Jackson Free Press

Last year, we saw a great sports moment in our state: Mississippi State not only reached the College World Series but made it all the way to the championship.

UCLA beat the Bulldogs in two straight games, ending Mississippi State's quest for a national title, but the Bulldogs are back for more this year. Two other teams from our state made the regionals, with Ole Miss hosting one and Jackson State earning an automatic bid by winning the SWAC Baseball Tournament.

The SEC has the most bids of any conference, with 10 teams in regionals. The Oxford Regional, which one-seed Ole Miss hosts, includes the Washington Huskies as the No. 2 seed, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets as the third-seed and Jacksonville State Gamecocks as the fourth-seed. The Rebels will open play against the Gamecocks Friday at 7 p.m. on ESPN3. Ole Miss will then face either Georgia Tech or Washington, depending on the outcome of both games.

Mississippi State and Jackson State are in the Lafayette Regional, with the Bulldogs being the two-seed and the Tigers the four-seed. Jackson State will face one-seed and regional host Louisiana-Lafayette at 6 p.m. on ESPN3 May 30. Mississippi State will start off play against three-seed San Diego State at 1 p.m. on ESPN3.

The Tigers and the Bulldogs could face off in the regional if both end up in the winners or losers bracket. If they meet in the losers bracket, the teams will either win or go home. June 2, the NCAA will announce the host teams for the super regional. In the super regional, the winner of the Oxford Regional faces off against the winner of the Lafayette Regional.

If Ole Miss wins the Oxford Regional, they could face the Bulldogs or the Tigers. Of course, JSU could advance, too, but the bracket makes it hard for the four-seed to advance without some luck, and solid pitching and hitting.

Mississippi State wants to return to Omaha. Ole Miss and Jackson State want to be where the Bulldogs were last year. Can we make it two years in a row with a team from our state playing for the title?