Mississippi
Mississippi State baseball, Brian O’Connor 10-0 after Arizona State win
Mississippi State baseball didn’t have a hit through four innings but came through with big fifth and sixth innings to reach 10-0.
The No. 5 Bulldogs defeated Arizona State 8-4 in the first game of the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series in Arlington, Texas, on Feb. 27.
Gehrig Frei jolted MSU’s offense in the fifth inning when he hit a pinch-hit, three-run home run for a 4-0 lead over the Sun Devils (8-2). MSU then added three more runs in the sixth inning for a 7-1 lead. Aidan Teel homered for a second straight game with a solo home run in the eighth inning.
Mississippi State sophomore Ryan McPherson had the longest start of his career, throwing seven innings with one run allowed, four hits, three walks and five strikeouts.
Watch Mississippi State baseball in Amegy Bank College Baseball Series
Mississippi State baseball vs Arizona State score updates
Dominic Longo and Dominic Smaldino both hit solo home runs in the ninth inning off MSU’s Maddox Miller to cut the score to 8-4.
Centerfielder Aidan Teel led off the bottom of the eighth inning with a solo home run for an 8-2 lead.
The Sun Devils scored one run in the eighth inning on a PJ Moutzouridis sacrifice fly. It cut Mississippi State’s lead to 7-2.
McPherson is done for the day as MSU’s pitcher after throwing a career long seven innings. He allowed one run with four hits, three walks and five strikeouts.
Chone James hit a two-RBI single, then Reed Stallman also hit an RBI single. Mississippi State is up 7-1 in the sixth inning.
Landon Hairston grounded into a double play to trim MSU’s lead to 4-1 in the sixth inning.
The first pitch thrown by Arizona State reliever Josh Butler was a pinch-hit, three-run home run by Gehrig Frei. MSU leads 4-0 in the fifth inning.
Arizona State starting pitcher Cole Carlon exited in the fifth inning with an apparent cramp after giving up the RBI single to Bryce Chance.
Bryce Chance hit an RBI single for a 1-0 Mississippi State lead in the fifth inning.
There were no hits by either team through four innings. ASU’s Dean Toigo hit a single and so did MSU’s Blake Bevis.
Only one batter has reached base through the first two innings, MSU’s Noah Sullivan via a walk in the first inning. MSU pitcher Ryan McPherson has three strikeouts, while Arizona State pitcher Cole Carlon has five.
The Bulldogs are 9-0 with new coach Brian O’Connor. It’s their best start since they went 13-0 in 2015. However, the Bulldogs had a poor season after that, finishing 24-30.
- 2B Drew Wyers
- 3B Ace Reese
- DH Noah Sullivan
- LF Vytas Valincius
- C Chone James
- 1B Blake Bevis
- SS Ryder Woodson
- CF Aidan Teel
- RF Bryce Chance
The Feb. 27 game between Mississippi State and Arizona State in the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series is also streaming for free on YouTube at this link.
Mississippi State vs Arizona State will air on 96.1 FM. It can also be streamed for free on the Mississippi State Hail State app or on the MSU athletics website.
What time does Mississippi State baseball play today?
All games are played at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.
- Feb. 27: vs. Arizona State (11 a.m. CT)
- Feb. 28: vs. Virginia Tech (3 p.m. CT)
- March 1: vs. UCLA (2:30 p.m. CT)
What channel is Mississippi State baseball on today?
All games are streaming on FloCollege. The Feb. 27 game against Arizona State is also streaming for free on YouTube.
Mississippi State starting pitchers in Amegy Bank College Baseball Series
- Feb. 27 (vs. Arizona State): RHP Ryan McPherson (2.70 ERA, 1-0) vs. LHP Cole Carlon (2-0, 1.64 ERA)
- Feb. 28: (vs. Virginia Tech): LHP Tomas Valincius (2-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. TBA
- March 1 (vs. UCLA): TBA
Mississippi State injury updates
There is no official injury report for this series, though Mississippi State pitcher William Kirk exited his Feb. 24 start with a leg injury.
Mississippi State baseball 2026 schedule
Next five games:
- March 3: at Southern Miss
- March 6-8: vs. Lipscomb
- March 10: vs. Tulane (in Biloxi)
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for The Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@usatodayco.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
Mississippi State baseball is facing Lipscomb in the first game of the Starkville Regional in the NCAA Tournament on May 29 (1 p.m., ESPN+).
The Bulldogs (40-17) are the host and No. 14 national seed, and Lipscomb (29-24) is the No. 4 seed in the regional. It is the fourth time they’ve played each other this season, with MSU sweeping a March series at Dudy Noble Field.
