As he rounded the bases in the third inning Monday night in a spirited home run trot, Tanner Allen flashed a smile and pointed to the fans seated on the third-base line.
In what likely will be remembered years down the line as his final game ever at Dudy Noble Field in front of 11,784 fans during Mississippi State’s 11-7 winner-take-all Super Regional victory, the Southeastern Conference Player of the Year had just lifted a moonshot to send fans into a frenzy. The career-defining, senior send-off moment had arrived for one of the few remaining architects left on MSU’s roster responsible for bringing his team to three straight College World Series appearances. He was going to soak it all in.
“(Winning) was a relief,” Mississippi State coach Chris Lemonis said. “I didn’t want Rowdey Jordan or Tanner Allen walking off this field not going to Omaha.”
It’s hard enough to make one College World Series in any collegiate career. Allen, along with outfield mate Rowdey Jordan, will be making their third trip to college baseball’s Elite Eight. It’s a standard the Bulldog standout expects from himself and his team.
“It’s pretty special,” Lemonis said. “There’s no way Tanner and Rowdey were going out with an L in this ballpark. I like our odds with both of them. It’s pretty special what they’ve been able to do in their career.”
In his next at-bat, the senior laced a double into left field, again paying homage to the crowd with a wave after sliding into second base. Finishing the night 2-for-5 at the plate, Allen proved his mettle with the glove as well, helping starter Houston Harding out with a two-out, diving catch of a line drive into right field to prevent two more runs from crossing. A pretty famous fan of his was paying attention to Allen’s big night.
“(Tanner Allen) showin out tonite in a pretty important game! Fun to watch the college game this time of year,” Atlanta Braves legend Chipper Jones tweeted in the sixth inning of Monday’s Super Regional.
With MSU’s season hanging in the balance, the heralded Bulldog standouts delivered when their teammates needed them the most. While Jordan finished the night 0-for-5, he made a terrific diving catch in center field in the second inning that will likely feature on SportsCenter’s Top 10 Plays segment Tuesday morning.
“I’m so thankful Tanner and Rowdey decided to come back (another year), because we didn’t know what they were going to do,” Lemonis said of having his star-studded players suit up in Maroon and White for one final year after a pandemic-shortened 2020 season.
In any postgame interview, Allen will consistently preach a short mentality and a renewed focus on the next matchup. And while elation momentarily took over MSU players after Landon Sims induced a game-ending double play, the Bulldogs aren’t done trying to reach higher aspirations.
MSU will continue to chase a dream season when it faces No. 2-seeded Texas at 6 p.m. Sunday in the College World Series in Omaha.
“We spoke last week, this is where Mississippi State is supposed to be,” Lemonis said of the College World Series berth. “If we’re not there, we’re disappointed. It’s not like that everywhere in the country. Those guys have done a tremendous job of leading this team in the locker room and on the field.”
Hodge is the former sports editor for The Dispatch.
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