OMAHA, Neb. — OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – Will Bednar and Landon Sims combined on a one-hitter, Mississippi State scored early and built on its lead, and the Bulldogs won their first national championship with a 9-0 victory over Vanderbilt in the deciding third game of the College World Series finals.
Bednar was working on three days’ rest and walked three of the first five batters he faced before retiring 15 in a row. He turned the game over to the Bulldogs’ star closer to start the seventh.
It’s Mississippi State’s first national title in a team sport and it is Citadel graduate Chris Lemonis who has helped make history in Starkville. Lemonis is in his third season as the head coach at Mississippi State. He was a two-time All-Southern Conference selection during his time in the Citadel program.