STARKVILLE, Miss. – Alcorn Baseball faces its highest-ranked opponent since 2022, when the Braves travel to No. 4 Mississippi State on Wednesday, Feb. 18, inside venerable Dudy Noble Field, Polk-DeMent Stadium at 4 p.m. The Bulldogs represent the highest ranked team the Purple and Gold have played since falling to No. 2 Ole Miss early-on in the 2022 campaign.
 
On the mound, Alcorn is expected to start Caden Wade (0-0, 0.00 ERA), while a Mississippi State starter is expected to be announced following their game against Troy on Tuesday afternoon. This will be the first action of the year for Wade, a 5-foot-10, left-hander from Meridian, Mississippi, after the junior did not record a decision in 2025, despite owning a 12.10 ERA on the campaign.
 
What: Game Four
Who: Alcorn (1-2) vs. Mississippi State (4-0)
When: Wednesday, Feb. 18, at 4 p.m.
Where: Starkville, Miss. – Dudy Noble Field, Polk-DeMent Stadium (15,000)
 
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IN THE RANKINGS
▪ Alcorn is not ranked in any of this week's five major polls
▪ Mississippi State is ranked in each of the five major polls entering the week – Baseball America (3), D1Baseball (4), NCBWA (5), Perfect Game (6), USA Today Coaches (6)
 
NEWS & NOTES
▪ Under the direction of second-year head coach Carlton Hardy, Alcorn welcomes 23 newcomers to the 2026 roster.
▪ Senior outfielder Rayfield "Trey" Adams III enters the contest riding a four-game hitting streak dating back to last season.
▪ Adams owns a team-leading .429 average at the plate for the Braves, adding a double and a stolen base.
▪ The Purple and Gold have swiped seven of a possible eight stolen bases on the campaign.
▪ In their last outing, the Braves defeated Jackson State for the first time since 2019.
▪ As part of his debut for Alcorn, junior right-hander Jacob Wingard worked 4.2 innings against Prairie View A&M last weekend, allowing three runs (two earned) on three hits and tallying three strikeouts.
▪ Rookie pitcher Devin Kriley registered three strikeouts in his collegiate debut against Grambling State in the season opener.
▪ Sophomore outfielder Keaten Hawk posted four RBIs last weekend during the HBCU Power Series presented by Major League Baseball (MLB) in Pearl, Mississippi.
▪ Kanious "Spanky" Davis hit and pitched last weekend, going 3 for 11 at the dish, and capturing two strikeouts in two outings on the bump in relief efforts against Prairie View and Jackson State, respectfully.
 
ALCORN VS. MISSISSIPPI STATE SERIES
▪ Mississippi State owns an unblemished 18-0 advantage all-time against Alcorn in a series that dates back to 1993.
▪ All 18 of the previous matchups have occurred in Starkville.
▪ In the last five meetings, the Braves have been outscored by a 60-7 count.
▪ Mississippi State scored in the opening inning in the last four meetings.
 
QUOTES FROM COACH HARDY
"This is the test. You want to play against the best and see what you're really about? Well, here's your chance. Here's one of the best teams in the country right in your own backyard. You get to see another level. This is a true test, and that's with all due respect to everyone on our schedule, as well."
 
"I think last weekend showed us that we can fight. We can and will play until the end. Now, we have to get that losing taste out of our mouth, and get a feel for winning. And that game against Jackson State to end the weekend really gave us encouragement coming into this week. When you can win against your in-state rival in a great contest, then that gives you motivation."
 
"National champions. That's what Mississippi State is – a national champion. And a head coach that is coming from a national champion program in Virginia. The rich get richer, as the saying goes. You win a title in 2021, and then you replace that coach with another national champion caliber head coach. It just speaks to what that program has achieved and the level of success they expect in Starkville. They expect to win, and they do a good job proving it."
 
"I want our guys to get used to playing against these types of teams. If we ever win a SWAC Tournament and get to a regional, [Mississippi State] is the type of team we'll see in the regionals. So, I want our guys to get used to playing against some of the very best programs so that if we get to that postseason one day, they're not scared of the bright lights and bigger stadiums. They'll be accustomed to it having played those teams during the regular season at some point, albeit midweek games."
 
