How far will Mississippi State baseball go in 2024 NCAA Tournament? Here's our prediction
After Alex Detz fielded a grounder at third base and threw to first baseman Wes Rea, Mississippi State baseball players sprinted toward the mound to celebrate another trip to the College World Series.
That jubilation came in 2013 when MSU, after winning a home regional, traveled to the Charlottesville Super Regional and swept Virginia. It marked the only trip to UVA in program history for Mississippi State, but it remains a beloved one among fans.
MSU is set to return 11 years later.
Mississippi State (38-21) is a No. 2 seed in the Charlottesville Regional. Virginia (41-15), the No. 12 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, is the host while St. John’s (37-16-1) is the No. 3 seed and Penn (24-23) is the No. 4 seed.
The Bulldogs open their postseason Friday (6 p.m., ESPN+) against the Red Storm.
Mississippi State enters the regional coming off its best regular season since 2021 – a campaign that ended in a national championship. The Bulldogs won 17 conference games this year before winning two more in the SEC tournament after combining to win 18 SEC games across the previous two seasons.
Here’s our prediction for how far Mississippi State will go in its quest for another title.
Stefan Krajisnik, Mississippi State beat writer
As coach Chris Lemonis said Monday, few host teams want to see Mississippi State as the No. 2 seed in a regional. The pitching staff is at the heart of that statement, and it’s why I’m picking the Bulldogs to win the Charlottesville Regional.
Mississippi State has a team ERA of 4.15 and has one of the nation’s top starting duos with Khal Stephen (8-3, 3.38 ERA) and Jurrangelo Cijntje (8-2, 3.55).
However, I’m not confident in MSU advancing beyond a super regional. A trip to Arkansas likely awaits in the next round. While Mississippi State had a chance to win a series at Baum-Walker Stadium in the regular season, it’s hard to predict a road upset in that environment.
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Stefan Krajisnik is the Mississippi State beat writer for the Clarion Ledger. Contact him at skrajisnik@gannett.com or follow him on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, @skrajisnik3.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Mississippi State baseball in 2024 NCAA Tournament: Our predictions
