Ranking the 2020 Uniforms
Last season, I decided that the most appropriate way to rank the Bulldogs' uniforms was through a tiered system, rather than a straight best to last list. This year, I'm keeping that concept and just updating it to this year's uniform set (so taking out Gray Pinstripes and Gray Vests, adding Gray Script).

What  We Potentially Missed with the Season Being Shortened
So, in the shortened 2020 season, Mississippi State ended up wearing 7 different uniform combinations and 6 different jerseys. As I alluded to in the opening spiel, I do that those numbers would've been a little higher if the season had been played to completion. I don't know that there would've been any new uniforms (the new Gray Script jersey was probably our one new uniform of 2020), but I do think that some of the uniforms that appeared to not be retained *were* still available.

There are three uniforms that were worn in 2019 that were not worn in 2020:

• ​Alex Wilcox Teal
• Gray Pinstripes
• Gray Sleeveless Vests

The Alex Wilcox uniforms were always a one-time deal and were auctioned off after they were worn, so they were never expected to return.

With the Gray Pinstripes, however, I have it on good authority that they would've returned for a fifth season had the Bulldogs had more road opportunities. The current Gray Pinstripes were first worn in 2016, and were by far the longest-tenured jersey in the Bulldogs' rotation. With the season cut short, they did not get to see the field in 2020; the only road games the Bulldogs played all season were at Long Beach, and I've been told that the gray pinstripe pants had not been tailored in time for that series. If they had been, I think they probably would've been worn in the Sunday game instead of the Maroon 85 over White Pinstripes look. While I definitely think that the Gray Script uniforms were going to be State's primary gray uniform in 2020 regardless, I do think that the Gray Pinstripes would've seen action in road midweek games (three were scheduled) and road Saturday game threes (two were scheduled).

The one I'm really not sure about is the Gray Sleeveless Vests. They were just introduced last season, so it would be odd for them to be retired after just one season, but I don't know that there would've been room for them in the rotation. The Gray Script uniforms provided a better solid gray option, and as I said I believe the Gray Pinstripes would have returned. State has never had three gray uniforms in a single season- which makes sense because that's really too many. So I don't have any real information here either way, but seeing as how they were the weakest non-black uniform in the Bulldogs' set last season, I'm going to assume that the Gray Vests were meant to be replaced by the Gray Script uniforms and would not have returned in 2020.

Additionally, had the Bulldogs played additional Friday night road games, I think they would've worn the Maroon 85 over Gray combination, which I think would've looked really good with the new M/W/M-striped gray pants. Hopefully that's a look we get to see in action in 2021.

So, if the Gray Pinstripes and Maroon 85 over Gray combinations would've had an opportunity to see the field, we probably would've ended up with 7 different jerseys and 9 total combinations in 2020, which is a pretty standard year for the 2016-present era.

No Jerseys with the M over S Logo on the Chest in 2020?
One interesting note about the 2020 season is that it ended up being the first season since 2007 in which the M over S logo was not once worn on the front of a jersey. The primary reason for this, I have to believe, is that Adidas is pushing for their logo to be on the left chest on all baseball jerseys. This causes problems because, traditionally, a single logo like the M over S goes on the left side of a baseball jersey.

State has dealt with this is in a variety of ways since Adidas started pushing it in 2018:

• ​The 2018 Maroon M over S Jerseys had a smaller M over S logo underneath the Adidas logo, which didn't work great. They were only worn twice.
• The 2019 Gray Sleeveless Vests had the M over S logo on the right​ chest, which didn't necessarily look bad but looked wrong. They were only worn three times.
• The 2016 Gray Pinstripes, which still feature the Adidas logo on the right chest and M over S logo on the left chest, have continued to be worn without tweaks.
• Most new uniforms, including every single uniform worn by the Bulldogs in 2020, feature a horizontal chest wordmark or script and the M over S logo on the right sleeve.

The final solution, placing the M over S logo on the right sleeve, is the one that has really worked. That was just a great idea- it's created consistency among the Bulldogs' uniforms and has created a prominent spot for the classic M over S logo to be displayed until it's able to fit on the left chest again.

