With Mizzou baseball’s season officially in the books — for all the wrong reasons — I figured it was the perfect time to look back at the worst conference records in each SEC team’s history. Just a little something to lift everyone’s spirits.
Disclaimer: Due to rule changes over the years and teams shifting conferences, not all have played a full 30-game SEC schedule. These records reflect each team’s worst conference finish in a season with at least 24 games.
Mississippi State: 6-24 (2010)
After a disappointing 2009 season, Mississippi State took another step back in 2010, finishing with just six wins — the fewest in program history. Led by then-head coach and current Auburn athletic director John Cohen, the Bulldogs recorded only their second season ever with single-digit SEC wins. While they didn’t finish last in the conference overall, they did place at the bottom of the SEC East and ended the year ranked No. 71 in the RPI — one of the lowest finishes in school history.
Once again, pitching was the major issue. Only two players on the roster made more than 10 starts, and their top arm finished with an ERA over 5.00. As a team, Mississippi State’s ERA ballooned to nearly 7.00 by season’s end. Nearly every pitcher on the staff made at least one start, highlighting the lack of a reliable No. 3 option and the struggles of their two primary starters. Still, the season wasn’t without bright spots — the roster featured two freshmen who would go on to make names for themselves in the MLB: Kendall Graveman and Chris Stratton.
Mississippi State’s lineup stayed relatively consistent throughout the season, with 12 players appearing in at least 40 games and seven logging 50 or more. While their -28 run differential wasn’t the worst in the SEC, the Bulldogs struggled to generate consistent power and production across the lineup. Senior Connor Powers was the clear standout, hitting close to .400 and serving as the team’s offensive anchor. Beyond him, though, the bats were quiet — only one other player hit double-digit home runs, and just five reached double figures in doubles. The team finished with a respectable .296 batting average, but still ranked near the bottom of the SEC in both average and total hits, finishing second-to-last in the conference.