NCAA regional baseball is back at Dudy Noble Field for the first time since 2016.
The Mississippi State Bulldogs (46-13) are hosting this week’s Starkville Regional as the No. 6 overall seed in this year’s field of 64 teams. The games begin Friday and will last through the weekend. A deciding game will be played between the two teams left standing on Monday, if necessary.
Mississippi State (46-13) plays against Southern (32-22) Friday at noon. Miami (39-18) and Central Michigan (46-12) square off later that night at 7 p.m.
Saturday’s games are scheduled for noon (losers) and 6 p.m. (winners), and Sunday’s games are slated for 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. first pitches. If a Monday game is necessary, it starts at 6 p.m.
Southern received an automatic bid to the NCAA field after winning the SWAC Tournament and is 32-22 this spring.
Miami has posted a 39-18 record while Central Michigan won the Mid-American Conference Tournament and is 46-12 on the year.
“It’s a good bracket,” MSU head coach Chris Lemonis said. “It’s a hot Southern team that can really hit. Central Michigan has had an unbelievable year, and Miami is always Miami. Since they’ve got a new coach, they’ve played very well. So we’ve got our work cut out for us.”
Mississippi State has hosted 13 NCAA Tournament Regional rounds in the program’s history. The Bulldogs have won seven of those, including the past two in 2013 and 2016. Overall, Mississippi State owns a 39-18 record in NCAA Regional games played at home.
When Mississippi State was the No. 6 national seed three years ago, the Bulldogs took care of business in the Regional round but lost in the Super Regional round to Arizona. MSU senior center fielder Jake Mangum was a freshman then, and he doesn’t want to feel the same way he did then after falling two wins short of the College World Series.
Mangum wants to make the most of playing at Dudy Noble Field this time.
“This kind of has that 2016 feel to it,” Mangum said. “That comfort piece of being here. But we’re looking to finish this year. When we were swept by Arizona in the Super Regional my freshman year, that one hurt. That team had plenty enough talent to go to Omaha — more than enough talent to go to Omaha.
“That shows you how hard it is to get to Omaha. Just because we’re going to be here doesn’t mean you can take two weekends off and go to Omaha. We got work to do.”
Should Mississippi State advance make it through the first weekend, the Dogs will play the winner of the Stanford Regional, which also includes UC Sanata Barbara (45-9), Fresno State (38-14-1) and Sacramento State (39-23).
