2026 Mississippi State Bulldogs baseball team

2026 Mississippi State Bulldogs baseball
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 4
D1Baseball.comNo. 6
Record20–4 (4–2 SEC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Kevin McMullan
  • Matt Kirby
  • Justin Parker
Home stadiumDudy Noble Field
2026 Southeastern Conference baseball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 2 Texas  ‍‍‍ 4 – 2   .667 20 – 3   .870
No. 6 Mississippi State  ‍‍‍ 4 – 2   .667 20 – 4   .833
No. 5 Auburn  ‍‍‍ 4 – 2   .667 19 – 4   .826
No. 19 Kentucky  ‍‍‍ 4 – 2   .667 19 – 4   .826
No. 7 Georgia  ‍‍‍ 4 – 2   .667 20 – 5   .800
No. 8 Oklahoma  ‍‍‍ 4 – 2   .667 19 – 5   .792
No. 4 Arkansas  ‍‍‍ 4 – 2   .667 18 – 7   .720
Florida  ‍‍‍ 3 – 3   .500 19 – 6   .760
No. 18 Ole Miss  ‍‍‍ 3 – 3   .500 19 – 6   .760
Alabama  ‍‍‍ 3 – 3   .500 18 – 7   .720
No. 21 Tennessee  ‍‍‍ 3 – 3   .500 17 – 7   .708
No. 25 Texas A&M  ‍‍‍ 2 – 4   .333 18 – 5   .783
LSU ‍‍‍ 2 – 4   .333 16 – 9   .640
Vanderbilt  ‍‍‍ 2 – 4   .333 13 – 12   .520
Missouri  ‍‍‍ 1 – 5   .167 16 – 8   .667
South Carolina  ‍‍‍ 1 – 5   .167 13 – 12   .520
As of March 23, 2026[1]
Rankings from D1Baseball

The 2026 Mississippi State Bulldogs baseball team represents Mississippi State University in the 2026 NCAA Division I baseball season. The Bulldogs play their home games at Dudy Noble Field, and they are led by first year head coach Brian O'Connor.

Previous season

Further information: 2025 Mississippi State Bulldogs baseball team

The Bulldogs finished 36–23 and 15–15 in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) to finish 11th place in the SEC.

Preseason

SEC Awards and honors

In February, the SEC named its 2026 Preseason All-SEC Teams and awards.[2]

Preseason All-SEC Team
Player No. Position Team Class

Coaching staff

2026 Mississippi State Bulldogs coaching staff[3]
Name Position Seasons at
Mississippi State		 Alma Mater
Brian O'Connor Head coach 1 Creighton (1993)
Kevin McMullen Associate head coach 1 IUP (1990)
Matt Kirby Assistant coach 1 William & Mary (2003)
Justin Parker Assistant pitching coach 3 Wright State (2012)

SEC Coaches' Poll

In the SEC Preseason Coaches' Poll released in February, the team was predicted to finish third in the SEC.[2]

