SEC delivers a gift to Mississippi State with 2026 baseball schedule

Mississippi State baseball’s schedule of SEC games for the 2026 season was announced Tuesday and the Bulldogs’ luck continues.

Taking into account the hiring of Brian O’Connor, of the best college baseball coaches in the nation, and the highly-rated transfer portal and high school signing classes Mississippi State has brought to Starkville, this SEC schedule is a gift.

Of the Bulldogs’ 10 SEC opponents, four have won a national championship in the last six years, including the reigning national champions from the Bayou, and all but one of those series will be played away from Dudy Noble Field.

Mississippi State will host Vanderbilt (2019 CWS champions), LSU (2023 and 2025 CWS Champions) and Tennessee (2024 CWS Champions) in the upcoming season. That’s a big win for the Bulldogs. (Note: See full SEC schedule below for specific dates.)

Another win is having the SEC’s other Bulldog-mascot team come to Starkville. Georgia has been a top 10-ranked team in recent seasons and figures to be that again in 2026.

Sure, the Bulldogs open SEC play against Arkansas and since it’ll be March and not June, the Razorbacks will be a tough opponent. They also have to go to Oxford to face the fourth opponent to have won a College World Series in recent seasons, but that’s a hard series to win no matter where it’s played.

Other road series include South Carolina and both of the Lone Star state schools.

Going to Fayetteville and Austin aren’t exactly “easy” road trips, but considering the other SEC foes on the schedule, I think O’Connor will be happy with this schedule.

How it impacts the Bulldogs’ strength of schedule remains to be seen. Portions of Mississippi State’s non-conference schedule have not been announced.

What has been announced is Mississippi State’s participation in the 2026 Amegy Bank College Baseball Series at Globe Life Field, home of the 2023 World Series Champions Texas Rangers.

That’ll take place from Feb. 27-March 1. Arizona State, Tennessee, Texas A&M, UCLA and Virginia Tech will also be competing at the event with specific matchups and game times to be determined. The remainder of Mississippi State's non-conference slate will also be released at a later date.