Opening weekend proved solid for Mississippi State, Ole Miss, and Southern Miss, with the Bulldogs and Rebels earning clean sweeps, while the Golden Eagles backdoored a tough opponent.
In Starkville, the Brian O’Connor era began with a little drama, as No. 4 Mississippi State had to come back from behind in two of its three games versus Hofstra. Nonetheless, the Bulldogs (3-0) prevailed. Mississippi State amassed a 6-5 victory on Friday before cruising to a 6-1 win in the opener of Saturday’s doubleheader, then closing things out on the right side of a 7-5 scoreboard in the series finale.
Game two starter Tomas Valincius proves solid on the mound for the Bulldogs, keeping Hofstra scoreless through 5.1 innings, striking out 6 and allowing only 4 hits. It didn’t take too long for Ace Reece to show why he was the talk of the town in the preseason. Notably, the junior slugger roped a consequential home run ball over the right field wall, scoring a trio of runs to take a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the second in game three.
No. Doubter. https://t.co/7KowptD8NW pic.twitter.com/5SdmVupNGY
— Mississippi State Baseball (@HailStateBB) February 14, 2026
In Oxford, Mike Bianco’s Rebels were never in jeopardy of being upset in their season opener versus a solid Nevada club. Ole Miss (3-0) won Friday’s battle 11-3, used a strong outing on the mound to secure a 5-1 win on Saturday, and run-ruled the Wolfpack 13-2 on Sunday.
Sophomore Cade Townsend was the star of the show on Saturday, throwing 48 strikes in 54 pitches while recording 8 strikeouts. The right-handed hurler only surrendered 1 run and 4 hits in the matchup. Offensively, newcomer Tristan Bissetta was a shining star all weekend. The Clemson transfer hit .500 with a home run, 5 hits, and 7 RBI.
He does it AGAIN! pic.twitter.com/T8FszW8ekI
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) February 14, 2026
In Hattiesburg, Southern Miss held on to take two of three versus a strong UC Santa Barbara club. On Friday, prospective first-round MLB draft pick Jackson Flora carved the Golden Eagles (3-0) in a 5-1 win for the Gauchos, but Christian Ostrander’s group proved resilient. Southern Miss bounced back, squeaking out an 8-6 victory on Saturday and surviving a dramatic top of the ninth in a 6-5 walk-off on Sunday.
Dylan Causey and Camden Clark were the game three heroes on the mound, amassing 4 total strikeouts and only surrendering an unearned run in the last two innings of the finale. Drey Barrett was responsible for a go-ahead solo shot in the bottom of the eighth inning of the final game, ultimately helping the Golden Eagles win the series.
OUT OF HERE! #OTR | #ETM | #SMTTT https://t.co/VqFGQLrVuJ pic.twitter.com/mUm5R3i9Xa
— Southern Miss Baseball (@SouthernMissBSB) February 15, 2026
Next up for Mississippi State is its inaugural midweek matchup, with the Bulldogs taking on Troy at Dudy Noble Field on Tuesday at 4 p.m. CT. Ole Miss has a pair of midweek games on the docket, with the Rebels hosting Arkansas State on Tuesday at 4 p.m. CT and Jackson State on Wednesday at 4 p.m. CT. Meanwhile, Southern Miss will travel to Southeastern Louisiana for a midweek showdown on Tuesday at 6 p.m. CT.