We're taking a look back and a look ahead at college baseball teams from around the country. Next up are the Mississippi State Bulldogs! There are few places where baseball matters more than it does in Starkville, Mississippi. The hallowed Dudy Noble Field housed an elite Mississippi State team in 2019, and Head Coach Chris Lemonis and staff will look to continue the Bulldogs' dominance in 2020. A Look Back at 2019 Sporting a 52-15 (20-10 SEC) record in 2019, Mississippi State had their winningest season in 30 years. Highlighted by series wins against Auburn, Georgia, and Ole Miss (in fact, the Bulldogs finished the year 4-0 against the Rebels), Mississippi State ended the season tied atop the SEC West Standings. The Bulldogs' impressive resumé earned them the #6 national seed and the right to host a Regional. After Mississippi State dispatched Southern University, the Bulldogs promptly took down Central Michigan for a spot in the Regional final. In the process, the Diamond Dawgs ended Central Michigan's 19-game winning streak. Miami survived the losers bracket but was no match for Mississippi State who defeated the Hurricanes, 5-2, en route to a Regional Championship. Mississippi State matched up against #11 Stanford in the Starkville Super Regional. Despite their #11 seeding, Stanford spent most of the season in the top five, and brought an elite pitching staff to town. However, Mississippi State quickly eliminated Stanford in two games. The Super Regional was capped off with a send off for seniors Jake Mangum and Elijah MacNamee that no Bulldogs fan will soon forget. The MacNamee bomb that drove in Mangum was voted as one of the top ten moments from the 2019 NCAA Tournament (see a full list here). Mississippi State's trip to Omaha started off with a bang. A four-run explosion in the ninth prompted a walk-off win over SEC West foe, Auburn (also good for one of the best moments from the NCAA Tournament). A tight loss to Vanderbilt and a gut-wrenching defeat at the hands of Louisville ended the Bulldogs' season, but not before they further entrenched themselves as a national power. Mississippi State offered a balanced diet of elite pitching and offense in 2019. The Bulldogs outscored their opponents by an average of 3.9 runs per game, good for third in the country. This talent was well-reflected in the MLB draft which saw 11 Diamond Dawgs drafted, tying a program record set in 2016. LHP Ethan Small (1st round), OF Jake Mangum (4th round), and RHP Colby White (6th round) all were selected within the first ten rounds of the draft. Of all of the Bulldogs' draft selections, only IF/OF Tanner Allen elected to return. In addition to their drafts picks, Mississippi State also saw four players earn All-American honors. Small earned All-American accolades from multiple sources and was also named the the National Pitcher of the year by Collegiate Baseball. Sophomore Justin Foscue earned All-American for his play at second base, and RHP JT Ginn scored Freshman All-American recognition from multiple sources. Not only did Mangum produce another All-American year, but the senior outfielder also set the Mississippi State and SEC career hits record with 383 hits. He left an indelible mark on the Mississippi State program and will not soon be forgotten. A Look Ahead at 2020 Despite being hard hit by the draft, there is reason for optimism in Starkville; Mississippi State brought in the seventh best recruiting class in the country in the fall. The Bulldogs will be hoping for some immediate contributions including from freshman RHP Will Bednar whose fastball touches 95 mph. (See the top ten recruiting classes here.) Mississippi State will start the season on a nine-game homestand. After hosting Wright State for their first weekend series, the Bulldogs will welcome 2018 National Champion, Oregon State, to the Dude. The following weekend, the Bulldogs will take their first road trip of the year when they head out to southern California to play Long Beach State. The next nine games will test Mississippi State as the Bulldogs will face off against four teams who made a Regional in 2019, including two teams who made the College World Series. A midweek against Southern Miss will prepare Mississippi State for a series with Quinnipiac, the 2019 MAAC Champion and a squad that defeated ECU in the opening round of the