The Mississippi State Bulldogs have nine lives, and they called on two of those lives last week as they stormed back from a 4-0 deficit last Tuesday to upend Virginia, 6-5, before falling to Texas, 8-5. Then on Saturday night in a rematch with the Longhorns, the Dogs scored the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning. A couple of seldom used Bulldogs emerged as Tanner Leggett’s walk-off single drove in pinch runner Brayland Skinner with the game winner. It was the fifth time this season that MSU had won on a walk-off hit. It was also their fifth one-run win in the postseason, including three CWS victories.
Another SEC power is waiting on the Bulldogs in the three-game championship series for all the marbles. Vanderbilt advanced after North Carolina State was forced to drop out of the CWS because of COVID-19 protocols on Saturday. The Wolfpack suited up only 13 players to Vanderbilt in a 3-1 loss Friday. The teams were scheduled to meet again on Saturday, but the NCAA Division 1 Baseball Committee declared the game a no-contest to give Vanderbilt their place in the championship series.
MSU will now make its second appearance in the CWS championship series, joining the 2013 MSU team that lost to UCLA.
Baseball News
William Carey’s Bobby Halford was named the Perfect Games “Coach of the Year”. The Meridian native in his 36th season at Carey as head coach led the Crusaders to a 36-12 record and No. 12 final ranking in the NAIA. The Crusaders also made their seventh trip to the NAIA National Tournament. Halford achieved the 1,200 win mark as head coach this year back on April 13.
The Ole Miss vs. LSU baseball coaching drama ended this week when Rebel coach Mike Bianco agreed to a 4-year contract extension with Ole Miss. LSU then grabbed Arizona coach Jay Johnson to lead their program. Johnson has coached Arizona since 2015 and finished first in the Pac-12 last season with a 45-18 record and a Super Regional Championship over Ole Miss. Johnson replaces Paul Mainieri who announced his retirement earlier this month.
CFP Football News
The College Football Playoff board of managers heard a presentation from a group with a proposal to expand the CFP to 12 teams. Mississippi State University President Mark Keenum chairman of the CFP managers Mark Keenum said the present four-team playoff has been a success but it was important to explore all options.
Four-Time Olympian
Gulfport’s Brittney Reese will be heading to Tokyo to compete in her fourth Olympics. The former Ole Miss 34-year-old star finished first in the long jump at the trials with a 23-feet-4.75 effort in Eugene, Oregon, at the Olympic track and field trials. She is a seven-time world champion who won gold in London in 2012 and a silver medal in Rio in 2016. Reese also placed fourth in Beijing in 2008.
Oxford native and former Ole Miss track star Sam Kendricks has qualified for the U.S. Olympic team for the second time after finishing in the top three at the men’s pole vault trials. He participated at Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and won a bronze medal. Kendricks won six consecutive U.S. Outdoor Championships in the pole vault and also set an American outdoor record when he cleared 19-feet, 10.5 inches back in 2019.
Former Florida Gator star Cory McGee set a personal best in the 1,500 meters with a 4:40:67 to qualify for her first Olympics. McGee won 22 MHSAA track and field state individual titles at Pass Christian High School.
Big 12 vs. SEC
The Mississippi State Bulldogs will travel to national power Texas Tech in this year’s Big 12/SEC Challenge on Saturday, January 29. The Ole Miss Rebels will host Kansas State on that day. This will be the ninth annual challenge between the conferences, as ten of the SEC teams will participate in this year’s event.
Dale is a Waynesboro resident who has been writing sports since 1973.
