Mississippi State pitcher Ryan McPherson has a mild forearm strain, according to the Bulldogs’ head coach Brian O’Connor.
The Mississippi State head coach discussed McPherson’s injury after the team’s 12-0 win against the Southern Miss Golden Eagles on Tuesday.
“There’s no timetable to it right now,” O’Connor said. “We’re still consulting with doctors and stuff, but that is the diagnosis of Ryan McPherson. It’s a mild forearm strain. We’ll kind of figure out in the coming days what we’re looking at from a timetable standpoint.”
O’Connor also said that it is “incredibly highly doubtful” that McPherson pitches this weekend for Mississippi State when they face off against the Ole Miss Rebels.
The good news for Mississippi State is that McPherson avoided any harm to his UCL. The right-handed pitcher was in an arm brace on Tuesday during the game against Southern Miss.
The concern for an injury in his arm popped up after he pitched four innings against the Vanderbilt Commodores on Friday, March 20. McPherson had discomfort in his arm.
His start against Vanderbilt finished after those four innings. He had four strikeouts and allowed one earned run in that appearance.
McPherson in 2026 with Mississippi State
McPherson has been the Bulldogs’ Friday night starter this season. In 33 innings of work, he has a 2.45 ERA, 40 strikeouts, and has allowed an opposing batting average of .213.
McPherson is a sophomore who had a 2025 season where he was Mississippi State’s most-used freshman pitcher.
Up next for Mississippi State
After their dominant, midweek win over Southern Miss, the Mississippi State Bulldogs have a 21-4 overall record this season. They are also 4-2 in conference play and just swept Vanderbilt in a weekend series at Dudy Noble Field.
Their next game will be against their in-state rival, the Ole Miss Rebels, on March 27. That game is at Swayze Field in Oxford, Miss., and the first pitch is at 7:30 p.m. EST.
WBN NCAA: https://worldbaseball.com/league/ncaa/
PHOTO: Mississippi State pitcher Ryan McPherson (28) warms up before an NCAA regional baseball game against Northeastern on Friday, May 30, 2025, in Tallahassee, Fla. (AP Photo/Gary McCullough)