Again, I do believe that the Gray Pinstripes would've been worn had the season gone it's full length, but as it stands, 2020 joins 2005, 2006, and 2007 (the first three years under Russell Athletic) as the only seasons since the White M over S jersey was first introduced in 1988 where the Bulldogs have not worn a single jersey with the M over S logo on the chest.

Looking Forward to 2021
As I said in the first article of this season- Mississippi State has finally found a great deal of consistency in their baseball uniforms, and I am here for it. The Bulldogs have four elite jerseys- White 85s, Maroon 85s, White Pinstripes, and Gray Script, that have all of the details right and need to stick around for a long time. The White STATE jerseys are also great right down to the details and should definitely stay for another season or two.

While I still don't like the idea of black pants being worn every single Sunday- essentially taking around 10 games a season away from better, more traditional options- I don't see that "tradition" going away any time within the near future. Maybe when the entire 2018/2019 roster is gone, but that will probably be 2023 with all of the madness that is going on with eligibility and this season essentially being canceled.

One thing I wouldn't mind seeing in 2021 is moving the White Pinstripes to home Saturdays and the White STATE jerseys moved into that midweek role. As I laid out in a concept last season, I think that the ideal home uniform rotation for Mississippi State is Maroon 85 over White on Friday, White Pinstripes on Saturday, White 85s on Sunday, White STATE as the primary midweek option and Maroon 85 over White Pins as the secondary midweek option. Obviously having black on Sunday messes that up, pushing White 85s to midweek and Maroon 85 over White Pins to auxiliary usage such as the Game 3 at Long Beach this season. This isn't a change that has to be made by any means; the rotation is pretty great as is. It's just something that I've seen a bunch of people ask for on Twitter, and something with which I tend to agree.

For road games, I definitely want to see the Maroon 85 over Gray combination with the M/W/M-striped gray pants on Friday nights in 2021. I think that the Gray Script "State" jersey should stay in the Saturday slot, and Gray Pinstripes (or, I suppose, Sleeveless Vests) should return to the Saturday Game 3 and road midweek slot.

So, what new uniforms could be added in 2021? Mississippi State has had at least one new uniform each of the last 16 seasons, so it stands to reason that there will be at least one new one in 2021. I think two prime options are either a cream jersey or a second maroon jersey. I think making the White STATE jerseys cream would probably give them a uniqueness factor that could make them elite-level; that's something I wouldn't mind seeing. You could add a second maroon jersey for midweek games with either a "State" or "Bulldogs" script. If you figure out the Adidas logo on the left chest problem, you could add an updated version of the cream, white, or maroon M over S jerseys, or finally update the Gray Pinstripes. There are plenty of options here- I have no doubt Coach Lemonis and staff will come up with something great!

Until then, Hail State, and stay safe! (and sports please come back soon)

Mississippi State traveled down to Biloxi this past week for a pair of spring break midweek games against Texas Tech, defeating the Red Raiders, who are a consensus top-4 team and ranked as high as #2 in some polls, on both Tuesday and Wednesday to claim what seemed to be a season-boosting pari of wins.

The Bulldogs wore the same midweek uniform rotation that they did when they played two midweek games two weeks ago against Texas Southern and Alcorn State: White 85s on Tuesday and White Pinstripes on Wednesday.

This made for a pair of great looking ballgames, as both the White 85s and White Pinstripes are elite college baseball uniforms. It's a bit of a shame that they are both relegated to midweek games, but for this particular high-profile series it worked out great.

The win on Tuesday was the first of the season in the White 85s, increasing their record in 2020 to 1-1. The White Pinstripes improved to 2-0 with Wednesday's victory; combining the STATE, 85, and Pinstripe jerseys, the Bulldogs are 6-1 in white in 2020.

