Mississippi State vs. Texas: 4 things to know
Mississippi State baseball will play Texas tonight, Friday, June 25th at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN. The victor of this game will advance to the final of the 2021 College World Series.
Here's what you need to know.
1. MISSISSIPPI STATE HAS THE ADVANTAGE
Coming into game three, Mississippi State will have the "fresh legs" advantage.
Since their last 6-5 win on Tuesday against Virginia, the bulldogs have had three days to rest, practice and prep for their upcoming game today.
On the flip side, Texas will not even have a 24-hour resting period. The Longhorns faced Virginia last night and although they came out with a 6-2 win, the 6 p.m. game ended around 1 a.m. this morning due to a rough four-hour weather delay -- giving them not even a full day to rest and prep for their faceoff tonight against the bulldogs.
2. POWER VS. POWER
This is a matchup with a great amount of power on either side.
Led by Senior OF and SEC Player of the Year, Tanner Allen, Mississippi State has proven it has one of the more powerful offenses in the SEC.
Their powerful offense has carried over into the postseason, as the bulldogs have accumulated 11 hits and eight runs in their two appearances in Omaha.
On the other hand, the powerful bulldog offense will be up against Texas' powerful pitching staff, who leads the nation with a 2.89 ERA and has allowed zero runs in three games.
It is said that the Longhorns could start Redshirt Sophomore and RHP, Ty Madden, a projected top-10 pick in the 2021 MLB Draft. Madden, who has a S-ERA of 2.42, went seven innings against Mississippi State -- six of which were scoreless.
3. REVENGE
Upon today's upcoming game, Mississippi State has already recorded a win over the Longhorns.
In game one of the College World Series, the Bulldogs defeated Texas 2-1, scoring two runs in the fourth inning. Despite allowing Texas' Mike Antico's solo home run hit over the right center field fence in the ninth inning off of pitcher Landon Sims, the bulldogs played a great defensive game.
With that, a lot of the credit is due to MSU's two sophomore right-handed pitchers, Will Bednar and Landon Sims.
Bednar, who played the best game of his career against Texas, struck out 15 batters in seven innings, allowing just a single hit in 19 at-bats. Following Bednar's exceptional pitching, Landon Sims went to strike out six batters in three at-bats. The ninth and final inning was the only inning in the game where Texas did not strike out at least twice.
Together, the two pitchers came to make College World Series history, being the first in 56 years to strike out 21 batters, a new single-game record in the series. The previous record was held by Ohio State, who struck out 20 Washington State batters in 1956.
So, since Mississippi State already has a W under their belt against Texas in Omaha, this means one thing... Texas is out for revenge.
4. THE "CARDIAC DAWGS"
In addition to Mississippi State's strong at-bats, the Bulldogs have been being referred to as the "Cardiac Dawgs" for good reason.
In the Bulldog's last game against Virginia the bulldogs were down 4-0 until the 8th inning when Freshman IF, Kellum Clark, hit a much-needed home run to right field, allowing Scotty Dubrule to run home, bringing the score up to 2-4.
Shortly after, Tanner Allen hit a massive three-run home run into right field, which put the dawgs at a 5-4 lead. Allen's bomb was then followed by Scotty Dubrule's single hit to shallow left field, allowing Tanner Leggett to score and Logan Tanner to advance to second which then made the score 6-4.
The Dawgs' six-point run was then followed by Virginia's home run hit by Chris Newell in the bottom of the eighth. After the third out, the Bulldogs beat Virginia 6-5.
This late-inning comeback streak has been seen many times throughout the Bulldogs' season. In an interview after their win against Virginia, Tanner Allen bragged on his teammates and put it simply when asked by a reporter what such an impressive comeback win meant for the team
"We never give up... this fan base knows better."
So, the question is, will the "Cardiac Dawgs" have a late presence in the game against Texas' strong pitching? Or will they continue in the series with a 3-0 streak? The answer will be revealed in tonight's game.