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 College baseball has won the series against West Florida for the first time ever
The Choctaws have been playing UWF since 2015
MC won the first two games and put on a bit of a comeback in game 3
Next: GSC at Delta St., then Conference Tournament
GEORGE COUNTY, Miss. (WLOX) — A George County High School senior is dead after an SUV hit him while bicycling on Highway 26 Friday night.
Mississippi Highway Patrol (MHP) officials said at 8:15 p.m. the MHP responded to a fatal crash on Highway 26 in George County.
Those officials said a Ford SUV traveling west on Highway 26 collided with 18-year-old Tyree Bradley of McLain, Mississippi, who was bicycling.
Bradley was fatally injured and died at the scene, MHP officials said.
The crash remains under investigation by the MHP.
See a spelling or grammar error in this story? Report it to our team HERE.
Copyright 2026 WLOX. All rights reserved.
Some losses feel like they drag on longer than the box score suggests, and Mississippi State’s 3-1 opener at Texas A&M fits that category.
It wasn’t a blowout. It wasn’t a game where the Bulldogs looked outmatched.
It was just one of those nights where the early mistakes stuck around and the offense never quite found the swing that could shake them loose.
The frustrating part is how quickly the hole formed. Two solo homers and a wild pitch in the first two innings put Mississippi State behind 3-0, and that was basically the ballgame.
Against a top tier SEC team on the road, spotting three runs that early is a tough ask. The Bulldogs didn’t fold, but they also didn’t cash in when the door cracked open.
“I liked our fight. I think we’re really just working through some things offensively, and trying to stay together,” Mississippi State coach Samantha Ricketts said. “This team still believes, and we’re going to battle and fight every chance we get, and I think I saw a lot of that. I’m encouraged for what that means for us moving forward, but, you know, they’re a good hitting team, and we’ve got to be able to shut them down early. I don’t think Peja [Goold] had her best stuff, but she continued to battle out there and find ways to get outs.”
They had chances. Two runners stranded in the fifth. Two more in the sixth. Another in the seventh. Des Rivera finally got the Bulldogs on the board with an RBI single, but the big hit that usually shows up for this lineup never arrived.
It wasn’t a lack of traffic. It was a lack of finish.
If there was a bright spot, it came from the bullpen. Delainey Everett gave Mississippi State exactly what it needed after the rocky start.
“That was just a huge relief appearance by Delaney to keep us in it,” Ricketts said. “It’s really good to have her back and healthy these last few weeks because these are the moments where we really need her and rely on her. We know that she’s going to be a big part of the remainder of the season going forward as well.”
Three hitless innings, one baserunner, and a reminder that she’s quietly putting together a strong stretch.
There were individual positives too. Nadia Barbary keeps climbing the doubles list. Kiarra Sells keeps finding ways on base.
But the bigger picture is simple. Mississippi State is now 6-10 in the SEC, and the margin for error is shrinking. Nights like this one are the difference between climbing back into the race and staying stuck in the middle.
They get another shot this morning with the schedule bumped up for weather. The formula isn’t complicated.
Clean up the early innings, keep getting quality relief, and find one or two timely swings. The Bulldogs didn’t get them Friday. They’ll need them today.
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