SEC Baseball Summer Standouts: Mississippi State Assembles Exciting Roster for 2027
Just Baseball is here to give you a first glance at the 2027 Mississippi State Bulldogs roster following a hectic summer.
Dudy Noble Field was dealt a breath of fresh air this year as the Brian O’Connor era began at Mississippi State. The Bulldogs hired the longtime Virginia skipper with championships on their mind.
‘Oak’ kept the MSU revolver loaded with its best bullets and thumbed in a few of his own courtesy of Charlottesville. It fired off a 43-19 record (16-14 SEC), won a home regional, but fell on the road in supers against a Georgia team that simply had its number, winning all six of their matchups in 2026.
Not a bad season when you consider that State hadn’t won a regional since it conquered Omaha for the first time in program history back in 2021. Satiating Starkville’s desire for success on the diamond is arduous, though, and that air isn’t fresh anymore. It could quickly turn stale at the first whiff of regression, too. O’Connor is well aware.
“I believe the foundation is set. We’re gonna go about our business. That’s important,” he said following State’s season-ending loss to UGA on June 7. “We’ll need to do a great job in recruiting. We have a veteran club, position-player-wise. We’ll do that. We did it last summer, we’ll do it again … we need to add the pieces to be successful.”
There’s quite a bit to replace on the position-player front. The Bulldogs slashed .318/.415/.567 as a team and ranked in the top three in the SEC in nearly every hitting statistic. 10 players had 100 or more at-bats last season, and just three will be back in 2027.
Pitching is a different story, as three weekend starters headline a returning group that’s rich with experience and stuff. State had a 4.51 ERA in 2026, good for fifth in the league.
The foundation may be set, but that didn’t stop O’Connor and his staff from assembling a top-five transfer portal class — per 64Analytics — that includes a few new high-octane arms to go with some plug-and-play starters in the infield and outfield. State brought in 13 transfers and had 12 departures.
Add in a top-10 high school recruiting class, and you’ve got a roster that will be hoarding hype from now until Opening Day. Just Baseball is here to give you a first glance at the 2027 Mississippi State roster following a hectic summer.
Notable Returnees
- C Kevin Milewski
- UTL Chone James
- INF Ryder Woodson
- OF Jacob Parker
- RHP Ryan McPherson
- RHP Duke Stone
- RHP Maddox Webb
- RHP Jack Gleason
- LHP Tomas Valincius
- LHP Jack Bauer
- LHP Maddox Miller
State Returns Weekend Rotation
The Bulldogs won’t lack options on the mound, and they certainly won’t lack experience, either. They return arms that accounted for over 340 innings in 2026. That includes their primary weekend rotation of Valincius, McPherson and Stone.
It all starts with Valincius, who ended up becoming the most important player to follow O’Connor from UVA to MSU. As a sophomore, the lefty fired 97.2 innings across 17 starts, winning 11 games while striking out 134 and walking just 20.
His 3.50 ERA and 1.08 WHIP propelled him toward Just Baseball All-SEC honors. He threw the second-most innings of any SEC pitcher, and despite tapering off at the end of the year, Valincius was overtly impressive. State has a true veteran ace back for next season.
Many thought McPherson would be that ace in 2026. He got the ball on Opening Day and allowed just nine earned runs in his first six starts. However, his sophomore season was brought to a halt by a forearm strain that sidelined him for six weeks. He returned at the end of the year but finished with just 43 IP. Still, a 3.56 ERA and .228 batting average against are more than respectable. He’ll be back and ready to bore through opposing lineups in 2027.
Stone wasn’t in the rotation at the beginning of last season, but he ended up making 15 starts and ate 79.2 innings, the second-most on the team behind Valincius. He also maintained a 30-percent strikeout rate despite the uptick in work, fanning 107, a top-15 mark in the SEC. When Stone wasn’t getting swings and misses, though, he was surrendering hard contact. Opponents hit .279 off the righty, swatting 14 homers and 19 other extra-base hits. A lot was asked of the sophomore, but there’s some middle ground for him to find next season.
Young Arms Itching To Contribute
Bauer was one of the top freshmen to make it to a college campus last year. The 6-foot-4 flamethrower has all the tools to be one of the best high-leverage arms in college baseball. Even someone of his caliber wasn’t immune to first-year troubles, though.
He made 16 appearances and finished with a 7.09 ERA over 26.2 IP, looking unhittable at times, but also very hittable at times, giving up three earned runs in four of his final five outings. Bauer struck out 38 but also walked 13 and gave up six home runs. He took some licks in SEC action, but will only be better for it as a sophomore.
