JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – Three Mississippi baseball programs enter postseason play this week with vastly different profiles. Mississippi State and Ole Miss head to Hoover for the SEC Tournament looking to strengthen their NCAA Tournament resumes, while Southern Miss opens as the No. 1 seed in the Sun Belt Tournament in Montgomery after winning the regular-season championship.
Mississippi State enters Hoover looking to strengthen regional host case
Mississippi State did not close the regular season the way it wanted, but the Bulldogs still enter postseason play with one of the most dangerous offenses in the Southeastern Conference and a chance to strengthen their NCAA Tournament resume in Hoover.
Mississippi State finished the regular season 39-16 overall and 16-14 in SEC play after dropping its final series at Texas A&M. The Bulldogs lost Friday’s game 11-9 and Saturday’s finale 7-6, with Texas A&M scoring two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning Saturday to take the series.
In the finale, Ace Reese hit a two-run home run in the fifth inning, Noah Sullivan also homered in the fifth and Jacob Parker hit a two-run homer in the eighth to briefly put State in front. Texas A&M answered with Bear Harrison’s two RBI single in the bottom of the eighth.
The Bulldogs enter the SEC Tournament as the No. 8 seed and will receive a first-round bye. State opens Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. against the winner of No. 9 Ole Miss and No. 16 Missouri. A win would move Mississippi State into a Thursday matchup against No. 1 seed Georgia.
Offense drives Bulldogs’ postseason hopes
State’s offensive profile is the biggest reason the Bulldogs remain a dangerous postseason team. Mississippi State is hitting .314 as a team with a .956 OPS, 593 hits, 120 doubles, 102 home runs and 471 runs in 55 games. Opponents are hitting .238 against the Bulldogs with a .709 OPS.
Reese has been the center of the lineup. He leads State with 20 home runs and 67 RBIs while hitting .332 with a 1.131 OPS. Sullivan is hitting .347 with 11 home runs, 43 RBIs and a 1.026 OPS, while Bryce Chance leads regulars with a .350 average and has 18 doubles. Parker has also been one of State’s most productive bats, hitting .326 with 13 home runs and 50 RBIs in 46 games.
Pitching staff gives Bulldogs another postseason weapon
The pitching staff gives Mississippi State another reason to believe it can make a run, even if the Bulldogs’ postseason ceiling may depend on command and bullpen execution. State pitchers have held opponents to a .238 batting average and a .709 OPS through 55 games, striking out 610 batters while issuing 196 walks and allowing 55 home runs.
Tomas Valincius has been the headliner on the mound. The sophomore left-hander emerged as one of the SEC’s top arms this season and was named a National Pitcher of the Year semifinalist in April after starting 7-1 with a 1.81 ERA, 83 strikeouts and 13 walks across 59 2/3 innings. Ryan McPherson and Duke Stone have also been important rotation pieces, while the bullpen will be critical in a tournament format that can force teams to manage arms across multiple days.
A loss in Hoover would not knock the Bulldogs out of the NCAA Tournament, but it would leave the selection committee with a final impression of a team that dropped its last SEC series and missed a chance to add another quality neutral-site win.
The biggest question is whether State can pair its power with enough pitching consistency to make a run. The Bulldogs have the offense to change games quickly, but tournament baseball often comes down to strike-throwing, late-inning matchup decisions and whether a team can avoid burning too many arms early in the week.
For Mississippi State, Hoover is not just about chasing an SEC title. It is about proving the Bulldogs are built to host and win in June.
Mississippi State SEC Tournament scheduleRoundDateTimeMatchupSecond roundWednesday, May 209:30 a.m.No. 8 Mississippi State vs. No. 9 Ole Miss/No. 16 Missouri winnerQuarterfinals, with winThursday, May 213 p.m.vs. No. 1 GeorgiaSiteMay 19-24—Hoover Metropolitan Stadium, Hoover, AlabamaOle Miss opens SEC Tournament seeking stronger NCAA positioning
Ole Miss enters the SEC Tournament with a familiar postseason question: Can the Rebels get hot at the right time?
Ole Miss finished the regular season 36-20 overall and 15-15 in SEC play after losing two of three at Alabama. The Rebels lost Thursday’s opener 5-4, bounced back with a 9-0 win Friday and dropped Saturday’s finale 6-2.
Taylor Rabe delivered one of Ole Miss’ best pitching performances of the season Friday, allowing one hit with one walk and 13 strikeouts over six scoreless innings before the Rebels finished off a 9-0 shutout. Ole Miss also got home runs from Owen Paino, Will Furniss and Austin Fawley in the win.
Ole Miss is the No. 9 seed in Hoover and opens Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. against No. 16 Missouri. The winner advances to play No. 8 Mississippi State on Wednesday morning, creating the possibility of a postseason rivalry game with NCAA Tournament implications.
Power lineup keeps Rebels dangerous
The Rebels’ offensive numbers show why they remain dangerous. Ole Miss is hitting .267 with a .858 OPS, 480 hits, 97 home runs, 385 runs and 297 walks in 56 games. Opponents are hitting .246 with a .732 OPS against the Rebels.
