35 home dates, but no Governor’s Cup

There will be no Governor’s Cup college baseball game between Mississippi State and Ole Miss for the second straight year.

After the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic suspended and ultimately canceled the remainder of the 2020 season, the Governor’s Cup game was not played last spring.

Mississippi State and Ole Miss announced on Tuesday in a joint statement that circumstances surrounding the pandemic would once again prevent the Governor’s Cup outing from happening again in 2021.

“Due to scheduling and logistical challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ole Miss and Mississippi State have agreed that the Governor’s Cup game in Pearl will not be played this year,” the statement said. “While we are disappointed for our loyal fans in the Jackson area, we look forward to seeing our storied rivalry renewed during the scheduled three-game series April 16-18.”

The Southeastern Conference announced the 2021 baseball schedule on Tuesday and the Bulldogs released the remainder of their slate also. State’s 2021 schedule contains 35 home dates, 16 road outings and four contests at neutral sites.

The Bulldogs will open the season with three games at Globe Life Field, which is the home of the Texas Rangers, in Arlington, Texas on February 19-21. Details of that event will be released later.

One of the highlights of the early MSU schedule is a home series against Tulane on February 26-28. The Bulldogs also host Tennessee Tech, Grambling, Louisiana Lafayette, Eastern Michigan and Samford in March.

MSU will be going on the road for the third time in the last five league seasons when it plays at LSU for a threegame set on March 19-21. Along with the trip to LSU to open SEC play, the Bulldogs host Arkansas on March 26-28 and Kentucky on April 1-3. After MSU travels to Auburn on April 9-11, it hosts rival Ole Miss on April 16-18 and makes the trip to Nashville, Tennessee, to play Vanderbilt on April 23-25.

State welcomes Texas A&M to Dudy Noble Field to close April and open May on April 30-May 2, then makes the tip to South Carolina on May 7-9, hosts Missouri on May 14-16 and wraps up the regular season with the short journey to Alabama on May 20-22.