Greenville Regional. (Read more about Quinnipiac here.) A last-minute addition to the schedule, Texas Tech will visit Biloxi and MGM Park for two midweek games with Mississippi State. The nine-game gauntlet ends with Arkansas coming to town for the Bulldogs' first SEC series in a matchup that will set the tone early in the SEC West race. A trip to Baton Rouge will offer a challenging start to SEC road play. Mississippi State will be looking to avenge a 2019 series loss in Starkville at the hands of LSU. From the SEC East, Kentucky will close out Mississippi State's March weekends. Conference play continues with a trip to Auburn which will precedes Super Bulldog Weekend (April 9th-11th) when Mississippi State will take on rival, Ole Miss. The Rebels will be looking for revenge after getting swept last year by the Bulldogs. Series at South Carolina, versus Texas A&M, and at Alabama will follow. Mississippi State will finish conference play against two SEC East squads: Missouri and Vanderbilt. Ending the year against the 2019 National Champion will give the Bulldogs one more shot at boosting their resume before the regular season ends. John’s (@johnny_omaha_) 2020 Prediction: Mississippi State will host a Regional and compete for Omaha. It's a little hard not to imagine some growing pains for Mississippi State in 2020. Losing leaders like Mangum and MacNamee is hard for a team to recover from. Also, the departure of Small leaves a large hole in the rotation. Ginn will provide some stability to the rotation, but the Bulldogs will need freshmen and JUCO transfers to fill in the back end of the rotation and the bullpen. The talent but maybe not the experience is there. I anticipate a slower start to the year for the Bulldogs, but ultimately, they should be clicking on all cylinders come Regionals. This team should host a Regional and should be in contention for Omaha. Head over to our forums to discuss Mississippi State and more! Read all of our 2020 team previews here! Thanks for reading! Want to submit a fan perspective for your team? Message us on Twitter (@CollegeBallNat) or email us at collegeballnat@gmail.com. Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content! If you like what you are seeing from us and want to support us, consider becoming a Patron. We depend upon the support of our amazing fans!

We're taking a look back and a look ahead at college baseball teams from around the country. Next up we're doing a quick look at Georgia, Illinois State, Miami, Baylor, and UCLA! Georgia A Look Back at 2019: Georgia's (46-17, 21-9 SEC) 21 SEC wins set a school record in 2019, as the Bulldogs had one of the most successful regular seasons in program history. Georgia hosted a Regional as the number four overall seed where they lost to a team of destiny, Florida State, twice, including in the Regional Final. Eight players from the 2019 Georgia team were selected in the MLB Draft, and importantly for the Bulldogs, 20th round selection, SS Cam Shepherd elected to return. John’s (@johnny_omaha_) 2020 Prediction: Led by All-American RHP Emerson Handcock and RHP Cole Wilcox, the Bulldogs' pitching should continue to be formidable in 2020. Georgia also returns seven starting position players. The loss of Aaron Schunk, one of the best two-way players in the country, will be tough to replace. He led the Bulldogs in batting average, home runs, RBIs, and saves. Regardless, Georgia will be a top ten team heading into 2020 and is a legitimate Omaha contender. Illinois State A Look Back at 2019: For Illinois State (36-26, 14-7 MVC), 2019 was one of the most successful seasons in program history. The Redbirds finished tied atop the Missouri Valley Conference which contributed to them earning the third seed in the Louisville Regional and the fourth NCAA Tournament appearance in program history. Two quick wins earned Illinois State a spot in the Regional Final before the host, number seven Louisville, won back-to-back games to eliminate the Redbirds. John’s (@johnny_omaha_) 2020 Prediction: LHP Brent Headrick (ninth round), LHP Matt Walker (13th round), and RHP Jeff Lindgren (24th round) were all drafted out of Illinois State's starting rotation. The Redbirds also lost their two of the best bats out of their lineup in OF John Rave (5th round) and INF Joe Aeilts (14th round). The losses will be tough