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The VandyBoys hit the road this weekend for a three-game SEC series against Mississippi State in Starkville. Vanderbilt is coming off a 2-1 series win over LSU and now faces its first true road test in conference play at Dudy Noble Field. Here is your preview, and a bookmark to reference, as you watch Corbin’s club this weekend.

Team	Record	RPI	Strength of Schedule
Vanderbilt	13–9	203	221
#6 Mississippi State	17-4	17	64

Friday (3/20)

• TV: SECN
• Radio: 102.5 The Game
• Time: 7:00 pm
• Weather: 84°, Mostly Sunny
• Location: Dudy Noble Field
• Pitching Matchup: Connor Fennell vs. Ryan McPherson
• Opponent Pitcher Profile: Ryan McPherson
  • 📌 Baseball-Reference:
    • https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=mcpher000rya
  • Throws: R
  • Class: So.
  • Starts: 5
  • Record: 2–0
  • ERA: 2.48
  • WHIP: 1.00
  • Innings: 29.0
  • Strikeouts: 36
  • Walks: 5
  • Snapshot:
    • Ryan McPherson has emerged as a key arm for Mississippi State after working mostly out of the bullpen as a freshman in 2025. He showed strong swing-and-miss ability early, striking out 56 batters in 39.1 innings while holding opponents to a .190 average.
    • In 2026, he’s made a smooth transition into the rotation, posting a 2.48 ERA through five starts with 36 strikeouts and just five walks. The improved command has been the biggest difference, allowing him to work deeper into games.

Saturday (3/21)

• TV: SECN+
• Radio: 102.5 The Game
• Time: 6:00 pm
• Weather: 86°, Sunny
• Location: Dudy Noble Field
• Pitching Matchup: Wyatt Nadeau vs. Tomas Valincius
• Opponent Pitcher Profile: Tomas Valincius
  • 📌 Baseball-Reference:
    • https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=valinc000tom
  • Throws: L
  • Class: So.
  • Starts: 5
  • Record: 4–0
  • ERA: 1.30
  • WHIP: 0.98
  • Innings: 27.2
  • Strikeouts: 33
  • Walks: 8
  • Snapshot:
    • Tomas Valincius has been one of the most effective arms in the SEC early in 2026 after transferring in from Virginia. As a freshman in 2025, he showed solid production in a starting role, striking out 70 batters over 64.2 innings.
    • Since arriving at Mississippi State, he’s taken a major leap. Through five starts, Valincius owns a dominant 1.30 ERA with 33 strikeouts across 27.2 innings while holding opponents to a .194 average.

Sunday (3/22)

• TV: SECN+
• Radio: 94.9 The Fan
• Time: 1:00 pm
• Weather: 89°, Sunny
• Location: Dudy Noble Field
• Pitching Matchup: TBD vs. Duke Stone
• Opponent Pitcher Profile: Duke Stone
  • 📌 Baseball-Reference:
    • https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=stone-000duk
  • Throws: R
  • Class: So.
  • Starts: 4
  • Record: 3–0
  • ERA: 3.63
  • WHIP: 0.85
  • Innings: 22.1
  • Strikeouts: 33
  • Walks: 4
  • Snapshot:
    • Duke Stone has taken a big step forward for Mississippi State after a limited freshman season in 2025. Last year, he made just five relief appearances, but showed flashes of swing-and-miss ability in a small sample.
    • In 2026, Stone has emerged as a key arm, making four starts and posting a 3.63 ERA over 22.1 innings. His stuff has clearly played, as he’s struck out 33 batters while holding opponents to just a .192 average.

Keys to the Series:

1. Starters Must Go Deep
With pitching injuries continuing to thin out the staff, Vanderbilt desperately needs length from its starters this weekend. Bullpen overuse has already been a concern, and asking relievers to cover multiple innings on the road in SEC play is a tough formula to win with. If the starters can consistently get into the 6th or 7th inning, it stabilizes everything else.

2. Competitive At-Bats
After a poor offensive showing against Indiana, the biggest focus has to be quality at-bats. That means working counts, avoiding quick outs, and putting pressure on Mississippi State’s starters. Vanderbilt hopefully doesn’t need to score 10 runs, but they do need to make opposing pitchers work and create traffic consistently.

