Mississippi State's Tomas Valincius wins 2026 Ferriss Trophy
The best collegiate baseball player in Mississippi for the 2026 season is a Mississippi State player.
Bulldog ace Tomas Valincius took home the trophy from Jackson on Monday, beating out teammate Ace Reese, Ole Miss finalists Judd Uttermark and Cade Townsend, and Southern Miss‘ Grayden Harris.
Valincius was a starter from the first week of the season, making 14 starts with a 9-2 record for the Bulldogs in the regular season. He finished with 112 strikeouts from 80 innings pitched, allowing a batting average of just .222 from opposing hitters.
The sophomore was one of several players to join the Bulldogs through the transfer portal last summer. He spent his freshman year at Virginia before following Brian O’Connor to Starkville, and quickly became one of the premier arms in the SEC.
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Valincius had a strong finish to the season with wins against No. 6 Auburn and No. 10 Texas A&M. His start against the Tigers was arguably his best outing of the year, with 13 strikeouts and just three earned runs against a prolific Tigers team. He posted a season and career high 14 strikeouts in a win over Vanderbilt in March, allowing just two hits in seven innings of work as the Bulldogs worked towards a sweep of the Commodores.
Valincius was also on a midseason watchlist for National Pitcher of the Year, and was the No. 2 Transfer Pitcher according to D1Baseball.
Valincius and the Bulldogs will begin SEC Tournament play on Wednesday morning against either Ole Miss or Mizzou.
