MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE SECOND EXTRAORDINARY SESSION 2013

By: Senator(s) Ward, Jackson To: Rules (15th), Browning

SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 513

1 A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION COMMENDING AND CONGRATULATING THE 2 2013 MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY "BULLDOGS" BASEBALL TEAM AND 3 COACH JOHN COHEN FOR THE MOST SUCCESSFUL SEASON IN MSU BASEBALL 4 HISTORY. 5 HAIL STATE !!! 6 WHEREAS, in a season of many first the 2013 Mississippi State 7 Bulldogs Baseball Team fell two wins shy of history. Mississippi

8 State (51-20) swept through its bracket and entered the finals 9 with UCLA on a six-game winning streak. UCLA (49-17), halted 10 MSU's run at the school's first National Title with an 8-0 victory 11 in Game 2 of the College World Series Championship Series in 12 Omaha, Nebraska, on June 25, 2013. MSU began the season with 17 13 straight wins, and despite the finish, it was a groundbreaking 14 season for the Bulldogs, whose 51 wins were the second most in

15 school history. MSU's runner-up finish in the College World 16 Series is the best ever, surpassing the 1985 team, which finished 17 third; and 18 WHEREAS, the Mississippi State University "Bulldogs" Baseball 19 Team clinched its ninth appearance in the College World Series S. C. R. No. 513 *SS01/R10.1* ~ OFFICIAL ~ N1/2 132E/SS01/R10.1 PAGE 1 (tb\tb) 20 with a dramatic 6-5 win over No. 6 National Seed Virginia on 21 Monday, June 10, 2013, at Davenport Field to clinch the 22 Charlottesville Super Regional. With that victory, the Bulldogs 23 swept the Super Regional best-of-three series and won its 24 second-ever Super Regional in five-career tries; and 25 WHEREAS, Mississippi State University advanced to the College

26 World Series for the first time since 2007 and played for a first 27 time in the new College World Series home, TD Ameritrade Park. 28 Mississippi State University swept No. 3 National Seed Oregon 29 State in the opening round of the eight-team double-elimination 30 College World Series. The win placed MSU in its first College 31 World Series final in program history. The Bulldogs had won three 32 in a row. No previous MSU team had won more than two games in

33 Omaha. With one swing of the bat, Hunter Renfroe rewrote 34 Mississippi State history. His fifth-inning swing sent the ball 35 over the left field wall at TD Ameritrade Park for a three-run 36 homer, propelling the Bulldogs to their first-ever appearance in 37 the College World Series final with a 4-1 win over Oregon State;

38 and 39 WHEREAS, the Bulldogs were in the finals after receiving an

40 at-large bid to the Tournament. MSU bounced national seeds 41 Virginia (super regional) and Oregon State (twice in College World 42 Series). Mississippi State suffered one loss since its exit in 43 the Tournament. Central Arkansas took a

S. C. R. No. 513 *SS01/R10.1* ~ OFFICIAL ~ 132E/SS01/R10.1 PAGE 2 (tb\tb) 44 game from the Bulldogs in the Starkville Regional and was the only 45 team to beat MSU this postseason; and 46 WHEREAS, in his fifth season in Starkville, John Cohen led 47 the Bulldogs to their first College World Series Final. It's the 48 third straight season Cohen guided MSU to the NCAA Tournament. 49 Cohen, as a player and coach, has had a part in three of the

50 Bulldogs' four seasons with as many wins. The trip to the College 51 World Series marked Coach John Cohen's first trip back to the 52 College World Series since he played for Mississippi State 53 University in 1990; and 54 WHEREAS, a trio of Mississippi State players were selected in 55 the third day of Major League Baseball's 2013 First-Year Player 56 Draft. The latest Diamond Dogs to be tabbed in the pro draft are

