Jackson Free Press

The Mississippi State Bulldog baseball team woke up Friday morning in a unique position—not just to the school, but to the state of Mississippi, a bastion of college baseball excellence.

They've been here before, but only once, and that was 28 years ago.

The Bulldogs (50-18) are one win over Oregon State (52-12) away from earning their first-ever berth in the best-of-three championship series at the College World Series at T.D. Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Neb.

With a win in the 2 p.m. game, the Bulldogs will advance to face either the No. 1-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels or the underdog UCLA Bruins in a three-game series with the national title on the line.

Because Oregon State has already dropped one game in this tournament (a 5-4 loss to MSU on June 15), the West-Coast opponent will have to beat the Bulldogs twice to advance. A loss in today's game would force a second game against the Beavers, slated for 2 p.m. Saturday.

Hunter Renfroe leads the Bulldogs, who entered Friday with a red-hot .357 batting average and team-high 15 home runs. Shortstop Adam Frazier, a Bishop, Ga., native, leads the team with a .360 average.

The Bulldogs, who have never advanced to the championship series before, have also displayed some great pitching performances—especially out of the bullpen. In both games Mississippi State has won in Omaha so far this year, MSU relievers have inherited deficits and still come out on top. Ross Mitchell and Jonathan Holder combined for 4.1 shutout innings to propel their team to the first win over Oregon State, and Chad Girodo pitched 6.1 innings out of the bullpen and struck out 10 Indiana Hoosiers to lift State to a 5-4 win Monday night.

"The story of the season is our bullpen," first baseman Wes Rea said to reporters after Monday's win. "They have come in and dealt all year. We just know we have to score a run or two and grab a lead and it's ballgame. That is an incredible feeling. That is why we have so much confidence."

The other hero for Mississippi State Monday night was senior pinch-hitter Trey Porter, who had just 98 at-bats and 22 starts during the regular season. Porter came up big with a 2-run single in the eighth inning to put the Bulldogs ahead and in a position to advance to today's game.

The story picked up national attention when the Associated Press and ESPN wrote features on the senior from tiny Hurley, Miss.—population 980.

"You always dream about having a chance to play in the College World Series," Porter said following Monday's game. "You really don't think that opportunity is ever going to come because there are so many great players and great teams. To be able to have an at-bat like that and have a hit like that to help my team is very special."

This is as close as any Division 1 Mississippi team has come to a national championship in any major sport since Ole Miss won the Sugar Bowl to finish 10-0 in football in 1962. That championship is still in dispute 51 years later. This one will not be.

Today's game will be broadcast on television on ESPN 2 and carried on the statewide Bulldog Sports Network (105.9 FM "The Zone" in Jackson).

Neither team has penciled in a starting pitcher, yet.