Bulldogs Believing And Building Their Resume
April 29, 2024 | Baseball, Joel Coleman
Series win at Vandy has State back in the polls and back in the hosting discussion.
STARKVILLE – It's Hall of Fame catcher Yogi Berra who is credited with saying that baseball is 90 percent mental. The other half is physical.
Make of the Yogism what you will, but there's no doubt the longtime New York Yankees backstop was on to something. Oftentimes, games are won or lost between the ears.
That's a great thing for Mississippi State baseball as the calendar gets ready to flip to May. On the heels of a series win at No. 11 Vanderbilt, the Bulldogs are playing with a surging confidence and swagger. Suddenly, State isn't just flirting with a return to the postseason. They're playing like a group that's hungry to put playoff baseball back at Dudy Noble Field.
"It's huge for us," MSU head coach Chris Lemonis said on Sunday, moments after a dramatic 8-7 victory over the Commodores. "We're building a resume. We're fighting with so many teams trying to get ourselves pushed up as high as we can. Our goal is always to host. Every weekend you get like this, it pushes you into a better spot."
The numbers tell the story of State's rise. The weekend's success in Nashville jumped the Dawgs 12 spots in the RPI, from 40th all the way up to No. 28.
The polls were equally as impressed. State now sits at No. 16 in the country according to D1Baseball. The Diamond Dawgs are at No. 21 in the USA Today Coaches Poll and are ranked No. 23 in the nation by Baseball America.
To be fair, none of that means much of anything yet, but what it does mean is these Bulldogs have fought, scratched and clawed to put themselves in position to have the chance to not only return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in three years, but make sure that journey gets started in their own backyard.
"We want to be a one seed when it comes down to it," Lemonis said. "That's what our goal is. We can do that with what's ahead of us, but it's not going to be an easy road. It's going to be us getting out there and competing our tails off."
The road ahead is indeed daunting. This week alone, State faces four huge challenges. There's the Governor's Cup against Ole Miss down in Pearl on Wednesday night. This weekend, Alabama comes to Starkville for a three-game set. Looking ahead to next week, a trip to No. 2 Arkansas awaits.
That's seven straight games against opponents with a higher RPI than State. But, for as difficult as the task is, it also means on the horizon sits seven straight opportunities for the Maroon and White to push its own RPI even higher.
This group, for good reason, has faith it can do just that.
"We just have a bunch of guys that just want to win," pitcher Tyson Hardin said after the victory Sunday. "We can compete with anybody in the country. We can get it done anywhere."
That word that continuously rolled off of Hardin's lips – we – said so much. This bunch is united as one and getting contributions from everyone up and down the roster. The last three days in the Music City exemplified that fact.
Hunter Hines' heroics captured plenty of headlines over the weekend, but lest anyone forget Logan Kohler's huge three-run bomb Sunday. Or RBI hits by Ethan Pulliam and Joe Powell to give MSU breathing room in the ninth inning on Saturday. David Mershon, Connor Hujsak and others had several big swings as well.
Khal Stephen, Brooks Auger and Jurrangelo Cijntje all had stellar starts at Vandy. But how about Hardin pitching on back-to-back days Saturday and Sunday and not allowing an earned run? Or Karson Ligon's huge 1 1/3 innings in the series finale? Not to mention more late-game success from Tyler Davis.
That's only a snapshot, but you get the point. Production is coming from every corner of the dugout and with every clutch knock or perfect pitch, the Dawgs' hunger for more is intensifying.
"It feels really good," Hines said. "We knew we had it. The past two years didn't go the way we wanted it to, but it feels really good to start winning and bring the program back to where it always was. We're a great team."
Hines is correct. Right now – today – these Dawgs are absolutely playing great together. And it's certainly very feasible all this is just the start of even better days ahead.
Remember what Yogi said. Only half the game is physical. The other 90 percent is mental, and as for the Bulldogs right now…
"They believe," Lemonis said.
