‘This Is Why You Come To Mississippi State’
April 26, 2026 | Baseball, Joel Coleman
STARKVILLE – Purvis, Mississippi, sits some 200 miles south of Dudy Noble Field. It'd take you about three hours to drive from Starkville down to the county seat of Lamar County.
Sound waves travel a lot faster than your automobile though, so there's a good chance that what happened around 9:30 p.m. on Saturday night in StarkVegas was instantaneously heard loud and clear down in the southern portion of the Magnolia State.
Bulldog freshman Jacob Parker – a Purvis native – was providing figurative fireworks long before the postgame literal ones. The young pup smacked a game-tying grand slam that brought State back from the dead and put MSU on the way to a come-from-behind, 9-8 win over LSU to clinch a series and put a gigantic exclamation point on Super Bulldog Weekend Saturday.
"I kind of got out in front of a breaking ball and just poked at it," Parker said.
What a poke it was in front of 15,289 fans – the third-largest on-campus crowd in NCAA history.
MSU trailed 7-2 entering the bottom of the seventh. The Bulldogs started the frame with three straight singles, then Blake Bevis drew a bases-loaded walk to bring State within four.
After four straight Dawgs had reached base, LSU went to its bullpen and lefty reliever Cooper Williams. Would State head coach Brian O'Connor, a man who loves to match up, allow Parker – a left-handed hitter – to face the southpaw, Williams?
Yep.
"I told my assistant, 'I'm going to stay with [Parker] because he has a chance to run one out of here," O'Connor said.
Brian O'Connor: a hall of fame baseball coach and apparently part-time prophet.
Parker smashed a 2-0 pitch on a line over the wall in right field. It traveled 374 feet, came off the bat at 100 miles per hour and made everyone in Maroon and White lose their minds in the best of ways.
"What a moment for that kid," O'Connor said.
It's a highlight Diamond Dawg fans will talk about and replay in their minds over and over again through the years. As for Parker himself, well, he might just need to see the actual replay to even know exactly what transpired.
"I blacked out, so I really don't know what all happened, but it was pretty cool," Parker said.
Yes it was.
Yet for as great as Parker's swing was, it needed a win to cement it as an all-time great Mississippi State moment. A fellow freshman and an old, seasoned vet made sure that happened.
First, there was Jack Bauer. The first-year left-handed flamethrower entered in the fifth inning with State down 7-2, then proceeded to toss 3 2/3 spectacular innings of relief to keep the Dawgs in the game. He struck out eight and allowed just a lone run (that came after MSU had already took the lead) in his appearance.
"I am so proud of Jack," O'Connor said. "Here is a freshman pitching on Super Bulldog Weekend in front of one of the largest crowds in college baseball history, and his team is behind. He knows he can't give an inch. He understands that if they score another run, we might not win the game. It showed why he is here at Mississippi State. I have known him for a long time, and I know what he is made of. It also showed all of the hard work he has put in as well."
Graduate Noah Sullivan delivered State's go-ahead hit in the eighth. The mustache man lined an RBI single to center to put MSU up 8-7 before the Bulldogs tacked on what turned out to be a much-needed insurance run.
Ironically, Sullivan credited his lack of success in previous at-bats for his heroics late.
"[LSU reliever Grant Fontenot] throws a lot of fastballs percentage-wise," Sullivan explained. "All night, I'd been late to the heater. So, I knew at some point I was going to get the fastball. I kind of just cheated to it and made a good swing."
The Tigers made things interesting with a ninth-inning solo homer against Bauer. However, Maddox Webb entered and got the final two outs for the save to make sure the efforts of Bauer, Sullivan and Parker didn't go to waste.
The third out of the ninth set off a Starkville celebration. The music blared. The fans and players rejoiced.
It was a win that clinched yet another Southeastern Conference series victory and keeps Mississippi State right on a track that can lead to postseason baseball being hosted at Dudy Noble Field once more.
It was a game that won't soon be forgotten.
It was a night that was special.
"This is why you come to Mississippi State," Sullivan said. "That was the craziest fan experience I've ever seen."
Said Parker, the young man with the evening's heroic hack: "It was awesome. The fans made that moment so special for me. It was surreal."
