[5/11/04]Last weekend saw the Southeastern Conference’s two Mississippi schools head in completely different directions.

Ole Miss (35-15, 14-10 SEC) battled to take two of three games from Arkansas (33-16, 16-8) to cut the Razorbacks lead in the Western Division to two games.

Meanwhile, Mississippi State (28-21, 8-16) was swept by Georgia (33-15, 15-9). The latter Bulldogs extended their win streak to 12 games at the expense of the former Bulldogs, who have lost six straight. All three games this weekend were close, with a combined score of 23-16.

With the season winding down only six conference games remain the window on Mississippi State’s postseason chances is closing rapidly.

Eight teams will advance to the SEC Tournament, including the top two teams from each division and four at-large bids based on conference winning percentage. As it stands, Mississippi State is tied with Alabama for the 10th-best record in the conference, four games back from both Tennessee and Vanderbilt.

“Our backs are against the wall,” MSU coach Ron Polk said. “We’ve been to the SEC Tournament 17 straight years. We’d like to make it 18, but it’s going to be difficult.

“We’re just going to have to play very, very good.”

The Bulldogs will host Arkansas at home this weekend and will travel to Alabama the following weekend to close out the season.

Even if they sweep all six games, they will need a little help from Tennessee or Vanderbilt, which both sit comfortably ahead.

Although it likely will miss the SEC Tournament, Mississippi State is aiming for a bid to the 64-team NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs are 20-5 in non-conference play and still sit at 31st in the RPI, which measures teams’ strength of schedule along with their record.

“We realize that mathematically our chances at the SEC Tournament are slim,” Polk said. “But last season Florida didn’t make the SEC Tournament, but still got a bid to the NCAA Tournament. That’s what we’re hoping for.”

The Rebels, on the other hand, helped themselves out by taking two of three in the Arkansas series.

On Friday, Ole Miss got a stellar effort from SEC pitcher of the week Mark Holliman, who threw a 98-pitch, three-hit shutout and faced the minimum 27 batters in a 1-0 win. The Rebels then bounced back from a 3-1 loss on Saturday to win Sunday’s game 5-3.

And they are nipping at the heels of the Razorbacks, but with a tough schedule on the horizon.

On Friday, Ole Miss will travel to Eastern Division-leading Florida (36-13, 16-8) for a three-game series, followed by a return to Oxford to finish with rival LSU (36-13, 14-10).

“We play two teams ranked in the top 10, so it’s not an easy road,” Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco said. “But we control our own destiny, rather than hoping another team beats them.”

Ole Miss had dropped eight of 10, including a six-game losing streak, before last weekend’s series.

Now the Rebels feel confident they have their game back. If all goes well, the Rebels also have a bigger prize in sight hosting an NCAA Regional.

“We’re in good shape if we win. And that’s what it’s all about,” Bianco said. “All the goals that we’ve had since the beginning of the year are all intact, but now it comes time to make them real.

“The only way that you can do that is win.”