All three of Mississippi’s major college baseball clubs notched a successful week in the early season slate. No. 18 Mississippi State and Ole Miss brought out the brooms for series sweeps, while Southern Miss earned a series win against a solid opponent.
Below, you can find a quick recap of each team’s series, scores from each game, plus the biggest moments of the weekend.
No. 18 Mississippi State vs. Missouri State
The Bulldogs (6-1) were tasked with brushing off a midweek loss to Southern Miss heading into the second nonconference three-game set in Starkville, and they did just that.
Two of the three games were hard fought against a historically strong Missouri State program, with that pair of two-run wins coming down the final frames. The pitching was especially good for Chris Lemonis’ club all weekend long. The Bulldog staff combined to hold the Bears (2-4) to a measly 8 runs while tallying 34 punchouts.
Scores
- Game one: Mississippi State 3, Missouri State 1
- Game two: Mississippi State 9, Missouri State 3
- Game three: Mississippi State 6, Missouri State 4
Impact players
- DH Noah Sullivan (.417 AVG, 2 2B, 3 RBI)
- 3B Ace Reese (1 3B, 1 HR, 6 RBI)
- LHP Pico Kohn (6.1 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 11 K, 0 BB)
- RHP Stone Simmons (4.0 IP, 0 H, 1 ER, 5 K)
Big moment
With Mississippi State on the brink of a sweep up 4-1 Sunday afternoon, sophomore Ace Reese turned on the first pitch he saw in the bottom of the sixth for a 2-run home run to make it a 6-1 Bulldog lead. It was MSU’s fourth long ball of the day in what turned out to be the difference maker at the end of the 6-4 victory.
Ace Reese got all of that one!♠️
📺» https://t.co/vJJRztFkzu#HailState🐶 pic.twitter.com/24TqbSNhRJ
— Mississippi State Baseball (@HailStateBB) February 23, 2025
Ole Miss vs. Eastern Kentucky
After opening the 2025 season against three high-quality opponents in the Shriners Children’s College Showdown, Ole Miss (6-1) followed with a ho-hum extra-inning midweek win over Arkansas State. The Rebels came back to life on Friday, popping the Eastern Kentucky Colonels (0-7) by a combined score of 26-7 in a stress-free sweep.
Scores
- Game one: Ole Miss 8, Eastern Kentucky 0
- Game two: Ole Miss 9, Eastern Kentucky 4
- Game three: Ole Miss 9, Eastern Kentucky 3
Impact players
- 2B Luke Hill (.500 AVG, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 6 R)
- LF/DH Hayden Federico (.571, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 3 R, 1 BB)
- C Campbell Smithwick (.429, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 1 BB, 1 R)
- LHP Hunter Elliot (6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 10 K, 0 BB)
- RHP Riley Maddox (5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 5 K, 2 BB)
Big moment
Campbell Smithwick, the Rebels’ sophomore catcher, has had a largely quiet start to the season. But head coach Mike Bianco likely feels a little better about his lineup after Smithwick deposited two quality starts at the plate against the Colonels. Those performances include his first home run of the season Sunday, helping Ole Miss jump out to a 4-run lead and put them well on their way to the first sweep of 2025.
SOOOOUUUPPP 💣@campbellrsoup x #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/wsXubpE54P
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) February 23, 2025
Southern Miss vs. Louisiana Tech
The Golden Eagles (7-1) again flexed their pitching muscles after shutting out No. 18 Mississippi State Tuesday, this time in a 4-0 series-opening win over former conference mate Louisiana Tech (5-2). Southern Miss followed that up with an 8-4 victory in game 2 to clinch the series, but fell quietly in the series finale for the first loss of the season.
Scores
- Game one: Southern Miss 4, Louisiana Tech 0
- Game two: Southern Miss 8, Louisiana Tech 4
- Game three: Louisiana Tech 5, Southern Miss 2
Impact players
- RF Carson Paetow (.300, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 3 R)
- 2B Nick Monistere (.333, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2 R, 3 BB)
- LF Davis Gillespie (.400, 2 2B, 3 RBI, 2 R)
- LHP Kros Sivley (6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 9 K, 2 BB)
- RHP JB Middleton (5.0 IP, 1 H, 6 K, 3 BB)
Big moment
With the series still hanging in the balance, Carson Paetow had the biggest offensive day of anyone who touched the turf in Hattiesburg. A three-run home run popped the cap off Saturday’s contest to give the Golden Eagles a comfortable lead. It was followed by a no-doubter in Paetow’s next trip to the batter’s box – a 392 ft. moon shot.
Highly suggest you stay for the bat flip and trot 😏
🚀 392 ft
💪 104 mph@CarsonPaetow | #SMTTT pic.twitter.com/WuEL0f7QDP
— Southern Miss Baseball (@SouthernMissBSB) February 22, 2025
What’s next
Another in-state battle is on tap this week – a Tuesday showdown between Ole Miss and Southern Miss in Oxford. First pitch is set for 4 p.m. at Swayze Field and will be aired on SEC Network+, as well as participating SuperTalk Mississippi stations.
Mississippi State begins a big week with a Tuesday affair against preseason top-25 Troy. The Bulldogs will look to stay undefeated all-time against the Trojans beginning at 4 p.m. at Dudy-Noble Field. The contest will be aired on SEC Network+.