Bauer headlines a group of relievers who are working to prove they can successfully stomach high-leverage work on a consistent basis. Gleason, Webb and Miller all threw 25-plus innings in 2026. Webb made 27 appearances, the second-most on the team, but recorded more than three outs just six times and didn’t find as much success in SEC play. Miller looks to be another sound left-handed option after allowing just seven runs and striking out 40 as a freshman.
Keep an eye on RHP Parker Rhodes, another touted recruit who could blossom after a very small freshman sample size last season.
Parker Headlines
Tabbing an athlete as “electric” is a little overplayed nowadays, but it’s an appropriate term when discussing Jacob Parker and what he provided Mississippi State as a freshman. His long but swift left-handed swing sent thunderbolts all over the yard and was responsible for some of the Bulldogs’ most memorable moments in 2026. He slashed .339/.449/.732 with 18 bombs, 10 doubles and 62 RBI, earning Freshman All-American honors.
He’s set quite the high bar for himself moving forward. With most of the old guard gone, much of that extra weight will fall squarely on his shoulders as he’s flanked by a slew of new faces and just a couple of other returning starters.
Woodson is another key piece. He transferred in from NC State last year and made 56 starts at shortstop for State, hitting .272 with 15 doubles and nine homers. Cutting down on strikeouts (65 last season) and improving his defensive range should be priorities heading into his junior year.
The Portal Haul
Transfer rankings via 64Analytics
- OF Jake Souders (Samford) — No. 26
- RHP Landon Stump (UCLA) — No. 27
- OF Brady Christman (Georgia Southern) — No. 39
- LHP Jaxon Shineflew (South Alabama) — No. 66
- C Burke-Lee Mabeus (Oregon) — No. 79
- RHP Thomas Allen (Louisiana Tech) — No. 124
- TWP Josiah Overbeek (Army) — No. 204
- INF Will Craddock (South Carolina) — No. 215
- RHP Zach Russell (South Carolina) — No. 227
- INF Nolan Grawe (South Dakota State) — No. 260
- OF Carter White (North Florida) — No. 287
- RHP Nick Robert (Miami) — No. 570
- RHP Carson Fair (Memphis) — No. 571
The No. 5 transfer portal class, according to 64A, will be make-or-break for Mississippi State, at least on the offensive front. Five or more starters on Opening Day are currently expected to come from this group. There’s also a wave of arms that bring equal parts stuff and experience.
Replacing Old Faces
Unlike most programs that undergo coaching staff changes, Mississippi State had the luxury of keeping some of its veteran core intact last season. On the offensive front, things will now really feel different for the Bulldogs in 2027. Ace Reese, Noah Sullivan and their 120 RBI are gone.
Just three of the 10 position players who made 20-plus starts in 2026 will be back next spring. That can add some pressure to a transfer group that will likely feature a slew of State’s Opening Day starters.
Filling Reese’s gaping hole at third base will be another lefty bat in Grawe, a two-year standout at South Dakota State. He may not match his predecessor in the power department, but he’s far tougher to strike out, going down 58 times over the last two seasons — five fewer than Reese’s K total in 2026. Grawe drove in 48 runs last season, thanks in part to 18 doubles, five triples and seven homers. He took a nice stride defensively as a sophomore, too.
On the other side of the infield, look for Craddock to grab a starting job at first or second base. He saw ample time at both as a freshman and was at times a bright spot for a dysfunctional South Carolina team. The 6-foot-3, 190-pounder struggled mightily in SEC play, striking out nearly 40 percent of the time. When it was clicking, though, he showcased All-American ability, finishing the season with 10 doubles and a team-high 10 homers. Fixing the plate discipline could unlock that upside on a regular basis.
Mabeus adds to what should be one of the better defensive catching groups in the SEC alongside the returning Milweski and James. He caught 14 runners stealing last season and made 46 starts as a sophomore for Oregon. A Big Ten All-Freshman selection in 2025, Mabeus raised his average .029 points to .286 in year two and swatted 22 XBH, including eight bombs. Another offensive jump would severely raise his ceiling.
The new outfield additions are massive. Souders made 113 starts over two years at Samford and was routinely dominant, slashing .356/.431/.575 last season. He provides consistency at the plate, notching 78 hits and 46 RBI one year after driving in 46 with 73 knocks as a freshman. Oh, and he’s also stolen 31 bags while primarily playing a great right field, though he can shift to center, too. His portal recruitment was hotly contested for a reason.
