Dogs in the polls: Where MSU now sits after series loss at Vandy

Bulldogs didn't fall far in the rankings after tough weekend against Commodores

Mississippi State went toe to toe with Vanderbilt over the weekend in what might have very well been a postseason preview. However MSU came up on the wrong end of things, dropping two out of three in the series.

The Bulldogs now sit at 29-10 overall and 11-7 in SEC play following the series loss to the Commodores. So where did the last few days of action land the Bulldogs in this week's national polls? Well, let's have a look.

Before getting there, here are a few weekly reminders. It's useful to note there are six national polls recognized in Mississippi State baseball's game notes issued to the media for each contest. It's those six polls we'll keep an eye on in this space each week – the D1Baseball poll, the Baseball America poll, the Perfect Game poll, the USA Today poll, the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper poll and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) poll.

Also, a frequent question is, 'Well which poll really matters?' The short answer here is, 'None of them'. The only thing that truly matters is what the baseball committee members that put together the NCAA Tournament field think. And those individuals don't release a poll.

Another item that might be notable is different media outlets or TV broadcasts sometimes use different polls. Here at Cowbell Corner, it's the D1Baseball poll that is relied on in all articles, previews, etc. due to the level of trust in that organization's opinion.

OK, now that all of that is out of the way, here is where Mississippi State sits in the aforementioned six polls in the latest rankings released Monday, April 26:

• D1 Baseball - No. 6 (previously No. 4)
• Baseball America - No. 4 (previously No. 2)
• USA Today - No. 5 (previously No. 4)
• Perfect Game - No. 5 (previously No. 4)
• Collegiate Baseball Newspaper - No. 4 (no change from last week)
• NCBWA - No. 5 (previously No. 4)

(Photo courtesy of Mississippi State athletics)

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