Here is what to know about Lipscomb University.
Where is Lipscomb University?
Lipscomb is a private Christian school in Nashville, Tennessee. It is about a four-and-a-half-hour drive from Starkville.
Lipscomb University mascot
Lipscomb’s mascot is the Bisons.
What conference is Lipscomb in?
Lipscomb is in the Atlantic Sun Conference.
Lipscomb University enrollment
According to US News, Lipscomb has an undergraduate enrollment of 3,006 students and a 68% acceptance rate.
Lipscomb baseball coach
Jeff Forehand is Lipscomb’s baseball coach. He’s in his 20th season and has led Lipscomb to all four of its NCAA Tournament appearances in program history.
Starkville Regional schedule in 2026 NCAA baseball tournament
All games at Dudy Noble Field; double elimination format; game times in Central
Friday, May 29
- Game 1: Mississippi State vs. Lipscomb, 1 p.m. on ESPN+
- Game 2: Cincinnati vs. Louisiana, 6 p.m. on ESPN+
Saturday, May 30
- Game 3: Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser, 3 p.m., TBA
- Game 4: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 8 p.m., TBA
Sunday, May 31
- Game 5: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 loser, 2 p.m., TBA
- Game 6: Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 7 p.m., TBA
Monday, June 1
- Game 7 (if necessary): TBA
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for The Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@usatodayco.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
OKLAHOMA CITY — Hoping to extend its season, Mississippi State softball will play No. 2 seed Texas in its second game at the Women’s College World Series.
The Bulldogs (43-20) will take on the reigning NCAA champion Longhorns (47-12) on May 29 (6 p.m. CT, ESPN) at Devon Park. The loser of the game will be eliminated from the tournament.
Mississippi State made it WCWS debut by falling 8-0 to No. 11 seed Texas Tech in five innings. Texas lost its opener 6-3 to No. 7 seed Tennessee.
Here’s what to know about the matchup.
Texas’ Katie Stewart was SEC’s Player of the Year
Texas’ Katie Stewart was selected as the best player in the SEC during 2026 and helped the Longhorns to a conference title. Stewart, catcher Reese Atwood and pitcher Teagan Kavan were named a second-team NFCA All-American.
Stewart ranks third in the SEC in batting average (.428), fourth in RBIs (72) and second in home runs (27) and on base percentage (.551).
Stewart was ineffective in the Longhorns’ WCWS loss to Tennessee. She went 0-for-3, striking out once and grounding out twice.
Atwood, who’s hitting .337 with 18 home runs and 59 RBIs, fared better against the Lady Vols, finishing 1-for-3 and scoring a run.
Texas’ Teagan Kavan has struggled in recent outings
Teagan Kavan (24-6, 2.54 ERA) has been one of the top pitchers in the nation in each of her three seasons at Texas, but she hasn’t quite looked like herself in some recent appearances.
Kavan started Games 1 and 2 of the super regionals against Arizona State and allowed 11 hits and six runs with four walks and five strikeouts in seven innings. She recovered to shut the Sun Devils out despite allowing five hits in Game 3.
Kavan again started for the Longhorns against Tennessee. Her outing lasted three innings and she gave up three hits and three runs.
Citlaly Gutierrez (9-3, 2.38 ERA) is Texas’ primary reliever and has appeared in four of the Longhorns’ seven NCAA Tournament games. She threw four innings vs. Tennessee, allowing three runs on four hits and a walk with two strikeouts.
Does Mississippi State have an ace up its sleeve?
Mississippi State elected to start Alyssa Faircloth (16-8, 2.61 ERA) in its WCWS opener and use Peja Goold (15-11, 2.45) in relief. Faircloth threw just 1⅓ innings, while Goold pitched for three.
Both could be options for the game against Texas, or Mississippi State could turn to breakout star Delainey Everett (3-1, 0.69 ERA).
Everett’s lone start this season was against Oklahoma in Game 3 of the super regionals. She gave the Sooners their first shutout since 2019 and held them to three hits.
Everett pitched four innings in Game 2 of last year’s regular season series against Texas. She gave up one run on two hits with four strikeouts in four innings as the Bulldogs’ starter in the 7-3 loss.
Mississippi State softball vs Texas WCWS prediction
Texas 3, Mississippi State 2: Even if the Bulldogs’ pitching staff can limit Texas, MSU’s offense seems to have cooled down considerably from its showing against Oklahoma in the super regionals.
