Game one of one of the most anticipated series of the weekend got underway in Starkville on Thursday night as 11th-ranked Mississippi State welcomed the 6th-ranked Auburn Tigers to Dudy Noble Field for a massive three-game series. With the two tied in the Southeastern Conference standings with identical 14-10 conference records, this weekend had much more at stake than the rest of the teams to clinch a home Regional; this series would also likely decide the final double bye in the Southeastern Conference in two weeks. A double bye, in fact, would give either team an advantage with pitching, allowing them to stick with the weekend rotation instead of using more starters before hosting a Regional the following week. 

With the stakes of the series so high, the national television audience on Thursday, while an ESPN2 audience set the stage for an insane environment that only high-level college baseball can create. Odds are, these two will have a friendly path to Omaha, as both just need one win in six games to secure a home Regional with a top-16 seed, taking the edge off playing free in Hoover at the SEC Tournament. 

Auburn would be facing the Mississippi State ace with Tomas Valincius on the mound for the Bulldogs, while Auburn would have its usual Friday night starter, Jake Marciano, on the mound, trying to navigate the difficult Mississippi State offense. Marciano would be the first to get pulled on Thursday night after giving a grand slam in the bottom of the first with two outs. Marcinao finished his night after two complete innings, giving up six hits, four runs, and four strikeouts. LJ Cormier would be the replacement for Marciano in the bottom half of the third inning. Tomas Valincius would deliver an incredible 6.2 innings, only giving up three runs, walking none, and striking out 13 Auburn batters. Jack Bauer would be tasked with finishing the job for Mississippi State. 

Mississippi State would jump on Auburn early in the bottom half of the first inning with a two-out rally that started with a base hit from Blake Bevis that ended with Bryce Chance drilling a grand slam to left field, giving Mississippi State an early 4-0 lead over Auburn. Mississippi State would add another run in the bottom of the third off a base hit from Vytas Valincius that scored Noah Sullivan to extend the lead to 5-0 over the Tigers. Brandon McCraine would put Auburn on the board in the top half of the 5th inning with a base hit that scored Ethin Bingaman to cut the Mississippi State lead to 5-1. Bryce Chance would once again score another run in the bottom half of the 5th inning off a double that scored Noah Sullivan, once again extending the lead to five as the Bulldogs took a 6-1 lead over Auburn to the top half of the 6th inning. Gehrig Frei would deliver a two-run shot to right field that scored Ryder Woodson to extend the Mississippi State lead to 8-1 in the bottom half of the 6th inning. Bub Terrell would respond with a two-run shot to left field that cut the Mississippi State lead to 8-3 in the top half of the 7th inning. Mississippi State would jumpstart the bottom of the 7th inning with a solo shot to right field off the bat of Jacob Parker, extending the Bulldogs’ lead to 9-3 over Auburn. Mississippi State would add another run in the bottom of the 7th inning from a sac fly from Woodson that scored Bryce Chance, extending the Mississippi State lead to 10-3 over Auburn. 

Credit to Mississippi State tonight, with the bats staying hot from Tuesday night, to Tomas Valincius doing what he does best, Thursday night was a big win for the Bulldogs. Mississippi State picks up the magic 15th win that all but secures a Starkville Regional as Mississippi State will likely be a top-16 national seed, and now sits in the driver’s seat for a double bye in Hoover. A double bye in Hoover would likely give the Mississippi State faithful more time to take over the Met, creating a Dudy Noble environment in Hoover. 

Mississippi State and Auburn will meet in game two of the series on Friday night, with first pitch scheduled for 7:30 on the SEC Network. Expect a rowdy Friday night crowd from the Mississippi State faithful as they try to push the boys in maroon and white across the finish line this weekend with a series winner over an elite Auburn team. 

Photo Credits- Mississippi State baseball on X