Dakota Delivers
April 15, 2023 | Baseball, Joel Coleman
Jordan provides a super finish on Super Bulldog Weekend Saturday.
STARKVILLE – Dudy Noble Field was a firecracker waiting to blow on Saturday. An all-time, NCAA on-campus record crowd of 16,423 fans were on pins and needles, ready to erupt.
Enter Dakota Jordan to light the fuse and set off a Super Bulldog Weekend party that might still be going on as you read this.
DAKOTA JORDAN WALKS IT OFF. DAWGS WIN!!!!!!!!!#HailState🐶 | #SBW23 pic.twitter.com/UgBnKo0luh
— Mississippi State Baseball (@HailStateBB) April 15, 2023
In a moment that'll be etched in Diamond Dawg lore forever, Jordan delivered a two-run, walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth as Mississippi State topped Ole Miss 8-7. Funny thing is, Jordan said he'd somewhat seen it all before it even happened.
"It was something I dreamed of as a little kid – hitting a walk-off against Ole Miss here," Jordan said.
There was no better time for a dream to come true.
MSU was on the brink of disappointment. On the back of a couple of Colton Ledbetter home runs, the Bulldogs took a 6-5 lead to the ninth inning before a Rebel rally put Ole Miss up 7-6.
While the State faithful were surely downhearted, the Diamond Dawgs themselves remained hopeful.
"I had a feeling the whole time," Ledbetter said. "I just knew we were going to come back and win that thing."
Perhaps Ledbetter doubles a prophet.
Amani Larry led off the home half of the ninth with a walk. After an Ole Miss pitching change, David Mershon bunted Larry to second. Ledbetter and Hunter Hines then both walked to load the bases with one out and set the stage for Jordan.
Less than 24 hours before, Jordan had been in a similar spot and come up short. He came to the plate as the tying run in Friday night's affair but struck out to end the ballgame.
"I wanted to be that guy up there to get the job done, but it didn't happen [on Friday]," Jordan said.
Well, it did Saturday.
On a 2-0 pitch, Jordan swung and chopped a ball through the left side of the infield. Larry scored to tie it and Ledbetter was right behind with the winning run.
"Whenever Dakota hit that walk-off and I came around to score, I seriously couldn't feel my legs," Ledbetter said. "I just felt this uproar and my legs were getting weak. I was like, 'Oh my gosh, we just did it. We did it.'"
Jordan didn't know what to think. He still isn't sure he was able to think at all.
"I blacked out," Jordan said.
It was the latest highlight for a freshman who's quickly establishing himself as a State star. Jordan will enter play Sunday on an 11-game hitting streak. Those 11 games have seen Jordan's batting average rise from .229 up to .341 as he's gone 19-for-40 over the stretch – a .475 clip.
But nothing in those last 11 games compared to Saturday's heroics.
"Dakota's been really good, and we felt like he'd get a pitch to hit," Lemonis said. "Special moment for him. I'm sure it's one he'll remember for the rest of his life."
And about 16,000 or so others wearing Maroon and White will, too.
"I've got to give a big shout out to the fans that came out," Jordan said. "They did their thing, and we did ours."
