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Mississippi State’s SEC Tournament Draw Comes With Familiar Possibility

Mississippi State’s SEC Tournament path is set after a 39-win regular season, with a possible rivalry rematch looming in the second round.
Taylor Hodges|
Mississippi State Outfielder Aidan Teel (#5) Mississippi State Catcher Kevin Milewski (#21) during the game between the Louisiana State and the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Dudy Noble Field at Polk-Dement Stadium in Starkville, MS.
Mississippi State Outfielder Aidan Teel (#5) Mississippi State Catcher Kevin Milewski (#21) during the game between the Louisiana State and the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Dudy Noble Field at Polk-Dement Stadium in Starkville, MS. | Mississippi State Athletics

One of the biggest rivalry in college sports could be getting a tournament edition this week.

After falling to Texas A&M, 7-6, Mississippi State was given the No. 8 seed in the 2026 SEC Baseball Tournament.

That seeding gives the Bulldogs a first round bye, but also sets up a likely rematch against Ole Miss, the tournament’s No. 9 seed. That could be a good thing for the Bulldogs who have won all four meetings against the Rebels this season, including a three-game at Swayze Field in Oxford.

The extra day of rest will also help Mississippi State’s bullpen recover more fully. The Bulldogs ended up using seven pitchers in Saturday’s finale against Texas A&M and will also have a lot of travel between Saturday and Wednesday.

But Mississippi State will have a simple approach.

“It's one game at a time,” Bulldogs’ coach Brian O’Connor said. “It's lose and go home. We have to assess our pitching situation after this weekend to determine what we do. We'll do that in the coming days. It's an opportunity at a championship. I 100 percent believe in this team and I choose to be positive. This team had 39 wins in the regular season. There's not many teams in the country that can say they had 39 wins.”

Here's the full schedule for the tournament in Hoover, Ala.

SEC Tournament Schedule

Tuesday – First Round

  • Game 1: No. 16 Missouri vs. No. 9 Ole Miss | 9:30 a.m.
  • Game 2: No. 13 Kentucky vs. No. 12 Vanderbilt | 1 p.m.
  • Game 3: No. 15 South Carolina vs. No. 10 Tennessee | 4:30 p.m.
  • Game 4: No. 14 LSU vs. No. 11 Oklahoma | 8 p.m.

Wednesday – Second Round

  • Game 5: Winner G1 vs. No. 8 Mississippi State | 9:30 a.m.
  • Game 6: Winner G2 vs. No. 5 Florida | 1 p.m.
  • Game 7: Winner G3 vs. No. 7 Arkansas | 4:30 p.m.
  • Game 8: Winner G4 vs. No. 6 Auburn | 8 p.m.

Thursday – Quarterfinals

  • Game 9: Winner G5 vs. No. 1 Georgia | 3 p.m.
  • Game 10: Winner G6 vs. No. 4 Alabama | 7 p.m.

Friday – Quarterfinals

  • Game 11: Winner G7 vs. No. 2 Texas | 3 p.m.
  • Game 12: Winner G8 vs. No. 3 Texas A&M | 7 p.m.

Saturday – Semifinals

  • Game 13: Winner G10 vs. Winner G9 | Noon
  • Game 14: Winner G12 vs. Winner G11 | 4 p.m.

Sunday – Finals

  • Game 15: Winner G14 vs. Winner G13 | 1 p.m.
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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.