Mississippi State
Ole Miss
Top 20 Showdown In Annual Governor's Cup
April 27, 2026 | Baseball
PEARL - No. 10 Mississippi State already owns a series sweep of Ole Miss this season.
Now the Diamond Dawgs get another shot at the 17th-ranked Rebels with hardware on the line.
Mississippi State meets Ole Miss on Tuesday at 6 p.m. in the annual Governor's Cup, a non-conference rivalry matchup played at Trustmark Park, home of the Mississippi Mud Monsters. The game will be streamed on SEC Network+.
State enters the midweek rivalry game riding one of its best stretches of the season. The Bulldogs are 34-10 overall, 13-8 in Southeastern Conference play and winners of eight straight after sweeping defending national champion LSU during Super Bulldog Weekend. That sweep was Mississippi State's first against LSU in 41 years and gave MSU another major boost heading into the final month of the regular season.
The Diamond Dawgs also carry a five-game winning streak against Ole Miss into Pearl. MSU swept the Rebels in Oxford earlier this season, winning 5-4, 6-1 and 7-1 from March 27-29. State also won the final two meetings between the programs last season in Starkville.
Mississippi State owns a 271-213-5 lead in the all-time series and has controlled the rivalry's neutral-site chapter as well. The Bulldogs hold an 11-6 advantage over Ole Miss in the Governor's Cup since the game began being played at Trustmark Park in 2007. MSU is also 24-20 against the Rebels in the Mayor's Trophy/Governor's Cup non-conference series dating back to 1980.
State is scheduled to start senior right-hander Brendan Sweeney, who is 0-0 with a 6.46 ERA, 17 strikeouts and five walks over 15 1/3 innings. The South Carolina transfer has made 11 appearances and one start this season while adding one save.
Sweeney's best work has come in extended relief. He earned a save against Hofstra with 3 2/3 innings and five strikeouts, worked two scoreless innings against Delaware, threw 1 2/3 scoreless innings against Virginia Tech and later added two shutout frames against Vanderbilt.
Ole Miss is expected to counter with junior right-hander Owen Kelly, who is 2-1 with a 3.04 ERA, 24 strikeouts and nine walks in 23 2/3 innings. Kelly has made 12 appearances and five starts, but he has been hit hard in SEC action, allowing four runs on four hits in one inning across two league outings.
Brian O'Connor's first Mississippi State team has built its surge with a balanced formula. The Bulldogs enter Tuesday hitting .313 with a .415 on-base percentage and a .539 slugging percentage. State has piled up 105 doubles, 76 home runs and 227 walks while stealing 49 bases in 64 attempts.
Mississippi State's lineup remains one of the deepest in the SEC. Third baseman Ace Reese continues to anchor the order after another big weekend against LSU. Reese homered in all three games of the sweep and enters the Governor's Cup hitting .318 with 15 home runs and 53 RBIs. He leads the SEC with 18 doubles and has produced 33 extra-base hits.
Noah Sullivan has been another steady force for the Bulldogs. The graduate designated hitter is batting .347 with eight home runs and 36 RBIs, while Bryce Chance leads State with a .357 average and has struck out only 12 times all season. Gehrig Frei is hitting .322 with seven homers and a team-best 15 multi-hit games.
Freshman Jacob Parker has also continued to make his presence felt. Parker is hitting .327 with eight home runs and 32 RBIs and delivered one of State's biggest swings of the season with a game-tying grand slam against LSU on Saturday. Aidan Teel, who homered in Sunday's win over LSU, gives the Bulldogs another left-handed bat in the order.
Catcher Kevin Milewski has supplied power from behind the plate, homering eight times this season, including a walk-off two-run shot in the 11th inning against LSU on Friday. Reed Stallman has added eight homers and 38 RBIs, while Ryder Woodson has started 42 of 44 games at shortstop and came through with a game-tying RBI single with two outs in the ninth inning in Friday's comeback win over LSU.
MSU's pitching staff has been just as effective. The Bulldogs own a 3.63 team ERA with 502 strikeouts against 140 walks in 382 innings. Opponents are batting just .226 against State, and the Bulldogs have fielded at a .980 clip.
The Rebels arrive at 31-14 overall and 11-10 in SEC play after dropping two of three to No. 5 Georgia over the weekend. Ole Miss is 20-4 in non-conference games and 2-2 at neutral sites.
Ole Miss brings plenty of power into Pearl. The Rebels are hitting .265 as a team with 65 doubles, 78 home runs, 297 RBIs and a .473 slugging percentage. They have also drawn 256 walks and carry a .392 on-base percentage, giving MSU's pitching staff another lineup that can create pressure with both patience and power.
Tristan Bissetta has been the centerpiece of the Rebels' order. He is batting .329 with 57 hits, nine doubles, 19 home runs and 51 RBIs while slugging .711. Judd Utermark has added a .320 average, 17 homers, 40 RBIs and a team-high 56 runs, while Will Furniss is also hitting .329 with five home runs, 39 RBIs and a team-best .460 on-base percentage.
Dom Decker has supplied eight homers and 24 RBIs, Austin Fawley has hit six home runs and driven in 23, and Collin Reuter leads Ole Miss with 12 doubles. The Rebels have been especially dangerous when the ball leaves the yard, going 18-3 when hitting two or more home runs this season.
The Rebels' staff has been strong overall, posting a 4.00 ERA with 509 strikeouts against 147 walks in 393 2/3 innings. Opponents are batting .239 against Ole Miss.
The Governor's Cup will not count toward the SEC standings, but there is little ordinary about another Mississippi State-Ole Miss meeting. For the Bulldogs, it is a chance to add another RPI boost and keep building momentum before this weekend's road series at No. 4 Texas.
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