The Tulane baseball team heads to Mississippi for a challenging matchup Tuesday night as they face one of the top teams in college baseball. The Green Wave will take on No. 3 Mississippi State in a neutral-site game in Biloxi, continuing a tough stretch against ranked opponents.
Tulane Faces No. 3 Mississippi State in Biloxi
The Tulane Green Wave baseball (9-7) will meet the Mississippi State Bulldogs baseball (14-2) on Tuesday, March 10 at 6 p.m.
The game will be played at Keesler Federal Park in Biloxi, Mississippi.
Fans can watch the game on SEC Network+ or listen on 88.3 WRBH-FM radio.
The matchup comes during a tough stretch for Tulane, which just played a three-game series against No. 17 TCU over the weekend.
Projected Pitching Matchup
Tulane is expected to start junior right-handed pitcher Jack Brafa.
Key stats for Brafa this season:
- Record:Â 1-0
- ERA:Â 4.00
- Strikeouts:Â 13
- Innings pitched:Â 9
- Opponents’ batting average: .167
Brafa transferred to Tulane this year after previously playing at Tennessee Tech.
Mississippi State plans to start left-handed pitcher Charlie Foster.
Foster’s 2026 season numbers include:
- ERA:Â 4.05
- Strikeouts:Â 12
- Innings pitched:Â 6.2
- Appearances:Â 5
- Starts:Â 3
Scouting Mississippi State
Mississippi State enters the game ranked No. 3 nationally in several major college baseball polls.
The Bulldogs are coming off a dominant weekend sweep of Lipscomb, winning the series by a combined score of 43-7.
Their only two losses this season came against other ranked teams:
- No. 1 UCLA
- No. 10 Southern Miss
Both defeats were by a combined total of just two runs.
Key hitters for Mississippi State
Several Bulldogs are producing strong offensive numbers early in the season:
| Player | Batting Avg | Key Stats |
|---|---|---|
| Reed Stallman | .452 | 4 doubles, 3 HR, 16 RBIs |
| Bryce Chance | .429 | 18 runs, 18 hits |
| Ace Reese | .406 | 26 hits, 10 doubles, 4 HR, 21 RBIs |
| Noah Sullivan | — | Team-high 5 home runs |
The team’s lineup is balanced, with 10 different players already reaching double-digit RBIs.
Bulldogs’ Pitching Staff
Mississippi State also features a strong pitching rotation.
Some of the key pitchers include:
- Tomas Valincius – 3-0 record with 26 strikeouts in 20.2 innings
- Ryan McPherson – 3-0 with 28 strikeouts in 23 innings
- Duke Stone – also undefeated at 3-0
In the bullpen, Jack Gleason has been a reliable reliever with 17 strikeouts in 9.1 innings.
The Bulldogs are coached by Brian O’Connor, who took over the program this season after spending 22 years as head coach at the University of Virginia, where he won the 2015 College World Series.
Series History Between Tulane and Mississippi State
Mississippi State leads the all-time series against Tulane.
| Category | Record |
|---|---|
| All-time series | Mississippi State leads 77-34 |
| First meeting | 1904 |
| Last series | Tulane won 2 of 3 games in 2022 |
During the 2022 series, Tulane won the final two games with dramatic victories of 11-10 and 5-4.
Tulane’s Current Trends
Several Tulane players have been performing well recently.
Hot hitters (last five games)
- Hugh Pinkney – .444 batting average
- Jason Wachs – .375 average with six RBIs and two doubles
- Matthias Haas – .313 average with a home run and four RBIs
Pitching highlights
- Jake Toporek – 3.2 innings pitched with three strikeouts
- Tom Vincent – three appearances, 1-0 record and one save
Key Streaks and Team Notes
- Jason Wachs has reached base in 42 straight games dating back to last season.
- Matthias Haas has reached base in 12 consecutive games.
- Tulane leads the American Conference with 39 doubles this season.
- The team averages 9.4 strikeouts per game on the mound.
Several players also rank among the conference leaders:
- Tanner Chun leads the league with 8 hit-by-pitches.
- Jason Wachs ranks second in RBIs (22) and doubles (7).
- Tom Vincent is third in the conference with two saves.
