The final chapter of the 2018 Mississippi State baseball season came to a close Saturday night in Omaha. The Bulldogs (39-29) fell to Oregon State, 5-2, in the semifinal round of the College World Series. The Beavers will now play Arkansas in a best of three series for the title.
This was Mississippi State's 10tgh appearance in the College World Series, and this year's baseball team made one of the most phenomenal runs in Bulldog baseball lore. All Mississippi State baseball teams are compared to the 1985 team that was led by future Major League All-Stars Will Clark, Rafael Palmerio, Jeff Brantley and Bobby Thigpen and one of the best college baseball coaches in Ron Polk. This 2018 team of overachievers will probably go down in history as being as popular as that star-studded 1985 team.
Think about this 2018 team. They lost their head coach in the first weekend of the season, but thank goodness the long haul of a 70-game season is not a short run but a marathon. So they regrouped and went forward.
Besides the coaching change, these Bullies were also playing on the road much more than at home as construction was going on at Dudy Noble Field. Even with those obstacles MSU fought and clawed their way to a 15-15 SEC mark. In the postseason, these Bulldogs won a Tallahassee and Nashville Super Regional with walk-offs in both locations. They won 11 times in their final at-bat this season. They even carried that magic over to Omaha by beating Washington, 1-0, on the first day in their final at-bat of the CWS.
MSU trailed in four of its eight wins in the NCAA Tournament and made comebacks in 21 of its 39 wins this season. This team, propelled by junior outfielder Jake Mangum and the good luck rally banana charm caught the attention of the college baseball world.
CHECKING OUT
THE SAINTS
The Saints after three straight so-so seasons rebounded to an 11-5 mark due to an influx of a great 2017 draft class. Led by Offensive Rookie of the Year Alvin Kamara and Defensive Rookie of the Year Marshon Lattimore and the old master Drew Brees, the Saints almost made it to the NFC Championship game. The Saints' offense is one of the best in the league, but last year’s offense added a running game that actually helped the defense improve. The defense went from 30th to 10th overall and that improvement led to the three-win improvement from the previous season.
The Saints will have to get off to a strong start as they face Tampa Bay in week one and Atlanta in week three. The Saints' road schedule is demanding as they travel to play Baltimore, Minnesota and the L.A. Rams in weeks 7-9. Those three teams all whipped the Saints last season. Also trips to Dallas and Philly loom in November. So if the Saints are going to make another playoff run, they must steal a couple of those road games.
MLB PREDICTIONS
Major League baseball is hard to predict. Who could have predicted the worst team in the American League in Baltimore could go into Atlanta and win a series from the NL East league leading Braves this past weekend? Who could have predicted that last place Cincinnati would sweep the Chicago Cubs in all four games? Last year, the Chicago White Sox won only 67 games but swept the World Series Champion Houston Astros in three games. I guess that is why baseball is so special. As a famous coach once said, "The best team does not always win, but the team that plays the best wins.”
Dale McKee is a longtime sports columnist in the state of Mississippi who resides in Waynesboro. You may contact Dale at ddmckee18@yahoo.com .
