Virginia Tech Baseball vs Mississippi State Preview

After a 10-0 thrashing at the hands of Texas A&M, Virginia Tech baseball does not have the luxury of dwelling on what went wrong. The Hokies must quickly regroup and turn their attention to another national power in Mississippi State Bulldogs baseball.

𝙁𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝘼𝙧𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙩𝙤𝙣#Hokies 🦃⚾️ pic.twitter.com/loF0N6uOgG
— Virginia Tech Baseball (@HokiesBaseball) February 28, 2026

"They're good," Hokies Head Coach John Szefc said about the Bulldogs after last night's loss.

That simple assessment carries weight. Mississippi State has the look of a club built to make a deep postseason run, with a balanced roster, experienced pitching and an offense that can overwhelm opponents in a hurry. The Bulldogs will hand the ball to Tomas Valincius, a familiar name for Virginia Tech. Valincius followed Mississippi State head coach Brian O'Connor from Virginia and has already proven he can handle the Hokies.

Against Virginia Tech last season, Valincius tossed 6.2 innings of one-run baseball, striking out six and walking just one. He controlled the strike zone, limited hard contact and never allowed the Hokies to string together sustained pressure.

“We faced him last year,” Szefc said. “He’s one of the best arms we faced all last year. He’s just a year older and more mature. He’s good.”

That maturity could make an already difficult assignment even tougher. Virginia Tech’s offense struggled mightily against elite pitching in the loss to Texas A&M, managing little traffic on the bases and even fewer quality scoring chances. The challenge does not get any easier here.

Virginia Tech will counter with Griffin Stieg, who has put together a solid start to his season. Through two outings, Stieg has thrown nine innings and allowed five earned runs. While those numbers are respectable, this will represent arguably the stiffest test of his collegiate career. Mississippi State’s lineup is deep, disciplined and capable of punishing mistakes.

You can also expect to see Chase Swift out of the bullpen. Swift has appeared each Saturday so far this season and has quietly been Virginia Tech’s most reliable relief option. In 6.2 innings, he has allowed just one run on two hits while striking out 14 batters. His swing-and-miss stuff could prove critical if Stieg runs into trouble early or if the Hokies need to navigate the middle innings against the heart of the Bulldogs’ order.

Offensively, Mississippi State brings elite production to the fold. Four qualified hitters are batting at least .400, and two additional players are hitting north of .450, but are just shy of being "qualified" hitters. The Bulldogs have already launched 13 home runs in nine games, showcasing both power and run-producing consistency.

Ace Reese has been the tone-setter. He enters the matchup hitting .450 with three home runs, eight doubles and 15 RBI. Blake Bevis has been nearly as productive, batting .438 with two home runs and eight RBI. The lineup does not feature many easy outs, and traffic on the bases tends to snowball quickly.

For Virginia Tech, the formula is straightforward but difficult to execute. The Hokies must limit walks, avoid defensive miscues and prevent the kind of crooked-number innings that buried them a night ago. They also need competitive at-bats from top to bottom, even if that means grinding out long counts and forcing Mississippi State to work.

Given the pitching matchup and the Bulldogs’ offensive firepower, this shapes up as a game that will require toughness more than flash. If Virginia Tech is going to even the weekend, it likely will not be in a shootout. The Hokies will have to win a low-scoring fistfight — pitch for pitch, inning by inning — against one of the most complete teams on their schedule.