Since winning the national championship in 2021, Mississippi State baseball has not lived up to the standard for which they stand; however, there’s a new sheriff in town, and the Bulldogs are on the verge of having the most hyped season of all-time, as Coach Brian O’Connor’s era in Starkville is set to get underway this weekend, as the Bulldogs welcome the Hofstra Pride to Dudy Noble Field to jumpstart the 2026 season. Unless you live under a rock, Mississippi State baseball is a program so steeped in tradition with a rabid fan base that will come out to support no matter the team, and this season just feels like a match made in heaven as the Bulldogs look to reclaim their crown as one of the best baseball programs in the country with winning to back it up. Outside, maybe one other school, when you think of college baseball, you think of Mississippi State, so as another season rolls around with expecations have not been this high in years, the environment for Opening Weekend at Dudy Noble might mirror that of a Regional. 

Before taking a final look at the preseason roster for the 2026 Mississippi State baseball team, let’s break down the non-conference slate that might not have name brands that people are used to, but will provide fans with an early look at the Bulldogs before jumping feet first into a challenging Southeastern Conference slate. Coach O’Connor’s first season as Head Coach will be one with a quick introduction to life in the Southeastern Conference, but the good news is, Coach O’Connor is a winner, and he already knows what it’ll take for Mississippi State to be successful in year one. 

Mississippi State will open with a three-game home series at Dudy Noble against Hoftra, before welcoming a sneaky Troy team to Dudy Noble on Tuesday night for a midweek, Alcorn State on Wednesday, before another three-game home series as they welcome Delaware to Starkville, before closing out the home February slate with Austin Peay for another mid-week, before heading south to Globe Life Stadium in Arlington, Texas, for three games against Arizona State, Virginia Tech, and UCLA. Before returning to Starkville, Mississippi State will head to Pete Taylor Park to take on Southern Miss, before welcoming the Bisons of Lipscomb to Dudy Noble for another weekend series. On March 10th, on a Tuesday night, Mississippi State will head to Biloxi for the Hancock Whitney Classic against Tulane before the conference opener at Arkansas. Elsewhere around the mid-week non-conference slate, Mississippi State has Memphis, Southern Miss again, Ole Miss, Samford, UAB, Grambling, and Nicholls. All things considered, there’s a good mix of challenging games where Mississippi State will take care of business. We’ll know a lot about this team after the UCLA and Southern Miss games. UCLA on Sunday, then at Southern Miss the following Tuesday night, will be a measuring stick for the Bulldogs before opening the Southeastern Conference slate. 

The conference slate is what it is. Mississippi State will be tested, but they get Vanderbilt, Georgia, Tennessee, LSU, and Auburn at home. Take care of business at home, then take the series at South Carolina, Ole Miss, and even Texas A&M, and you’re easily looking at a top-eight regional seed. Then, if you can go into Baum-Walker Stadium and shock the Razorbacks, then the conversation shifts to not only being a top-eight seed but being the favorite to win the National Championship. 

As far as the roster goes. 

The weekend rotation for Opening Weekend was announced by Coach O’Connor on Monday, with Ryan McPherson getting the Friday night starting role, Charlie Foster on Saturday, and Tomas Valincius on Sunday. So long are the days as TBD as the starter, as Coach O’Connor and Pitching Coach Justin Parker believe in transparency with Mississippi State fans. Combined with the likeness of Duke Stone as the 4th starter, and Ben Davis as the closer for the Bulldogs, the pitching staff has depth and talent this season that carries all the potential to bring a championship trophy back to Starkville. 

Elsewhere around the roster, let’s start with the returning position players in Ace Reese, Gehrig Frei, Bryce Chance, and Noah Sullivan at DH. Combined with transfers in Kevin Milewski ( Seton Hall), Blake Bevis ( Ball State), Ryder Woodson ( NC State), Aidan Teel ( Virginia),  and James Nunnallee ( Virginia). Those nine games are expected to be in the starting lineup on Opening Day on Friday. Although those nine games are the projected starters, expectations are that Mississippi State could go as deep as 18 guys before the SEC slate opens in March. Even then, the depth of the roster gives the Bulldogs an advantage over almost everyone else in college baseball. 

We’ll see how the season goes, but the talent is there, combined with one of the best coaches in college baseball, and things could start happening really fast in Starkville. Winning a national championship is hard, there’s no denying it, but for the first time in a few years, the reasonble hope is there for Mississippi State to at the very least make a return to the College World Series, but in reality to have a chance to bring home another national championship. It might not happen this year, but the Bulldogs are right back in the conversation of where they belong in the college baseball pecking order because Mississippi State is in contention, and college baseball as a whole is better for it. It’s good for the sport to have a traditional power back in the fold. All the pieces are there for the Bulldogs this season. Control what you can control and trust the process; at last, Mississippi State will return to Omaha with one mission: bringing back a National Championship trophy to Starkville, Mississippi, as they further cement their legacy as one of the best programs in the history of college baseball. 

Mississippi State will open the season on Friday as they welcome the Hofstra Pride to Dudy Noble for a three-game series. 

Photo Credits- Mississippi State baseball on X