Seven Bulldogs Selected All-SEC
May 18, 2026 | Baseball
STARKVILLE – Seven members of Mississippi State's baseball team were selected as All-Conference performers by the league's coaches on Monday.
Sophomore starting pitcher Tomas Valincius, junior third baseman Ace Reese and graduate designated hitter Noah Sullivan were all received first team All-SEC honors. Graduate outfielder Bryce Chance and senior reliever Ben Davis were both selected to the second team while outfielder Jacob Parker and pitcher Jack Bauer were picked as Freshman All-SEC performers.
Since 1941, a total of 135 Diamond Dawgs have earned 172 All-SEC honors. Bauer and Parker became the 14th and 15th MSU players to receive a spot on the SEC All-Freshman team and the first since Dakota Jordan in 2023. It's just the second time two Bulldog rookies have been recognized, joining CT Bradford and Adam Frazier in 2011.
It is the second-straight year Reese has received first team All-SEC honors. The Canton, Texas product is the only player to start all 55 games for State this season. He heads to the postseason leading the conference with 21 doubles while also ranking third in home runs (20) and total bases (153), fourth in slugging (.705) and RBIs (67), fifth in runs (64) and eighth in hits (72) and OPS (1.131). His 12 home runs in SEC play are tied for the second-most.
Reese hit his 20th home run this past Saturday to become just the third player in program history to have back-to-back 20-plus homer seasons joining Will Clark and Rafael Palmeiro (1984-85).
Valincius ended the regular season tied for the SEC lead with nine wins, is second with 112 strikeouts, fourth with 80 innings pitched and is fifth in ERA at 3.04. The left-hander from Lockport, Illinois struck out 86 batters in SEC play, more than any other pitcher in the league.
Sullivan started 47 games as State's designated hitter and three more at first base. The Orlando, Florida native hit a team-best .344 during conference play, which was tied for the eighth-highest batting average in the SEC. His 43 hits during league action tied for the fifth-most and his overall on-base percentage of .452 ranked No. 10 in the conference.
Chance also appeared in all 55 regular season games (54 starts) in the outfield and posted a perfect fielding percentage. The Ridgeland product led the Diamond Dawg regulars with a .350 batting average and also topped the team with 12 steals. His average was good enough for ninth in the league while his 18 doubles were tied for third.
Davis made 22 appearances – all out of the bullpen – and collected five saves. The right-hander from Booneville logged 42 innings, struck out 50 and only walked 11 while holding hitters to a .229 average. His save total is tied for ninth among SEC closers.
Parker played in 46 games and made 37 starts during the regular season hitting .326 with nine doubles, a triple, 13 homers and 50 RBIs. The Purvis native's .681 slugging percentage ranks eighth among SEC hitters. He batted .318 with seven bombs and 23 RBIs during conference play.
Bauer pitched in 13 games and is a perfect 4-0 on the mound. The flamethrowing southpaw from Frankfort, Illinois fanned 30 batters in 21 frames. Twenty of Bauer's strikeouts came during SEC action.
2026 SEC Baseball AwardsÂPlayer of the Year: Daniel Jackson, Georgia
Pitcher of the Year: Aidan King, Florida
Freshman of the Year: Anthony Pack Jr., Texas
Newcomer of the Year: Aiden Robbins, Texas
Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Gavin Grahovac, Texas A&M
Coach of the Year: Wes Johnson, Georgia
2026 All-SEC Baseball Team
C: Daniel Jackson, Georgia
1B: Gavin Grahovac, Texas A&M
2B: Chris Hacopian, Texas A&M
2B: Chris Rembert, Auburn
3B: Tre Phelps, Georgia
3B: Ace Reese, Mississippi State
SS: Tyler Bell, Kentucky
OF: Caden Sorrell, Texas A&M
OF: Aiden Robbins, Texas
OF: Rylan Lujo, Georgia
DH/Util: Noah Sullivan, Mississippi State
SP: Dylan Volantis, Texas
SP: Aidan King, Florida
SP: Tomas Valincius, Mississippi State
SP: Hunter Dietz, Arkansas
RP: Sam Cozart, Texas
RP: Walker Hooks, Ole Miss
RP: Clayton Freshcorn, Texas A&M
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Second Team
C: Carson Tinney, Texas
1B: Will Furniss, Ole Miss
1B: Ethin Bingaman, Auburn
2B: Mike Mancini, Vanderbilt
3B: Judd Utermark, Ole Miss
SS: Kolby Branch, Georgia
SS: Steven Milam, LSU
OF: Anthony Pack Jr., Texas
OF: Derek Curiel, LSU
OF: Bryce Chance, Mississippi State
DH/Util: Brady Neal, Alabama
SP: Cade Townsend, Ole Miss
SP: Tegan Kuhns, Tennessee
SP: Jaxon Jelkin, Kentucky
SP: Tyler Fay, Alabama
RP: Jackson Sanders, Auburn
RP: Ethan McElvain, Arkansas
RP: Ben Davis, Mississippi State
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Anthony Pack Jr., Texas
Sam Cozart, Texas
Jorian Wilson, Texas A&M
Ethin Bingaman, Auburn
Cam Appenzeller, Tennessee
Omar Serna Jr., LSU
Jacob Parker, Mississippi State
Trent Grindlinger, Tennessee
Myles Upchurch, Alabama
Nico Partida, Texas A&M
Mason Braun, LSU
Jack Bauer, Mississippi State
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2026 SEC Baseball All-Defensive Team
C: Ryder Helfrick, Arkansas
1B: Gavin Grahovac, Texas A&M
2B: Mike Mancini, Vanderbilt
3B: Eric Guevara, Auburn*
3B: Tre Phelps, Georgia*
SS: Steven Milam, LSU
OF: Caden Sorrell, Texas A&M
OF: Derek Curiel, LSU
OF: Jason Walk, Oklahoma
P: Hunter Elliott, Ole Miss
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*Tie
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