Coaches' Poll
Prediction Team Votes (1st)
1 LSU 231 (9)
2 Texas 214 (1)
3 Mississippi State 205 (4)
4 Arkansas 203 (2)
5 Auburn 175
6 Tennessee 162
7 Florida 156
8 Vanderbilt 151
9 Georgia 133
10 Ole Miss 110
11 Kentucky 99
12 Alabama 87
13 Texas A&M 86
14 Oklahoma 84
15 South Carolina 49
16 Missouri 31
2026 Mississippi State Bulldogs baseball team
Players Coaches
# Pos. Name B/T Height Weight Year Home town
2 OF Jacob Parker L/R 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Fr Purvis
3 INF Ace Reese L/R 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Jr Canton
4 LHP Tomas Valincius L/L 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 225 lb (102 kg) So Lockport
5 OF Aidan Teel L/R 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 200 lb (91 kg) RS Jr Mahwah
6 OF James Nunnallee L/R 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) So San Diego
7 UTL Reed Stallman L/R 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Gr Robins
8 LHP Charlie Foster R/L 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 205 lb (93 kg) So Snellville
9 INF Ryder Woodson R/R 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) So Naples
10 INF Drew Wyers R/R 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Sr Columbus
11 RHP Duke Stone L/R 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 235 lb (107 kg) So Uvalda
12 UTL Chone James R/R 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) So Myrtle Beach
13 LHP William Kirk L/L 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 205 lb (93 kg) RS Fr Saddle River
14 OF Vytas Valincius R/R 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Gr Lockport
15 UTL Tanner Beliveau R/R 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Fr Petal
16 RHP Braden Booth R/R 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 200 lb (91 kg) RS Fr Madison
17 RHP Parker Rhodes R/R 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr Greenfield
18 UTL Noah Sullivan R/R 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Gr Orlando
19 C Andrew Raymond L/R 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 205 lb (93 kg) So Middletown
20 LHP Maddox Miller L/L 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr Hattiesburg
21 C Robert Fortenberry R/R 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Jr Wallingford
22 INF Nick Frontino R/R 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Fr Bonita Springs
23 C Jackson Owen R/R 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Gr Starkville
24 LHP Jack Bauer L/L 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Fr Frankfort
25 RHP Chris Billingsley Jr. R/R 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Jr Brent
27 UTL Peter Mershon R/R 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Fr Taylors
28 RHP Ryan McPherson R/R 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 205 lb (93 kg) So Hollywood
29 RHP Maddox Webb R/R 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Jr Summerville
30 RHP Jackson Logar R/R 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Jr Medford
31 UTL Charlie Wortham R/R 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Fr St. Peters
32 RHP Peyton Fowler R/R 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Jr Gluckstadt
33 UTL Blake Bevis R/R 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Sr Brentwood
34 UTL Gehrig Frei S/R 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Gr Alpharetta
35 RHP Ben Davis R/R 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Sr Booneville
36 RHP Tyler Pitzer L/R 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Jr McDonald
37 RHP Brendan Sweeney R/R 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Sr Edmond
38 OF Bryce Chance R/R 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Gr Ridgeland
39 RHP Patrick Spencer Jr. R/R 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 215 lb (98 kg) RS So Greenville
42 RHP Jack Gleason R/R 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 200 lb (91 kg) RS Fr Germantown
45 LHP Dane Burns R/L 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 215 lb (98 kg) So Celina
47 RHP JT Schnoor R/R 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 225 lb (102 kg) RS Jr Pascagoula
49 INF Gatlin Sanders L/R 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Sr Madison
Head coach

Brian O'Connor

Assistant coach(es)

Kevin McMullan
Matt Kirby
Justin Parker

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured
  • Current redshirt

Roster
Last update: February 16, 2026

Offseason

2025 MLB draft

Main article: 2025 Major League Baseball draft

Several Mississippi State players from the previous 2025 Mississippi State Bulldogs baseball season were selected in the 2025 MLB draft and departed the team ahead of the 2026 regular season.

Round Overall pick Player Position MLB Team Source
4 134 Pico Kohn Pitcher New York Yankees [4]
8 235 Evan Siary Pitcher Texas Rangers
9 262 Karson Ligon Pitcher Toronto Blue Jays
10 291 Hunter Hines First baseman Washington Nationals
11 333 Luke Dotson Pitcher Arizona Diamondbacks
13 391 Nate Williams Pitcher Chicago Cubs
15 461 Jacob Pruitt Pitcher Philadelphia Phillies

