Another weekend of college baseball has wrapped up for Mississippi State, Ole Miss, and Southern Miss. Two of the three programs led a successful effort on the diamond, while one fizzled out after a hot start.
Below, you can find a quick recap of each team’s series, scores from each game, plus the biggest moment of each clubs respective series.
No. 18 Mississippi State in the Astros Foundation College Classic
The Bulldogs (7-4) traveled west to face a trio of opponents in the Houston Astros’ stadium after falling to No. 21 Troy on Tuesday. Unfortunately for Chris Lemonis’ club, a promising start to the series did not bear any fruit in the back end.
Mississippi State opened things up in Daikin Park run-ruling Rice 14-3 in the seventh inning on Friday, but the momentum was curbed on Saturday in a one-run shortcoming against Arizona. On Sunday, the Bulldogs were tasked with clawing back from a 9-2 deficit against Oklahoma State, and while maroon and white showed promise late in the contest, the damage was already done.
Scores
- Game one: Mississippi State 14, Rice 3
- Game two: Mississippi State 5, Arizona 6
- Game three: Mississippi State 7, Oklahoma State 9
Impact players
- 3B Ace Reese (6 H, 3 HR, 6 RBI)
- LF Reed Stallman (4H, 2 HR, 5 RBI)
- LHP Pico Kohn (6.1 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 6 K)
- RHP Mikhai Grant (1 IP, 0 H, O R, 3 K)
Big moment
Smelling blood in the water for an opportunity to end Friday’s matchup in an early run-rule, Bulldog catcher Ross Highfill knocked a ball to the center-field warning track, scoring two, and placing him on third base. Mississippi State third baseman Ace Reese proceeded to rubberstamp the victory with a long ball.
Ross Highfill with a two-run triple!
📺» https://t.co/t5WzR9Ss9n#HailState🐶 pic.twitter.com/fmXocst77H
— Mississippi State Baseball (@HailStateBB) February 28, 2025
No. 24 Ole Miss vs. Wright State
Ole Miss (10-1) welcomed Wright State to Swayze Field for a three-game series following a nice midweek win over in-state foe No. 22 Southern Miss.
Mike Bianco’s club handled the Raiders with relative ease, outscoring the non-conference foe 24-7 over the weekend. Starting pitchers Hunter Elliott and Riley Maddox set the tone on Friday and Saturday with stellar showings on the mound as veteran Judd Utermark got to work offensively with a home run in all three games.
Scores
- Game one: Ole Miss 9, Wright State 1
- Game two: Ole Miss 8, Wright State 3
- Game three: Ole Miss 7, Wright State 3
Impact players
- UTL Judd Utermark (5 H, 6 RBI, 3 HR)
- OF Ryan Moerman (6 H, 5 RBI, 2 2B, 1 HR)
- LHP Hunter Elliott (5 IP, 1 H, 5 BB, 0 R, 7 K)
- RHP Riley Maddox (5 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 0 R, 5 K)
Big moment
Ace pitcher Hunter Elliott, one of the few members of the Rebels’ 2022 national championship team remaining on the roster, has kept his perfect 0.00 ERA intact this season, though that was put to the test on Friday. In the top of the fifth inning, Wright State had bases loaded and one out, until Ole Miss short stop Luke Cheng helped turn a double play to retire the Raiders. The big play was the perfect complement to a nice day on the mound for Elliott.
Hunter Elliott vs. Wright State:
5.0 IP, 0 Runs, 1 Hit, 7 Strikeouts@elliotthunter10 x #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/D8hxVBHNI5
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) February 28, 2025
No. 22 Southern Miss vs. No. 25 TCU
The Golden Eagles (9-3) looked to shake off a rough outing on the mound in a 15-8 midweek loss in Oxford, and Christian Ostrander’s club rose to the occasion against yet another top-25 team on the road.
Southern Miss got off on the wrong side of the scoreboard in the series opener at No. 25 TCU, largely due to a rough night at the plate. However, things took a turn on Saturday when the Golden Eagles flipped the script and mounted a 5-3 win before beating the brakes off of the Horned Frogs in Sunday’s finale.
Scores
- Game one: Southern Miss 2, TCU 5
- Game two: Southern Miss 5, TCU 3
- Game three: Southern Miss 11, TCU 3
Impact players
- 1B Matthew Russo (5 H, 1 3B, 5 RBI, 2 HR)
- RF Carson Paetow (4 H, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 HR)
- LHP Kros Sivley (7 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1K)
- LHP Brooks Willoughby (3 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 0 R, 2 K)
Big moment
With a narrow 2-1 lead, Southern Miss needed insurance late in game two to keep the series alive. Carson Paetow and Nick Monistere delivered on deep balls, putting the Golden Eagles up 4-1 late and igniting a fire that fueled a successful backdoor by the valiant visitors.
Top 8 | Tuna goes big fly for the Eagles and the Frogs go to the pen. And Monistere follows with an HR of his own and it is once again to the pen
USM 4, TCU 1 pic.twitter.com/PHABIlozZj
— Southern Miss Baseball (@SouthernMissBSB) March 1, 2025
What’s next
Ole Miss will face two midweek opponents at home. First on the docket is a Tuesday night battle versus Southeastern Louisiana beginning at 6:30 p.m. The Rebels will then take on Murray State on Wednesday at 4 p.m. Both games will air on SEC Network+.
Meanwhile, Mississippi State and Southern Miss will square off in a rematch on Tuesday at 4 p.m — this time in Starkville. The last time the two locked horns, the Golden Eagles defended home field, shutting out the Bulldogs 3-0. The midweek rematch will be broadcast on SEC Network+.
