The USA BaseBlog is a new web site feature found only on the baseball page at www.usajaguars.com. David Kaye, USA baseball's athletic media relations contact, provides an all-access look into Jag baseball. This is the third entry in a series counting down the 10 best games of the 2009 baseball season.

No. 8 - USA vs. Mississippi State, March 24 (Stanky Field)

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Voted the eighth-best game of the 2009 season is the Jags' midweek home game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs. There are plenty of great reasons for fans to come out to this game, but the greatest reason of all might be because it's the only chance to see the USA players wear one of the best throwback uniforms in the history of college baseball. Yes, at one time the Jags wore those uniforms regularly. The game-worn uniforms will be auctioned off after the game to help raise funds for the USA baseball program.

USA and Mississippi State have played at least once in 31 of the last 33 seasons. The Jags and Bulldogs did not play in 2003 and 2006, but the 2009 meetings will be unique because, for the first time, the teams will play a true home-and-home series. While the name may not seem to make sense with the definition, a home-and-home series means the series is split with one game at each team's home field.

From 1976 through 2000, the Jags and Bulldogs alternated home fields every season, playing two regular season games in each year with the exceptions of 1977 and 1989, when only one game was played. USA held an impressive 10-4 lead in the series after taking a 14-12 victory in the first game of 1983, but MSU won the next 10 straight and the Jags have trailed in the series ever since. The Bulldogs hold a 37-23 series advantage, but USA got its first win against MSU since 2002 with a 6-5 win in Starkville last season.

USA jumped out to a 4-0 lead on a pair of two-run doubles by Ryan Bohanan and Russell Harben. Miles Ethridge came on in relief of starter Chris LaGrow and struggled with his command in 1.1 innings of work. He walked the first two batters, but looked like he might get out of the inning unscathed after retiring the next two batters before a three-run homer by Tyler Moore cut the Jag lead to 4-3. A pair of insurance runs were added on by a Jake Overstreet RBI-triple and a Ray Kruml sacrifice fly, and the Jags led 6-3 heading going to the bottom of the sixth.

Those insurance runs proved necessary when Connor Powers came around to score after a leadoff double, and the lead was cut to 6-4. After 3.0 innings of relief from Travis Johnson, Greg Johnson came on with one out in the bottom of the eighth to try to earn his fifth save of the season. Powers singled, but Johnson got an inning-ending double play off the bat of Sneed to send the game to the ninth. That's when things got interesting. Moore hit a solo homer with one out in the bottom of the ninth to cut the lead to 6-5, then two walks and a single loaded the bases with two outs for Bulldog cleanup hitter Cody Freeman. Greg Johnson got Freeman to pop up on the infield, and Jag second baseman Ryne Jernigan secured the Jags' first win in Starkville since 2001.

The Bulldogs rebounded to split the series by winning the second game 7-6 in 11 innings. USA again jumped out to an early lead with five runs in the top of the second, but MSU plated four unearned runs after a two-out error in the bottom of the third, chasing starter Kevin Nabors from the game. Lance Baxter held the Bulldogs at bay by allowing just one run in 4.1 innings of relief. With the game tied 6-6, Greg Johnson again worked out of a bases-loaded jam -- this time in the eighth inning -- by getting a pop up and a groundout. Travis Johnson came on in relief and worked scoreless ninth and 10th innings, but Sneed hit a walk-off solo homer in the 11th off James Dunning.

While those games might be hard to top, the chance to see two programs with such great history doesn't come around too often. The last time MSU came to Stanky Field was the dedication of the newly-renovated Stanky Field in 2005. That game drew 3,277 fans, and there's no reason that number can't be topped in 2009. In 1985, the fifth-largest crowd in Stanky Field history (3,735) saw the Jags take on Mississippi State.

MSU struggled through a rebuilding year last year, finishing 23-33 and last in the SEC. However, the Bulldogs return 20 lettermen and eight of nine position starters from that squad. They also return 10 of 14 pitchers from a season ago.

The Jags return a few players who have had success against MSU. David Doss is 3-for-11 with a double, two runs and a RBI in three career games against the Bulldogs. He also worked 1.2 innings of relief and allowed just an unearned run in 2007. Sean Laird went 2-for-4 with a double and a run in his lone game, while Overstreet went 3-for-7 with a double, triple, run and two RBI in two games last year. Baxter worked 4.1 innings and allowed one run in one appearance, while Greg Johnson allowed one run in 2.2 innings over both games in 2008. LaGrow started and earned the win with 3.0 shutout innings in the first game.

With the retirement of legendary head coach Ron Polk, MSU alum John Cohen takes over as the Bulldogs skipper in 2009. Cohen spent the past five seasons at the University of Kentucky, where he earned National Coach of the Year honors after leading the Wildcats to their first-ever SEC championship. He is joined by assistant coaches Butch Thompson, who spent the past three seasons at Auburn, and Lane Burroughs, who spent nine years at Southern Miss before heading to Kansas State in 2008. USA won't completely miss out on Polk in 2009, as he has taken the volunteer assistant coach position at UAB. The Jags play the Blazers March 7 in Waco, Texas.

Notes: In the all-time series with the Bulldogs, USA is 10-15 at Stanky Field, 13-20 in Starkville and 0-2 at neutral sites ... Mississippi State junior shortstop/third baseman Jet Butler played at his prep ball at J.M. Tate High School in Cantonment, Fla., the same school that produced Jags David Doss and Brandon Brown ... Polk finished his head coaching career with a record of 1,373-700-2 in 35 seasons ... He logged 1,139 wins at MSU and ranks seventh in NCAA history in all-time wins ... His name adorns the center field wall at Dudy Noble Field, Polk-DeMent Stadium ... USA head coach Steve Kittrell will join Polk as one of 50 NCAA baseball coaches to reach the 1,000 win milestone with two more wins.

TOP 10 GAMES OF 2009 COUNTDOWN

Click below to view previous entries in the USA BaseBlog ...
Dec. 14, 2008 - "Counting Down the Top 10 Games of 2009 -- No. 9 USA vs. Baylor (March 6)
Dec. 11, 2008 - "Counting Down the Top 10 Games of 2009 -- No. 10 USA vs. Troy (May 16)
Dec. 4, 2008 - "Meet Corey Powell"
Nov. 25, 2008 - "Seven for 2010, Plus 10 for 2009"
Nov. 21, 2008 - "Recruiting for 2010" 
Nov. 14, 2008 - "Signing On"