https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBZJkMm-bw4
Not commonly thought of as a household name, with two outs, two strikes, and down two runs in the bottom of the ninth in an elimination game against Florida State, that all changed for Elijah MacNamee. The junior outfielder for the Mississippi State Bulldogs blasted a three-run home run to win his team the game and keep their College World Series dreams alive.
The Bulldogs went on to win their next elimination game against Samford, 9-8, then followed that up with consecutive wins against Oklahoma to win the Tallahassee Regional, and advance to their third straight Super-Regional tournament. After failing to win it in the past two years, MacNamee and the Bulldogs would not be denied a third time around as they squared off against Vanderbilt for a best of three series.
Finding themselves tied at 8 in the bottom of the ninth with a man on, MacNamee would once again be the hero his team needed, blasting another clutch home run to give his team the victory. Vanderbilt managed to even the series at one apiece after hitting their own walk-off home run in game two, but once again in dramatic fashion, the Bulldogs took game three after a back and forth 11 inning game.
After one of the most exciting roads to the tournament, and with the World Series set to kick off on Saturday, June 16th, Elijah MacNamee, and the Mississippi State Bulldogs will certainly be a team that everyone will be keeping an eye out for as they face Washington in their first game of the CWS.
With that being said, here is a little more info on one of the biggest heroes of the tournament so far.
High School: Cypress Ranch
https://www.instagram.com/p/3aVttFwhRP/?taken-by=elijahmacnamee
A two-time state champion in high school, Elijah MacNamee was a strong college prospect. Ranked in Perfect Game’s top 500 prospects graduating in the 2015 class, MacNamee was considered a top-ten outfielder in the state of Texas and was an honorable mention for an All-American nod.
Before going on to play for the Bulldogs, MacNamee had a brief stop at Blinn College, a Junior College in Brenham, Texas that was once home to future national champion and NFL star Cam Newton.
College Career: Mississippi State
After spending time at Blinn College, MacNamee came to Mississippi State as the No. 27 ranked junior college recruit in 2016. In 2017, MacNamee became an immediate contributor to the Bulldogs. Although he wasn’t a full-time starter, he saw action in 57 games and carried a .267 avg with 22 RBI’s. MacNamee has proved to be a key contributor on this years Mississippi State team as he is carrying a .318 avg with 42 RBI’s and eight home-runs.
As the 2018 College World Series grows ever closer, the question on everyone’s mind is whether or not Elijah MacNamee and the Mississippi State Bulldogs can continue their magical run into Omaha.
Will MacNamee be able to provide us with even more late-game heroics? Or will this be as far as the Bulldogs go as they face a hungry Washington Huskies team entering their first College World Series in program history? We find out this Saturday.