Mississippi State Baseball’s season concluded on Sunday night, with the Bulldogs falling to Virginia 9-2 in the Regional Championship game. It’s a bitter pill for any program to swallow; the realization dawns that all the hopes and dreams of reaching the College World Series have come to a halt. This marked the end of an era, the last time this group of players would don the Mississippi State lettering together. As we look ahead to the next season, we anticipate a different landscape, with some players continuing their journey and others starting anew. Mississippi State will endure.

The 2024 Mississippi State Baseball season was one of extremes. With extreme highs and lows, it was a wild adventure for the program, unlike any other. It led to the ultimate letdown of being left out of the Regional Hosting line and instead sent to Charlottesville, Virginia, where the season came to a heartbreaking end. Despite having one of the best resumes compared to the other Regional sites, Mississippi State got left out and then ran out of gas in the Regional Championship game.

However, losing in the Regional Championship will not define the 2024 Mississippi State Baseball team. The team fought like hell to overcome adversity and slumps, snapping a two-year NCAA Tournament drought.

It’s important to keep in mind that Mississippi State had not participated in the NCAA Tournament since their National Championship win in 2021, missing out in 2022 and 2023. While the expectation at Mississippi State is to reach Omaha and compete for the National Championship, the journey back starts from somewhere. For a program as proud as Mississippi State, the return to Omaha is not a question of if, but when. As we witnessed this weekend, the rebuild initiated by the coaching staff is a year away from reaching that Mississippi State standard. This should fuel high expectations among Bulldog fans for the upcoming off-season.

As far as slumps go, like any other baseball team, Mississippi State had guys go through the wringer. Yet, take guys like Hunter Hines and Dakota Jordan, for example; those two had terrible SEC Tournament performances, combining for one hit between the two. Yet, Dakota Jordan and Hunter Hines snapped out of the funk when the Regional rolled around, leading Mississippi State to reach the Regional Championship against Virginia, not to mention the heroics of Connor Hujsak in Hoover. The same heroics sent Ole Miss home on Tuesday night of the 2024 SEC Tournament.

Then, there were the pitching efforts of Brooks Auger, Khal Stephen, Pico Kohn, and Jurrangelo Cijntje, among others, which helped Mississippi State all season long. Those guys did what they had to do in moments across the 2024 season.

Overall, the 2024 Mississippi State Baseball season was a success. Returning to the NCAA Tournament, taking the season series over Ole Miss, and having success in Hoover brought back the Bulldog Baseball magic that makes Mississippi State Baseball what people know it as. As the 2025 season rolls around, Mississippi State Baseball will be in the best position to welcome Texas and Oklahoma to the Southeastern Conference while making a return to the 2025 College World Series.