I want to take a moment to congratulate Clemson on a fine season. The Tigers never gave up. They fought through adversity all year, including the loss of veteran Stan Widman 6 games into the season. The Tigers end the season with a 41-23 record, and a record 11 players drafted by MLB. That speaks volumes for Coach Jack Legget's program. And Clemson was in both games right down to their last out, being in position to tie or win the contests. They just happened to draw a hot team. So here's a tip of my cap to the Clemson Tigers, for a successful season.

Once again, the game was about what you would expect. Pitching and defense being the difference in the outcome. The pitching matchup of David Kopp vs Justin Pigott did not materialize, as Kopp was lifted after 1.2 innings of work. Kopp never seemed to get comfortable on the mound or the strike zone. He only gave up one run in the first, to which CLemson punched back for 2 runs in the bottom of the frame.

But the 2nd inning would be his undoing. McCaskill led off the inning with a single, then a fielding error allowed Sneed to get on. Sr WInn Diggs making just his 3rd start of the season then singled to load the bases. Jet Butler continued his fin freshman campaign by drilling a double into the RF corner driving in 2 runs. 2 more runs would follow in the frame, and the Dogs never looked back.

IN the 7th, the Tigers made a bid to take get back in the game. With State leading 7-5 and Freshman RIcky Bowen on the mound, Clemson got 2 runners aboard for Taylor Harbin. The crowd was yanked to the edge of their seat as Harbin drilled the ball to deep left centerfield. LF Nick Hardy made a great catch with his glove over the top of the fench to thwart the Clemson drive.

In the 8th, one of the more controversial calls of the series came, although it would have no effect on the game. DH Wynn Diggs was hit by a pitch just above his right knee. But the ump said no. Ron Polk came to argue the call. THe whole time, WIn was rolling up his pant leg to show the guys where he got hit. While the umps confabbed, WYnn was showing off his gam!! Sure enough, the umps took one look at the mark, and sent him on his way. Guess we were just lucky he was not hit in the rear huh!!

That brief comedic moment aside, the game got tighter in the 9th. With closer Aaron Weatherford on the mound, Clemson put runners at first and second with 1 out. RF Mitch Moreland was brought in to face 1B Andy D'Alesio. With the game at 8-5, one swing and the Tigers are back up and looking to take the game and even the series. After working the count to 2-2. D'Alesio took a hack that drew the crowd to it's feet. Andy Rice was in RF for Moreland, and went to the track at the edge of the fence and hauled in the ball to all but kill the TIgers hope for a rally. 3 pitches later, Harbin went down swinging, and the Dogs were headed to the Big Diamond in Omaha for the first time in 10 years.

After the game, the Coaches and playes talked about the game. Here are some quotes:

Head Coach Jack Leggett
“Obviously it is a tough loss, and I am just real proud of my team. I thought we battled and competed all weekend and all season long. We put ourselves in position to win and they just seemed to have an answer every time. They had a good strong offensive lineup and had a lot of answers for our pitching. Two good ball clubs went at it head-to-head, and they just seemed to have the advantage.”

On his team’s pitching struggles…
“We just got behind on some counts, and they just hit the ball pretty well. They got some big hits and kept coming at us
from top to bottom.”

On his reaction to the ball that (Taylor) Harbin almost hit out…
“Without question, when it went over my head I thought it was a home run. From that point, the whole momentum changed.
I thought he got enough of it and some how it got to a certain point and the wind knocked it down. We have battled
adversity all year long, and I thought we were just going to have to battle through this and find a way.”

On MSU pitcher Mitch Moreland…
“To be honest, I did not know much about him except that he was a hard throwing lefty. We had some good at bats there at
the end, but we made just enough mistakes during the weekend that really hurt us. They capitalized, and our mistakes just
hurt us. I respect this team a lot. We have really fought threw some of adversity, and I am proud of the team and coaching
staff.”

On going with (David) Kopp at pitcher…
“He has been a good pitcher for us all year long. When he is on he does a real good job for us. I thought he did okay. It was just that four-run inning that hurt us, and I thought if we could get out of that inning without so much damage, he would have a chance to go really deep in the game. We just got ourselves backed up there in the first couple of innings and we had to battle from there.”

