Regional won by the home team, and the first to go a game 3.
The Super Regional got off to a great start on Saturday afternoon, which a back-and-forth affair that ended with a 9-8 Bulldog victory. The game featured an excellent uniform matchup, with the Irish in their green jerseys and hats and the Bulldogs in their classic white 85 look. It was the first time that State had worn white in a Super Regional since game 2 of the 2017 Baton Rouge Super Regional, and the first time that the Bulldogs had won a Super Regional game in white since game 1 of the 2007 Starkville Super Regional against Clemson. With Saturday's victory, the white 85s improved to 9-2 in 2021 and picked up their second win of the 2021 postseason.
In Game 2 on Sunday, Mississippi State did something that it had not done since March. It broke out the Sunday Blacks, looking to clinch a trip to Omaha while wearing All-Black for the third consecutive postseason. The Bulldogs had started off 2021 with 4 consecutive wins in All-Black before back-to-back losses to LSU and Arkansas put the look back in the closet. Entering Sunday's game, All-Black was 4-2 on the season, 2-0 all-time in Super Regionals, and 5-1 in NCAA Tournament games. You can now tack on an extra L to all of those records, as Notre Dame controlled Game 2 from start to finish, evening the series with a 9-1 victory.
The All-Black look still holds an impressive overall record at 25-7 all-time and 16-4 in its current iteration. Still, after three straight losses including a Super Regional drudging, they certainly won't be back this season and may not return again, at least in their current form. I don't necessarily expect it to go away forever- after all it was worn in two Super Regional victories and another in Omaha during 2018 and 2019, so at the very least it may re-appear as a "throwback" down the line. But it seems that its days of being the every-week Sunday look are over- which I'm all for, as it means more appearances for the Bulldogs' other incredible uniforms.
On Monday, Mississippi State was back school colors tonight, breaking out the classic maroon 85s for the winner-take-all game 3. The Bulldogs jumped out to an early lead and held on the rest of the way, finishing with an 11-7 victory and another Omaha dogpile! It was the Bulldogs' first Omaha dogpile in maroon jerseys since the 2013 Charlottesville Super Regional; in the Super Regional era, Mississippi State has now clinched three Omaha trips in maroon ('07, '13, '21) and two in black ('18, '19). With Monday's victory, the classic maroon 85s improved to 12-4 in 2021, including 11-4 when paired with white pants.
The next time that the Bulldogs take the field, they'll be wearing the College World Series patch. There's no better sight. See you in Omaha!
In addition to being their third straight, it was the Bulldogs' fifth Super Regional championship in program history, bringing them to an even 5-5 in their 10 Super Regional appearances. In all 10 of Mississippi State's Super Regionals, the winner of game 1 has won the series and advanced to Omaha. Seven of the ten ('00, '01, '07, '13, '16, '17, and '19) have been completed in 2 games; the 2011 Gainesville Super Regional was won by Florida in 3 games, while the Bulldogs won both the 2018 Nashville and 2021 Starkville Super Regionals in 3 games. The 2021 Super Regional was the fourth to be held in Starkville; it was the third Starkville Super Regional won by the home team, and the first to go a game 3.
The Super Regional got off to a great start on Saturday afternoon, which a back-and-forth affair that ended with a 9-8 Bulldog victory. The game featured an excellent uniform matchup, with the Irish in their green jerseys and hats and the Bulldogs in their classic white 85 look. It was the first time that State had worn white in a Super Regional since game 2 of the 2017 Baton Rouge Super Regional, and the first time that the Bulldogs had won a Super Regional game in white since game 1 of the 2007 Starkville Super Regional against Clemson. With Saturday's victory, the white 85s improved to 9-2 in 2021 and picked up their second win of the 2021 postseason.
In Game 2 on Sunday, Mississippi State did something that it had not done since March. It broke out the Sunday Blacks, looking to clinch a trip to Omaha while wearing All-Black for the third consecutive postseason. The Bulldogs had started off 2021 with 4 consecutive wins in All-Black before back-to-back losses to LSU and Arkansas put the look back in the closet. Entering Sunday's game, All-Black was 4-2 on the season, 2-0 all-time in Super Regionals, and 5-1 in NCAA Tournament games. You can now tack on an extra L to all of those records, as Notre Dame controlled Game 2 from start to finish, evening the series with a 9-1 victory.
The All-Black look still holds an impressive overall record at 25-7 all-time and 16-4 in its current iteration. Still, after three straight losses including a Super Regional drudging, they certainly won't be back this season and may not return again, at least in their current form. I don't necessarily expect it to go away forever- after all it was worn in two Super Regional victories and another in Omaha during 2018 and 2019, so at the very least it may re-appear as a "throwback" down the line. But it seems that its days of being the every-week Sunday look are over- which I'm all for, as it means more appearances for the Bulldogs' other incredible uniforms.
On Monday, Mississippi State was back school colors tonight, breaking out the classic maroon 85s for the winner-take-all game 3. The Bulldogs jumped out to an early lead and held on the rest of the way, finishing with an 11-7 victory and another Omaha dogpile! It was the Bulldogs' first Omaha dogpile in maroon jerseys since the 2013 Charlottesville Super Regional; in the Super Regional era, Mississippi State has now clinched three Omaha trips in maroon ('07, '13, '21) and two in black ('18, '19). With Monday's victory, the classic maroon 85s improved to 12-4 in 2021, including 11-4 when paired with white pants.
The next time that the Bulldogs take the field, they'll be wearing the College World Series patch. There's no better sight. See you in Omaha!
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