No. 16 Mississippi State clicked on all cylinders on Wednesday, annihilating Missouri 12-2 in a shortened SEC Tournament battle.
Valincius, though pronounced differently for the two Bulldog brothers, was a name called frequently in the postseason matchup, with Tomas shining on the mound and Vytas being a force at the plate. Tomas Valincius (10-2) delivered a six-inning gem, allowing two runs and fanning eight batters. Vytas Valincius hit two home runs, one of which was a three-run shot that sealed the 10-run rule victory.
DO IT AGAIN VITO 💥 https://t.co/xn7AiGbDCK pic.twitter.com/OB66vGhRVU
— Mississippi State Baseball (@HailStateBB) May 20, 2026
The showdown was close for the first five-and-a-half innings. Missouri (24-31), the first 16-seed to ever advance in the tournament after upsetting Ole Miss on Tuesday, scored on a Kam Durnin solo shot in the top of the first and a sacrifice foul out in the top of the fifth. Mississippi State (40-16) scored three runs in the bottom of the second, courtesy of a Ryder Woodson long ball, and added to the tally with an RBI single by Gehrig Frei in the bottom of the fifth.
Brian O’Connor’s club broke things open, scoring eight runs in the bottom of the sixth. Vytas Valincius started things off with a solo shot, and the hitting was contagious as the Bulldogs also capitalized on Missouri fielding errors. A 4-2 lead quickly turned into a 12-2 mauling that advanced Mississippi State in the conference tournament.
Joining the Valincius brothers in showing out were Woodson, who had three RBI on the home run ball he hit, and Gehrig Frei, who added two RBI on one hit. Vytas Valincius was the only Bulldog with a multi-hit outing.
Missouri pitcher Brady Kehlenbrink (3-10) was handed the loss, though he matched Tomas Valincius in strikeouts. The junior left-hander, however, gave up four runs, though only one was earned, on three hits in 4.1 innings. Durnin, who scored the first run of the contest, was the only Tiger with multiple hits.
Notably, the maroon and white were effective in utilizing the automated ball-strike system. Mississippi State challenged three calls in the matchup, which yielded two successful appeals.
Fittingly, the Bulldogs’ social media team took a shot at Ole Miss, which was the first team to utilize ABS at the collegiate level, albeit unsuccessfully. In a graphic, Mississippi State’s official baseball account lauded that it was the first in-state program to successfully challenge a call.
History in Hoover pic.twitter.com/qmAMorqfLK
— Mississippi State Baseball (@HailStateBB) May 20, 2026
Next up
Mississippi State, considered a lock to host a regional in the upcoming NCAA Tournament, will continue its run in Hoover versus top-seeded Georgia on Thursday at 3 p.m. CT. The game will air on the SEC Network and participating SuperTalk Mississippi stations. The last time the two teams squared off, Georgia swept Mississippi State in Starkville.
As for Missouri, the Tigers have no postseason prospects beyond the SEC Tournament, meaning their season came to an end on Wednesday.
