On Saturday, April 25, the Mississippi State Bulldogs mounted a 9-8 comeback win over the LSU Tigers at Dudy Noble Field in Starkville.
One of the biggest standout performers in the game for the Bulldogs was freshman pitcher Jack Bauer. He entered the game in the fifth inning and replaced Duke Stone.
Bauer went on to earn the win on Saturday. In 3 ⅔ innings of work, he had eight strikeouts. Over that same stretch, he allowed just three hits and one earned run. Bauer also did not walk any LSU hitters he faced.
The freshman southpaw put together the best outing of his Mississippi State career thus far. He reached a career high in both innings pitched and strikeouts
Bauer and his 2026 with Mississippi State, high school phenom
In 2026, Bauer has a 5.27 ERA in 13 ⅔ innings of work. He also has 22 strikeouts and has allowed an opposing batting average of .250.
Coming out of high school, Bauer was a big-time prospect. According to Perfect Game, he was the number two left-handed pitcher in the 2025 high school class. He was also a top 25 high school prospect in the country.
Before the 2026 college baseball season, D1 Baseball named Bauer the number one freshman to make it to campus. He was a top 50 draft prospect according to MLB.com. However, he passed on professional baseball to play college baseball at Mississippi State.
Bauer threw the fastest pitch ever thrown by a left-handed high school prospect, which was 103 miles per hour.
Up next for Mississippi State
The Mississippi State Bulldogs have a 33-10 overall record. They are also 12-8 in Southeastern Conference (SEC) play. The Bulldogs are currently riding a seven-game winning streak.
Their next game will be on Sunday, April 26, against the LSU Tigers at Dudy Noble Field in Starkville. The first pitch is at 2 p.m. ET.
WBN NCAA: https://worldbaseball.com/league/ncaa/
PHOTO: Via Jack Bauer on Instagram (@j2ckb4uer)
