No. 4 MSU Dominates Game 1 Against Delaware
February 20, 2026 | Baseball
STARKVILLE - Ryan McPherson turned in a career day on the mound, striking out a career-high 11 batters to lead fourth-ranked Mississippi State to a 9-2 win over Delaware on Friday afternoon at Dudy Noble Field.
Behind McPherson's dominant outing, the Diamond Dawgs improved to 6-0 on the season, continuing their strong start with a blend of overpowering pitching and relentless offense.
McPherson (1-0) set the tone early in his six innings of work. The sophomore right-hander allowed just four hits and one earned run while walking one and throwing 62 of his 92 pitches for strikes, keeping the Fightin' Blue Hens guessing all afternoon.
The Bulldogs wasted little time providing support. State jumped on Delaware starter Brady Blum in the first inning, plating three runs to seize control. Ace Reese led the charge offensively, going 3-for-5 with a double, two RBIs and a pair of runs scored while Bryce Chance went a perfect 3-for-3 with a double and drove in one.
The Diamond Dawgs finished with five doubles and pounded out 16 hits as a team. All nine starters in the lineup recorded at least one hit in the balanced attack with Andrew Raymond, Gehrig Frei and Ryder Woodson all providing two hits and one double apiece.
The Bulldogs' bullpen handled the rest with ease. Jack Gleason tossed two scoreless innings with three strikeouts and Maddox Miller closed it out with a clean ninth as State limited Delaware (1-4) to just four total hits.
The series continues on Saturday at 1 p.m. with State sending out sophomore left-hander Tomas Valincius (1-0, 0.00 ERA) to the mound while the Blue Hens counter with graduate righty Doug Marose (0-0, 9.00 ERA). The game will be streamed on SEC Network+.
Visit www.HailState.com for the latest news and information on the baseball program. Fans can also follow the program on social media by searching 'HailStateBB' on X, Facebook and Instagram.