Judd Utermark and Tristan Bissetta have powered the lineup. Utermark is hitting .318 with 20 home runs, 48 RBIs, 66 runs and a 1.071 OPS. Bissetta also has 20 home runs with 56 RBIs and a 1.015 OPS. Will Furniss leads the team with a .322 batting average and has driven in 52 runs, while Dom Decker has scored 56 runs and drawn 47 walks.
Pitching holds key to Ole Miss tournament run
Ole Miss’ pitching staff has the swing-and-miss ability to make the Rebels dangerous in Hoover. Rebel pitchers have held opponents to a .246 batting average and a .732 OPS through 56 games, striking out 627 batters while issuing 178 walks. The home run ball has been an issue at times, with opponents hitting 72 homers against Ole Miss this season.
That makes run prevention the key variable for the Rebels. Rabe’s performance at Alabama showed what Ole Miss can look like when its starters control the strike zone and miss bats. Cade Townsend and Hunter Elliott have also carried major roles for the staff, and the Rebels will need quality innings from their rotation to avoid leaning too heavily on the bullpen in Hoover.
The issue for Ole Miss is consistency. The Rebels have enough power to beat almost anyone in the SEC bracket, but their path begins with a single-elimination game against Missouri where one poor outing or quiet offensive performance could end their tournament run quickly.
A win over Missouri would immediately change the tone of the week. It would give Ole Miss a shot at Mississippi State, a rivalry matchup that would bring added attention and another opportunity to improve its NCAA Tournament positioning before selections are announced. The Bulldogs swept the Rebels in the regular season, 4-0.
Ole Miss appears positioned for the NCAA Tournament, but hosting is less certain. A short stay in Hoover could leave the Rebels traveling for regionals. A run that includes wins over Missouri, Mississippi State and possibly Georgia would give the selection committee more to consider.
Ole Miss SEC Tournament scheduleRoundDateTimeMatchupFirst roundTuesday, May 199:30 a.m.No. 9 Ole Miss vs. No. 16 MissouriSecond round, with winWednesday, May 209:30 a.m.vs. No. 8 Mississippi StateQuarterfinals, with winThursday, May 213 p.m.vs. No. 1 GeorgiaSiteMay 19-24—Hoover Metropolitan Stadium, Hoover, AlabamaSouthern Miss carries Sun Belt title momentum into Montgomery
Southern Miss enters postseason baseball after winning the Sun Belt regular-season championship and finishing the regular season with 40 wins.
The Golden Eagles finished the regular season 40-14 overall and 22-8 in Sun Belt play, earning the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament. Southern Miss closed the season with a sweep of Georgia Southern.
Deep lineup drives Golden Eagles
The run to the Sun Belt title was built on balance. Southern Miss is hitting .285 as a team with an .847 OPS, 517 hits, 90 doubles, 74 home runs and 350 runs in 54 games. Opponents are hitting .239 with a .666 OPS against the Golden Eagles.
The lineup has been deep and steady. Davis Gillespie is hitting .324 with 12 home runs, 43 RBIs and a .984 OPS. Kyle Morrison is hitting .322 with 15 home runs, 45 RBIs and a 1.056 OPS. Joey Urban has driven in a team-high 60 runs while hitting .312 and Matthew Russo has scored 46 runs while hitting .313 with 10 home runs and 50 RBIs.
Pitching staff fuels hosting expectations
Southern Miss’ pitching staff has been one of the biggest reasons the Golden Eagles enter the postseason with hosting expectations. Southern Miss pitchers have held opponents to a .239 batting average and a .666 OPS through 54 games, striking out 554 batters while issuing 155 walks. The staff has also done a strong job limiting damage, allowing 37 home runs.
That pitching profile matters in a conference tournament setting. Southern Miss does not have to win games one way. The Golden Eagles can lean on a balanced lineup, but their ability to miss bats and keep the ball in the park gives them a formula that can travel into postseason play.
Southern Miss also enters Montgomery with momentum on the mound. The Golden Eagles finished the regular season with a sweep of Georgia Southern, closing it with an 11-0 run-rule win in eight innings. Camden Sunstrom earned the win in the finale, and the staff combined for Southern Miss’ third shutout of the season.
The Golden Eagles enter the Sun Belt Tournament with a double bye and will not play until Wednesday at 4 p.m. They will face the lower-seeded winner of Tuesday’s Game 1 (No. 7 Louisiana vs. No. 10 Marshall) and Game 2 (No. 8 Old Dominion vs. No. 9 Georgia State). The tournament runs Tuesday through Sunday at DABOS Park in Montgomery, Alabama.
For Southern Miss, the conference tournament is about more than adding another trophy. The Golden Eagles are trying to protect and improve a postseason resume that could bring NCAA regional baseball back to Hattiesburg. Their profile already includes 40 wins, a regular-season title, a strong conference finish and a lineup that does not rely on one or two bats.
Southern Miss has become one of the Sun Belt’s most consistent postseason programs and enters the conference tournament with expectations of competing for another deep postseason run.
Southern Miss Sun Belt Tournament scheduleRoundDateTimeMatchupFirst gameWednesday, May 204 p.m.No. 1 Southern Miss vs. lower-seeded winner of Tuesday’s play-in gamesSiteMay 19-24—DABOS Park, Montgomery, Alabama
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