3. Throw Strikes
This one is simple but critical: Vanderbilt is issuing too many walks. Free passes on the road, especially in SEC play, will get punished quickly. Limiting walks and forcing Mississippi State to earn their way on base will be key to keeping games under control.

VandyBoys Season Overview

The VandyBoys 2026 season has been anything but boring so far; plenty of offense, some ups and downs, and a team that feels like it’s still figuring out exactly what it can be.

Vanderbilt opened the year with a tough trip to Arlington, splitting results against quality competition, before settling in back home and doing what it was supposed to do, taking care of business. The Dores rattled off a strong stretch against mid-major opponents, stacking wins and putting up big offensive numbers along the way. At that point, things felt pretty comfortable.

Then came the reality checks.

The trip to Las Vegas slowed the momentum, and a midweek slip against Central Arkansas showed that this team still had some inconsistency to iron out. Even during a solid series win over North Dakota State, there were signs that Vanderbilt wasn’t quite clicking on all cylinders yet.

But everything shifted with LSU.

That series felt like the version of this team fans had been waiting to see. Vanderbilt took two of three from a premier SEC opponent, and they did it with offense (and lots of it). The opener was a 13-12 thriller that showed both the firepower and the resilience of this lineup. They followed it up with an 11-3 statement win, controlling the game from start to finish. Even in the finale loss, there was no shortage of fight in a wild, high-scoring series.

Simply put: the bats showed up in a big way. That LSU weekend proved this lineup can hang with anyone when it’s rolling.

Which made the Indiana game a bit of a reality check.

Coming off such an emotional and explosive series, Vanderbilt fell flat in a 5-1 loss. The offense that had just erupted against LSU cooled off, and it was a reminder of the inconsistency that’s been present throughout the season. It’s not a disastrous loss, but it does reinforce that this team is still searching for that week-to-week steadiness.

Overall, Vanderbilt sits in an interesting spot. There’s clear potential, especially offensively, and the LSU series showed just how dangerous this group can be. But the Indiana result is a reminder that there’s still work to do if they want to sustain that level.

There is a lot of discussion online about the pitching staff, and while I have my concerns with this staff as well, a lot of their issues could be ironed out with guys getting healthy. Vandy currently has 6 pitchers who are out or questionable, making life very difficult for Corbin and Brown. I’m not out on this pitching staff yet, but they have to start getting arms back soon.

Regardless, If they can find a way to bottle what they did against LSU and bring it more consistently, this is a team that could get really interesting as the season rolls on.

VandyBoys Players to Watch

Tommy Goodin (DH)
Goodin has been a key power bat for Vanderbilt, hitting .289 with 6 home runs and a strong 1.071 OPS. His .711 slugging percentage highlights his ability to drive the ball, and his power could make a huge difference this weekend like it did against LSU. I love him in the bottom of the order, where his power gives Vanderbilt dangerous depth and the ability to flip the lineup quickly.

Mike Mancini (LF)
Mancini has been one of Vanderbilt’s most consistent bats, hitting .333 with 5 home runs and a 1.082 OPS. He’s been driving the ball well all over the field lately, showing the ability to impact games in multiple ways. If he can keep that up, he’ll continue to be a key piece at the top of the lineup and a tough out for opposing pitchers.

Connor Fennell (RHP)
Fennell has been a key piece in Vanderbilt’s rotation, posting a 5.47 ERA with 38 strikeouts over 26.1 innings. He’s shown the ability to miss bats, but is coming off a tough outing where he allowed seven runs.

Vanderbilt will need a bounce-back performance from him this weekend, especially with the current pitching injuries. Getting deep into the game will be critical to preserving the bullpen, and if Fennell can settle in early, he has the stuff to deliver a strong start.

Mississippi State Season Overview

Mississippi State comes into this series looking exactly like… Mississippi State.

They’ve taken care of business against the teams they’re supposed to beat, stacking a ton of wins early with an offense that can absolutely explode (26 runs against Lipscomb, 17 against Jackson State). This is a lineup that doesn’t really take nights off, if Vanderbilt’s pitching is shaky, State will make them pay.

What stands out, though, is how they’ve looked against better competition. They went 2-1 in Arlington with wins over Arizona State and Virginia Tech, and then played a tight, competitive series at Arkansas, taking one and being in all three games. That tells you this is a legit SEC-caliber team, not just one padding stats against weaker opponents.

