The Mississippi State Standard

STARKVILLE – At Mississippi State, there's a standard. And for the last couple of weeks, Bulldogs head coach Chris Lemonis has emphasized and reemphasized it to his team. Then on Monday night at Dudy Noble Field, MSU went out and lived up to it…for the third straight time.

State defeated Notre Dame 11-7 to advance to the College World Series for the third consecutive completed season. Only one school in the country can now claim an active streak of three trips to Omaha in a row and it's the boys in Mississippi State maroon and white.

But how did this latest opportunity to journey to America's heartland come together? Well it was a collaborative effort between those that have made the trek before and a bunch of soon-to-be Nebraska newbies. If you needed a crash course on the season-long ride, Monday night's game provided a quick glimpse of how MSU met its standard and how it plans to continue it.

The Foundation

There was a conversation inside the Mississippi State baseball offices on Monday, long before a pitch was ever thrown next door at Dudy Noble Field. The topic at hand were two men that can now claim College World Series appearances in every single full season of their careers.

The Bulldogs' 2021 campaign was down to nine innings headed into Monday night. Yet State's coaching staff was feeling good about their chances with the ability to lean on junior outfielders Tanner Allen and Rowdey Jordan.

"'There's no way Tanner and Rowdey are going out with an L in this ballpark,'" State head coach Chris Lemonis said of the the thought process of he and his staff. "I liked having the odds of having them on our team and playing for what we were playing for."

It's said that big-time players make big-time plays in big-time games. Well Jordan and Allen fit the bill. First, there was the diving catch by Jordan as he laid out Superman style in left-centerfield to end the top of the second with a spectacular grab. The play gave the Bulldogs a spark just before they exploded with a six-run bottom half of the inning to take control of the game. Allen later had a diving grab of his own, in addition to a third-inning solo home run.

Here were two Bulldogs who'd never lost a Super Regional series. They were a perfect 2-0 prior to Monday and now, give them three.

"It's pretty special when you look at what they've done in their careers," Lemonis said. "It's just a never-say-die attitude and they were both really good [Monday]."

Allen and Jordan, along with other elder statesmen of this Bulldog team, have been the heartbeat of this year's club. Much like names such as Mangum, MacNamee and others set the Bulldog standard in the recent past, this year it was turn for Allen, Jordan and the rest.

"Experience, you can't substitute for it," Lemonis said. "The expectation in that clubhouse, and it comes from Tanner and Rowdey and Josh [Hatcher] and Spencer [Price] and Riley [Self] and those older kids – this is where you're supposed to be."

But like Allen and Jordan helped get the 2018 Bulldogs to Omaha as wide-eyed youngsters, the cornerstones of this year's team needed help from some newer blood. They got it on Monday, just as had been happening all year long.

The Next Wave

Landon Sims watched on as Mississippi State topped Stanford in the 2019 Starkville Super Regional. After MSU clinched that trip to Omaha, Sims' parents posed a question to the soon-to-be Bulldog: 'Do you want to go watch State play in Omaha?'

Sims' answer spoke volumes about the Bulldog standard and what Sims believed his upcoming MSU career would entail.

"I was like, 'Let's save the money because I have a really good feeling that we might take a trip or two to Omaha while I'm here,'" Sims said after locking down his first-ever College World Series trip on Monday night.

Where would this year's State team have been without Sims? It was fitting that it was the right-hander putting the finishing touches on this year's run to Omaha. He was flat out dominant all year. And when Notre Dame's Niko Kavadas hit into a game-ending double play, Sims fired his glove and hat into the Starkville sky, kicking off State's 12^th all-time College World Series appearance celebration.

No one is thinking about earning a 13^th appearance yet. There's a 2021 national championship to chase. But for anyone that did want to glance to the future, Sims and several of his teammates that shined on Monday are why the Bulldogs have reason to believe all this can continue.

There's catcher Logan Tanner, whose three-run homer in the six-run second was probably Monday night's biggest blow. The power-hitting backstop with a strong glove and cannon for an arm has become one of the nation's best at his position. And you better believe he's aware of the Bulldog standard.

"I think it's just culture," Tanner said. "The culture around here is to win and to go as far as you can. I just think the culture here is great and it's probably the best in the country if I had to say so."

Like Sims and Tanner, Monday night's MSU starting pitcher, Houston Harding, will be headed to Omaha for the first time. It's the junior college transfer's first full season as a Bulldog, and he knew when he came to Starkville that the goal was nothing less than getting to the place where he and his teammates are now headed.

"I think our coaches do a great job of putting that winning mentality in us and making sure we know that is the standard and that is what we expect to do every single year," Harding said. "It's just been an honor to be a part of it."

None of this is to mention all the other players about to make their T.D. Ameritrade Park debuts. Of the nine players in MSU's starting batting order on Monday night – an order that combined for a 12-hit attack – only Allen and Jordan have ever seen action in the College World Series. Outfielder Brad Cumbest and first baseman Luke Hancock were both on the 2019 MSU team in Omaha, but neither got in a game. Tanner, third baseman Kamren James, shortstop Lane Forsythe and designated hitter Kellum Clark are all players classified as freshmen that'll be playing in their first College World Series. Based on recent history at MSU, it might not be their last.

"Obviously when you decide to go to Mississippi State, you're going to a program where [the College World Series] is the aspiration," Lemonis said. "Our goal is to keep it moving and keep it moving forward."

Unfinished Business

All that future stuff can wait though. Lemonis made it clear in his Monday night postgame comments that the dogpile at Dudy Noble is not the planned high point for this year's team.

"We've got work still to do," Lemonis said.

State starts its run in the College World Series with a 6 p.m. CT game against Texas on Sunday night. Perhaps there'll be some nerves. Maybe there will be a fast heart rate or two. But what the Bulldogs won't be is surprised in any way.

"If we're not [in Omaha], everyone is disappointed," Lemonis said. "It's not like that everywhere in the country. There's high expectations for coaches. There's high expectations for players. We understand that."

It's just the Mississippi State way. Everyone in maroon and white is aware of it and spends every day trying to live up to it. And on Monday night, this year's Bulldogs did exactly that.

"It's a standard here as soon as you put pen to paper that you're coming to play baseball at Mississippi State," Sims said. "This situation is the standard."

Mississippi State University Athletics

The Mississippi State Standard

Players Mentioned

Tanner Allen

Kellum Clark

Brad Cumbest

Lane Forsythe

Luke Hancock

Houston Harding

Kamren James

Rowdey Jordan

Landon Sims

Logan Tanner

Related Videos