/Baseball Such joy, such heartbreak in one day

Baseball Such joy, such heartbreak in one day

You had Mike Bianco as your coach. Mike Bianco, the coach of the nation’s No. 4 baseball team, proclaimed it as the greatest club he had ever coached. That is a lot of ground. The Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles, a skilled and tough team, played four games in thirty hours and won three of them using rarely-used pitchers. They defeated Ole Miss twice Monday, first 15-5 and then again 3-2. It was surreal. It was even more amazing than the events that took place down in Tallahassee, where Mississippi State’s Bulldogs, who were considered dead in February and March, enjoyed a remarkable run to a regional title. The Bulldogs were second and third to Southern Miss and Ole Miss all season. They won a weekend series to start the season. But, the only Magnolia State team left standing was the Mississippi State Bulldogs. They were playing under Gary Henderson, an interim coach who may be the first to win Coach of The Year. This is how he has handled a situation that seemed so dire not too long ago. Baseball can be so cruel and insane. Bart Giamatti, the former president of Yale, and commissioner of baseball wrote, “Baseball breaks my heart.” It’s designed to break your heart.” Monday’s defeat by the Ole Miss Rebels was 48-17. It brought joy to Tennessee Tech and Mississippi State. This is Mississippi Today, not Tennessee Today. A word or 40 about the Tech Golden Eagles. They will depart Oxford with a 52-10 record. Smart baseball fans who saw them play in this regional tournament will have the greatest respect for their team. They are skilled. They are strong. They have grit. Bianco stated, when Bianco was asked about Ole Miss’ loss: “I think it had more to do the way they played and them.” It’s a great team in that other dugout.” Tennessee Tech will play Texas in a Super Regional. Do not bet against the Eagles. I wouldn’t. Mississippi State, who would have thought it? Who would have thought this was possible? In the first week, the Bulldogs lost their coach. They lost their first three games decisively. They lost their three first SEC games at home to Vanderbilt. Vanderbilt will be the team they play in the Super Regional. They lost seven of the first nine SEC games. They persevered and kept improving. The confidence and experience gained by younger players was invaluable. They became far more skilled. They swept No. The No. 1 ranked Florida was the winner of the last regular season series that finished 15-15 in SEC. Many Mississippi State fans thought that this was a good result. They want more. They want the Super Regional with Vanderbilt to take place in Starkville and not Nashville. Tuesday morning will bring the decision. Although Nashville is my guess, I have been surprised by the Mississippi State baseball team. A few weeks ago, at the C Spire Ferris Trophy luncheon I congratulated Bulldog centerfielder Jake Mangum for State’s success this season. He said matter-of-factly, “We’re still not done.” He said, matter-of-factly, “We’re not done,”