It should be noted that the Bulldogs failed to score 5 runs for the first time last weekend against Arkansas, and the Razorbacks managed to do it twice. So maybe this Mississippi State offense isn’t unstoppable? I wouldn’t count on that happening two weekends in a row, especially in their own ballpark.

They’re not unbeatable, but they’re consistent, and they can score in a hurry.

Mississippi State Players to Watch

Ace Reese (3B)
He’s the guy everything runs through. Hitting .370 with 6 home runs and 31 RBIs, Reese brings legit middle-of-the-order power and can change a game with one swing. If Vanderbilt pitches around him poorly, it can get ugly fast.

Bryce Chance (LF)
The table-setter. A .431 average and .541 OBP is ridiculous, and he’s already scored 23 runs. He gets on, creates chaos with his speed, and puts constant pressure on the defense. Keeping him off base is huge for Vandy.

Tomas Valincius (RHP)
The ace. A 1.30 ERA over 5 starts with 33 strikeouts in 27.2 innings—he’s been dominant. If he’s on, Vanderbilt’s offense will be tested in a big way.

By The Numbers:

VandyBoys

Team Hitting Stats:

Stat	Vanderbilt	Opponents
AVG	.308	.228
GP	22	22
AB	717	663
R	189	108
H	221	151
2B	47	25
3B	4	4
HR	52	18
RBI	181	96
TB	432	238
SLG%	.603	.359
BB	136	99
HBP	20	32
SO	196	223
GDP	9	22
OB%	.426	.352
SF	6	8
SH	13	8
SB-ATT	26-31	12-19
PO	547	520
A	189	154
E	16	19
FLD%	.979	.973

Team Pitching Stats:

Stat	Vanderbilt	Opponents
ERA	4.89	9.14
W-L	13-9	9-13
APP	22	22
GS	22	22
CG	0	0
SV	1	0
IP	182.1	173.1
H	151	221
R	108	189
ER	99	176
BB	99	136
K	223	196
2B Allowed	25	47
3B Allowed	4	4
HR Allowed	18	52
Opp BA	.228	.308
HBP	32	20
BK	5	3
WP	8	13

Individual Hitting Stats:

Player	POS	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	GP	HR	RBI	SB
Brodie Johnston	3B	.393	.475	.774	1.249	21	7	21	1
Ryker Waite	SS	.333	.521	.530	1.052	22	2	16	5
Mike Mancini	LF	.333	.432	.650	1.082	17	5	19	5
Braden Holcomb	CF	.333	.420	.786	1.206	22	11	33	1
Chris Maldonado	1B	.304	.371	.625	.996	17	4	16	0
Logan Johnstone	RF	.299	.455	.597	1.052	21	6	16	4
Rustan Rigdon	2B	.258	.382	.371	.753	18	1	6	6
Will Hampton	LF	.667	.750	.667	1.417	3	0	0	0
Aukai Kea	C	.333	.333	1.333	1.667	4	2	5	0
Mack Whitcomb	DH	.317	.491	.585	1.077	15	2	11	0
Tommy Goodin	DH	.289	.360	.711	1.071	16	6	16	0
Korbin Reynolds	C	.289	.397	.489	.885	15	2	10	1
Colin Barczi	C	.286	.348	.714	1.062	5	3	5	0
Max Jensen	1B	.273	.467	.545	1.012	10	1	3	0
Collin Brightwell	CF	.182	.250	.182	.432	4	0	2	1
Carter Johnstone	2B	.152	.256	.182	.438	11	0	2	1
Cade Sears	RF	.000	.000	.000	.000	1	0	0	1

Individual Pitching Stats:

Pitcher	ERA	APP	GS	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Opp BA
Connor Fennell	5.47	5	5	26.1	25	16	6	38	.240
Adria Casoliba	0.00	3	0	5.1	1	0	3	4	.067
Nate Schlote	0.00	6	0	6.2	2	0	5	11	.100
Austin Nye	0.00	3	3	10.0	6	0	2	13	.167
Wyatt Nadeau	1.50	5	2	18.0	10	3	8	25	.161
Luke Guth	3.27	9	0	11.0	13	4	6	13	.302
Brennan Seiber	4.11	6	0	15.1	13	7	8	11	.245
Connor Hamilton	4.22	6	2	10.2	9	5	7	11	.231
Tyler Baird	4.30	7	2	14.2	12	7	11	16	.226
Nate Teague	5.40	2	0	1.2	0	1	2	2	.000
Hudson Barton	5.40	3	0	1.2	3	1	2	3	.333
Tristan Bristow	5.40	7	0	5.0	6	3	4	8	.300
Nate Taylor	7.45	5	5	19.1	18	16	14	24	.257
Jacob Faulkner	8.31	6	0	8.2	5	8	6	7	.179
Jakob Schulz	8.59	8	0	7.1	7	7	5	13	.250
Alex Kranzler	8.80	7	3	15.1	14	15	8	18	.255
England Bryan	10.12	3	0	5.1	7	6	2	6	.304

