November 06, 2026 | Baseball
STARKVILLE – Mississippi State's homecoming weekend kicks off Friday night with the return of the 2026 Farm Bureau Diamond Dawg Classic powered by State1878.
Dozens of MSU baseball greats along with thousands of Bulldog fans will return to the crown jewel of college baseball – Dudy Noble Field – for the second straight fall for an alumni game like no other.
Player introductions begin at 7 p.m. with first pitch slated shortly thereafter. Tickets are still available and the game will also be streamed live on SEC Network+.
This year's Farm Bureau Diamond Dawg Classic once again pits Team Thunder against Team Lightning, aptly named after two of the most famous players to ever put on the M-over-S – Will Clark and Rafael Palmeiro.
Clark and Palmeiro were the managers during last year's inaugural game and serve in a general manager capacity this time around. Stepping into managerial roles in 2026 are the captains of last year's squads Mitch Moreland (Thunder) and Jonathan Papelbon (Lightning).
Moreland and Papelbon – both MLB All-Stars and World Series champions – are far from the only State stars returning to Starkville's hallowed grounds on Friday. The SEC's all-time hit king Jake Mangum, currently with the Pittsburgh Pirates, will captain of Team Thunder while former National Player of the Year, 2021 national champion and current Banana Ball favorite Tanner Allen captains Team Lightning.
The two teams feature 17 current or former MLB players, 45 professional players, 33 College World Series participants, 17 All-Americans, eight MLB All-Stars, six national champions, six first round draft picks and two World Series champs.
Of the 41 players set to take the field on Friday, 31 are or have played professionally past their time in Maroon and White. Joining Mangum on the field is current big leaguer and All-Star Adam Frazier along with former MLB players Hunter Renfroe, Tyler Moore and Craig Tatum.
Even the coaching staffs are star-studded and loaded with MLB talent. Jeff Brantley, Bobby Thigpen, Ed Easley, Scott Clark and Trent Intorcia are members of Moreland's staff while Papelbon's coaches include Paul Maholm, Jay Powell, Jonathan Holder, Konnor Pilkington and Wes Rea.
Last year, a crowd of 10,172 fans flocked back in the fall for the Farm Bureau Diamond Dawg Classic to watch Renfroe outslug Moreland in a swing off to win it for Palmeiro's Team Lightning after the seven-inning game ended in an 8-8 tie.
