Skip to main content
Mississippi State
Join Now

Ryan McPherson to start for Mississippi State in Starkville Regional Championship on Sunday

Mississippi State beat writer Colin Dammsby: Colin Damms05/31/26Colintheshots95

Mississippi State baseball head coach Brian O’Connor revealed his decision to go with Ryan McPherson on the mound on Sunday at the Starkville Regional. The Bulldogs are 2-0 through their first two games of the NCAA Tournament, and will await either Louisiana Lafayette or a rematch with Cincinnati in the Regional Championship round.

McPherson, who missed seven weeks of the season with a mild forearm strain, has been on a steady trajectory back to lead into the postseason. His pitch count has been worked up from two regular season appearances as well as a scrimmage last weekend in anticipation of him resuming a larger role for the Bulldogs.

“The patience needed to be there with McPherson for the opportunity tomorrow night and beyond,” O’Connor said. “We had him on very strict pitch counts in each of his outings coming back. I wish we had beaten Georgia, because I would’ve liked to see him pitch in the SEC Tournament, but that didn’t happen.”

Through two postseason games this weekend, O’Connor has only used four pitchers out of the bullpen. Jack Gleason and Tyler Pitzer both kept their pitch counts low in a win over Lipscomb on Friday. Ben Davis got into a bit more trouble than he would have liked, but still kept things brief to close out after a Maddox Webb cameo on Saturday.

There is still plenty of ammunition left for the final game, and a Monday game if needed. Jack Bauer, Dane Burns, Maddox Miller and several other regular relievers have yet to see the field thanks to solid starts from Duke Stone and Tomas Valincius. That leaves O’Connor with plenty of options and support for McPherson, should he need it.

“I feel good about (the bullpen situation),” O’Connor said. “We haven’t touched any of our top three lefties out of the bullpen in Burns, Bauer and Miller. So you’re 2-0 and havent touched three of the guys you have elite level confidence in. I would have liked to not have to use Ben Davis tonight, certainly, but Webb went out there and walked two guys and just couldn’t take a chacne. Because they’re one swing away from making it a three-run ballgame.”

O’Connor communicated clearly on McPherson’s progress over the final few weeks of the regular season, and leading into his return. His evaluation was clearly geared toward the player’s safety and returning at the right pace, but O’Connor also indicated that the postseason target for return was a factor in his steady pace returning in the regular season.

“We were very purposeful in what we were doing,” he said. “The timing we decided to bring him back, the doctors dictated that when we could have him pitch live in a game. We had strict pitch counts on him and he’s passed everything with flying colors.”

The limited innings in starts against Auburn and Texas A&M all showed glimpses of the pitcher McPherson was in the first half of the season. If he can reach that level in postseason play, the Bulldogs have a chance to make noise beyond Sunday.

But of course, it all starts with Sunday.

“His return was all kind of predicated off being in a Regional and an opportunity to start,” O’Connor continued. “So now the opportunity has presented itself, and I know he’s going to go out there, the competitor he is, he’s going to give it everything he has for as long as I’ll leave him in the game.”

You may also like