Mississippi State
9-0
Austin Peay
4-4
Fourth-Ranked MSU Closes Homestand With Run-Rule Win
February 24, 2026 | Baseball
STARKVILLE - Fourth-ranked Mississippi State kept its perfect start intact Tuesday afternoon, overwhelming Austin Peay 16-3 in seven innings at Dudy Noble Field.
The Diamond Dawgs (9-0) pounded out 16 hits and scored in five of their six at-bats, turning a tight game early into another lopsided run-rule victory in front of 9,337 fans.
After spotting Austin Peay (4-4) a run in the top of the first, MSU answered quickly. The Bulldogs tied it in the second before erupting for five runs in the third to seize control for good. State added two more in the fourth, four in the fifth and three in the sixth to bring the 10-run rule into play.
Ace Reese continued his torrid start to the season, going 3-for-5 with a double, a home run and four RBIs to pace the offensive onslaught.
Aidan Teel launched his first home run of the season – a grand slam - while James Nunnallee came off the bench and blasted a three-run homer in the fifth. Bryce Chance added a double, single and two RBIs and Reed Stallman delivered a pinch-hit double that plated two more as State's depth wore down Austin Peay's pitching staff.
Noah Sullivan collected two hits and scored twice and Chone James chipped in a pair of hits as MSU finished with seven extra-base knocks.
On the mound, the Diamond Dawgs used a parade of arms to keep the Governors in check. Chris Billingsley (1-0) earned the win with 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief as part of a seven-pitcher effort that limited Austin Peay to four hits. The only late damage came in the seventh, when the Governors pushed across two runs, but by then the outcome had long been decided.
Austin Peay struck out 10 times and managed just four hits, all singles.
Mississippi State ventures away from Starkville for the first time this season to play in the Amegy Bank College Baseball Classic at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. The Bulldogs are slated to play Arizona State on Friday at 11 a.m. followed by Virginia Tech on Saturday at 3 p.m. and No. 1 UCLA on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. All three games will be streamed on FloCollege.
Visit www.HailState.com for the latest news and information on the baseball program. Fans can also follow the program on social media by searching 'HailStateBB' on X, Facebook and Instagram.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Billingsley Jr., Chris (1-0)
L: COX, Chance (0-1)
Batting:
RBI: COSTELLO, TJ 2 ; WISDOM, Ty 1
SF: WISDOM, Ty 1
Base Running:
RUNS: VELAZQUEZ, Ray 1 ; PANGBORN, Mason 1 ; CONLEY, Trevor 1
CS: MATIAS, Andres 1
Batting:
2B: Reese, Ace 1 ; Bevis, Blake 1 ; Stallman, Reed 1 ; Chance, Bryce 1
HR: Reese, Ace 1 ; Nunnallee, James 1 ; Teel, Aidan 1
RBI: Reese, Ace 4 ; Nunnallee, James 3 ; Stallman, Reed 2 ; Woodson, Ryder 1 ; Teel, Aidan 4 ; Chance, Bryce 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Frei, Gehrig 1 ; Reese, Ace 2 ; Sullivan, Noah 2 ; Valincius, Vytas 2 ; Nunnallee, James 1 ; Bevis, Blake 2 ; James, Chone 2 ; Woodson, Ryder 1 ; Teel, Aidan 1 ; Chance, Bryce 1 ; Parker, Jacob 1
HBP: Valincius, Vytas 1 ; Teel, Aidan 1
