It’s May 23, 2022…..two days removed from the end of the 2022 Mississippi State baseball season, nearly six weeks shorter than 2021’s Omaha run. State finished in dead last place in the SEC with a 9-21 record; a similar finish to the 2015 season.
I can’t get too mad with what transpired in 2022, not after the Dawgs brought home a national championship last year. It was pretty ugly at times, but I’d take a CWS title + last place conference finish in a two year stretch over two trips to Omaha where we fell just short like in 2018 & 2019 (or, at least, I’ll take them now since the title was our first).
Speaking of those 2018 & 2019 teams – this year will mark the end of a three year streak of going to Omaha. It will mark a five year streak of going to Super Regionals. Wow.
Think about that – Mississippi State won 5 straight Regionals: 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2021 (2020 obviously didn’t happen for anyone).
The 2015 season was a disaster. The Bulldogs went 24-30 (8-22). But they rebounded in incredible fashion by winning the SEC in 2016 with a 44-18 (21-9) season – the first regular season championship in 27 years. They got a national seed, won their Regional and then fell short vs. Arizona in the Super.
Then you go forward through all the coaching changes and construction of a new ballpark from 2017-2019 which did not effect the on-the-field success at all.
2016-2021 featured the Jake Mangum Era, then Rowdey Jordan and Tanner Allen bringing the school it’s first ever title. Over this time there have been so many great memories the baseball program has given us.
It’s weird that this run comes to a screeching halt with a 26-30 (9-21) season that almost mirrors 2015 record-wise.
The good news is that State has enough talent and the ability to procure more talent so that maybe they could make another turnaround run like they did in 2016. I wouldn’t expect something so drastic but then again I never imagined this first to worst year.
It’s been a great run of success the previous five full seasons, and we’ll have to start over again to make another run…..should be a lot of fun. For now I’ll enjoy a relaxing June with no playoff baseball and hope for better next year.
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