for Illinois State to overcome, and I predict a retooling year for the Redbirds. They may have a shot at making a run in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament, but it will be difficult for Illinois State to make it to a Regional in back-to-back years. Miami A Look Back at 2019: Miami (41-20, 18-12 ACC), one of the most storied college baseball programs in the country, ended their three year NCAA Tournament drought in 2019. The Hurricanes scored series wins over Georgia Tech and Florida State en route to a bounce-back season. Miami was seeded second in the Starkville Regional and ultimately lost to Mississippi State in the Regional Final. John’s (@johnny_omaha_) 2020 Prediction: The Hurricanes bring in a lot of talent for the 2020 season, recruiting the ninth best class in the country (check out the top ten classes). On top of that, Miami returns one of the most talented rosters in the country. RHP Brian Van Belle was a ten-game winner with a 3.30 ERA in 2019 as the Friday night starter for the Hurricanes. On top of that, Miami returns three pitchers with 80+ career innings pitched and ERAs of less than 4.20 in RHP Daniel Federman, RHP Chris McMahon, and RHP Slade Cecconi. 1B Alex Toral smashed 24 HR in in 2019, and sluggers IF Adrian del Castillo and 3B Raymond Gil will bolster one of the most powerful lineups in the ACC. The Hurricanes will be a top ten team heading into 2020 and will be a popular pick for an Omaha run. Baylor A Look Back at 2019: A 35-19 (14-8, Big XII) year gave Baylor the right to travel to Los Angeles for Regional play. In an elimination game against Omaha, Shea Langeliers put up one of the best individual performances in Baylor history with 3 HR and 11 RBI, good for one of the top ten moments in the 2019 NCAA Tournament (see the full list of best moments from the NCAA Tournament here). Baylor ultimately was knocked off by the number one overall seed, UCLA. The Bears had six players selected in the 2019 MLB Draft. John’s (@johnny_omaha_) 2020 Prediction: SS Nick Loftin is the guy to watch on Baylor. He is a plus defender and hit to the tune of .a 323 batting average in 2019. Losing closer RHP Kyle Hill who allowed zero runs in 29.0 IP will be tough to replace, and with several other teams in the Big XII improving (e.g. Texas, Oklahoma, etc.), the Bears will be battling weekend after weekend in conference play. They strike me as a two or three seed that should be competitive in a Regional but unlikely to make a deep run. UCLA A Look Back at 2019: UCLA (52-11, 24-5 Pac-12) had arguably the most successful regular season in the country in 2019. The Bruins won the Pac-12, had the best team ERA in the country and spent most of the season on top of the rankings. UCLA overcame some struggles in the Los Angeles Regional defeating Loyola Marymount in the Regional Final; however, they were not able to escape the Super Regional as Michigan came into town and knocked off the number one overall seed. The 2019 UCLA team was incredibly talented and saw 13 players drafted, a program record. John’s (@johnny_omaha_) 2020 Prediction: UCLA lost five pitchers to the draft including their Friday and Saturday starters. The Bruins have consistently brought in talent, but I expect there to be a drop-off for UCLA in 2020. RHP Kyle Mora should provide some stability to the rotation, and RHP Holden Powell should be a force in the bullpen. OF Garret Mitchell will be the position player to watch, as many project him to be a top ten draft pick. UCLA has two big tests early in the year with the Frisco College Baseball Classic (versus Illinois, Oklahoma State, and Texas A&M) and the Southern California College Baseball Classic (versus TCU, Vanderbilt, and USC) (see the full 2020 tournament schedule here). Wins in these tournaments would raise the expectations in Los Angeles, but heading into the year I see UCLA as a borderline Regional host. Head over to our forums to discuss these teams and more! Read all of our 2020 team previews here! Thanks for reading! Want to submit a fan perspective for your team? Message us on Twitter (@CollegeBallNat) or email us at collegeballnat@gmail.com. Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content! If you like what you are seeing from us and want to support us, consider becoming a Patron. We depend upon the support of our amazing fans!

