In 1997, when we were a 2-seed in the Starkville Regional, this was the old 8-regional format. So we were the equivalent of today’s “1 seed but not a national seed.” So we’ve really only been in Omaha as a 2/3 seed 3 times….in 1998, 2007, and 2018. Results have been mixed, finishing anywhere from a 3rd place tie to 2 and Q. It’s just not a large enough sample size though make a determination for this discussion. While we were a bit out of our league in 2007, our teams in 1998 and 2018 were quite strong. Watching either of those teams win a national championship at the end shouldn’t have shocked anyone.
Our 1998 team finished one or two games out of last place in the SEC West, and finished with a losing record in conference. Granted, the division was very strong, but we didn’t exactly set the world on fire in the regular season that year.