Cowbell Corner

Five reasons to be excited about the start of fall baseball

Mississippi State's new baseball coach Brian O'Connor will make his Dudy Noble Field debut with the start of intrasquad scrimmages on Friday.
Taylor Hodges|
Mississippi State third baseman Ace Reese (3) fields a bunt by Texas A&M second baseman Ben Royo (10) but makes a wild throw to first in the first round of the SEC Baseball Tournament at the Hoover Met.
Mississippi State third baseman Ace Reese (3) fields a bunt by Texas A&M second baseman Ben Royo (10) but makes a wild throw to first in the first round of the SEC Baseball Tournament at the Hoover Met. | Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

There’s a lot of stuff going on at Mississippi State and nearly all of its good, positive stuff.

  • Football is 3-0 and heavily favored to improve to 4-0;
  • Soccer just beat the No. 1 team in the nation and is ranked No. 12 in the country;
  • Volleyball is 10-0, which is its best start since 2005;
  • Both men and women golf and tennis teams are getting their season underway; and
  • Basketball season is right around the corner.

But there’s also the start of fall baseball and softball.

Mississippi State’s baseball team has gotten plenty of attention with a new head coach, a top three rated transfer portal class and highly-rated high school recruiting class.

That attention won’t be letting up anytime soon, either. The Bulldogs are scheduled to play their first of 11 intrasquad scrimmages on Friday that should be starting gun for the program’s excitement.

Here are five reasons to be excited about the start of fall baseball:

New head Bulldog

Newly hired Mississippi State coach Brian O'Connor records a welcome video at Dudy Noble Field.
Newly hired Mississippi State coach Brian O'Connor records a welcome video at Dudy Noble Field. | Mississippi State Athletics

This is the first chance to see not only all of the new players in action, but also new coach Brian O’Connor.

Mississippi State made a huge splash in college baseball by hiring the longtime Virginia coach, who then proceeded to make an even bigger splash assembling a championship-caliber roster.

The scrimmages won’t be a perfect showing of how O’Connor will handle games that count, but we can see how he interacts with players and how his in-game decisions pan out.

New players

Of course, the Bulldogs return several key players that we’ll get to see back in a maroon and white jersey. Players like Ace Reese, Gehrig Frei, Noah Sullivan and Ben Davis just to name a few.

Perhaps more exciting will be getting to see the new Bulldogs in action.

ICYMI: Stats show Mississippi State may be one of the nation’s toughest lineups

The one player this writer is most excited to see is left-handed pitcher Jack Bauer. He set a new record for the fastest pitch thrown by a pitcher at 103 miles per hour and if you watch some highlights, his throwing motion is so smooth its almost like he’s slinging the ball rather than throwing it.

That’s rare for a left-handed pitcher to reach and there was a lot people who thought Bauer would be a first round draft pick. But he’s in Starkville.

Position battles

There are some question marks about this team. We know who’ll be at third base, but what position will a player like Frei be at?

Who is going to be the starting catcher? Second base? Short stop?

What will the outfield look like?

Let’s not forget the pitchers. Who are the starters? Who are the relievers? Is there a designated closer?

These are the types of questions we’ll be looking to answer.

The answers won’t be definitive until we flip calendars to 2026, but we’ll have an idea who the contenders at each position will be.

Exhibition game vs. Florida State

Mississippi State’s 2025 season ended in a NCAA Regional in Tallahassee, at the hands of the Seminoles.

So, there’s a little bit of revenge to be extracted in that October 18 game at the Blue Wahoos Stadium in Pensacola, Fla.

This will also be a great test for the Bulldogs and will be our best chance at seeing how good this team might actually be next spring.

It’s free baseball.

The 11 intrasquad scrimmages and exhibition game Mississippi State will play Dudy Noble are free to the public.

Who wouldn’t like to go watch some free baseball in one of the best college baseball stadiums in the country?

Concession stands won’t be open, so you can bring in your own hot dogs and popcorn.

Bonus reason

The start of fall baseball means the regular season is getting closer.

DAWG FEED:

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Taylor Hodges
TAYLOR HODGES

Award-winning sports editor, writer, columnist, and photographer with 15 years’ experience offering his opinion and insight about the sports world in Mississippi and Texas, but he was taken to Razorback pep rallies at Billy Bob's Texas in Fort Worth before he could walk. Taylor has covered all levels of sports, from small high schools in the Mississippi Delta to NFL games. Follow Taylor on Twitter and Facebook.

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