BIRMINGHAM Ala. – The Samford baseball team will play at No. 7 national seed Mississippi State in the first round of the NCAA Starkville Regional Friday at 2 p.m. (CT) on ESPN3, the team learned when the 64-team field was announced Monday.
 
"Obviously, we're excited just to have the opportunity," Samford head coach Casey Dunn said. "Regardless of where you get to go, just to have the chance to play in a regional atmosphere, to see 35 guys get fired up about getting a chance at the postseason, that just makes all of this year worth while."
 
Samford (35-22) advanced to the NCAA Tournament with a thrilling, 8-6 walk-off win over Western Carolina in the championship game of the Southern Conference Tournament Sunday. The Bulldogs took on Mississippi State (40-15) in a midweek game earlier this season, but Dunn said this will be a different experience playing there in a regional atmosphere.
 
"To get a chance to go to Starkville, arguably the best venue in college baseball and to get to see that on a regional level with a packed house is going to be something truly special for our guys," Dunn said.
 
Samford and Mississippi State are no strangers when it comes to regional competition. The teams have met in both of Samford's two previous NCAA Tournament appearances. In 2012, Samford earned a pair of wins over MSU, winning by scores of 5-0 and 3-2. During the 2018 NCAA Tournament, Mississippi State defeated Samford, 9-8. Both of those previous regionals took place in Tallahassee, Fla.
 
 
Campbell and VCU are also in the Starkville Regional, and the two will square off Friday at 7 p.m. (CT). The losers of the two games will play Saturday, followed by a matchup of the winners of Friday's contest. The championship game of the regional will take place Sunday.
 
Tickets for the regional will be available at www.hailstate.com/tickets or by calling 662-325-2600 888-GO-DAWGS. All-session reserved ($120), all-session general admission ($60), single-game reserved ($30) and single-game general admission ($10) will be available.
 
 
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