Mississippi State baseball team struggled
The days are numbered for Mississippi State baseball's run as reigning national champion — a run that probably won't feature any postseason play.
Mississippi State (25-27, 9-18 SEC) was swept at No. 16 Texas A&M (33-16, 17-10), including an 8-2 loss Sunday, behind poor late-game execution and defensive struggles. It's the first time since 2015 the Bulldogs have been swept in at least three SEC series in a season.
Here are three takeaways from Mississippi State's series at Texas A&M.
SEC Tournament status: doubtful
A series win against No. 1 Tennessee starting Thursday might not be enough to clinch a spot in the SEC Tournament for Mississippi State.
Kentucky salvaged its series at South Carolina on Sunday, putting UK a game up on MSU for the final spot in the SEC Tournament.
By taking two against Tennessee, Mississippi State would need Kentucky to lose its home series against Auburn to create a tie for the final spot. The tiebreaker would come down to a coin flip as the teams haven't faced each other this season and their records against the conference's top team would be identical.
Alabama entered its finale at Auburn a game up on State and a half game up on Kentucky. State owns the tiebreaker against Alabama thanks to its March series win.
If there's a three-way tie, winning percentage against the SEC'S top team would determine who makes it — starting with Tennessee and working down the order until a team has the edge.
MSU needs the transfer portal
The blueprint was right in front of Mississippi State. All five of Texas A&M'S starters hitting above .280 came to College Station via the transfer portal or junior college.
The Aggies went from a 9-21 SEC record to competing for a West title this season.
Mississippi State coach Chris Lemonis will need to utilize the portal this offseason for improved talent along with finding replacements for a plethora of players who will be drafted.
Pitching will be a point of emphasis as injuries shined a light on the lack of depth State had this season. Landon Sims is likely to be drafted while pitchers such as Brandon Smith are in the latter stages of their collegiate careers and beginning the MLB process could be a better option.
Offensively, Mississippi State has a young core to build upon, but RJ Yeager serves as an example of what the portal can provide.
Yeager joined as a graduate transfer from Mercer and became a rock atop State's lineup. Losing him and other cogs in the lineup (Brad Cumbest, Luke Hancock, Logan Tanner, Kamren James) will be difficult.
But the Aggies proved turnarounds can happen quickly.
It’s easy to forget Hunter Hines’ age
Hunter Hines has provided a power left-handed bat for Mississippi State, and he continued to do so in College Station — going 4-for-8 in the opening two games with a home run.
His maturation as a true freshman shined in the opening two games. Hines grounded out with the bases loaded to end a ninth-inning threat Friday and give A&M an 8-7 win. He came back Saturday to hit 2-for-3 with a home run and a walk in a 9-6 victory.
Hines' approach has made him a cog in the cleanup spot, and it makes it easy to forget his lack of experience.
He'll collect accolades in the coming weeks and become a key component for Mississippi State's future as the team transitions away from the 2021 national championship roster.
Stefan Krajisnik is the Mississippi State beat writer for the Clarion Ledger. Contact him at skrajisnik@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter @skrajisnik3.