57 pitcher Evan Mitchell of Marietta, Georgia, infielder/pitcher 58 Daryl Norris of Fairhope, Alabama, and pitcher Luis Pollorene of 59 Laredo, Texas. Mitchell (0-1, 3.74) was selected in the 13th 60 round by the Cincinnati Reds (405th overall pick), while Norris 61 (.219/0-0, 6.23) went to the Detroit Tigers in the 22nd round

62 (666th) pick), and Pollorena (6-3, 4.32) was taken by the Texas 63 Rangers in the 23rd round (700th pick). Mississippi State

64 University has had seven players taken in this year's draft, 65 including four in the first 10 rounds. A school record - eight 66 Diamond Dogs had their name called during the 2003 draft; and 67 WHEREAS, the 2013 Diamond Dog Roster is: Demarcus Henderson, 68 Alex Detz, Ben Bracewell, Daryl Norris, Derrick Armstrong, Jacob

S. C. R. No. 513 *SS01/R10.1* ~ OFFICIAL ~ 132E/SS01/R10.1 PAGE 3 (tb\tb) 69 Robson, Sam Frost, Tyler Fullerton, C.T. Bradford, Adam Frazier, 70 Brett Pirtle, Jonathan Holder, Matthew Britton, Nick Ammirati, 71 Chad Girodo, Daniel Garner, Jacob Lindgren, Luis Pollorena, Kyle 72 Hann, Brandon Woodruff, Nick Flair, Cody Brown, John Marc Shelly, 73 Mitch Slauter, Trevor Fitts, Trey Porter, Preston Brown, Hunter 74 Renfroe, Wes Rea, Zach Randolph, Will Cox, Anthony Anello, Wes

75 Stokes, Myles Gentry, Ross Mitchell, Kendall Graveman and Evan 76 Mitchell; Head Coach John Cohen; Associate Head Coach Butch 77 Thompson; Assistant Coach ; Coordinator of Baseball 78 Operations Tyler Bratton; Coordinator of Camps Jake Wells; and 79 Assistant Strength Coach Greg Drye; and 80 WHEREAS, for Mississippi State fans, baseball is a great 81 tradition and one that matters all year long, year after year,

82 decade after decade. The goal is always to win the SEC, always to 83 make it to NCAA Regional play, and always to advance to the 84 College World Series. They love Field and the Left 85 Field Lounge. They love the energy of the record crowds that 86 gather there. The 2013 sojourn to Omaha by Coach John Cohen and

87 the MSU Bulldogs has raised an already storied baseball history to 88 new and unprecedented heights. They were closer to a major sports

89 NCAA National Championship than MSU has ever been - closer even 90 than the storied 1985 MSU Squad, closer to an undisputed NCAA 91 Division 1 major sport National Championship than any Mississippi 92 university had been since 1960. For Mississippi State this has 93 been a dream baseball season. It has been about a MSU baseball

S. C. R. No. 513 *SS01/R10.1* ~ OFFICIAL ~ 132E/SS01/R10.1 PAGE 4 (tb\tb) 94 team that has earned a program-best 3.38 grade point average this 95 year while winning 51 games to get to the College World Series 96 Championship Series. As Jack Cristil liked to say, "wrap it in 97 Maroon and White": 98 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF 99 MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That

100 we do hereby commend and congratulate the 2013 Mississippi State 101 University "Bulldogs" Baseball Team and Coach John Cohen for 102 sweeping the Charlottesville Super Regional against National Seed 103 Virginia and advancing to its first College World Series 104 appearance since 2007, and for sweeping into the College World 105 Series Finals which represented the most successful season in MSU 106 baseball history, and we extend our best wishes for future

107 success. 108 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be presented to 109 Coach Cohen and Mississippi State University President Mark Keenum 110 for the team, forwarded to the Board of Trustees of State 111 Institutions of Higher Learning, and made available to the Capitol

112 Press Corps.

S. C. R. No. 513 *SS01/R10.1* ~ OFFICIAL ~ 132E/SS01/R10.1 ST: Congratulate 2013 Mississippi State PAGE 5 (tb\tb) University "Bulldogs" Baseball Team for historic season.