On Tuesday, D1 Baseball’s Kendall Rogers reported that Ace Reese will be returning to Mississippi State for his junior season in 2026.
SCOOP: Contrary to what has been rumored over the last week or so, @HailStateBB slugger and @d1baseball All-American Ace Reese tells me he will not enter the portal, and will stay put with #HailState. Reese's return is obviously massive for Brian O'Connor and Co. pic.twitter.com/aWm1tD0hCI
— Kendall Rogers (@KendallRogers) July 1, 2025
In 2025, Reese led Mississippi State in batting average at .352. He hit 18 doubles, 21 home runs, and had 66 RBI as well.
Along with leading the Bulldogs in batting average, he ended as a top ten hitter in the SEC with his batting average as well.
His great offensive season for Mississippi State landed him some accolades. He was named a first-team All-SEC third baseman alongside Georgia’s Slate Alford.
New Era in Starkville with Brian O’Connor – In the 2025 season, Mississippi State went 36-23 overall and was 15-15 in SEC play. They made the NCAA Tournament but were knocked out in the Tallahassee regional.
The most notable headline during the season was when the Bulldogs fired their national championship-winning head coach, Chris Lemonis, on April 28. Pitching coach Justin Parker, who is still on staff, took over the head coaching duties for the remainder of the season.
On June 1, the Bulldogs hired former Virginia Cavalier head coach Brian O’Connor.
Reese is returning to Starkville in what will be head coach O’Connor’s first season with the team.
The legendary former Virginia coach is already hard at work turning Mississippi State into a contender. According to 64 Analytics, the Bulldogs have the highest ranked transfer portal class in the country.
Top Ten Transfer Portal Team Rankings according to @64Analytics:
1. @HailStateBB
2. @BaseballUGA
3. @TexasBaseball
4. @Vol_Baseball
5. @GamecockBasebll
6. @UKBaseball
7. @AlabamaBSB
8. @ASU_Baseball
9. @FSUBaseball
10. @GreenWaveBSB— Caleb Connelley (@calebconnelley) July 1, 2025
This shows that Reese will be back as a key contributor for a team looking to make noise on the national level.
Photo: Ace Reese will be returning to Mississippi State for the 2026 season. (Photo: Mike Mattina/MSU Athletics)
