winning ways

John Cohen just might have a future at Mississippi State. There were those who weren’t happy when Cohen was hired as coach four years ago, and when his first two seasons at the helm went badly, the howling got louder. Last year’s run to an NCAA regional title quieted things a bit, but some might have called that a fluke. That certainly can’t be said of the SEC championship Cohen and the Bulldogs bit off on Sunday in Hoover, Ala. The SEC Tournament is tougher to win than any regional; the league is that good. This was State’s first SEC tourney title since 2005, when Ron Polk won the last of his five. Cohen was on two of Polk’s title teams (1987 and ’90) and is the first person to both play for and coach an SEC Tournament champ, according to MSU. The pitching staff Cohen has built carried the 2012 Bulldogs to the championship and should make them a force in the NCAA postseason. Cohen called on 11 pitchers during the SEC run, and they posted a collective 1.96 ERA. That’s hard to beat. … Meanwhile, in Pearl, UAB’s C-USA Tournament title came with a dash of Mississippi flavor. Blazers coach Brian Shoop was a Polk assistant at State for seven years (1983-89), and Polk currently serves as a volunteer assistant to Shoop. Pitchers Ryan Nance and Michael Busby, who combined on a 5-0 shutout of Memphis in Sunday’s title game, are Mississippi natives and Hinds Community College products.