The postseason brings out the best in athletes and teams, and the 2019 NCAA College Baseball Tournament did not disappoint. The road to Omaha was marked by astounding individual performances, thrilling team victories, and unforgettable moments. We asked fans to vote on their favorite moments of the 2019 postseason, and with thousands of votes, here is what y'all decided. Decorating the list are special players like Vanderbilt's Kumar Rocker, who mowed down 19 Duke batters in an elimination game in the Nashville Super Regional en route to a no-hitter and the top moment in the NCAA Tournament. Michigan's Tommy Henry also made the top ten for his complete game shutout against Florida State in the College World Series. Henry was 5-0 in his starts in the postseason for the Wolverines. Shea Langeliers of Baylor exploded in his game against Omaha for three home runs and 11 RBI in the Los Angeles Regional, good for a spot in the top ten. Some players made the top ten with just a swing of the bat. Texas A&M's Bryce Blaum sent a 3-2 pitch out of the park capping off the Aggies' miraculous comeback over West Virginia with a walk-off grand slam (full story on his at-bat here). Jake Mangum and Elijah MacNamee put the exclamation point on their Mississippi State legacy with big hits in the ninth at the Starkville Super Regional. The tournament was full of special team performances too, like Quinnipiac earning their first NCAA Tournament win in program history (full story on Quinnipiac here) or Michigan taking down #1 UCLA in the Los Angeles Super Regional (full story on Michigan here). Florida State's walk off against LSU to win the Baton Rouge Super Regional will forever be entrenched in college baseball history as it sent the Seminoles and Mike Martin back to Omaha one last time together. Mississippi State checks in a second time in the top ten with some Omaha heroics, scoring four runs in the bottom of the ninth to walk off Auburn (full story on the walk-off here). And who could forget the guy who caught a foul ball and chugged his beer without spilling a drop? That was a special individual performance. Thanks for stopping by! Head over to our forums to discuss this and more! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content! If you like what you are seeing from us and want to support us, consider becoming a Patreon supporter. We depend upon the support of our amazing fans!

“We gave it our all. That is all you can ask.” -Quinnipiac Head Coach, John Delaney After walking off Fairfield on a 13th-inning wild pitch in the MAAC Tournament Championship Game, the Quinnipiac Bobcats earned their second NCAA Tournament bid in program history. For the northeastern university, the extra-inning victory tied a program record for wins (29) and marked possibly the most successful result in program history. The Bobcats earned their dogpile and their spot in the conference history books. An unceremonious exit in the NCAA Tournament would not have been surprising (and was even expected by outsiders), but this team had a habit of exceeding expectations. Selection Monday informed Quinnipiac that they would be traveling 600 miles south to Greenville, North Carolina—setting up a first-round match up with ECU. The Pirates were the #10 overall national seed and a formidable opponent. ECU had only lost one series all year, a road series against #1 UCLA. On top of that, the Pirates are famous for their passionate fanbase, and Quinnipiac knew that winning on the road would be a stiff challenge. However, the Bobcats spent their first 18 games of the year away from home and came into Greenville as veteran road warriors. The Greenville Regional was a rain-soaked affair. Halfway through the second day of play, only one game had been completed. Bad weather pushed back the start time of Quinnipiac versus ECU, and the Bobcats and Pirates would not start their NCAA Tournament runs until Saturday evening. Each team scored two runs in the first inning, and the game was off to a quick start. Quinnipiac tacked on another run in the top of the 2nd inning, and held a lead until ECU tied the game at 3-3 in the 4th inning. The game would stay that way for two innings. In the top of the 7th inning, senior Liam Scafariello came to the plate with graduate student Anthony Cruz on first base. With one swing of the bat, Scafariello put the Bobcats up 5-3. ECU did not fade quietly into the night. A run in the bottom of the 8th brought the Pirates within one and invigorated the ECU faithful. In the bottom of the 9th, the Pirates had the tying run at second base. Junior Colin Donnelly was two innings deep in relief and was one out away from his first save of the year and a Bobcat victory. A ground ball to second baseman, junior Dylan Lutz, ended the game and clinched history for Quinnipiac. “It’s a team effort that put us in this situation,” said Quinnipiac Head Coach, John Delaney. All nine batters earned a hit for Quinnipiac in a historic win for the Bobcats. Quinnipiac would go on to lose a hard-fought 9-8 game to Campbell in the winner’s bracket before ultimately dropping a rematch against ECU. This does not take away from what the Bobcats accomplished. 2019 was a year of firsts for Quinnipiac Baseball. This year’s squad was the first team to win 30 games in program history. The 2019 team earned the first NCAA Tournament win in program history and did so by winning at one of the most challenging places to win. When Delaney says his team gave it their all, it is easy to believe him. Quinnipiac Baseball will never be the same because of this year’s team. Thanks for reading! We appreciate you stopping by. Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content! If you like what you are seeing from us and want to support us, consider becoming a Patron. We depend upon the support of our amazing fans!

