Two proud elite baseball programs met this weekend in Starkville, Mississippi, as the Mississippi State Bulldogs welcomed the Vanderbilt Commodores to Dudy Noble Field. Two historic programs, in two different spots, heading into week two of the Southeastern Conference with a lot on the line. On one side, a renewal is underway as Mississippi State baseball has started a quick descent back to the top of the college baseball world, while Vanderbilt is near the middle to lower tier of the pecking order inside the college baseball elite, both could have used a series win this weekend, while Vanderbilt was out to remain relevent, it was Mississippi State looking to send a statement to the rest of the college baseball. 

Mississippi State came into the series looking to make a statement by taking its first Southeastern Conference series of the season after dropping two out of three last weekend at Arkansas. Not only did Mississippi State take the series over Vanderbilt this weekend, but they also dominated the Commodores by outscoring them 28-9 en route to a three-game sweep. 

So, let’s take a second and break down all the action from a busy weekend at Dudy Noble Field with a few thoughts and observations from the weekend. 

First, the obvious: Mississippi State has to have one of the deepest lineups in college baseball. The 1-9 slots in the lineup can flat-out hit the ball, providing a challenge to opposing pitchers to navigate the lineup while trying to keep the game manageable. Just on Sunday, you had three Mississippi State guys hit home runs: Ace Reese, Reed Stallman, and Kevin Milewski. On Friday and Saturday, it was Ryder Woodson, Kevin Milewski on Friday night, and then Noah Sullivan on Saturday, making for five different Mississippi State batters with home runs this season. Adding to that mix is the timely hitting that comes with that, where only two Mississippi State players in the starting lineup are batting under .300; everyone has a higher batting percentage than .300, and those numbers are almost unheard of in college baseball. 

Second, although the entire pitching staff has been solid, Tomas Valincius has separated himself as that guy for Mississippi State. With his ERA of 1.04 and perfect 4-0 record, Mississippi State has that Saturday night guy they can rely on to go deep into the postseason with. In his outing this weekend, Valincius delivered seven complete innings, only giving up two hits and two runs while striking out seven Vanderbilt batters on Saturday. Tomas has all the intangibles and then some, making it easy to understand why he’s the trusted guy for the Bulldogs this season. 

Third, the difference in current trajectories in where Vanderbilt is heading and where Mississippi State is heading for the future is truly insane to compare. Just a few years ago, Mississippi State and Vanderbilt met in the College World Series final, where the Bulldogs came out on top to win their first national championship. Now, Mississippi State is back on the rise, and Vanderbilt is on the way down. With that, two things can be true at the same time: Mississippi State could be back to being at or near the top of the pecking order within the Southeastern Conference, while a program like Vanderbilt might need a change at the top in order to return to being what Vanderbilt has become under Coach Corbin. With that said, the situation at Vanderbilt is a bit trickier than people realize because we’re talking about changing the Head Coach who built Vanderbilt baseball into the program it is today. As of now, Mississippi State is in a much better position for the future than Vanderbilt. There’s still a lot of season remaining, but as of right now, Mississippi State is more prepared for the next five years, while Vanderbilt simply isn’t. 

Lastly, the fan support has always been there for Mississippi State baseball, but Coach O’Connor has the Mississippi State fan base in a frenzy, unlike we’ve ever seen before in college baseball. This weekend alone, Mississippi State set attendance records, with over 41,000 coming through the gates for the home SEC opener. It’s truly remarkable. What Coach O’Connor has been able to do in his short time as Head Coach has awakened the giant, that is, the Mississippi State baseball fan base. There are a lot of great places to see a college baseball game at, Alex Box Stadium and Baum-Walker are among those, but with those numbers, the case to expand Dudy Noble is as strong as it’s ever been. 

Look ahead to the week ahead for Mississippi State presents a rivarly week for the Bulldogs as they welcome Southern Miss to Starkville on Tuesday night, before making the drive over to Swayze Field on Friday for a three-game rivarly series with Ole Miss. Let’s say Mississippi State takes three out of the four games, then that conversation shifts from hosting a Regional to earning a top-eight seed and having homefield advantage throughout Regionals on the way to the College World Series. A split this week wouldn’t mark the end of the world; it would just provide a human aspect to this team that has the depth to make a run, but might have to go on the road in a Super Regional to do so. Either way, heading into rivalry week, Mississippi State fans have got to be feeling good about where they currently sit as they close out March, before jumping feet first into the new month with all the momentum in the world from the first two months of the season. 

Photo Credits- Mississippi State baseball on X