Mississippi State finishes 2018 one win shy of CWS final
As easy as it is to think about the ‘what if’s’ of Mississippi State’s run through the College World Series, the focus can’t be on MSU’s back-to-back losses to Oregon State.
On Saturday, the rally banana finally ran out of magic as the cardiac kids saw their season come to an end with a 5-2 loss to the Beavers, just three wins shy of winning a national championship. Considering those Diamond Dawgs almost didn’t make the SEC Tournament, their journey to Omaha and beyond was truly one of the most miraculous post-season runs ever.
The returning seniors that got so close are already planning for an encore. MSU center fielder Jake Mangum said, “First two years of my college experience with the guys, we’ve come up short to get to Omaha, hit super-regionals twice and that feeling never leaves you. And this is the first time, that experience to Omaha and came up short on a national championship, you can’t hold your heads down, no one expected us to make it this far and we’ll be back. ”
MSU right fielder Elijah MacNamee said, “This team overcame a lot. Losing your head coach after the first three games is tough, but that just goes to show you how we are as players. We grind and we fight for each other. It ended the way we didn’t want it to at all, but we will be here, back next year. We will win the national championship next year, mark my words.”
State finishes the 2018 season with an overall record of 39-29 following its 10th trip to the College World Series in program history.
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