Mississippi State Learns Postseason Fate

No. 17 Bulldogs headed to Stanford Regional to face Cal State Fullerton in tournament opener

Mississippi State Athletics

STARKVILLE – Mississippi State’s softball began the 2024 season as an underdog predicted to finish last in the SEC by the conference’s coaches. The Bulldogs proved that prediction wrong and are now headed to the 2024 NCAA Softball Tournament.

No. 17 Mississippi State (33-18, 12-12 SEC) is headed to the Stanford Regional in Stanford, Calif. The Bulldogs will face Cal State Fullerton (36-17) in the first round of the double-elimination tournament at 6:30 p.m. Friday. The Bulldogs will face either the winner or loser of No. 8 national seed Stanford ( 43-13, 17-7 Pac-12) and Saint Mary's first round game at 9 p.m. Friday.

Stanford Regional
📅 May 17-19

(8) @StanfordSball@HailStateSB@Fullerton_SB@GaelsSoftball#RoadToWCWS pic.twitter.com/5xyMMQT6z5

— NCAA Softball (@NCAASoftball) May 12, 2024

The Bulldogs started the season as one of the hottest in the nation. They started the year unranked and won their first eight games, including four-straight against ranked teams to debut at No. 20 in the ESPN.COM/USA Softball Top 25 Poll.

MSU lost only three games before starting SEC play where the opponents grew much tougher. The Bulldogs finished 12-12 in conference play this season and went 8-9 overall in April and May, including a first round loss to South Carolina in the SEC tournament last week.

But there’s still a chance for MSU to end its year on a high note with the start of the NCAA tournament this weekend. The NCAA regionals will begin Friday and conclude Sunday with Super Regional matches begin played May 23-26. The Women’s College World Series will be held May 30 – June 6/7 in Oklahoma City.