Schedule and results

2026 Mississippi State Bulldogs baseball game log
Regular season (20–4)
March (9–4)
Date Opponent Rank Site/stadium Score Win Loss Save TV Attendance Overall record SEC record
March 1 vs. No. 1 UCLA No. 4 Globe Life Field • Arlington, TX L 7–810 Easton Hawk (1–1) Ben Davis (0–1) – FloCollege 8,903 11–1 –
March 3 at No. 10 Southern Miss No. 4 Pete Taylor Park • Hattiesburg, MS L 6–7 Josh Och (3–0) Maddox Miller (1–1) Camden Clark (4) ESPN+ 5,716 11–2 –
March 5 [1] Lipscomb No. 4 Dudy Noble Field • Starkville, MS W 8–3 Ryan McPherson (3–0) Alexander Llinas (0–2) Ben Davis (2) SECN+ 10,057 12–2 –
March 6 [1] Lipscomb No. 4 Dudy Noble Field • Starkville, MS W 9–4 Tyler Pitzer (1–0) Collin Bosley-Smith (0–1) – SECN+ 11,499 13–2 –
March 7 [1] Lipscomb No. 4 Dudy Noble Field • Starkville, MS W 26–07 Duke Stone (3–0) Jackson Lee (1–1) – SECN+ 10,375 14–2 –
Hancock Whitney Classic
March 10 vs. Tulane No. 3 Keesler Federal Park • Biloxi, MS W 11–7 Dane Burns (1–0) Tom Vincent (1–1) – SECN+ 6,112 15–2 –
March 13 at No. 5 Arkansas No. 3 Baum–Walker Stadium • Fayetteville, AR L 4–5 Cole Gibler (2–0) Maddox Miller (1–2) – SECN+ 10,464 15–3 0–1
March 14 at No. 5 Arkansas (DH-1) No. 3 Baum–Walker Stadium • Fayetteville, AR W 7–2 Tomas Valincius (4–0) Hunter Dietz (2–2) – SECN 10,790 16–3 1–1
March 14 at No. 5 Arkansas (DH-2) No. 3 Baum–Walker Stadium • Fayetteville, AR L 3–7 Ethan McElvain (3–0) Tyler Pitzer (1–1) – SECN+ 9,653 16–4 1–2
March 15 at No. 5 Arkansas No. 3 Baum–Walker Stadium • Fayetteville, AR moved to March 14, impending weather
March 17 Jackson State No. 6 Dudy Noble Field • Starkville, MS W 17–17 Parker Rhodes (1–0) Jo Williams (0–2) – SECN+ 7,967 17–4 –
March 20 Vanderbilt No. 6 Dudy Noble Field • Starkville, MS W 4–2 Jack Gleason (2–0) Connor Fennell (2–1) Ben Davis (3) SECN 14,649 18–4 2–2
March 21 Vanderbilt No. 6 Dudy Noble Field • Starkville, MS W 7–2 Tomas Valincius (5–0) Wyatt Nadeau (1–1) – SECN+ 14,834 19–4 3–2
March 22 Vanderbilt No. 6 Dudy Noble Field • Starkville, MS W 17–77 Duke Stone (4–0) Tyler Baird (0–1) – SECN+ 12,207 20–4 4–2
March 24 No. 11 Southern Miss No. 6 Dudy Noble Field • Starkville, MS SECN+ – –
March 27 at No. 18 Ole Miss No. 6 Swayze Field • Oxford, MS SECN+ – –
March 28 at No. 18 Ole Miss No. 6 Swayze Field • Oxford, MS SECN+ – –
March 29 at No. 18 Ole Miss No. 6 Swayze Field • Oxford, MS SECN – –
March 31 Grambling State – Dudy Noble Field • Starkville, MS SECN+ – –
Postseason (0–0)
Legend:        = Win        = Loss        = Canceled
Bold = Mississippi State team member
Rankings are based on the team's current ranking in the D1Baseball poll.

[5]

1.1 2 3 Three game series with Lipscomb was originally scheduled 3/6-8 was pushed up 1 day due to impending weather.[6]

Rankings

Main article: 2026 NCAA Division I baseball rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
( ) = First-place votes
Week
PollPre1234567891011121314151617Final
Coaches'[7]66*5 (1)4364
Baseball America[8]3333288
NCBWA†[9]6555364
D1Baseball[10]4444366
Perfect Game[11]6654476

† NCBWA ranks 30 teams in their preseason poll, but only ranks 25 teams weekly during the season.
* A new poll was not released for this week, so for comparison purposes, the previous week's ranking is inserted in this week's slot.

References

  1. ^ "2026 SEC Baseball Standings". Southeastern Conference. Retrieved March 23, 2026.
  2. ^ a b "2025 SEC Baseball Preseason Coaches Poll, Preseason All-SEC Team Announced". SEC Sports. February 5, 2025. Retrieved September 5, 2025.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference roster was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "2025 MLB Draft Tracker". Retrieved February 16, 2026.
  5. ^ "Diamond Dawgs Announce Full 2023 Slate". Mississippi State University Department of Athletics. October 4, 2022.
  6. ^ "No. 4 MSU Adjusts Start Of Weekend Series With Lipscomb". HailState.come. March 5, 2026. Retrieved March 6, 2026.
  7. ^ "NCAA Baseball Coaches Poll | USA Today Sports". USA TODAY.
  8. ^ "College Baseball Top 25 Rankings". www.baseballamerica.com. June 25, 2024.
  9. ^ "NCBWA > News > Top 30 Poll". www.sportswriters.net.
  10. ^ "Rankings Archives • D1Baseball". d1baseball.com.
  11. ^ "2025 Preseason Top 25 Rankings". perfectgame.org.
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