Christman was O’Connor’s first portal pledge of the summer. The Sun Belt Freshman of the Year hit .384 with a 1.199 OPS, pumping 12 homers while driving in 44 runs. He made 25 starts in left field and another 15 at DH for Georgia Southern, leading the conference in a majority of hitting statistics. It’s a big bat, and if it transitions well to the SEC, then he’ll find his way into the lineup on a regular basis.
White will have a say in the primary outfield picture, too. His production soared in 2026 as he led UNF with 51 RBI and finished with 11 doubles and 11 homers. Also a solid defensive outfielder, he made 25 starts in center and 21 in left. His wRC+ rose over 40 points to 131.7.
Overbeek is a very intriguing two-way option who broke out in a big way as a freshman for Army. He has positional flexibility, but his 1.226 OPS, 17 HR and 25-percent walk rate speak for themselves. It’s a booming left-handed swing. On the bump, the righty recorded five saves and won five games in 15 appearances.
Righty Reinforcements
One of the hotter commodities on the pitching market was Stump, a veteran right-hander who made 42 starts over the last three seasons at UCLA. Looking for a change of scenery, he was drawn toward vaunted pitching coach Justin Parker and the chance to pitch at Dudy Noble.
Stump struggled to go deep into games his junior year, completing four innings just five times in 18 appearances, 13 of which were starts. Transitioning roles at the end of the season, he didn’t allow a run in his final five outings of the year, lowering his ERA to 4.12. All of Stump’s preliminary numbers have improved year-over-year, so it’s not as if he flamed out in Westwood. He’s got 178 innings under his belt and will fight for a role in State’s weekend rotation.
Allen quickly burst onto the scene as a freshman for Louisiana Tech, throwing 48.1 innings across 19 outings, notching five saves while holding opponents to a .195 average. There’s not too much flash with the Benton, La., native, but he has great command of his arsenal, can run the heater up to 95 and knows how to get outs. Allen could serve as a weapon in high-leverage situations, but he can also eat innings if needed.
Following Craddock from Columbia to Starkville is Russell, a 6-foot-2 righty who vastly improved as a sophomore in 2026. His 25 appearances led the Gamecocks as he pitched to a 2.53 ERA over 32 IP. Russell rolls plenty of ground balls and won’t overpower you with stuff, but opponents hit just .209 despite striking out only 15 percent of the time.
There will be no shortage of new faces in the pen for State. Fair collected 10 saves as a junior for Memphis, while Robert comes from Miami after injury has derailed his last two seasons. It also remains to be seen how Overbeek will be used on the two-way front.
Freshmen To Know
Prep prospect rankings via Just Baseball
- RHP Jake Carbaugh — No. 49
- RHP Wilson Anderson — No. 62
- RHP Landon Brown — No. 67
- RHP Denton Lord — No. 68
- UTL Noah Danza — No. 69
State unsurprisingly lost a trio of commits to the draft, but it still landed a top-10 recruiting class. The names to get excited about entering 2027 are mostly on the hill, adding to an absurdly talented pitching staff that will rival the best of the best in college baseball next season.
Lord Bypasses Draft
The San Diego Padres spent a 17th-round pick on the 6-foot-8 right-hander, but Lord is headed for Starkville. He’s a tall drink of water with some of the higher upside among the pitchers in his recruiting class. The fastball can touch the high-90s, and he can lean on a big bender that’s malleable when it comes to how much sweep he wants to put on it.
If the command is there, then Lord will be an imposing figure for midweek foes as he cuts his teeth in 2027.
The same can be said for the other top incoming arms. Carbaugh may not seem so big when standing next to Lord, but he checks in at 6-foot-6 and has seen a solid uptick in velocity as of late. Just Baseball’s scouting team tabbed him as a “metric darling.” Andersen and Brown are quite projectable in their own right, too. The latter can run it up to 99 MPH and has some of the best off-speed among the group of incoming Bulldogs.
With so many veteran arms already in the mix, it may be hard for some of the young guns to break in, but if they prove to be ready, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see one or two log some SEC innings. Click on the names above for a full scouting report courtesy of the JB team.
Potential Starting Lineup & Rotation
C — Burke-Lee Mabeus
1B — Will Craddock
2B — Chone James
SS — Ryder Woodson
3B — Nolan Grawe
LF — Brady Christman
CF — Jake Souders
RF — Jacob Parker
DH — Josiah Overbeek
FRI: LHP Tomas Valincius
SAT: RHP Ryan McPherson
SUN: RHP Duke Stone
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Written by
Hunter Shelton is a contributing college baseball writer for Just Baseball with a focus on the SEC. A University of Kentucky graduate and Lexington native, he…