Texas Gave Mississippi State a Lesson in Making Limited Chances Count

Tomas Valincius kept Mississippi State close, but the Bulldogs’ bats never found enough answers against Texas on Friday night.

Mississippi State pitcher Tomas Valincius allowed only four hits against Texas in a SEC game in Austin, Texas. | Mississippi State Athletics

Some nights, the story is simple. Two of the best pitchers in the country showed up, looked the part, and made almost every at‑bat feel like a chore.

Mississippi State and Texas both got that version of their aces Friday night in Austin. The difference was Texas found a few more swings that mattered.

Dylan Volantis was as advertised. Twelve strikeouts in six scoreless innings will do that. Mississippi State didn’t exactly roll over, but when a guy is landing everything and living on the edges, you’re mostly trying to survive.

The Bulldogs struck out 19 times and still managed to hang around, which says something about how well they pitched on their side.

“Too many strikeouts, and their starter was as advertised,” Mississippi State coach Brian O’Connor said. “We watched him on video. He was very unpredictable and we're playing against a really great pitching staff. When you get your opportunities, you need to cash in on at least one and we didn't do that tonight and that's a credit to them. They're really talented on the mound and when we had our opportunities we couldn't get a big hit.”                

Tomas Valincius wasn’t perfect, but he was steady. Three runs on four hits kept Mississippi State in the game, and he worked through traffic the way a Friday starter is supposed to.

That's a zero for Tico in the fourth pic.twitter.com/qJtua4jFP2

— Mississippi State Baseball (@HailStateBB) May 2, 2026

The bullpen behind him did its job too. Maddox Miller and Jack Gleason gave up one hit between them. Texas only managed five hits all night.

But that’s the thing. Texas made its five hits count.

A double in the second, a couple of well‑timed singles in the fifth, and suddenly a tight game had a little separation.

Mississippi State didn’t get that luxury. Kevin Milewski doubled. Blake Bevis singled. Aidan Teel and Noah Sullivan chipped in. None of it turned into anything until Gehrig Frei finally broke through with a solo shot in the eighth.

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— Mississippi State Baseball (@HailStateBB) May 2, 2026

For a moment, it felt like the door cracked open. Ace Reese walked, Bevis punched a ball through the left side, and the tying run was on base with one out.

Then Texas went to Thomas Burns, and the window slammed shut. A strikeout, a groundout, and that was the last real threat.

Sam Cozart struck out the side in the ninth to finish it, which fit the theme of the night. Pitching ruled. Both teams leaned on their arms. Texas just paired its pitching with a couple more timely swings.

Mississippi State will try to even the series this afternoon. Duke Stone gets the ball, and the Bulldogs don’t need to reinvent anything. They just need one more hit than they found Friday.