Mississippi State

Team Hitting Stats:

Stat	Mississippi State	Opponents
AVG	.341	.216
OPS	1.004	.643
AB	704	704
R	214	82
H	240	142
RBI	196	73
2B	57	23
3B	2	4
HR	30	17
SLG%	.555	.340
BB	125	65
TB	391	224
SB-ATT	37-46	19-25

Team Pitching Stats:

Stat	Mississippi State	Opponents
WHIP	1.16	2.20
W-L	17-4	4-17
IP	178.0	166.0
H Allowed	142	240
R	82	214
ER	73	187
BB	65	125
K	237	157
2B Allowed	23	57
3B Allowed	4	2
HR Allowed	17	30

Individual Hitting Stats:

Player	POS	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	GP	HR	RBI	SB
Bryce Chance	LF	.431	.541	.552	1.092	21	0	13	7
Reed Stallman	1B	.375	.484	.646	1.130	16	3	22	2
Ace Reese	3B	.370	.453	.728	1.181	21	6	31	1
Aidan Teel	CF	.354	.508	.521	1.029	16	2	14	4
Gehrig Frei	2B	.344	.417	.578	.995	19	2	14	4
Noah Sullivan	DH	.333	.481	.667	1.147	17	5	20	6
Ryder Woodson	SS	.276	.341	.461	.802	20	2	13	0
James Nunnallee	RF	.227	.370	.386	.757	17	1	4	2
Vytas Valincius	LF	.433	.538	.467	1.005	12	0	9	1
Blake Bevis	1B	.400	.529	.720	1.249	12	2	9	1
Drew Wyers	2B	.400	.511	.629	1.140	14	2	11	1
Chone James	C	.387	.457	.516	.973	12	1	11	3
Jacob Parker	RF	.353	.378	.706	1.084	11	3	13	3
Andrew Raymond	C	.343	.452	.429	.881	12	0	4	0
Peter Mershon	DH	.222	.308	.222	.530	7	0	5	1
Kevin Milewski	C	.188	.278	.375	.653	5	1	3	0
Gatlin Sanders	2B	.000	.308	.000	.308	5	0	0	1
Jackson Owen	—	.000	.429	.000	.429	4	0	0	0

Individual Pitching Stats:

Pitcher	ERA	APP	GS	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Opp BA
Tomas Valincius	1.30	5	5	27.2	19	4	8	33	.194
Ryan McPherson	2.48	5	5	29.0	24	8	5	36	.218
Duke Stone	3.63	6	4	22.1	15	9	4	33	.192
Jackson Logar	0.00	1	0	1.0	0	0	1	3	.000
Dane Burns	0.00	9	0	5.1	0	0	4	7	.000
Parker Rhodes	1.42	5	0	6.1	1	1	4	4	.050
Jack Gleason	2.25	9	0	12.0	7	3	2	23	.163
Maddox Webb	2.35	8	0	7.2	9	2	1	10	.310
Tyler Pitzer	2.70	6	1	6.2	3	2	3	9	.130
William Kirk	4.76	3	1	5.2	6	3	2	5	.300
Charlie Foster	5.06	7	3	10.2	12	6	11	15	.279
Ben Davis	5.25	6	0	12.0	9	7	1	15	.205
Brendan Sweeney	5.73	7	1	11.0	10	7	3	12	.244
Maddox Miller	6.23	7	1	8.2	8	6	2	17	.242
Chris Billingsley Jr.	6.75	7	0	6.2	8	5	8	4	.276
Tanner Beliveau	10.80	2	0	1.2	2	2	2	4	.286
Braden Booth	16.20	3	0	1.2	3	3	0	1	.375
Jack Bauer	22.50	3	0	2.0	6	5	4	5	.500

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