Why are Ole Miss and Mississippi State playing a midweek game

Governor's cup. It's played annually.

interesting. i had no idea.

Opposite of Game of the Century this year

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Just looked at the Ole Miss schedule and it says yall are playing your rival in Pearl only a week after the series. What's going on there?

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They have been playing a neutral game every year since 1980. It was first named the Mayor's trophy, and played in Jackson.
Replaced by the Governor's cup in 2007.

LINK

It is a tradition to get both teams playing in a "Big game" atmosphere in the Jackson area. 1980-2006 it was the Mayor's Trophy game played at Smith-Wills Stadium in Jackson. When the Braves AA team built the stadium in Pearl, it moved there and became the Governor's Cup.

It's been fairly competitive. State leads the special game 22-19.

It's just a midweek game.

The major baseball Mississippi schools(Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Southern Miss) all play each other in a midweek game in Pearl(Jackson metro Double AA minor league stadium).

Now why schedule it so close to the SEC series? Idk usually it's a little more spread out. But no one has a problem with playing it since it usually helps your SOS and is a fun game environment as a neutral site game.

Oregon and Oregon State also play non conference bonus games in baseball.

I went to games there at Smith Wills stadium as a kid and later at Trustmark park

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I’ve never actually been to a Gov Cup/Mayor’s Trophy game but it always draws huge crowds from the Jackson area. And it’s a boost to your nonconference SOS, it beats playing some lower conference nobody with an RPI in the 200’s.

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I've been to a couple when I've been around Jackson for work.

One stark contrast is the Jackson area fans' baseball etiquette level. I paid decent money (not crazy) to sit behind home plate last year and the crew in front of and around me seemed more interested in standing up and talking to everybody who walked by and going to the concession stand multiple times an inning than watching the game.

It definitely has more of a high school football jamboree atmosphere than an SEC baseball atmosphere.

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Now why schedule it so close to the SEC series? Idk usually it's a little more spread out.

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Yep. Except last year it was on the Tuesday immediately after the weekend SEC series. Four games in a row. That was weird.

Had nothing to do with the mayor not coming. When the new ballpark was built in Pearl the game moved across the river. Thus it was no longer in Jackson so it was no longer the Mayor’s Cup.
They created a new name (Governor’s Cup).
It has been played each year except 2020 & 2021. COVID OBVIOUSLY killed it in 20 and then scheduling issues in 21.

It is a fun non conference game, very competitive and beats the heck out of playing a pitiful team during the week. Always draws a sellout crowd. A win-win all the way around.