Beginning tonight, Ole Miss hosts Mississippi State in a three-game series at Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field.

Any time the Rebels and the Bulldogs get together for sporting competition it is worth watching. But baseball series between the two have that something extra, probably because the drama that unfolds during three straight days and the SEC competition is too captivating to turn away from.

Today’s stormy weather is expected to clear in time for the first pitch in tonight’s game and the action will run through Friday and Saturday afternoon, when clear skies should prevail. The crowds at Swayze will be large, as usual, and the games likely intense.

Since the annual series rotates between Oxford and Starkville, it is only every other year that we get to host the Bulldogs in baseball at home, and this is one of those fortunate seasons.

Welcome to Oxford, MSU.

The contests are sold out, but tickets will be easiest enough to find. And if you can’t make it to the games, tonight’s battle is on national television (ESPNU).

So let the games begin.

And here’s hoping the best team wins. For most of us, that means Ole Miss.