Rippee Writes: Ramey wins, MSU advances, NC State's nightmarish end
Mississippi golf shines, hoops schedule released and Mississippi State is set to play for a national title.
A happy Monday to you all. We’ll have a new podcast out tomorrow with a golf-related guest that I am pretty excited about, so be on the lookout for that. We’ve got a ton to dive into today.
NC State ousted from Omaha due to COVID outbreak
As the world shifts back toward normalcy, we’re occasionally reminded that we still that we aren’t **quite** there yet, even if you think we should be. If you missed it over the weekend, NC State was in the winner’s bracket in the College World Series and had two chances to win one game to get to the national championship series. All the Wolfpack had to do was not let Vanderbilt beat them twice. Then, their worst collective nightmare unfolded. Two unvaccinated players tested positive for the virus, which led to vaccinated players being tested and produced four more positive tests coming from that. Once the team sifted through all of the protocols and their Friday afternoon first pitch was delayed, NC State took the field with 13 available players and was stifled by Kumar Rocker. Early Saturday morning, the NCAA retroactively ruled the game a no contest and removed NC State from the tournament. It’s an absolutely gut-wrenching way for those kids’ season to end.
You don’t subscribe to this for political opinions and I have zero desire to offer any. But I do have a few thoughts about the entire ordeal and how it might affect things going forward.
I cannot begin to express how horribly I feel for every single one of those players. They went from being in the driver’s seat of winning a national championship to their season, and in some cases, careers, being over in less than 24 hours. There’s no proper way to articulate how miserable of a feeling that must be, and it’s a crying shame they had to endure it. The Wolfpack authored quite the story in this postseason and the final chapter was prematurely written and cemented by someone other than them. I don’t know what the right decision was, but I have a hard time with the idea that there wasn’t a way to give them a chance to play, given the schedule finagling we have seen in sports over the last year. Maybe I am wrong, but it just sucks all around.
I’m not going to pitch a fit about some of the optics being bad, or how the entire protocol system and process makes little sense, because the truth of the matter is, no matter what you believe about the severity of the pandemic, vaccinations and everything society has endured over the last 15 months, the only constant has been a complete lack of uniformity from the start. Little has made sense and there still seem to be more questions than answers over a year into it. Why are untested fans allowed to pack in shoulder-to-shoulder to watch, but the guys on the field are subject to strict protocols? You know why. We all know why. Money. Why were vaccinated players tested? No clue. I am not a doctor. But it is a valid question. There are a million questions about the process and how a decision was made not to let NC State even try to compete, short-handed or not, and precious few answers that make rational sense. It’s become impossible to discuss these things without politics hijacking the conversation, which is unfortunate, because now all we’re left with is a heartbroken group of guys searching for answers they won’t find. It sucks.
What I think I know is this: this won’t be the last time this happens in college sports over the next six months, and by that, I mean, look out for football. It’s becoming more clear that having your entire team (or close to it) fully vaccinated will be a competitive advantage this fall. I doubt conferences will be as eager to alter schedules and go the extra-mile to make things work a year removed from this thing, particularly with vaccines now readily available. Again, I am not saying this is right or wrong, or that you should agree or disagree with it, I am just pointing out that it will absolutely factor into this coming football season. Be prepared.
This was a terrible situation, but it’s one you can learn from because of the likelihood that it foreshadows the future.
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Ramey wins Korn Ferry Event in Maine
Seven days after locking up his PGA Tour Card with a top-15 finish at the Korn Ferry event in, Wichita, Kansas, Chad Ramey notched his first career professional win at the Live and Work in Maine Open. The Fulton, Mississippi, native held onto a one-shot over the final nine holes, and was rock solid down the stretch with eight pars and a birdie. Ramey fired a pair of weekend 68s after a 67-65 start. He successfully defended the 54-hole lead, did not have a bogey in the final round and and made just one over the last 34 holes of the golf tournament.
The win was vintage Ramey. He’s been a model of consistency over the last 18 months in this pandemic-induced wraparound Korn Ferry season. Ramey missed just three cuts in 36 events and has finished in the top 25 or better 26 times. The fact that he secured his PGA Tour Card without winning a tournament speaks to his consistency more than any other metric. Well, that and his short game. Ramey ranks 126th on the Korn Ferry Tour in driving distance at an average of 293.6 yards. That’s short in today’s game. But he’s 2nd in driving accuracy, 6th in scrambling, 20th in putting and 8th in birdies per round. Lying Four’s Will Bardwell had a great Q/A with Ramey last year in which he talked about a shift in his practice focus that heavily favored working on his short game. It’s no coincidence that this ascent to the winner’s circle followed.
