How To Watch No. 13 Mississippi State At No. 10 Texas A&M

No. 13 Mississippi State closes the regular season with a major road test Thursday night at Blue Bell Park, where the Bulldogs open a three-game series against No. 10 Texas A&M.

Both teams enter the weekend in the thick of the SEC race, and the opener brings a strong pitching matchup with Tomas Valincius facing Ethan Darden.

For Mississippi State, the challenge is clear: slow down one of the league’s most explosive offenses, limit the free bases and keep the Aggies’ power from taking over the game.

The Opponent: Texas A&M

Texas A&M is one of the most dangerous power offenses in the SEC, and the numbers back it up.

The Aggies enter the final regular-season weekend at 37-12 overall and 16-10 in SEC play, with a lineup hitting .304 with a massive .998 OPS, 108 home runs, 448 runs and a .424 on-base percentage.

The heart of the order is built around Gavin Grahovac and Caden Sorrell, who have combined for 39 home runs and 133 RBIs, while Nico Partida, Jorian Wilson, Bear Harrison, Blake Binderup and Chris Hacopian give A&M more than enough length to punish mistakes throughout the lineup.

The biggest challenge with Texas A&M is that the Aggies do not need a long rally to flip a game. They can score in bunches, work counts, take free bases and change the scoreboard with one swing.

Ole Miss saw both sides of that last weekend: A&M struggled in the opener, going 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position, then came back in the doubleheader with an 18-5 run-rule win powered by a record-tying seven home runs.

Ben Royo also gave them a jolt in that series, going 7-for-7 with three homers across the Saturday doubleheader while filling in for the injured Boston Kellner.

On the mound, Texas A&M is not quite as overwhelming as its offense, but it has enough swing-and-miss to win high-end SEC games.

Opponents are hitting .265 with a .338 on-base percentage against the Aggies, while A&M pitchers have struck out 417 batters in 49 games.

That makes the formula pretty clear: keep the ball in the yard, avoid free passes and force the Aggies to string together hits instead of letting their power decide the game.

If A&M gets traffic on base ahead of Grahovac, Sorrell and the rest of that middle order, it can turn a close game into a crooked-number inning in a hurry.

Starting Pitchers

LHP Tomas Valincius vs. LHP Ethan Darden

• Valincius: 8-2, 2.52 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 75 IP, 58 H, 27 R, 21 ER, 16 BB, 105 SO, .209 Opp. BA
• Darden: 4-1, 3.33 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 27 IP, 23 H, 11 R, 1- ER, 12 BB, 20 SO, .235 Opp. BA

Weather Forecast

Wind may become a factor in Thursday night’s series opener. The daytime forecast is a hot one with temperatures in the 90s and a south wind of 5-10 mph. At night there’s expected to be more clouds, temperatures in the upper 60s and a south wind “around 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.”

How to Watch: No. 13 Mississippi State at No. 10 Texas A&M

• Who: No. 13 Mississippi State Bulldogs (28-14, 15-12 SEC) at No. 10 Texas A&M Aggies (37-12, 16-10 SEC)
• When: 6 p.m., Thursday
• Where: Blue Bell Park, College Station, Texas
• TV: SECN+
• Radio: Live Radio
• Stats: Live Stats
• Series History: Mississippi State leads the all-time series 24-23
• Last Meeting: Texas A&M 9, Mississippi State 0 (2025 SEC Tournament)
• Last time out, Bulldogs: lost to No. 6 Auburn, 13-2 (7 innings)
• Last time out, Aggies: lost to No. 20 Ole Miss, 6-5

Student-Athlete Availability Report

Mississippi State

• All available.

Texas A&M

Out

• P #12 Josh Stewart
• P #20 Aiden Sims
• P #28 Caden McCoy

Questionable

• IF/P #2 Nico Partida

Probable

• IF #6 Boston Kellner

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