NCAA Tournament bound
Cannizaro gets MSU to postseason in first year as the head coach
Andy Cannizaro doesn’t take being invited to an NCAA regional in his first year as a Division I head baseball coach in the Southeastern Conference lightly.
The Mississippi State head coach knows it’s a privilege to be able to compete in the postseason and feels fortunate to be able to do it in his first year in Starkville.
Cannizaro knew at the end of his playing career that he one day wanted to be a college coach and wanted to take advantage of the situation when it happened.
“If I was able to work myself into an opportunity to be a head coach in the SEC, how incredible that would be,” Cannizaro said. “I always dreamed of taking a team into the postseason and taking them to a regional and doing everything you could to help them win.”
That became a reality for Cannizaro and the Bulldogs on Monday and they were invited to the NCAA Tournament for the 36th time. They will participate at the Hattiesburg Regional this weekend.
Monday’s announcement just adds to the MSU transition in Cannizaro’s mind.
“To see our name pop up on the screen was a really cool feeling and good moment for myself, my family and our baseball program,” Cannizaro said. “There have been so many great coaches and players that have come through here long before anyone here was a part of this.
“Coach Ron Polk did such a great job in building the Mississippi State baseball brand. He put Mississippi State baseball on the national scene. Coach (John) Cohen came in here, continued to raise the bar, continued to recruit at a really high level and competed for a national championship not
that many years ago. I’m just honored to be the next guy in line to continue to keep Mississippi State at the top of the totem pole in terms of college baseball.”
Cannizaro said it’s important for the Bulldogs to strive to do everything they can to
win the Southeastern Conference, get back to Omaha and win the school’s first national championship.
MSU believes it’s a plus to be able to compete in Hattiesburg. If hosting at Dudy Noble Field in Starkville wasn’t going to happen, being able to take its game just a few miles down the road was the next best thing for the Bulldogs.
“Getting to play in the home state, being able to play at a place like Southern Miss on a team like this and against a lot of guys that you know will be super exciting,” State freshman pitcher Denver McQuary said. “Postseason is a different kind of atmosphere and I’m looking forward to playing in it.”