Things looked bleak for Texas A&M. The Aggies were looking up at a 9-1 deficit going to the bottom of the 7th inning of an elimination game against West Virginia with the A&M offense coming to bat. It seemed like a huge hill to climb for an offense that ranked towards the bottom of the SEC in batting average (13th), OBP (13th), home runs (14th), and SLG% (14th). Fans of Texas A&M might have thought it impossible for their team to be in this position given their pitching prowess on the season under the direction of Rob Childress (14th season, 577-304-3 at A&M). The Aggie pitching staff proved to be one of the best in the SEC, ranking 1st in ERA, 1st in strikeouts per 9 innings and 2nd in WHIP (walks plus hits per inning pitched)., 1st in K/9 (strikeouts per 9 innings), and 1st in ERA (earned run average). However, they struggled when it mattered in the post season against West Virginia, allowing 10 runs, 16 hits, and 6 walks. Texas A&M started mounting a comeback in the bottom of the 7th inning scattering three hits that scored two runs. After a throwing error loaded the bases, Logan Foster came up to bat and brought the Aggies within two runs with one swing of the bat on a grand slam. The Aggies had life once again. It looked like the miraculous inning would continue with a double by Hunter Coleman, but Mountaineer pitcher, Sam Kessler, took back control with two quick outs. To add to that, the West Virginia offense kept things going, manufacturing a run in the top of the 8th and making the score 10-7. This game was toying with the emotions of Aggies around the country. After a relatively quiet bottom of the 8th and top of the 9th, the hero from the 7th inning, Logan Foster, doubled to start the bottom of the 9th. Two walks and two outs later, with the bases loaded and Bryce Blaum up to bat, A&M was down three runs and down to its last strike. Bottom of the 9th, full count, two outs, bases loaded, and down three in an elimination game. Kids growing up playing baseball dream of this scenario, never thinking they would really get the chance to make it happen. Then, the unthinkable happened. Before going up to bat in the bottom of the 9th, Coach Childress said he told him “just to relax and get a pitch to hit.” Blaum certainly did that. As Blaum sprinted around the bases, players leaked from the bullpen and exploded from the dugout onto the field to greet the hero at home plate. Bryce Blaum made dreams come true for his team. Thanks for reading! We appreciate you stopping by. Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content! If you like what you are seeing from us and want to support us, consider becoming a Patron. We depend upon the support of our amazing fans!

Hits were hard to come by in Sunday's David Williams Fall Classic scrimmage between last year's College World Series Finalists, Vanderbilt and Michigan. The two teams combined for just eight hits and five runs in a game that ended 3-2 in Michigan's favor. Dominant pitching was the theme of the day. Michigan starter, freshman LHP Steven Hajjar, struck out five in just 2.2 innings. His counterpart, Vanderbilt freshman RHP Jack Leiter, also displayed strike out stuff with four strikeouts in 2.0 IP. Leiter struggled with command of his fastball and gave three free passes to Michigan batters. In relief for Vanderbilt, Freshman RHP Sam Hliboki impressed, striking out five of the six batters he faced in his 2.0 innings of work. Vanderbilt tied the game at two in the bottom of the eighth off of Spencer Jones' RBI single, but Michigan tacked on an unearned run in the top of the ninth to retake the lead. The game featured Michigan Head Coach Erik Bakich facing off against his once mentor, Vanderbilt Head Coach Tim Corbin. The two came together for the inaugural David Williams Fall Classic in recognition of the impact of the Negro League on baseball and on the country as a whole. Michigan and Vanderbilt will face off in February at the MLB4 Tournament in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Check out a full list of the 2020 College Baseball Tournaments here) Head over to our forums to discuss this game and more! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content! If you like what you are seeing from us and want to support us, consider becoming a Patreon supporter. We depend upon the support of our amazing fans!

