STARKVILLE – Mississippi State hit the reset button on the baseball season Monday afternoon.
After losing seven of their final 10 games, the Bulldogs turned their full season body of work into a berth into the NCAA Regionals. MSU was awarded a No. 2 seed for the Hattiesburg Regional, which will be hosted by Southern Mississippi.
MSU (36-24) faces No. 3 South Alabama (39-19) in its tournament opener at 6 p.m. Friday at Pete Taylor Park. The 1 p.m. tournament opener matches top-seeded Southern Mississippi (48-14) and No. 4 seed Illinois-Chicago (38-15).
No national television is planned for the Hattiesburg Regional. However, the games will be available online through the Watch ESPN app. The Hattiesburg Regional winner faces the Baton Rouge Regional winner in the super regional round.
Eight SEC teams were chosen for postseason play. Ole Miss will not play in a regional for the first time since 2011.
“It’s a fresh start and this baseball team needed that,” MSU first-year coach Andy Cannizaro said. “I am really proud of what this team will able to overcome from an injury standpoint. To be one of the final 64 teams playing is an honor. Anybody can beat anybody, If you get in, you have a chance.”
Cannizaro becomes the second MSU coach to earn a regional bid in his first season, joining Pat McMahon’s squad from 1998.
In the regular season, MSU posted a 2-1 record against South Alabama, winning twice in Starkville. MSU lost its only meeting with Southern Miss in Pearl.
The Golden Eagles earned the host role for a regional by winning the Conference USA regular season. Coach Scott Berry’s squad easily shattered the previous school record for wins with the previous mark being 42.
“We are ready for the postseason,” MSU sophomore Jake Mangum said. “It’s a big deal playing in Hattiesburg because that means a lot of our fans can go. We beat South Alabama during the regular season and we are also familiar with (Southern Miss).”
Ticket sales will be limited to Southern Miss Circle of Champions and Eagle Club members on Tuesday. Tickets will then be available to Southern Miss students, faculty and staff members Wednesday morning. General public sales begin at 1 p.m. Wednesday, if any tickets remain.
The MSU ticket office will not have any tickets available. The Southern Miss ticket office is located inside the Pat Ferlise Center and may be reached at 601-266-5418. Additional ticket purchasing information is available at www.southernmiss.com.
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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