Junior Taylor Harbin, Second Baseman
On his reaction to the ball he hit to the wall…
“Earlier in that inning I saw how he was pitching to Marquez (Smith) and knew that he was throwing a lot of breaking balls. The second pitch he threw me was a breaking ball and as soon as I hit it I thought it was going to get out. We had opportunities all game long to back in it; but we just made mistakes here and there and they capitalized on it.”

Senior Andy D’Alessio, First BasemanOn his last at bat..
“I one-handed that ball off my front foot, and I did not hit it hard enough with the wind blowing in today.”

On State’s perseverance…
“They are a good offensive team, and they attacked our pitchers pretty well. Every time we got a run it seemed like they had an answer. They caught a lot of breaks and that is what you need in a close ballgame.”

Senior Marquez Smith, InfielderOn the celebration by the fans…
“Well, we went threw it last year and it was a great feeling. I know it was a great feeling for them today. It is tough to watch the other team celebrate but they have a great ball club and I congratulate them.”

Head Coach Ron Polk
“I am very proud of the team, great venue, hot, tough on the plate umpires and tough on the pitchers. We got a
lot of effort from Justin (Pigott), Aaron (Weatherford), Ricky Bowen and Mitch Moreland. The pitching
worked out very well. Jack Leggett is a great coach, class guy and he has a great support staff at Clemson. This
win is big, but I think the biggest key to the last two weeks was going down to Florida State and winning the
Regional there. It’s fortunate that we got the opportunity to host. I knew these kids could compete and play
and the fact that we are healthy, this is a ball club that most people don’t want to play right now.”

On the expectations of the next couple of weeks…
“I’ve been to Omaha five decades now as a coach. The fans, crowds, ESPN, the venue, things aren’t anything
like they were five decades ago. With the win today, we’ll take tomorrow off and practice on Monday. I just
want to make sure these guys know that we aren’t done yet and that we’re prepared to compete for a national
championship. I have a lot of confidence in our coaching staff and it’s just a matter of staying healthy.”

Junior Mitch Moreland, 1B/LHP
On the pressure of the final two outs…
“I got loose in the pen in the eighth inning because they told me to be ready if (Andy) D’Alessio came up to the
plate. I got him to fly out on a curve ball that I thought he got a little more than he did, but thankfully he didn’t.
I got two strikes on (Taylor) Harbin, just let it go and got him to chase something.”

On the entire week leading up to the series win…
“It’s been great. The atmosphere, the whole team, the weekend has just been unbelievable. This is any college
baseball player’s dream to go to Omaha and we’re getting the opportunity to do it.”

Senior Jeffrey Rea, 2B/OF
On Taylor Harbin’s fly ball to the warning track…
“When I saw it go up, I thought it was gone for sure. I checked the wind and it’s almost like the ball was falling
backwards. I communicated with Nick (Hardy) and I knew he had room. Ed (Easley) hit one in the first inning
with two guys on that was caught right at the track, so I guess the wind played both ways today.”

Junior Justin Pigott, LHP
On the impact of the offense responding to the Clemson bats…
“That’s huge. That’s how you win ball games, especially at home. When you respond when they get a little
momentum, you kill their momentum and the crowd gets back in it.”

Sophomore Aaron Weatherford, RHP
On the difference in playing crowds over the past two weeks…
“After playing at Florida State in front of 4,000 fans and then coming home and playing in front of 13,000 fans
that are on your side, as bad as you want it for yourself and for your team, you want it for the community and
the fans as well.”

The fans were of course out in force today again like yesterday. The crowds started lining up at 5 AM Saturday to get in line to either secure a ticket, or lay claim to a seat. The official count was 13715, which set the NCAA SUper Regional record, tied for 4th on the MSU alltime attendace count, and was the largest ever post season crowd at MSU. The fans had filled in the bleachers by 9:15 and rarely left thier seats. The LF Lounge was rocking, the grills were smoking, and by the 9th, the fans were chanting what I call the Chant of Champions: Omaha...Omaha...Omaha. And when the final out was recorded, the celebration spilled over onto the field. In fact, they are still partying in LF, and I will be joining them again soon.

As for a player of the game, I am going to select the entire MSU team. This is a group of guys who truly epitomize the word "team". They have a chemistry that is unreal, and they are just enjoying the game right now. They are indeed boys of summer.

As for what's next for this bunch...well, they will head to Rosenblatt and begin to prepare for either North or South Carolina in the opening game. The remaining teams in the bracket are Rice and either Louisville or OK State.

But for now, the dream season continues for the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

See you in Omaha.