I mentioned earlier that it "seemed" to be a season-boosting pair of wins- that's because in reality, every postseason game and every regular season game until at least April 15th has been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. For those of us who love sports, especially for those of us whose favorite sport is Mississippi State baseball, this is an absolute nightmare. But I think all of us who are reasonable understand that the correct measures are being taken in order to flatten the curve of the spread of the disease and prevent our hospitals from being overwhelmed.

Personally, I was lucky enough to attend the Wednesday game in Biloxi, which as it currently stands was probably the last one of the season. At the time of the game, I understood that the Arkansas series would probably be played without fans and this would be the last game I get to attend for at least a few weeks. Now it's looking like it will probably be about 11 months before the next Mississippi State baseball game is played- that being the opening game of the 2021 season.

This is a situation that sucks all the way around- especially since the team seemed to finally be turning a corner. They were on a five-game winning streak, finished with two consecutive wins over a consensus top-4 team, and were about to play a struggling Arkansas team to open SEC play. In addition, senior pitchers Spencer Price and Riley Self both seemed to have returned to their 2017 selves, which could have give the Bulldogs the pieces they needed to make a run in 2020. Now, they'll probably have a chance at an additional season, but to have this one taken away is incredibly unfortunate.

As of now, the second half of SEC Play, along with the SEC Tournament, has not been canceled. But the odds of SEC baseball being played again in 2020 seem bleak at best. So, unless things start looking better soon, I'll probably do a "2020 Season Recap" post within the next week.

Uniform Models for Two Games in Biloxi:
Tuesday vs Texas Tech: White 85: #48 Houston Harding
Wednesday vs Texas Tech: White Pinstripes: #10 Josh Hatcher

Returning back to Dudy Noble for a weekend series to brush up before the start of conference play, Mississippi State hosted and swept Quinnipiac this past weekend, improving to 10-4 on the season and getting back on a winning pace.

The Bulldogs were originally supposed to play Southern Miss in Pearl on Wednesday, but heavy rain forced that game to be postponed. As a result, Mississippi State only played three games this past week, all three against the Quinnipiac Bobcats. This marked the third three-game week of non-conference play- the prior two were opening weekend against Wright State and the second weekend against Oregon State (prior to which a midweek game against Samford was cancelled).

Just like in both of those weekend series, Mississippi State was simple and consistent with its uniform selection: Maroon 85 over White on Friday, White STATE on Saturday, and All-Black on Sunday. That was the weekend rotation for every Friday-Saturday-Sunday home series in 2019 and will presumably be the same for every one in 2020.

The win on Friday improved the Bulldogs to 3-1 in the Maroon 85 over White combination, including 3-0 at home. The Maroon 85 jerseys are 3-2 overall (the additional loss was in white pinstripe pants in game 3 at Long Beach State).

Saturday's win improved the White STATE jerseys' record in 2020 to 3-0. The Bulldogs are 4-0 on Saturdays in 2020- they also won in the new Gray Script "State" jerseys last Saturday at Long Beach.

After a week off, the All-Black look returned to its usual Sunday spot, improving to 2-1 on the season and potentially starting a new winning streak.

This week, the Bulldogs have a two-game midweek series against Texas Tech in Biloxi. I'm unclear on how the home team will be designated for those games, but I imagine State will be "home" for at least one if not both of the games. If State is home for both of them, I would expect to see the White 85s and White Pinstripes worn- if they're the road team for one of them, you could see the Gray Script "State" uniforms, Gray Pinstripes, or Gray Sleeveless Vests.

After playing Texas Tech, the Bulldogs will open SEC Play with a home Fri-Sat-Sun series against Arkansas; I would expect the same standard home uniform rotation for that series.

Uniform Models for the Quinnipiac Series:
Friday vs Quinnipiac: Maroon 85 over White: #28 Christian MacLeod
Saturday vs Quinnipiac: White STATE: #10 Josh Hatcher
Sunday vs Quinnipiac: Nickelblacks: #46 David Dunlavey

It wasn’t an ideal week on the diamond for Mississippi State; it started off with a Tuesday loss to a SWAC team in Texas Southern and ended with a series loss out on the West Coast to Long Beach State. Outside of the wins on Wednesday and Saturday over Alcorn State and Long Beach State, the biggest upside of the week was the uniforms.
 
