Mississippi State opened the NCAA Tournament with a dramatic bottom-of-the-10th walk-off win to secure their spot in the winners’ bracket game against Virginia on Saturday night.

With a clear goal to kick off the Charlottesville Regional with a resounding victory, Mississippi State faced a formidable challenge in the form of St. John’s, a strong team from the Big East Conference. However, the Bulldogs were not deterred. They drew strength from key players Hunter Hines and Dakota Jordan, demonstrating their determination and setting the tone for their performance in the Regional.

The game started as a pitching duel, with Khal Stephen leading the charge for the Bulldogs. He went eight complete innings, allowing seven hits and two runs while striking out ten St. John’s batters. On the other side, Xavier Kolhossier of St. John’s also put up a strong performance, pitching eight innings, striking out seven Mississippi State batters, and giving up two runs on six hits. This balanced display of pitching prowess kept the game intense and unpredictable.

As fate would have it, Mississippi State and St. John’s would need extra innings to decide a winner on Friday night.

For Mississippi State, the Bulldogs had been here before. Just last Tuesday night in Hoover, the Bulldogs walked off the Ole Miss Rebels during the first round of the 2024 SEC Tournament, ending the season for Ole Miss. However, Friday night’s heroics were not because of Connor Hujsak; a Dakota Jordan three-run home run in the bottom of the 10th sent Mississippi State to the winner’s bracket on Saturday night.

Before the Dakota Jordan three-run shot in the bottom of the 10th, it was Hunter Hines breaking his slump with a base hit in the bottom of the 9th that gave the Bulldogs a much-needed boost. Coming into the NCAA Tournament, Hunter Hines and Dakota Jordan combined for one hit since starting the postseason in Hoover last week. Having both guys making contact again gives Mississippi State an added advantage that could propel this Mississippi State team back to the College World Series for the first time since 2021. Coach Lemonis decided to move Hunter Hines back to the four-hole tonight after moving him down to the bottom three last week in Hoover. When one is thriving, the other seems to do better; they feed off each other, and the Bulldogs need both to succeed this postseason.

Mississippi State will play Virginia on Saturday night. Virginia comes into the game with Mississippi State having a lot of success at home, with an impressive 27-7 record when playing in front of the Cavaliers faithful. Mississippi State and Virginia share a familiar opponent in the Auburn Tigers; Virginia played Auburn once and won during a neutral-site classic.