WATCH: Mississippi State releases hype video ahead of national title defense

Mississippi State baseball, which has long gone by the self-avowed nickname “Diamond Dogs,” finally put meaning behind the name by winning the 2021 NCAA College World Series. And nearly a year later, the Bulldogs are preparing to open up their 2022 season at home against Long Beach State.

Mississippi State will look to defend its national championship in 2022, a task that certainly won’t be easy, especially after losing plenty of talent to the MLB Draft; however, if the preseason rankings are any indication, Mississippi State has as good a chance as the field. The Bulldogs came in at No. 4 in the D1 Baseball top 25 poll, and in the SEC preseason coaches poll, Mississippi State was picked to finish second in the stacked Western Division. Additionally, in receiving four votes to win the SEC Championship, the Bulldogs were tied for the second most votes in the SEC.

Before Mississippi State kicks off its 2022 campaign, the Bulldogs shared a must-watch hype video ahead of the title defense.

𝑊𝑒’𝑟𝑒 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑔𝑒𝑡𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 ℎ𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑦. 𝑊𝑒’𝑟𝑒 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑡𝑜𝑜 𝑓𝑜𝑐𝑢𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑜𝑛 𝑚𝑎𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑖𝑡. pic.twitter.com/yNeDaR7OnY

— Mississippi State Baseball (@HailStateBB) February 17, 2022

Last season, head coach Chris Lemonis led Mississippi State to a No. 7 national seed heading into the 2021 NCAA Tournament, and the Bulldogs won both the Starkville Regional and Starkville Super Regional to punch a ticket to the College World Series. Making their 12th appearance in Omaha, there were only two programs in the nation — Florida State and Clemson — with more College World Series trips and no national titles.

That all changed in 2021. Mississippi State defeated the Texas Longhorns to advance to the NCAA finals, where it faced Vanderbilt. The Bulldogs won the best-of-three series with Tim Corbin’s Commodores, clinching the university’s first team national championship in any sport.

Diamond 💎 Dawgs pic.twitter.com/o2Ganzfhd4

— Mississippi State Baseball (@HailStateBB) October 28, 2021

Before the national championship, Mississippi State developed a perennially competitive baseball program under former coach-turned-athletic director John Cohen, and it has since continued its upward trend in three seasons with Lemonis at the helm. In 2019, Lemonis’ first season, Mississippi State made the trip out to Omaha, Nebraska, where it eventually lost to the same Corbin-led Commodores. Two years later, the Bulldogs made their fifth College World Series appearance since 2007 and the fifth 50-win season in program history, finishing with a record of 50-18.

Pitching powered Mississippi State to national championship

Vanderbilt and Mississippi State split the first two games of the 2021 national title series, sending it to game three in TD Ameritrade Park. The rubber match logged an attendance of 24,052 fans, a new record for the College World Series.

Kumar Rocker, one of Vanderbilt’s ace, took the mound for the Commodores, but he surrendered three runs on two hits, two walks and an error in the first two innings alone. After Mississippi State jumped out to a 3-0 lead, Rocker seemed to get in rhythm; however, the damage was already done.

Mississippi State starter Will Bednar put together one of the most dominant College World Series starts in recent history, throwing six shutout, no-hit innings and retiring the last 15 batters he faced. Vanderbilt didn’t seem to have an answer for Bednar, who allowed just three baserunners via walks.

It never got easier for the Commodores, either, as Lemonis relieved Bednar with All-American closer Landon Sims in the seventh. Sims retired the first four batters he faced, before a Carter Young single in the eighth finally broke up Mississippi State’s no-hitter.

The Bulldogs tacked on six more runs in the seventh inning via Logan Tanner and Kellum Clark, ultimately putting the game out of reach for Vanderbilt. Mississippi State won 9-0, thanks in part to an early-game rally and excellent pitching, claiming the university’s first national title.