SCOUTING MISSISSIPPI STATE
▪ Mississippi State comes into the contest fresh off a Tuesday win against Troy at home.
▪ The Bulldogs are ranked as high as No. 3 in the Baseball America poll, and sit ranked fourth in the D1Baseball poll.
▪ Brian O'Connor is in his first season with MSU after guiding the Virginia Cavaliers to the 2015 national title – the school's first and only national title to date.
▪ Mississippi State's roster consists of 26 newcomers – 18 of which were obtained from the transfer portal.
▪ According to D1Baseball, the Diamond Dawgs brought in the nation's No. 2 portal class, five of which chose to accompany coach Brian O'Connor from Virginia.
▪ Three members of MSU's roster were tabbed preseason All-Americans entering the 2026 campaign.
 
RECAPPING ALCORN'S LAST GAME (vs. Jackson State)
Keaten Hawk slapped a fielder's choice RBI to second base Sunday evening as Alcorn outlasted Jackson State 8-7 in 10 innings in the final game of the 2026 HBCU Power Series hosted by Major League Baseball at Trustmark Park in Pearl, Mississippi.
 
With the game tied 7-all in the bottom of the 10th inning, Alcorn (1-2) used a Rayfield Adams III single past Jackson State second baseman Ledy Alvarez to lead off the at-bat for the Braves. Kanious Davis wasted little time as he laid down a bunt single in the next at-bat to put the game-winning run int scoring position.
 
Jackson State (1-2) looked towards Talmadge Davis out of the bullpen to try and stop the threat, but he immediately issued a wild pitch, allowing both runners to advance 90 feet. With one out and the winning run on third, right fielder Keaten Hawk plated the speedy Adams from third with a chopper to second that saw the throw from Alvarez just wide of the glove of JSU catcher Hederick Torres.
 
The run saw the Braves erase a losing skid to their in-state foes that stretched back to 2019.
 
After Jackson State took the lead with a pair of runs in the opening half-inning, the Tigers advanced the lead to 6-0 courtesy a four-run fourth inning.
 
Alvarez drew a bases loaded walk for the first run of the frame, followed by a run-scoring single from Isaac McClenty. With the bases still loaded, Pierre Cabral delivered a two-run single through the left side to plate Alvarez and Tyshon Patty.
 
Alcorn answered in kind with four runs of its own in the bottom of the fifth.
 
An Adams single – one of his two on the night, drove across Chase Moore for the first Braves run of the night. That set the stage for Hawk to lace a two-run scoring single to right that brought around Adams and Jamir Holloway to cut that deficit at 6-3.
 
A wild pitch allowed Jaylyn Bennett to scamper in from third and make it 6-4 in favor of JSU.
 
The Alcorn scoring continued in the seventh as the Purple and Gold stepped ahead for the first time in the contest on the strength of a three-run frame.
 
Manuel Toro took the mound for the Tigers, immediately hitting Bennett and then throwing a wild pitch to push Davis and Bennett into scoring position, respectfully.
 
A Hawk single to right made it 6-5 as he plated Davis. And a Harris single three pitches later tied the contest at 6-all when Bennett scored.
 
The Braves took the 7-6 lead on a balk from Tigers reliever Jaedeyn Edwards.
 
JSU responded to tie the game and fore extra innings when Patty roped a two-out triple to center that scored Troy Wilson Jr.
 
The win went to Kanious Davis (1-1) out of the bullpen as he tossed one frame with just one hit allowed, a walk and two strikeouts. In his first Alcorn start, freshman Kayden Sutton went three innings on the bump, allowing six runs (three earned) on three hits, three strikeouts and four walks.
 
The loss was tagged to JSU reliever Joe Williams (0-1) who went an inning on the hill, surrendering one run on four hits and two strikeouts.
 
Alcorn was led offensively by four different players with two hits each, including Hawk who was 2-for-6 with four RBIs.
 
UP NEXT
The Braves stay on the road in order to face Houston Christian in a three-game weekend set beginning Friday, Feb. 20, at 6:30 p.m., in Houston, Texas.
 
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