STARKVILLE — Vaida Valincius estimates she used to drive about 60,000 miles per year to watch her two sons, Tomas and Vytas, play baseball.

The Valinicius family is from Lockport, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, but the brothers have played all over the United States.

Vytas and Tomas are three years apart, so they very rarely played on the same team. Vaida did her best to be there, whether it was in California, Arizona, Tennessee, South Carolina, Virginia or greater Illinois.

“I put down like three cars I think,” Vaida told The Clarion Ledger.

But finally, after years of countless hours in the car to watch her sons play baseball, it all came full circle at Mississippi State.

Vytas, an outfielder and the older brother, and Tomas, a starting pitcher, both transferred to Mississippi State for the 2026 season but from different schools. It was a perfect reunion for Vytas’ final year of eligibility.

The brothers live together in a house and got a dog named Sergei. They get along well but, like typical competitive brothers, still banter over small things. Like who wins in a wrestling battle, or if Vytas batted closer to .500 or .100 against Tomas in fall scrimmages.

And making it even more special is that Vaida has been living with her sons in Starkville this season. She said there was “no question” she would be doing it, and the boys were welcoming.

The No. 12 Bulldogs (38-14, 15-12 SEC) begin a three-game series at No. 10 Texas A&M (37-12, 16-10) starting May 14 (6 p.m., SEC Network+) to conclude the regular season.

Vaida’s drive for home games at Dudy Noble Field has been just a few miles.

“It’s been great,” Vytas said in a joint interview with Tomas. “She cooks, cleans and does stuff for us. It makes our life easier.”

Valincius brothers had unusual path to baseball through immigrant parents

Vaida grew up in Lithuania, which at the time was controlled by the Soviet Union. At 7 years old, she was taken from her parents to train to be an Olympic cyclist until the Soviet Union fell in 1991.

In 1999, she immigrated to the United States.

“I had no English, no money and no friends,” Vaida said.

Vaida eventually settled in Chicago where she met her husband, Jozef Wolyniec, also a Lithuanian immigrant who was a speed skater growing up.

So, they each had athletic backgrounds, but knew nothing about baseball. They mostly spoke Lithuanian at home and learned baseball through the kids. Their introduction to baseball came in strange ways.

MORE: Why Mississippi State brothers Tomas, Vytas Valinicus pronounce their last name differently

One day, 5-year-old Vytas was playing Wiffle ball with the neighbors. Vytas hit a home run, and the neighbor told him to go home.

Vytas didn’t understand what that meant. So instead of running the bases, Vytas ran to his house.

“I’m watching through the window, and my English was not good at the time,” Vaida said. “I go to the neighbor like, ‘What’s the problem? Why are you saying that?’”

STARKVILLE — Mississippi State baseball remains on the bubble for hosting an NCAA Tournament regional.

However, the latest bracket projections still have the No. 12 Bulldogs (38-14, 15-12 SEC) forecast to host a regional at Dudy Noble Field for the first time since 2021.

MSU has lost its last two series against Texas and Auburn. The Bulldogs start a series at No. 10 Texas A&M (37-12, 16-10) on May 14 (6 p.m., SEC Network+).

Here is a look at the updated NCAA Tournament projections for Mississippi State entering the Texas A&M series.

Mississippi State baseball NCAA Tournament projections

Aria Gerson of The Tennessean has Mississippi State hosting as the No. 12 national seed. Kansas is in the regional as a No. 2 seed with No. 3 Louisiana and No. 4 Indiana State.

D1Baseball also projects MSU as the No. 12 seed. Included in the regional would be No. 2 seed Oklahoma State, No. 3 NC State and No. 4 Southeastern Louisiana.

Baseball America projects Mississippi State as the No. 13 national seed. In that Starkville Regional would be No. 2 seed Wake Forest, No. 3 TCU and No. 4 Bethune-Cookman.

Mississippi State NCAA Tournament resume

Mississippi State baseball has an RPI at No. 12 as of May 12. That’s down three spots from the previous week.

The Bulldogs are 9-11 in Quad 1 games, 5-3 in Quad 2 games and 24-0 in Quads 3 and 4. Four of those Quad 1 wins are against Ole Miss. MSU’s strength of schedule is ranked No. 8.

MORE: Brian O’Connor gives Ryan McPherson injury update before Mississippi State vs Texas A&M

The Texas A&M series will be three more Quad 1 games.

Mississippi State’s SEC series wins against Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, LSU and South Carolina are all against teams in the bottom half of the conference standings.

Mississippi State baseball NCAA Tournament history under Brian O’Connor

Brian O’Connor is a first-year coach at Mississippi State, so it hasn’t played in the NCAA Tournament with him. MSU won the 2021 national championship under coach Chris Lemonis, but he was fired during the 2025 season.

Mississippi State has made the NCAA Tournament in the last two seasons as No. 2 seeds, losing in the Charlottesville Regional final and the Tallahassee Regional final.

O’Connor was the Virginia coach for 22 seasons, reaching 18 NCAA Tournaments, nine super regionals, seven College World Series and winning the 2015 national championship.

Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for The Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@usatodayco.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.