The 2021 College World Series champion will be determined this week. Vanderbilt will take on Mississippi State in the finals, and it will be the third time in the past 10 years the CWS finals will be an all-SEC Championship series. Game 1 of Vanderbilt vs. Mississippi State will take place on Monday at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN 2. Game 2 will be on Tuesday, and if necessary, Game 3 will be played on Wednesday. The final two games will start at 7 p.m. ET and air on ESPN 2.
Vanderbilt has built a dynasty. They are in the championship series for the second consecutive year and fourth time since 2014. Vanderbilt won it all in 2014 and 2019 while losing to Virginia in 2015. However, the Commodores took some heat for reaching the finals this year, advancing after the NCAA Division I Baseball Committee made the decision to declare NC State was forced out due to COVID-19 issues.
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“The NCAA Division I Baseball Committee has declared the Vanderbilt-NC State Men’s College World Series game scheduled for Saturday, June 26 at 1 p.m. Central time a no-contest because of COVID-19 protocols,” the statement said. “This decision was made based on the recommendation of the Championship Medical Team and the Douglas County Health Department. As a result, Vanderbilt will advance to the CWS Finals. The NCAA and the committee regret that NC State’s student-athletes and coaching staff will not be able to continue in the championship in which they earned the right to participate. Because of privacy issues, we cannot provide further details.”
Mississippi State is looking to win its first-ever College World Series title. In 2013, the Bulldogs made it to the finals but lost to UCLA. Despite getting eliminated quickly in the SEC Tournament, Mississippi State got on a roll by going undefeated in the Regionals and beating Notre Dame in the Super Regionals. In the College World Series, the Bulldogs beat, Texas, Virginia, and Texas again in the fourth game after losing to them in Game 3.
“You can’t make the moment bigger than what it is,” MSU’s Game 1 starting pitcher Christian MacLeod said on Sunday, per the team’s official website. “Obviously we’re really excited to be playing for a national championship, playing a quality opponent with Vanderbilt, but we’ve just got to stay calm, cool and collected and do what we’ve done all season; playing together, playing for each other.”
