ABCA Awards All-America Status To Three Bulldogs
June 12, 2026 | Baseball
STARKVILLE – Award season rolls on and Mississippi State continues to rack up on honors.
On Friday, third baseman Ace Reese, outfielder Jacob Parker and pitcher Tomas Valincius were each selected second team All-America by the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA).
Reese became the third player in program history to hit 20-plus home runs in back-to-back seasons, joining Will Clark and Rafael Palmeiro. The junior from Canton, Texas was the only player on the team to start all 62 games this spring batting .336 with 23 doubles, 24 homers and 74 RBIs. He currently leads the Southeastern Conference in doubles with that total also tied for the eighth-most in a single season in MSU history. His home run total in 2026 ranks fourth all-time in the school's annals and his 45 career homers in Maroon and White matches Tommy Raffo (1987-90) for ninth all-time at State.
Reese was also a second team ABCA selection last season. In 2026, he was tabbed as a first team All-American by Perfect Game and a second team pick by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA).
Parker clubbed a freshman record 18 home runs this year to go along with a .339 batting average and 62 RBIs. The Purvis product appeared in 53 games and made 44 starts this spring. He finished second on the Diamond Dawgs in homers and RBIs as well as third in batting average and stolen bases (seven). He also added 10 doubles and one triple to his totals.
Perfect Game named Parker its Freshman of the Year as well as a first team Freshman All-American by Perfect Game and the NCBWA.
In 16 starts, Valincius posted an 11-2 record on the mound with a 3.50 earned run average. The sophomore left-hander struck out 134 and only walked 20 across 97 2/3 innings this year. His strikeouts were the eighth highest in a single season in school history while his win total tied for 10th. Opposing hitters batted just .230 against him and his 86 strikeouts during conference play led the SEC.
Valincius earned first team All-America honors from the NCBWA and was also a second team selection by Perfect Game.
Mississippi State had six of its player selected South All-Region by the ABCA earlier in the week. Reese, Parker and Valincius were all first team selections along with designated hitter Noah Sullivan. First baseman Reed Stallman and second baseman Gehrig Frei both received second team All-Region recognition.
A total of 87 Bulldogs have been awarded All-American status, receiving 174 all-time honors.
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