Another college baseball season has come to pass, and Vanderbilt is once again on top of the college baseball world. Congrats to the Commodores on their National Championship and unanimous #1 ranking in the final Composite Top 25 of the season! The other seven College World Series participants fill spots 2-9 in the rankings. #8 UCLA stays in the top ten despite losing in the Super Regional to #2 Michigan. The Bruins entered the NCAA Tournament as the number one overall seed. #12 ECU, from the American Athletic Conference, represents the first team outside of the Power 5 conferences. #22 UCSB and #24 Creighton also earned a spot in the top 25. The final rankings feature eight SEC teams, seven ACC teams, three Big XII teams, three Pac 12 teams, and one team from each of the Big Ten, American, Big West, and Big East. Thanks for reading! We appreciate you stopping by. Want to chat college baseball? Head over to our forum. Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content! If you like what you are seeing from us and want to support us, consider becoming a Patron. We depend upon the support of our amazing fans! #rankings

Over the past decade, the SEC and ACC have been the frontrunners in college baseball. The two conferences have combined for 159 NCAA Regional appearances in the last ten years, and the SEC is riding back-t0-back seasons with ten postseason teams. In just the past five years, the SEC and ACC boast three National Champions (Florida and Vanderbilt from the SEC; Virginia from the ACC). Six of this year's College World Series participants were from the SEC and ACC (Vanderbilt, Arkansas, Mississippi St, and Auburn from the SEC; Louisville and Florida State from the ACC). The modern landscape of college baseball has been strongly shaped by the ACC and SEC. In terms of progress, the Big Ten and American Conference are leagues on the rise. Changes to the RPI calculation which now helps benefit cold weather schools who must travel for the first several weeks of the season have boosted representation from the Big Ten. Between 2010 and 2014, the Big Ten averaged 1.6 Regional teams per year. The next following five years saw that average increase to 4.4 teams per year. After the American Conference spent its first season in NCAA Baseball as a single-bid league, the AAC has sent multiple teams to the NCAA Tournament every year since. The American has quickly established itself as one of the elite college baseball conferences. The Big XII and Pac 12 have both been models of consistency over the past decade. The Big XII's performance is particularly noteworthy, as they currently only have nine schools that field a baseball team. The college baseball landscape continues to change as more schools invest in their facilities and teams. The traditional powerhouses in college baseball are seeing more and more challengers from the mid-major ranks. Thanks for reading! We appreciate you stopping by. Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content! If you like what you are seeing from us and want to support us, consider becoming a Patron. We depend upon the support of our amazing fans!

We migrated websites between the 2019 and 2020 college baseball seasons. For all of 2019's content, check out our archived site.