2026 Women’s College World Series schedule
All times CT
- May 28
- Game 1: Texas Tech 8, Mississippi State 0
- Game 2: Tennessee 6, Texas 3
- Game 3: UCLA vs Alabama (6 p.m., ESPN2)
- Game 4: Arkansas vs Nebraska (8:30 p.m., ESPN2)
- May 29
- Game 5: Mississippi State vs Texas (6 p.m., ESPN2)
- Game 6: Game 3 loser vs Game 4 loser (8:30 p.m., ESPN2)
- May 30
- Game 7: Texas Tech vs Tennessee (2 p.m., ABC)
- Game 8: Game 3 winner vs Game 4 winner (6 p.m., ESPN)
- May 31
- Game 9: Game 5 winner vs Game 8 loser (2 p.m., ABC)
- Game 10: Game 6 winner vs Game 7 loser (6 p.m., ESPN2)
- June 1
- Game 11: Game 7 winner vs Game 9 winner (11 a.m., ESPN)
- Game 12 (if necessary): Game 7 winner vs Game 9 winner (1:30 p.m., ESPN)
- Game 13: Game 8 winner vs Game 10 winner (6 p.m., ESPN2)
- Game 14 (if necessary): Game 8 winner vs Game 10 winner (8:30 p.m., ESPN2)
- June 3
- Finals Game 1 (7 p.m., ESPN)
- June 4
- Finals Game 2 (7 p.m., ESPN)
- June 5
- If necessary, finals Game 3 (7 p.m., ESPN)
Tia Reid covers Jackson State sports for the Clarion Ledger. Email her at treid@usatodayco.com and follow her on X @tiareid65.
Check out how to watch the Gulf Breeze alum, who is part of a history making Mississippi State squad.
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The Women’s College World Series begins May 28, and the Pensacola area will be represented on the biggest stage.
Gulf Breeze alumna Leila Ammon is part of a Mississippi State squad making its first WCWS appearance in school history and has played a role in getting the Bulldogs there.
Below is how to watch Ammon play if you aren’t in Oklahoma City, as well as how Ammon is part of history at Mississippi State.
How to watch Mississippi State in the WCWS
When: May 28-June 4/5
Where: OG & E Energy Field at Devon Park, Oklahoma City
Broadcast: ABC and ESPN
Streaming: ESPN Unlimited, Fubo
Mississippi State will open up against Texas Tech on May 28 at 11 a.m. CT on ESPN. With a win, the Bulldogs will play the winner of Tennessee/Texas on May 30 at 2 p.m. CT on ABC. With a loss, they’ll play the loser of Tennessee/Texas in an elimination game on May 29 at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN.
The last two teams standing will advance to a best 2-out-of-3 championship series scheduled for June 3-5 at 7 p.m. CT on ESPN. Check this page for more information on the WCWS bracket and schedule.
Mississippi State lost to Texas Tech twice in the Lubbock regional a year ago.
How did Mississippi State make history?
The Bulldogs are the only unseeded team out of eight in the WCWS field, which means they’re the only team in the field to have to win on the road in a regional and super regional to advance to Oklahoma City.
Mississippi State was ranked No. 13 in the NFCA poll on March 29, putting them in good position to host a regional with a strong finish to the season. The Bulldogs did the exact opposite, losing four of their last five regular season series.
But they flipped a switch in the NCAA Tournament. First, Mississippi State rolled through the Eugene regional, winning all three games by a score of 12-2, to advance to just their second super regional in program history.
Up next was a trip to perennial powerhouse Oklahoma in the super regional. However. the Bulldogs weren’t fazed, winning Game 1 of the best two-out-of-three series 11-9. After the Sooners won Game 2 7-1, Mississippi State won Game 3 6-0 to clinch their first ever WCWS appearance.
What role did Leila Ammon play?
While Ammon didn’t pitch in the regional, she helped stop the bleeding in Game 1 of the Super Regional.
She entered in the bottom of the third after Oklahoma had scored five runs in the inning to take a 5-1 lead. Ammon got the final two outs in the inning, then allowed a run in the fourth and pitched a scoreless fifth before being relieved with runners on first and second with two outs in the top of the sixth.
Both runners scored later in the inning, meaning Ammon allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits and struck out three in three innings pitched.
Ammon’s gone 8-0 this spring with a 1.85 ERA and 62 strikeouts in 56 1/3 innings pitched. She spent her freshman season at Middle Tennessee State, where she was named to the Conference USA All-Freshman team.
Before her college career, Ammon was the 2023 PNJ Pitcher of the Year and a 2024 First Team All-Area selection.
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