Things were back on track in Starkville last year, as the Mississippi State Bulldogs went to the Super Regionals in Brian O’Connor’s first season as head coach. And, if their 2027 tentative roster is any indication, the Bulldogs may very well be on that shortlist of clubs that could make it to Omaha this upcoming year.
The Returnees
The MSU Bulldogs head into 2027 with an incredibly deep rotation, led by Tomas Valincius, Duke Stone, and Ryan McPherson. Head coach Brian O’Connor indicated in September that all three are being brought up slowly to manage their workloads after lengthy 2026 campaigns. But all in all, it will be very tough for any team to match that type of punch.
Valincius, one of several former Virginia Cavaliers to join O’Connor with Hail State, struck out 134 batters in what was a complete season in his first as an SEC pitcher. It’s a devastating, deep arsenal with Valincius, simply because he has the ability to change eye angles with two fastballs, both of which run into the mid-90s and up to 98. Plus, use a power breaking ball.
Stone struck out 107 over 79 innings pitched, pairing perfectly with the southpaw Valincius. Like the former UVA pitcher, Stone has a fleshed-out arsenal, including a nasty changeup to pair with the fastball that works well upstairs.
And then there’s McPherson, who did miss some time in 2026. However, he was the Bulldogs’ Opening Day starter last year and still pitched well after a two-month absence. If all three are healthy and able, good luck.
Hard-throwing pitcher Jack Bauer, plus Maddox Miller and Jack Gleason, also returned for 2027. The three were key pieces for the bullpen in 2026 as freshmen.
Mississippi State lost its best bat to the pros in the 2026 MLB Draft. But Jacob Parker is back, and it’s fair to debate whether he was their best overall player down the stretch. Parker had a dominant 2026 campaign, capped off by an opposite-field home run in the Super Regionals that nearly pushed the Bulldogs to a Game 3 in Athens.
Parker hit .339 with 18 home runs last season as a freshman. He’ll be joined by Ryder Woodson and Kevin Milewski, who were also regulars with MSU in 2026.
The Newcomers
There are some monsters on this team, among their freshman class.
Denton Lord and Dax Hardcastle, both hard-throwing pitchers, with Lord pumping upper-90s stuff, headline what is yet another deep frosh class for the Bulldogs. The class of freshmen is made up mostly of pitchers, although O’Connor plucked two high school kids from New Jersey, an area he’s very familiar with during his time at UVA.
Those players would be infielder Zach Geertsma and outfielder Michael Hanna, the latter of whom comes from athletics powerhouse Don Bosco Prep.
As for the transfers, Mississippi State picked up Landon Stump from UCLA. Oddly enough, Stump pitched against MSU back on March 1, 2026, in a neutral-site game against the Bulldogs. He struck out 43 over 54 last season for the Bruins. It’s an amalgamated arsenal, highlighted by a mid-90s fastball.
The school also picked up a good catcher in ex-Oregon backstop Burke-Lee Mabeus. Mabeus hit .286 with eight home runs and 22 extra-base hits last year for the Ducks. One important thing to note with him: very patient at the plate, at least based on the sample size from the Cape Cod League season this past summer.
Amidst all the turnover in South Carolina, the Bulldogs were able to pluck Will Craddock from the Gamecocks. A sophomore, Craddock hit a USC-high 10 home runs last season for a team where not much went right.
Zach Russell also came over from MSU. Russell, a junior pitcher, struck out 23 over 32 and posted a sub-3.00 ERA.
Opposing hitters batted just .195 off Thomas Allen for Louisiana Tech last year. Allen posted a WHIP of 1.01 and struck out 49 over 48 innings last season.
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