Mississippi State
Jackson State
No. 6 Bulldogs Begin Homestand With Jackson St.
March 16, 2026 | Baseball
STARKVILLE – After a week on the road, sixth-ranked Mississippi State returns to Dudy Noble Field for a five-game homestand beginning with Jackson State on Tuesday at 4 p.m.
The Diamond Dawgs have won 14-straight home games dating back to April 20, 2025, including a 12-0 mark this spring. Tuesday's game against the Tigers will be streamed on SEC Network+.
MSU will send freshman left-hander Maddox Miller to the mound for his first-career start. Miller has made six appearances out of the bullpen and sports a 1-2 record with an 8.10 earned run average, 14 strikeouts and only one walk through 6 2/3 innings.
JSU has not announced its pitching plans for Tuesday.
Mississippi State has won seven-straight against JSU and had dominated the all-time series 57-8. The Bulldogs are 38-2 against the Tigers at home, including a 16-3 victory in seven innings last year. Reed Stallman went 2-for-3 with a double, home run and three RBIs in that contest.
Mississippi State heads into the midweek matchup at 16-4 overall and coming off a series loss at now No. 4 Arkansas on opening weekend of SEC play. The Diamond Dawgs' 7-2 victory in the first game of a doubleheader on Saturday was sandwiched between 5-4 and 7-3 losses.
MSU ranks seventh nationally with 52 doubles on the year. The Bulldogs are batting .338 as a team with 30 home runs and scoring 9.9 runs per game. They have also swiped 32 bases in 41 tries while maintaining a .981 fielding percentage.
Graduate outfielder Bryce Chance leads Mississippi State hitting .436 with seven steals in nine attempts while All-American third baseman Ace Reese tops the team with 30 hits, 11 doubles, six homers and 31 RBIs.
The Diamond Dawgs rank top 10 in the country with a 3.80 strikeout-to-walk ratio (fifth), 12.2 strikeouts per nine innings (sixth) and three shutouts (ninth). MSU pitchers have compiled a 3.79 ERA as a staff with 232 strikeouts and 61 walks across 171 innings. Opposing teams are batting just .222 against them.
Ryan McPherson tops the Bulldogs with 36 strikeouts while Dane Burns and Jackson Logar each have flawless ERAs. Ben Davis has notched two of the team's five saves on the season.
Jackson State is 10-11 on the year after dropping a SWAC series on the road at Texas Southern. The Tigers lost the first two games 17-6 in seven innings and 15-9 before salvaging the final 17-12 on Sunday.
Omar Johnson's squad is in the midst of an eight-game road trek that began on March 3. JSU is batting .306 as a team with 14 homers and averaging 7.6 runs. The Tigers have also been successful on 33 of 30 steal attempts and sport a .965 fielding percentage.
Tyree Reed is Jackson State's leading hitter among its regulars at .400. Robert Tate Jr. has clubbed four long balls and has 33 total hits while Pierre Cabral has driven in 21 and is a perfect 7-for-7 on steals.
The Tigers' pitching staff has a collective 8.43 ERA with 173 strikeouts and 139 walks in 174 innings. Opposing teams are batting .274 against them with 17 long balls.
Derek Arrocha has posted 31 strikeouts this season while Corey Richardson is the lone JSU with an ERA under five. Jaedeyn Edwards has half of the Tigers four saves in 2026.
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