​In their five games last week, Mississippi State debuted one brand new uniform, wore two favorites from last season for the first time in 2020, and debuted one combination that had never been worn in the current set.

​In their bounce-back win on Wednesday, the Bulldogs wore the White “State” Pinstripes for the first time in nearly 11 months. The Bulldogs wore the White Pins five times (to a 4-1 record) early in the 2019 season, most recently on March 30, 2019 against LSU, but did not wear them a single time down the stretch in April, May, or June. I’m still not exactly sure what happened there, but regardless, they’re back, and Bulldog fans were pretty universally happy about that fact!

On Friday at Long Beach, Mississippi State played their first road game of the season. I was expecting to see the Maroon 85 jerseys paired with gray pants, which we saw on all road Game 1s last season, but instead the Bulldogs stick with the Maroon 85 over White look for the third Friday in a row. At first this I was not happy about this; I thought it might signal a return to the 2016 through 2018 method of always wearing white pants on the road with maroon tops, which can just look wrong sometimes. Mississippi State did a great job of wearing gray pants on the road last season; the Maroon 85 over Gray look was really good, and I would hate to lose it.
 
However, it seems likely that the reason the Bulldogs went with white pants on Friday is because Long Beach went with an All-Black look, and white pants provided better contrast than gray would have. Also, on Saturday, new gray pants were debuted that should look great when paired with the Maroon 85 jerseys; I hope to see the Maroon 85 over Gray combination return with those pants for road SEC series.
 
On Saturday, Mississippi State blew myself and others away by debuting some brand new road gray jerseys that look absolutely fantastic. The new gray uniforms feature the same "State" script on the chest as the white pinstripe jerseys, Maroon/White/Maroon stripes on the sleeves and pants, the M over S logo on the right sleeve, and player names on the back.
 
The uniforms are very clean and have plenty of consistencies with the rest of the Bulldogs’ uniform set, which I really appreciate. Coach Lemonis, Roger Rodeheaver, and staff have done a really good job crafting a nice and consistent uniform set, and I think all of us fans who care about such things can really appreciate that! And these debuted with a 9-0 win, so that’s always a huge plus!

A few notes about the new gray uniforms:

• These are at least the 7th gray jerseys in program history (see the graphic below). They are the first not to feature either the M over S logo or full “Mississippi State” script on the chest, and it is the first sleeved, solid gray uniform worn by the Bulldogs since 2015.

• This is the first non-pinstripe game jersey to feature this particular “State” script logo; it was and has been worn on the white pinstripe uniforms from 1966-1974 and from 2017-Present; it’s also currently being worn on the Bulldogs’ maroon BP jerseys this season.
• To my knowledge, these are first ever gray pants with a Maroon/White/Maroon stripe in program history; all previous gray pants have either featured no stripe or a single maroon stripe.
• These are the 6th different jerseys to be worn in 2020; the Bulldogs wore 8 last season- the teal Alex Wilcox Jerseys are unlikely to return, but it’s likely that one if not both of the gray pins or vests will return, though the Bulldogs have never had three gray jerseys in a single season.
• This marks 2020 as at least the 16th consecutive season with at least one new baseball jersey:
  • 2020: Gray Script “State”
  • 2019: 7 new jerseys
  • 2018: 4
  • 2017: White “State” Pinstripes
  • 2016: 3 new jerseys
  • 2015: 9 new jerseys
  • 2014: 5 new jerseys
  • 2013: White M over S Pinstripes
  • 2012: White 85s
  • 2011: Maroon M over S
  • 2010: 3 new jerseys
  • 2009: 3 new jerseys
  • 2008: 2 new jerseys
  • 2007: White Block STATE
  • 2006: Maroon Script State
  • 2005: 4 new jerseys

 
The final uniform twist of the weekend came on Sunday, when the Bulldogs were not allowed to wear their Sunday All-Black uniforms due to Long Beach electing to wear black themselves. This resulted in Sunday becoming the first Sunday game in which Mississippi State has not worn black since June 3, 2018 against Samford in the Tallahasee Regional, though the Bulldogs would wear black later that day against Oklahoma. To find the last day on which State had a single Sunday game but did not wear black, you would have to go all the way back to March 25, 2018, at Missouri.
 
