Good morning! The Bulldogs are in the midst of tournament play with both men’s tennis and softball preparing for showdowns later this week. Nothing is better than the postseason when it comes to sports, so tune in throughout the week to see if MSU can put together a couple of wins en route to some SEC and NCAA titles!

What else did we toss into the Brew today?

🎾 Oh, How Sweet It Is
🏟️ State To The Show
🐶 And much, much more!

🎥 HAIL STATE PLUS

In this episode of Coaches Confidential, track and field coach Chris Woods talks to us about preparing for the SEC Outdoor Championships that are set to take place later this week. He takes us through what his team is doing to get ready for Baton Rouge, and what gives him, and the team, confidence as they head into postseason play.

This episode, and tons more like it, are available now to our HailState+ members.

With HailState+ you get to watch wherever you want to watch. Web, mobile, and (later this year) all major OTT streaming apps like AppleTV, Amazon FireTV, Roku, and Android. We got it all.

📈 STOCK UP

🔼 Oh, How Sweet It Is. For the third time in four years, the Bulldogs are headed to the Round of 16 in the men’s tennis NCAA Championships.

After a convincing 4-0 first round victory against Alabama State, the Bulldogs needed just one more win against No. 27 Middle Tennessee to become regional champs. MSU jumped out to an early lead thanks to Petar Jovanovic and Ewen Lumsden’s crucial doubles win to secure the point.

It all came down to the singles matches, and Petar Jovanovic—as well as Gregor Ramskogler—got the Bulldogs off to a hot start as they both took their matches in straight sets to go up 3-0. Middle Tennessee came back with a couple of wins of their own, but for the second straight day, Carles Hernandez clinched the regional championship with a three set win to take the match 4-2.

“The crowed was the best thing we could ask for. They were super involved with us…I’m really happy,’ said the match clincher, Carles Hernandez, after all was said and done. Now the Bulldogs quickly shift focus to the Round of 16 as they prepare for No. 2 TCU next Saturday.

🔼 Finishing Strong. This weekend, Bulldog softball headed to Auburn to face off against the Tigers in the regular season series finale. After dropping Friday’s game, MSU came back strong to produce one of the games of the year on Saturday night.

The Bulldogs came back from two separate deficits to even the series in nine innings thanks in part to freshman Josey Marron’s stellar performance. Marron came in relief to pitch seven innings and allowed zero earned runs. But it was team captain Chloe Malau’ulu who produced the eventual game-winning single in the top of the ninth to drive the runner home that gave the Bulldogs the 5-4 victory in extras.

Now, the Bulldogs’ sights are set on postseason play as the SEC Tournament begins tomorrow in Fayetteville, AR as MSU will match up against Missouri at 6:30 on Tuesday night.

🔼 Tournament Time. For the first time in program history, MSU’s women’s golf team will head into the NCAA Tournament as a number one seed. The squad will be headed by the SEC Player of the Year, Julia Lopez Ramirez, who became the first Bulldog golfer to win the award in program history. She finished the season with the lowest scoring average in MSU history at 70.31, and was good for the second lowest in all of the NCAA.

The team will head down to Westfield, Indiana to play in the three-day event starting today and going through Wednesday. Among the group will be senior Abbey Daniel, who played in every event this season and held a 73.86 scoring average, senior Hannah Levi, who is coming off of five consecutive top-25 finishes, and freshman Izzy Pellot who earned SEC All-Freshman honors. Rounding out the group is Surapa Janthamunee who will make her fifth team appearance and was also named to the SEC All-Freshman team.

In order to advance, the Bulldogs need to finish in the top five out of the 12 team field to move on. Tune in throughout the week to see if our girls can pull out a trip to the National Championships in Scottsdale, AZ later this month.

🔼 State To The Show. Our boys continue to show why the Bulldogs send some of the best baseball players to the next level, but one pitcher in particular had himself a day that he won’t soon forget.

J.P. France. The former Bulldog made his first ever MLB start in his major league debut this past weekend with the Houston Astros. France put in some solid work, going five innings with five strikeouts, one walk, and giving up just three hits on zero earned runs.

Hunter Stovall. Currently with the Albuquerque Isotopes (a Colorado Rockies affiliate), Stovall tied the longest hitting streak in minor league baseball this season with 16 straight games with a hit, including nine multi-hit games.

Jordan Westburg. Playing with a bat on fire with the Norfolk Tides (a Baltimore Orioles affiliate), Westburg has homered in three of his last four games including this shot to deep left center in his most recent outing.

Our guys continue to shine on the diamond, and before too long, we’ll be hearing former Bulldogs’ names more and more as they step up into the big leagues.

🤔 BULLDOG TRIVIA

Diamond Dawgs. Mississippi State is known for sending top talent to the next level, especially when it comes to the diamond. We’ve seen multiple players shine so far this MLB season, and we are only a month in.

Our question today — do you know how many active MSU alumni are currently playing professional baseball?

Think you know the answer? Scroll on down to the bottom to find out.

📬 STICK WITH US

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🎉 TRIVIA ANSWER

Answer: 40!

There are currently 40 former Bulldogs playing in the pros, including 11 in the MLB. Fun fact: MSU also has three alums coaching in the majors with Mets’ manager Buck Showalter, Yankees’ first base coach Travis Chapman, and Cubs’ bullpen coach Chris Young all hailing from Starkville.

Have a great Monday, y'all.