Michigan started their postseason as one of the "Last Four In" and they got put into the Regional hosted by previous national champion, Oregon State, not to mention the two-seed and Big East champion, Creighton. Their path out of this Regional looked difficult to say the least. The Big Ten has not been known for its baseball lately. The last championship won by a Big Ten team was in 1966 by Ohio State. In fact, there have only been two Big Ten teams to make a College World Series appearance in the last 35 years, Indiana in 2013 and Michigan in 1984. No one would’ve been surprised if Michigan or their conference mates didn’t turn any heads in this postseason. Michigan turned some heads to say the least. They had a wild run through their Regional that included stellar pitching match-ups, plenty of offense, and heroics. Being in the postseason, every team should expect a tough opponent at every turn. According to the committee, none were tougher than #1 overall seed, UCLA, which was to be Michigan’s opponent in the Los Angeles Super Regional. The Maize and Blue faithful traveled in droves to Los Angeles to watch their team take on the Bruins. You could excuse some of the fans if they had a we’re-just-happy-to-be-here attitude because their opponent was one of the best teams in the country. However, the players and Coach Erik Bakich weren’t thinking that. In a press conference before the series began, Bakich said, “You can put our rotation up with a lot of people in the country and feel pretty good about it.” Michigan was one of just nine teams to beat UCLA this season, while the latter didn’t lose a single midweek game or a weekend series. Many people thought this would be an easy series for UCLA. The number one overall seed against a three seed and one of the “Last Four In” sounded like a no-brainer. Both teams were prepared for a pitchers’ duel as UCLA started the Texas Rangers’ second-round draft pick, Ryan Garcia, who was 10-1 and sported a 1.44 ERA on the season. Karl Kauffmann (10-6, 2.62 ERA) started the first game for Michigan in game one of the Super Regional and dominated until the bottom of the 9th. Things got a bit hairy for Michigan in that frame when UCLA had the tying run on 3rd base and the winning run on first. Michigan fans everywhere were finally able to exhale when Jeff Criswell struck out Jack Stronach. In game two, Michigan surprisingly only allowed five runs despite committing five errors, one of which led to the run that put UCLA ahead in the top of the 9th. The Bruins ultimately triumphed in the 12th inning, but one thing that neutral fans learned watching this game is that Michigan is never out of a game thanks to their pitching. Game three was a back-and-forth affair and it never seemed like one team was in control. Michigan went up for good on a Jordan Nwogu two-RBI single in the top of the 5th inning. The dream was still alive for the Wolverines. They would add to their lead on a sacrifice fly by Joe Donovan that brought in Christian Bullock, who led off the inning with an all-important triple. Bullock went 2 for 3 on the day with a double in the 2nd inning. Trying to prove their worthiness as the #1 seed, UCLA wasn’t going to go quietly. They had runners on 2nd and 3rd with two outs in the bottom of the 9th inning. Benjamin Keizer forced a ground-out to shut down the Bruins for the two-inning save and sealed the shocking upset over UCLA to send the team to Omaha for the 8th time in program history. Michigan eventually made it to the championship series in Omaha to cap off a brilliant season that many didn't see coming, but none of that would’ve been possible without the thrilling upset of the #1 team in the country. Head over to our forums to discuss this and more! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content! If you like what you are seeing from us and want to support us, consider becoming a Patreon supporter. We depend upon the support of our amazing fans!

After taking out Stanford in the Starkville Super Regional, Mississippi State found themselves in Omaha for the second consecutive year. Their opening bout in the College World Series was an intra-divisional matchup with Auburn, a team they had already beaten in a weekend series. Many saw Auburn as a team a few years ahead of schedule and not an immediate threat to the Bulldogs, but the Tigers would prove to be a difficult out. Four Auburn pitchers combined to hold Mississippi State to one run over eight innings and in the process, stranded 11 Bulldogs runners. With some timely hitting, Auburn scraped across four runs on only six hits and held a 4-1 lead heading into the bottom of the 9th inning. Then the magic happened. The bottom of the 9th started off with a double from Mr. Reliable, Jake Mangum. Tanner Burns entered the game to pitch for Auburn and immediately earned a strikeout. However, a walk of Tanner Allen set up an RBI double for Elijah MacNamee to put the Bulldogs within two runs and only one out. An RBI ground out for Justin Foscue cut Auburn’s lead to 4-3, but also brought Mississippi State down to their final out. Dustin Skelton grounded a ball to left side, and victory looked certain for Auburn. But some Starkville magic seeped into TD Ameritrade, and the throw to first base was wild. The game was tied. Two batters later, and the bases were loaded for Marshall Gilbert, who was 0-4 on the day. Here’s what happened. Head over to our forums to discuss this game and more! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content! If you like what you are seeing from us and want to support us, consider becoming a Patreon supporter. We depend upon the support of our amazing fans!