So, in lieu of All-Black, the Bulldogs wore a combination that had yet to be worn in the current set: Maroon 85 jerseys with White Pinstripe pants. This has been one of my favorite combinations in the past; most notably, the Bulldogs wore Maroon 85 over White Pins in a win over Indiana in the 2013 College World Series, and that particular version of the combination looked incredible. Overall, this is actually the 5th different iteration of Maroon 85 over White Pins; looking back, I would classify the 2013-2014 version as the best and the 2015 version as the worst.

The 2020 variation is somewhere in-between; it certainly looks good, and I hope State wears it again a few times this season and finally gets another win in it at some point (the combination went 0-3 in 2018. It hasn’t been worn in a win since May 2, 2015 against LSU). However, I think that in the current iteration, the solid white pants work better, especially now with the consistent double stripe on the pants. Still, I’m glad circumstances allowed this combination to see the field, and I hope we see it again at some point!

The Maroon 85 over White Pins combination was the Bulldogs’ seventh combination of 2020, and actually the seventh in the last seven games:

• Saturday against Oregon State: White STATE
• Sunday against Oregon State: Nickelblacks
• Tuesday against Texas Southern: White 85s
• Wednesday against Alcorn State: White Pinstripes
• Friday against Long Beach: Maroon 85 over White
• Saturday against Long Beach: Gray “State” Script
• Sunday against Long Beach: Maroon 85 over White Pins

 
Looking back, this week really reminds me of the week at Missouri back in 2018. Midweeks against Alcorn State and Texas Southern, with White “State” Pinstripes being worn in the Wednesday game. And then Maroon 85 over White, All-Gray, and Maroon 85 over White Pins during the road weekend series, with the only win coming in gray in the Saturday game. Hopefully the Bulldogs can turn things around just like they did that season.

​This week, Mississippi State is scheduled to play Southern Miss in Pearl on Wednesday, though weather is a major question for that game. If that game does happen, Mississippi State will be the home team, so expect to see either White 85s or White Pinstripes. This weekend, the Bulldogs play host to Quinnipiac as a tune-up before SEC play begins; expect the Bulldogs to be back in their standard Maroon 85, White STATE, and Nickelblack rotation for that series.

Uniform Models for the 5-Game Week:
Tuesday vs Texas Southern: White 85: #14 Riley Self
Wednesday vs Alcorn State: White Pinstripes: #11 Jordan Westburg
Friday at Long Beach: Maroon 85 over White: #31 Tanner Leggett
Saturday at Long Beach: Gray Script: #5 Tanner Allen
Sunday at Long Beach: Maroon 85 over White Pinstripes: #6 Kamren James

Mississippi State carried its Opening Weekend momentum into the second weekend of the year against Oregon State, a program that just two years ago ended the Bulldogs' season en route to a national title. In this season's matchup, it was Mississippi State who had the upper hand, winning two of three games against the Beavers to secure their second series win of 2020.

The Bulldogs stayed consistent with their uniforms, wearing the same exact rotation that they wore in the Opening Weekend series against Wright State, as well as all Friday-Saturday-Sunday home weekends in 2019. Mississippi State won the first two games of the weekend, clinching the series and improving to 2-0 in both the Maroon 85 over White and White STATE looks.

Mississippi State famously went 10-0 in All-Black in 2019, and improved that streak to 11 games with a win last weekend. The "Nickelblacks" won't have as pristine of a record in 2020, as that 11-game streak was snapped with a 7-2 loss to the Beavers on Sunday afternoon. It was the first loss ever in the current iteration of the All-Black look, and the first loss the Bulldogs have suffered in All-Black since the final game of the 2018 season, which was in Omaha against... Oregon State. That loss in 2018 broke what was then a 5-game winning streak in All-Black. So the Bulldogs are 16-2 in their last 18 games in All-Black, with both losses coming against Oregon State.

