STARKVILLE — A trio of Arkansas baseball fans sitting in the upper bowl of Dudy Noble Field on Sunday started to collect their belongings after right fielder Kendall Diggs launched a grand slam to give the Razorbacks a six-run lead in the fifth inning.

Even they had no interest in sticking around to watch No. 6 Arkansas’ final beatdown in a sweep of Mississippi State, mirroring the feelings of their maroon and white counterparts. Predictable baseball isn’t thrilling, even for the most loyal fans – and Mississippi State has plenty of those with all three games of the series drawing crowds of at least 9,800.

But this series was just that. Arkansas (36-12, 17-7 SEC) is finding its groove, having won six straight SEC games after Sunday’s 11-6 victory. Mississippi State (24-23, 6-18) is scuffling down the stretch yet again, having lost eight of nine conference matchups since its thrilling mid-April series win against Ole Miss.

A sweep was coming, but crowds continued to arrive – a testament to the pressure looming on coach Chris Lemonis to right the ship.

“Thank you,” Lemonis said Saturday of his message to fans. “I’ve had so many people reach out. I know so many people are pissed. I understand that people are pissed because it’s not acceptable. For the fans that show up every day, the fans that support – and there’s so many of them – we appreciate it.”

An uneasiness is building around the program. Since winning the national title in 2021, Mississippi State is on the verge of missing the SEC Tournament in back-to-back seasons.