STARKVILLE — Mississippi State baseball is two wins from Omaha. The Bulldogs (43-17) drew the Athens Super Regional, a best-of-three series at Georgia's Foley Field with a College World Series berth waiting on the other side.
The NCAA set the times on Tuesday. Game 1 is Saturday, June 6 at 10 a.m. CT on ESPN. Game 2 follows Sunday, June 7 at 11 a.m. CT, also on ESPN. If the series goes the distance, Game 3 is Monday, June 8, with a start time and network to be announced. Win two of three and the road to Omaha keeps going.
State earned this the hard way and then the easy way. The No. 14 national seed swept its own Starkville Regional at Dudy Noble Field, running through Lipscomb, Cincinnati and Louisiana and outscoring the three 39-11. It is the program's first super regional appearance since 2021 — the year the Bulldogs won the only national championship in school history.
The reward for that is a road trip to face a team that already has their number. Georgia (49-12) swept its own regional to get here, and the Bulldogs of Athens swept the Bulldogs of Starkville at Dudy Noble back in April, then beat them again in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals. Three meetings this season, three Georgia wins. Mississippi State will try to flip that math in the series that matters most.
That is the whole task this weekend: beat a higher seed, on its field, in a series, with the team that swept you in the regular season standing in the doorway to Omaha. Nobody said the road was supposed to be flat.
State is not the only Mississippi team a series from the College World Series, either — Ole Miss opens its own super regional at Auburn the night before. If both hold serve, the state sends two to Omaha. Here's how the weekend sets up for both.
Both Mississippi State games are on ESPN. The Men's College World Series opens Friday, June 12 at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha. Super-regional schedule at ncaa.com; Mississippi State coverage at hailstate.com.
Photo: Dudy Noble Field at Mississippi State University.
