More Magnolia State magic in Omaha? Ole Miss trying to follow Mississippi State, make CWS history

May school baseball be owned by the state of Mississippi? The Ole Miss Rebels enter Omaha as a particular underdog, however that hasn’t stopped them in a outstanding postseason run. A yr in the past, Mississippi State entered NCAA Event play as one thing of an afterthought behind Arkansas’ total greatness and Vandy’s two pitching aces. The Bulldogs outlasted each and a yr later, the intra-state rival Rebels might change the game by pulling their very own model of Omaha magic. How loopy would this be?

Effectively, there may be some historic precedent. 5 occasions earlier than, a pair of various colleges from the identical state have received back-to-back CWS titles.

Twice it was California (Cal and USC in 1957 and ’58, after which USC and Cal State-Fullerton in 1978 and ’79). Twice it was Arizona (Arizona and ASU in 1976 and ’77, after which once more in 1980 and ’81). Texas is the final state to say a dynasty doubleheader of various state colleges successful all of it — Texas in 2002 after which Rice in 2003.

However was there any indication that State and Ole Miss would possibly add their names to the listing?

Mississippi State was a program with a protracted and distinguished historical past, however no titles earlier than 2021. That was their twelfth look in Omaha, and the closest name earlier than final season was 2013, when State made the finals earlier than getting swept by UCLA. Nonetheless, excluding the 2020 season when no postseason play was held, State was coming off a pair of appearances on the CWS even earlier than successful the title. The Bulldogs’ run on the title wasn’t completely surprising.

Ole Miss’ historical past doesn’t render them fairly as seemingly.

The Rebels are making simply their sixth look in Omaha, and solely their second since 1972. The 2014 Rebels received a pair of video games in Omaha earlier than falling within the semifinal spherical to Virginia (Vandy beat UVA to win the CWS). However earlier than that, Ole Miss hadn’t received a CWS recreation since 1969. Since 2014, postseason play hasn’t been type to the Rebels. They have been swept out of the 2015 and 2016 NCAA Tournaments, with the second pair of losses coming at residence. Likewise, in 2018, Ole Miss misplaced in a regional closing that they hosted. In 2019 and 2021, the Rebels received regional matchups that they hosted however obtained blasted within the Tremendous Regionals. In each matchups, the Rebels received Recreation 2, however they misplaced the opposite two video games by 22 runs in 2019 and by 19 runs in 2021. In fact, the Rebels’ 2022 season included a 14-16 file in league play and a No. 9 seed on the SEC Event in Hoover after a daily season that coach Mike Bianco termed a journey “to hell and again.”

The rivalry between the 2 colleges is so deep that not solely do they face one another in a typical 3-game division sequence, however they play a 4th recreation, preventing for what as soon as was the Mayor’s Trophy and is now the Governor’s Cup. The additional recreation was canceled resulting from COVID in each 2020 and 2021, however earlier than that, State received the earlier 4 matchups. Ole Miss took the Cup in 2022, however State owns a 22-19 edge within the sequence.

On condition that they’re separated by a slender strip of Mississippi, members of the identical convention and even division, how massive of a narrative would it not be for Ole Miss to win all of it? And the way loopy would it not make Mississippi State followers? Effectively, one signal that the same old tense relations between the rivals may very well be cooling got here in a Tweet from 2021 CWS star Tanner Allen.

Sure, that’s Rebels first baseman Tim Elko whom Allen singles out as a possible function mannequin for his future son. Fairly a shift from this remark a yr in the past after successful in Omaha.

May it’s that the Bulldogs are literally rooting for his or her foes from down the highway in Oxford to proceed their NCAA success? Whereas that may be a bit optimistic, the possibility at some NCAA historical past must be fairly candy for the Rebels. And even when the Bulldogs may not be precisely gung-ho in regards to the chance, a state dynasty is a fairly candy factor even when they will solely declare a one-half curiosity.