It's also worth noting that the Oregon State winner-take-all game in 2018 was on a Saturday; to find the Bulldogs' last Sunday loss, you have to go all the way back to April 29, 2018, against Texas A&M. After today's loss, the Bulldogs are 20-4 all-time in All-Black, 11-1 in the current All-Black look, and 1-1 in All-Black this season.

This week, Mississippi State should finally get to play some midweek games, with two scheduled (Texas Southern on Tuesday and Alcorn State on Wednesday). I would expect to see the white pinstripe and white 85 uniforms make their season debuts in those games, unless something new is introduced.

This upcoming weekend, the Bulldogs will play their first road games of the season, traveling to Long Beach State. It will be interesting to see if the Bulldogs keep the gray pants for Friday road games (they should), and if they do keep them, if they will have an updated double stripe just like this year's home Friday pants do. Saturday will be a real tossup; we could see gray vests, gray pinstripes (if they are retained for a fifth season), or something new. On Sunday I would expect to see the Sunday Blacks once again; I doubt one loss will deter the Bulldogs from wearing them.

Uniform Models for the Oregon State Series:
Friday vs Oregon State: Maroon 85 over White: #11 Jordan Westburg
Saturday vs Oregon State: White STATE: #28 Christian MacLeod
Sunday vs Oregon State: Nickelblacks: #17 Justin Foscue

The 2020 Baseball Season is finally here! Expectations are high in Starkville once again, and opening weekend only bolstered those expectations, as Mississippi State handily swept Wright State to get out to a 3-0 start on the season.

For the first time in what feels like forever, there is stability within Mississippi State's baseball program. Even though things have always turned out fine in the end, with four consecutive Super Regional appearances and two consecutive Omaha trips, there has been a ton of turnover over the past four seasons, with four different head coaches and a completely re-built stadium. Now, the stadium is complete and entering its second season, and barring a 2018-like surprise, Chris Lemonis will coach his second complete season and end the rotating door at the head coach position.

A big sign of that stability can be seen within Mississippi State's uniform set and rotation. Mississippi State had a bare-bones uniform set in 2017, completely overhauled it in 2018, and made a litany of minor changes in 2019 to standardize the set. Now, in 2020, just like with the stadium and head coaching position, we seem to be at a point where we finally have a good fit and are going to roll with what we have with little to no changes.

Not only did Mississippi State not introduce any new jerseys on opening weekend (for the first time since 2016), but they wore the same three uniforms that they would wear in a standard home weekend in 2019: Maroon 85 jerseys with white pants on Friday, White STATE jerseys on Saturday, and the All-Black "Nickelblack" uniforms on Sunday.

Overall, the Bulldogs' uniforms still look great in 2020. The double stripe on the white pants to match the 85-style jerseys is a nice touch. I wouldn't have minded seeing the White Pinstripe jerseys on Saturday instead of the White STATE jerseys, but the STATE jerseys do look great, and as I said I  appreciate the consistency/stability with last season. Still don't love black pants on a baseball uniform, but at this point that is a thing that is not changing anytime soon; with the win this weekend, Mississippi State now has an 11-game winning streak in the "Nickelblacks" and is 20-3 all-time in All-Black.

Next week, Mississippi State is scheduled to host Samford in a Tuesday midweek game (though the weather forecast looks less than promising for Tuesday) and then host Oregon State in a marquee Friday-Sunday series.

​I would expect the same Maroon-White-Black uniform rotation will be worn against Oregon State; White "State" Pinstripes would be the most likely option for the Samford game if it gets played.

Uniform Models for the Opening Weekend of 2020:
Friday vs Wright State: Maroon 85 over White: #4 Rowdey Jordan
Saturday vs Wright State: White STATE: #19 Logan Tanner
Sunday vs Wright State: Nickelblacks: #6 Kamren James