Where Mississippi State baseball sits in NCAA Tournament predictions: Will Bulldogs host?
There was a hint of postseason play in the air at Dudy Noble Field last weekend as Mississippi State baseball hosted a series against Alabama.
There were large crowds. MSU drew a combined attendance of 37,023 across the three games. On Saturday, the Bulldogs had 14,273 fans in attendance – marking the 10th-largest crowd for an on-campus baseball game in NCAA history. Mississippi State now owns 24 of the 25 biggest on-campus crowds.
The weather also provided a glimpse of life in the NCAA Tournament. With temperatures sitting in the mid-to-high 80s, it was evident meaningful baseball is on the horizon.
As Mississippi State (32-16, 14-10 SEC) looks to increase its hopes of hosting a regional, the series against Alabama – in which the Bulldogs took two games – was only the start of what coach Chris Lemonis wants.
“Some of our guys were monkeying in our dugout, and I told them it was 82 (degrees),” Lemonis said Saturday. “You get a regional or super regional, it's 100. We're going to have to get used to the heat.”
Could Mississippi State earn a hosting bid? Here’s what the latest projections say before No. 15 MSU opens its series at No. 3 Arkansas (40-9, 17-7) on Friday (6:30 p.m., SEC Network+).
How does hosting in the NCAA Tournament work for baseball?
The top 16 seeds in college baseball get to host regionals. Those selected would host three opposing schools at their home ballpark with the lone survivor of the double-elimination pod advancing to super regionals.
The eight highest-seeded teams to advance beyond a regional have the opportunity to host a super regional − a best-of-three series in which the winner advances to the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska.
Baseball America's projection for Mississippi State
Baseball America still has Mississippi State on the wrong side of the bubble to host. The Bulldogs are projected as a high No. 2 seed set to play at Duke.
The Blue Devils are projected as the penultimate No. 1 seed. Joining MSU and Duke in Durham, North Carolina, would be No. 3 seed Northeastern and No. 4 seed St. Louis.
D1Baseball's projection for Mississippi State
D1Baseball projects Mississippi State to bring postseason baseball back to Starkville. The Bulldogs would host No. 2 seed Oklahoma State, No. 3 seed Louisiana Tech and No. 4 seed Samford.
The Bulldogs are the No. 12 seed overall in D1Baseball's projection.
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Mississippi State baseball 2024 schedule
Remaining opponents for the Bulldogs:
May 10-12: at Arkansas
May 14: vs. North Alabama
May 16-19: vs. Missouri
May 21-26: SEC tournament (Hoover, Ala.)
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 NCAA Tournament predictions: Bulldogs host?
