Michael Bonner

The Clarion-Ledger

STARKVILLE – For the second time in 15 days Mississippi State celebrated a championship at Dudy Noble Field.

Like MSU’s celebration on May 21 after an SEC regular season title, the on-field hugs and high-fives commenced after a three-game sweep. This time, Louisiana Tech had its season ended by Mississippi State in a 4-0 loss in the Starkville Regional Championship on Sunday.

Unlike the season finale against Arkansas, though, there were not dog piles after the win. No one soaked in a Gatorade bath. MSU jogged out of the dugout but a desire for more lingered.

"We talked in the locker room after the game," sophomore Brent Rooker said. "We've got a bigger mission. Winning a regional was not our goal. at the beginning of the year. Our goal is to win a national championship."

The next step toward that is the Starkville Super Regional this weekend against the winner of Louisiana-Lafayette/Arizona. It’ll be the second in program history in Starkville. The latter two teams play Monday. Arizona needs to beat Lafayette twice.

Mississippi State fell to the Ragin Cajuns in its last postseason appearance in 2014. It needed to win one of two games but was outscored 19-11.

A rematch would provide the Bulldogs with the latest rung on the ladder for their climb out of an embarrassing stretch after the defeats in Lafayette, Louisiana.

"We have a core of guys who still do have a chip on their shoulder," Cohen said. "They want to show the world that they're better than what happened a year ago."

Mississippi State became the first team to win the SEC outright a year after finishing last the year before. Its first title of the season primarily without Zac Houston as a starter. Since the season ended, the junior has emerged as a force on the mound.

He combined with Ryan Rigby to silence another Louisiana foe on Sunday sending the program to its sixth super regional, and two wins away from the College World Series.

Houston struck out 10 through six innings allowing one hit. He allowed another in the top of the seventh and walked off the mound with the bases loaded and nobody out.

Rigby jogged from the bullpen as the 9,092 in attendance rose to their feet to applaud Houston. Rigby struck out two batter and force another flyout, each represented the tying run, to create an even louder thunderous applause.

"It was amazing. You come out of the game, you load the bases with no outs and then a guy comes in there and strikes out the first two and gets a lazy fly ball to center," Houston said. "I don't really know how to put it into words. I had some emotions flying. It was awesome."

Houston started MSU's first game of the SEC Tournament last week. He pitched the first 8 2/3 innings against Alabama without allowing a run. He left his first start against an SEC team this season with two outs in the ninth having allowed a run.

It's the only run he's surrendered in his last five outings as a starter. But the last two starts are his only appearance where he pitched more than 3 1/3 innings since February.

"I was able to really show something in Hoover," Houston said. "I was able to remember muscle memory. I just went back out there and tried to do the same thing."

The third crowd that surpassed 9,000 of the weekend waited through a 2 hour, 10 minutes delay that involved rain and lightning. Houston threw the first pitch at 8:44 p.m. The final out was recorded just before midnight, more than five hours after the originally scheduled start time.

Mississippi State made it worth the wait.

Contact Michael Bonner at mbonner@jackson.gannett.com. Follow @MikeBBonner on Twitter.

STARKVILLE All Tournament Team

C - Jack Kruger, Misissippi State

1B - Cody Daigle, Louisiana Tech

2B - Trevor Ezell, Southeast Missouri State

SS - Ryan Gridley, Mississippi State

3B - Jake Pavletich, Cal State Fullerton

DH - Brent Rooker, Mississippi State

OF - Reid Humphreys, Mississippi State

OF - Jake Mangum, Mississippi State

OF - J.D. Perry, Louisiana Tech

P - Zac Houston, Missisisippi State

P - Phillip Diehl, Louisiana Tech

Most Outstanding Player - Brent Rooker