Ramey is a perfect example of consistency winning out in this brutal game. There’s something to be said for finishing second in golf. It’s not just horseshoes and hand grenades. He notched nine top 10 finishes and was Tour bound before this win. Ramey noted in his press conference that he only won one tournament in college. Think about that. Ramey turned pro in 2014 has two total wins since, and yet, he realized his lifelong dream and is headed to the PGA Tour. Often overlooked but never outworked, this is a long time coming for the Mississippian, and so well-deserved. He’s the second Mississippi native to lock up PGA Tour status for next season and there are few others in the mix.
Here are some stats for your perusal:
There have been 38 Korn Ferry Tour events in this wraparound season. Four of them won by Mississippians.
Ramey is the third Mississippian to win on this tour this year.
Mississippi has four guys in the top 60 of the points list and three in the top 35.
There are more coming, too. Like incoming LSU freshman and West Point, MS, native Cohen Trolio, who just won the Mississippi State Amateur by four shots. Trolio made it to the semifinals of the 2019 U.S. Amateur — the largest amateur tournament in the world — as 16-year-old. Oh, and did I mention he was knocked out by eventual champion Andy Ogletree, who is from Little Rock, Mississippi? The present is bright and the future is brighter.
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Ole Miss Hoops announces home nonconference slate
Ole Miss announced their home nonconference slate in hoops. Below is a 4,000 word breakdown of each opponent. Just kidding, it’s June.
Ole Miss Basketball 2021-22 Home Non-Conference Schedule
Nov. 9 New Orleans
Nov. 12 Charleston Southern
Nov. 26 Mississippi Valley State
Nov. 30 Rider
Dec. 4 Memphis
Dec. 15 Middle Tennessee
Dec. 18 Dayton
Dec. 21 Samford
Jan. 29 Kansas State
Mississippi State heads to national title series
For the second time in nine years, Mississippi State Baseball will play for the national title. Ole Miss has played in Omaha once in that span. Yes, I know, an aggressive way to start this segment, but it doesn’t make it any less true. The Bulldogs are a model of consistency and have been for the better part of the decade. I often wonder how much their success — both against Ole Miss and in the postseason — affect Mike Bianco’s approval rating. Should the number one thing Bianco is judged on be beating Mississippi State? Of course not, but when you’re three for your last 21 against your rival, or whatever the number is, and that rival has gone to Omaha three times in three years, it’s not insignificant.
We had a longer discussion on the podcast with Michael Borkey about this very topic last week. It led to us talking about things that aren’t tangible, like culture and mindset. It may be harder to formulate an argument based on these things, but it doesn’t make them untrue. I’m not suggesting Ole Miss has a bad or toxic culture. Bianco’s recruited well and largely recruited good kids. It’s not a bad culture, but Mississippi State’s is better. For whatever reason, the Bulldogs’ brand has become winning when their back is up against the wall and expecting the best outcome, rather than the worst.
Would the crowd at Dudy Noble Field and the players in the Bulldog dugout be tight up 1-0 in the fifth inning of a winner-take-all home regional game against Tennessee Tech? I doubt it. They’d expect to add five more and cement another trip to Omaha. Maybe that’s not a fair example and maybe I am just rambling, but it’s been interesting to watch how two schools with similar advantages, financial support and fan interest have fared on the sport’s biggest stages over the last two decades. State’s last three openers in Omaha have been one-run wins. The Bulldogs erased a 4-0 deficit against Virginia after being no-hit for six innings. They won in walk-off fashion to get to the championship series. Their brand has become ‘win by any means necessary and do it often’ while Ole Miss’ has become ‘close, but no cigar.’
Do the Rebels ever shirk that and break down the door more consistently? Who knows, but it’d be hard to deny the pressure to do so being even greater with what their in-state neighbors have accomplished over the last decade.
On the horizon:
at least two podcasts, maybe three
A shorter week of newsletters as I am headed on vacation at the end of the week
We’ll have golf, hoops, football and whatever else arises this week in writing and on the pod.
That’s all from me today. Thanks for being a loyal subscriber. Send to your friends and well them to join the fun. Back with more soon.