Why Mississippi State’s Ace Reese already feels unavoidable in 2026

Ace Reese’s preseason All-America nod confirms what Mississippi State learned last spring: His bat changes games before they start.

Mississippi State Infielder Ace Reese (#3) during the game between the Memphis Tigers and the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Dudy Noble Field at Polk-Dement Stadium in Starkville, Miss. | Mississippi State Athletics

STARKVILLE, Miss. — At some point, résumés stop being documents and start becoming reading assignments.

That’s where Ace Reese finds himself now.

Reese, Mississippi State’s third baseman and resident stat-sheet menace, has been named a Preseason First Team All-American by Perfect Game heading into the 2026 college baseball season.

It’s another line on a growing list for a player who spent last spring turning opposing pitching plans into polite suggestions.

For the Bulldogs, this one fits neatly into the “yes, of course” file. Reese didn’t just have a good 2025. He had the kind of year that forces broadcasters to stop mid-sentence and recheck their notes.

Reese started all 57 games for State last season and led the team in just about every category that matters when runs are the currency. Batting average. Hits. Doubles. Home runs. RBIs. Total bases. Slugging percentage. If it showed up in the box score, he probably led it.

That .352 average and .718 slugging percentage weren’t empty calories either. Reese finished among the SEC’s top seven hitters across most major offensive categories, doing it while seeing the kind of pitching attention normally reserved for late-night infomercial products.

By the end of the year, the Dawgs weren’t wondering if Reese would land All-America honors. They were just waiting to see how many envelopes showed up.

𝑫𝙧𝒂𝙛𝒕 𝑩𝙤𝒂𝙧𝒅 𝑺𝙥𝒐𝙩𝒍𝙞𝒈𝙝𝒕

Ace Reese, 3B/1B, Mississippi State

Reese has some of the best power upside in the class. True hitterish traits w/ feel to lift & leave the yard. Crazy good batted ball numbers. Looking for another big year in the SEC#PGDraft #MLBDraft pic.twitter.com/vpANEuISyb

— Perfect Game Draft (@PG_Draft) December 4, 2025

Production that didn’t sneak up on anyone

Perfect Game isn’t new to Reese. After the 2025 season, it already placed him on its Third Team All-America list. That honor turned out to be more of a warm-up than a destination.

Reese also collected First Team All-America recognition from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, along with Second Team nods from D1Baseball, Baseball America and the American Baseball Coaches Association.

That’s five All-America honors in one season, which explains why a preseason bump to the First Team doesn’t feel like a leap. It feels like math.

The numbers back it up. Reese posted 25 multi-hit games and 20 multi-RBI performances last season. He homered twice in a game five different times, which is the baseball equivalent of asking for dessert and being handed the whole pie.

Mississippi State leaned on that consistency all spring. Whether it was a tight SEC weekend or a game that needed one swing to tilt the field, Reese was usually involved.

He didn’t just hit for power. He hit with timing, balance and an annoying tendency to do damage when pitchers least wanted him to.

Mississippi State Infielder Ace Reese (#3) during the game between the Ole Miss Rebels and the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Dudy Noble Field at Polk-Dement Stadium in Starkville, Miss. | Mississippi State Athletics

From newcomer to centerpiece

The jump wasn’t subtle. Reese’s 2025 season earned him SEC Newcomer of the Year honors and a spot on the All-SEC First Team, a combination that usually signals a player’s about to become a weekly talking point.

For the Bulldogs, that meant stability at third base and a middle-of-the-order bat that didn’t require protecting or hiding. Reese became the kind of hitter opponents had to plan around, even when the plan didn’t work.

His emergence also nudged Mississippi State’s historical ledger forward. Reese’s recognition marks the 166th All-America honor in program history, a list that spans 58 players and more than a few memorable summers in Starkville.

That history matters around here. Not because it guarantees anything, but because it reminds folks what the standard looks like when it’s done right.

Reese didn’t chase that standard last season. He met it.

Preseason honors don’t swing bats, but they do set tone

Nobody wins games in January, and nobody hangs banners for preseason lists. Still, these honors have a way of framing expectations, especially in a league that treats understatement like a foreign language.

For State, Reese’s preseason recognition confirms what last season already suggested: the Dawgs return a hitter who doesn’t need warming up.

It also puts Reese squarely in the group of players every SEC series will circle, underline and quietly grumble about during scouting meetings.

That’s not pressure. That’s acknowledgment.

And if the last year taught anything, it’s that Reese tends to respond better to attention than avoidance.

Key takeaways

• Ace Reese earned Preseason First Team All-America honors from Perfect Game after a decorated 2025 season.
• Reese led Mississippi State in nearly every major offensive category, finishing among the SEC’s top hitters.
• His recognition adds to a long Bulldogs baseball tradition, marking the program’s 166th All-America honor.