What Mississippi State Baseball Must Do to Make the Postseason After Series 7-6 Loss to Missouri

Here's what Mississippi State baseball must do to make the postseason.

It's time to face the music: Mississippi State baseball's odds of making it to the postseason are slim after a 7-6 loss to Missouri on Sunday.

Whether it be injuries, terrible outings or coaching miscues, the Diamond Dawgs have had a tough season. Sunday's game 3 against Missouri was no exception: MSU scored six runs but left 10 runners on base. The series loss puts the team at 9-12 in conference play and tied for fifth in the SEC West.

There is still a chance for redemption. The Bulldogs have three series left and must win at least five games to give themselves a shot at a regional appearance. A 14-16 conference record could be enough to get the team into the postseason, especially if they are favored some as the defending national champions. The odds of making it could increase significantly with six wins and a .500 conference record. This will be a difficult task: Mississippi State will face Florida, Texas A&M and Tennessee to close out the season.

Florida will travel to Dudy Noble Field on May 6. Much like the Diamond Dawgs, the Gators had some pretty high expectations placed upon them in the postseason. Unfortunately for them, they haven't lived up to those expectations at all. Florida's 8-13 SEC record is not much worse than Mississippi State's, and it looks like the matchup could be fairly even. The Gators will head into the game off of a series victory over Kentucky, but they did drop the final game against the Wildcats by a score of 8-1. A sweep against the Gators could be huge for Mississippi State, as it would even the conference record with two tough series on the horizon.

Texas A&M will be the last SEC West team that Mississippi State faces in a regular-season series. After a few years of struggles, the Aggies are shaping up to be one of the top teams in the conference this year. They boast a 12-9 conference record and have been getting stronger as the season has gone on. The Aggies have series victories over LSU, Georgia, Arkansas and Vanderbilt and are currently ranked in the Top 25 in multiple college baseball polls. Right now, it looks like the Aggies will have the advantage when the Bulldogs travel to College Station on May 13. One win is definitely a possibility for Mississippi State, but two victories or more would be ideal.

The Bulldogs will close out the year with a home series against the best team in the nation. The Tennessee Volunteers can do just about everything: they hit home runs like it's easy and have multiple pitchers that can reach speeds of at least 100 miles per hour. Tennessee is a whopping 19-2 in conference play and has yet to lose a series. Anything can happen between now and May 20, but Mississippi State will be lucky to pick up even one win against a team that has been mostly unbeatable.

If all else fails and the Bulldogs don't pick up five wins in their final nine conference games, there is one more way they can squeak into the NCAA postseason. The top 12 teams in the conference make it to Hoover for the SEC Tournament, and Mississippi State is currently ahead of Missouri, Kentucky, Ole Miss and Florida. The Diamond Dawgs are also tied with Alabama and South Carolina. If any two of those five teams continue slipping and Mississippi State remains consistent, then the Bulldogs will make it to Hoover.

SEC Tournament games don't count towards the SEC record, but any victories can boost a team's RPI. If Mississippi State falls short of five wins in its remaining SEC games, there is a chance that a victory against a quality opponent in the SEC tournament can get the Bulldogs into the postseason. Winning the entire tournament means an automatic postseason bid, but that still looks incredibly unlikely for the Diamond Dawgs.

The remaining nine games in conference play are the biggest of the season for Mississippi State. The Bulldogs will need to figure things out quickly if they want to avoid missing the postseason for the first time since 2015.