Opening Weekend details set for MSU baseball
Mississippi State baseball's opening weekend is set. It has long been known that the Bulldogs would head to Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas – the home of the Texas Rangers – to start the 2021 season. On Thursday, all the details were revealed.
MSU will open the season against Texas at 11 a.m. central on Friday, February 19. The Bulldogs will also play at 11 a.m. each of the next two days with Saturday's game against TCU and Sunday's against Texas Tech.
“We are excited to open our season against three quality opponents in an amazing facility like Globe Life Field," MSU head coach Chris Lemonis said Thursday. "The opportunity for our guys to compete against some of the best programs in college baseball in a professional park will only help us later in the season. We’d like to thank the Texas Rangers organization for this opportunity, and we look forward to seeing some of our fans in Arlington this February.”
Here are further details, courtesy of Mississippi State media relations:
Globe Life Field will host the Mississippi State baseball program for the season-opening State Farm College Baseball Show on February 19-21, as the Texas Rangers announced the pairing of the Southeastern Conference and the Big 12 on Thursday.
The Bulldogs will throw the first pitch at 11 a.m. CT on each of the three days of the tournament, which features MSU, Arkansas and Ole Miss from the SEC taking on TCU, Texas and Texas Tech of the Big 12. Globe Life Field will be the fourth MLB facility to host the Diamond Dawgs, with the Metrodome (1992; Minneapolis, Minn.), Dodger Stadium (2016; Los Angeles) and Minute Maid Park (2018; Houston, Texas) also in the MSU record books.
State opens the 2021 season against Texas on Friday, Feb. 19, faces TCU for the first time in program history on Saturday, Feb. 20 and meets Texas Tech for the third straight season to close out the season-opening tournament on Sunday, Feb. 21. Each of the six teams in the tournament at among the preseason top 10 per D1Baseball.
For the first time since the 1985 College World Series, the Diamond Dawgs and Longhorns meet on the diamond. Two of the iconic programs in college baseball meet for the 10th time – with five of those coming in the NCAA postseason. The first meeting came 99 years ago in 1922 when Texas visited Starkville for a two-game series. Overall, the Longhorns own a 5-4 edge in the series and have won three straight meetings.
Of the current alignment of the Big 12, Mississippi State adds the final team to its historical ledger in TCU. Against the Big 12, Mississippi State owns a 23-18-1 all-time mark, with five straight wins against the conference dating back to the 2018 NCAA Tallahassee Regional.
The tournament closes against Texas Tech, the team that Mississippi State met in the final two games of the shortened 2020 season. The night that much of America halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, State completed a two-game series sweep of the Red Raiders in Biloxi, Mississippi. Overall, MSU is 4-3 against TTU in program history. The first meeting came in the 2004 Atlanta Regional and the two teams have met five times since 2017, including three straight seasons.
Tickets for the 2021 State Farm College Baseball Showdown will be available beginning at 1 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 21 at hailst.at/SFCBSTix. The live video broadcasts of the tournament will be available via the fee-based FloBaseball.tv and each game will be carried live on the Bulldog Sports Network with Jim Ellis calling the action.
All tickets for this event are considered General Admission tickets. Upon arrival at Globe Life Field, open seats will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis. In an effort to promote social distancing, every other row and select seats will be blocked. Single Day Tickets are priced at $25 for adults and $15 for youth 13 sand under while the Weekend Passes are priced at $50 for adults and $30 for youth 13 and under. Group and suite ticket packages are also available. .
All State Farm College Baseball Showdown games at Globe Life Field will require facial coverings, social distancing, as well as other enhanced safety and health measures. In an effort to enhance public safety, Globe Life Field will be enforcing a no bag policy. Exceptions will be made for medically necessary items, including diaper bags, after proper inspection.
These health and safety protocols are similar to those that were in place for the Major League Baseball Postseason, the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo and the Texas High School Football Playoffs
Single day parking will cost $15 and weekend parking will cost $30. Parking passes can be purchased in advance at texasrangers.com/collegebaseballshowdown, or at parking lot entrances with a credit card. All Globe Life Field concessions will be cashless and offer pre-packaged food and beverage options.
2021 Mississippi State baseball schedule
(Home games in ALL CAPS)
- Feb. 19 - Texas at Arlington, Texas
- Feb. 20 - TCU at Arlington, Texas
- Feb. 21 - Texas Tech at Arlington, Texas
- Feb. 23 - JACKSON STATE
- Feb. 24 - JACKSON STATE
- Feb. 26 - TULANE
- Feb. 27 - TULANE
- Feb. 28 - TULANE
- March 2 - Southern Miss at Pearl, Mississippi
- March 5 - TENNESSEE TECH
- March 6 - TENNESSEE TECH
- March 7 - TENNESSEE TECH
- March 9 - GRAMBLING
- March 10 - LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE
- March 12 - EASTERN MICHIGAN
- March 13 - EASTERN MICHIGAN
- March 14 - EASTERN MICHIGAN
- March 16 - SAMFORD
- March 19 - at LSU
- March 20 - at LSU
- March 21 - at LSU
- March 23 - UT MARTIN
- March 26 - ARKANSAS
- March 27 - ARKANSAS
- March 28 - ARKANSAS
- March 30 - MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE
- April 1 - KENTUCKY
- April 2 - KENTUCKY
- April 3 - KENTUCKY
- April 6 - SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY
- April 9 - at Auburn
- April 10 - at Auburn
- April 11 - at Auburn
- April 13 - ARKANSAS STATE
- April 16 - OLE MISS
- April 17 - OLE MISS
- April 18 - OLE MISS
- April 20 - UAB
- April 23 - at Vanderbilt
- April 24 - at Vanderbilt
- April 25 - at Vanderbilt
- April 30 - TEXAS A&M
- May 1 - TEXAS A&M
- May 2 - TEXAS A&M
- May 7 - at South Carolina
- May 8 - at South Carolina
- May 9 - at South Carolina
- May 14 - MISSOURI
- May 15 - MISSOURI
- May 16 - MISSOURI
- May 18 - JACKSONVILLE STATE
- May 20 - at Alabama
- May 21 - at Alabama
- May 22 - at Alabama
(schedule is subject to change)
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