Fourth-Ranked State Completes Another Sweep

Sunday, February 22

Starkville

1 p.m.

Mississippi State

8-0

Delaware

1-6

DELAWARE

Mississippi State

Photo by: Mike Mattina/MSU Athletics

Fourth-Ranked State Completes Another Sweep

February 22, 2026 | Baseball

Box Score

STARKVILLE – No. 4 Mississippi State kept the brooms out Sunday afternoon at Dudy Noble Field, polishing off a weekend sweep of Delaware with a 7-3 victory to remain unbeaten on the young season.

The Diamond Dawgs (8-0) used timely hitting, relentless pressure on the basepaths and a dominant effort out of the bullpen to secure the three-game sweep in front of 9,473 fans braving brisk conditions in Starkville.

Brian O'Connor's Bulldogs had eight hits on the day, led by Chone James going 2-for-4 with a double.

After Delaware (1-6) jumped ahead with two runs in the second inning, MSU answered in the third. A James Nunnallee walk and back-to-back singles by James and Bryce Chance set the stage for Ace Reese to deliver an RBI single followed by a bases loaded walk from Noah Sullivan to send in the tying run.

The Bulldogs then took control an inning later, capitalizing on Fightin' Blue Hen miscues — part of four Delaware errors on the day — to push across two more runs for a 4-2 lead.

State added insurance in the sixth and eighth inning. Chance lifted a sacrifice fly as part of a three-run stretch, and the Bulldogs tacked on two more in the eighth to stretch the margin to 7-2.

Mississippi State drew nine walks and swiped two bases, consistently forcing Delaware pitchers to work from the stretch.

On the mound, the Diamond Dawgs showcased their depth. Charlie Foster struck out five over two innings in his start before turning it over to Duke Stone (2-0), who was electric. Stone allowed just one hit across four shutout innings, striking out six to earn the win. Maddox Webb and Ben Davis followed with scoreless frames, and Tyler Pitzer recorded the final two outs for his first save of the season.

Delaware threatened late, scratching across a run in the ninth, but State's bullpen closed the door. The Blue Hens struck out 15 times and left 11 runners on base, unable to solve Mississippi State's steady parade of arms.

The Bulldogs close out their nine-game homestand by hosting Austin Peay on Tuesday at 4 p.m. on SEC Network+.

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