Mississippi
Jack Bauer, who throws 103 mph, will pitch for Mississippi State baseball in 2026, forgoing MLB
Brian O’Connor introduced as new Mississippi State baseball coach
Watch Brian O’Connor’s first news conference as the Mississippi State baseball coach.
Mississippi State baseball signee Jack Bauer will forgo the MLB and play for the Bulldogs in 2026, he told the Clarion Ledger on July 14.
The left-handed pitcher from Frankfort, Illinois was a splashy late commitment to MSU and new coach Brian O’Connor because of his throwing power. According to his MLB.com draft profile, Bauer threw a 103-mph pitch in June — the hardest thrown pitch ever by a lefty in high school.
He was ranked as the No. 44 draft prospect by MLB.com but was not picked in the draft that ran from July 13-14.
Bauer flipped to Mississippi State on June 16 from Virginia, O’Connor’s former team.
Perfect Game ranked Bauer as the No. 21 prospect nationally in the 2025 recruiting class. Purvis’ JoJo Parker at No. 8 is the only member of MSU’s recruiting class ranked above him. However, Parker was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays with the No. 8 pick in the first round.
Two other signees were drafted. East Union’s Landon Harmon was picked by the Washington Nationals in the third round. Jacob Parker, JoJo’s twin brother, was a 19th-round pick by the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Bulldogs saw all three of their starting pitchers — Pico Kohn, Evan Siary and Karson Ligon — drafted on July 14. Pitching coach Justin Parker was retained on O’Connor’s staff.
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@gannett.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.