Mississippi State University has appeared in baseball’s College World Series on eight times.
Looking back at the 2011 season, some might find it hard to believe how close the Bulldogs were to a ninth trek to the hallowed grounds of Omaha, Neb.
After flirting with the Southeastern Conference Western Division title, MSU won the Atlanta Regional hosted by Georgia Tech and came within eight outs of winning the Gainesville Super Regional hosted by the University of Florida.
The brilliant postseason run has given much-needed legitimacy to the John Cohen era as head coach. It has also given the Maroon and White faithful high hopes and preseason rankings for 2012. The late push helped Cohen’s squad earn The Dispatch’s top local sports story for 2011.
“It was a special season on so many levels,” said Cohen, who will begin his fourth season at his alma mater in 2012. “The kids have really bought in to rebuilding the program. It was great to see that hard work and those sacrifices finally pay off.”
MSU had last qualified for the postseason in 2007, when it won the Tallahassee Regional hosted by Florida State University, a Super Regional played on the MSU campus, and advanced to Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha for the first time since 1998.
Heartache and misery followed as 2008, 2009, and 2010 saw the first time in program history the Bulldogs posted three straight losing seasons. Veteran coach Ron Polk announced his retirement as injuries mounted and sabotaged the 2008 season.
After leading the University of Kentucky to its first conference championship in baseball, Cohen was brought home to re-energize the fan base and return the pride and swagger to the historically strong MSU baseball program.
“We knew this was a challenge when we signed up for it,” Cohen said. “There were a lot of areas where we needed to be addressed. It wasn’t going to be something that took one day, one week or one month. We knew this would be a long process.
“The key was the players had to believe in what we were trying to do. Even if the fans have doubts, as long as the people in your locker room believe in what you are doing, you have a chance.”
Even the most ardent baseball supporters had to be a little surprised 2011 was the year the program turned.
The Bulldogs were picked last in the preseason conference rankings. MSU was nowhere to be found in any of the national polls. The non-conference schedule featured a lengthy homestand to start the season. However, that homestand was marred by losses to Belmont, Sacred Heart, and Iowa (twice).
Inside the always tough SEC, the Western Division race featured more parity, instead of solid baseball. The Bulldogs kept improving and won back-to-back series at Tennessee and the University of Mississippi to enter the final weekend of league play vying for the Western Division title.
That situation didn’t quite work out as LSU came to Dudy Noble Field and won twice to place the Bulldogs second in the final division standings. However, the one win secured a return trip to the SEC tournament for the first time since 2007.
The SEC tournament run featured uneventful losses to Florida and Arkansas.
Giving an at-large berth to regional competition, MSU made the most of the new life. It defeated Austin Peay, Southern Miss, and Georgia Tech to win its first regional title since 2007. In Gainesville, the Bulldogs played the nation’s top-ranked team, Florida, in a best-of-three series. Florida won the opener 11-1. MSU bounced back 24 hours later taking a dramatic nationally televised 4-3 win on a Nick Vickerson two-run walk-off home run. In the series finale, the Bulldogs appeared outmanned and fell behind 4-0 early.
Things then took a sudden change. Vickerson hit a three-run home run in the fourth inning. In the seventh, the Bulldogs grabbed a 6-4 lead on a Brent Brownlee two-run single. An already tiring bullpen saw 2012 preseason All-American Caleb Reed touched for a go-ahead three-run home run by Preston Tucker. The Gators tacked on an insurance run in the eighth and won 8-6.
“We were basically one play away from Omaha,” Cohen said. “If we get out of the seventh inning, we have a chance. Our kids battled back and played hard the whole weekend. Two weeks later, Florida is playing South Carolina for the national championship. That is how close we were.
“Last season has now set the framework for our program. Our challenge is now to build on that.”
The Bulldogs finished 38-25 and earned a national ranking in each of the sport’s major polls.
2. EMCC WINS FOOTBALL TITLE
East Mississippi Community College was the nation’s best.
The Lions won all 12 games they played in 2011. The final win was most important, as EMCC defeated Arizona Western College 55-47 in the El Toro Bowl in Yuma, Ariz., to win the school’s first national championship in football.
“We feel really blessed to have had this type of season,” EMCC fourth-year coach Buddy Stephens said. “Not only was this a group of players who played very well on the football field, but it is also a group of young men, who were high in character.
“They represented our state very well in everything that they did.”
Behind the passing arm of NJCAA national offensive player of the year Bo Wallace, the Lions’ high-octane offense was rarely contained. Wallace set new NJCAA national records with 4,604 passing yards, 4,810 total offensive yards, and 53 passing touchdowns.
Wallace and Mississippi State signee defensive lineman Denico Autry were named All-Americans. Stephens was named national Coach of the Year by the American Community College Football Coaches Association.
EMCC won all nine regular-season games, which was also a first in program history. The Lions beat nationally ranked foes Hinds C.C. and Mississippi Gulf Coast C.C. to win the program’s second state championship.
A month later, EMCC traveled more than 1,700 miles to face and to defeat the nation’s top-ranked team on its home field.
3. STARKVILLE HIGH, STARKVILLE ACADEMY PLAY FOR STATE TITLES
In 2009, Starkville High and Starkville Academy combined to win three football games.
Things have changed in a big way, as Starkville and Starkville Academy combined to win 22 games this season.
In the Mississippi High School Activities Association, Starkville played for the Class 5A state championship, falling to Picayune 38-21 at Memorial Stadium in Jackson. Led by quarterback Gabe Myles, the Yellow Jackets played in the state championship game for the first time since 2001.
In the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools, Starkville Academy played for the Class AAA, Division II state championship. At Robinson-Hale Stadium in Clinton, the Volunteers, led by senior tailback Ryan Mann, lost to Greenville Washington 20-0.
Both teams were led by second-year coaches. Jamie Mitchell carried the Yellow Jackets (12-3) to their first regional title in eight seasons, while Jeff Terrill led the Volunteers (10-3) to a district title and their first winning season since 2005.
4. SEC WELCOMES MISSOURI AND TEXAS A&M
For the first time since 1991, the Southeastern Conference will welcome new members when the 2012-13 school year begins.
The University of Missouri and Texas A&M will join the league, beginning with the 2012 football season. Both schools were extended the invitations and formally accepted to join the league earlier this fall.
On Thursday, the SEC released its first 14-member football schedule. Ripple effects already are being felt around the league. In 2012, the SEC will shift to a 10-team baseball tournament as the league makes way for new friends.
5. MSU FOOTBALL CAPS SEASON WITH BOWL WIN
While the Mississippi State football team spent the early stages of 2011 in the national rankings before midseason struggles, the Bulldogs still rang out the 2011 year on a positive note.
Behind the running of Vick Ballard and a strong defensive effort, MSU beat Wake Forest 23-17 to win the Music City Bowl.
With the victory, the Bulldogs finished 7-6 and earned a second straight winning season. MSU has won each of its bowl games under third-year coach Dan Mullen, and has now won five straight bowl games, dating back to a loss in the 1999 Cotton Bowl.
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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