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Who did Mississippi State make mad? Bulldog baseball dealt brutal SEC schedule

To say that the Diamond Dawgs will be battle-tested in 2026 is a massive understatement.
ByAndrew Miller|
May 21, 2025; Hoover, AL, USA; Mississippi State third baseman Ace Reese (3) fields a bunt by Texas A&M second baseman Ben Royo (10) but makes a wild throw to first in the first round of the SEC Baseball Tournament at the Hoover Met.
May 21, 2025; Hoover, AL, USA; Mississippi State third baseman Ace Reese (3) fields a bunt by Texas A&M second baseman Ben Royo (10) but makes a wild throw to first in the first round of the SEC Baseball Tournament at the Hoover Met. | Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

While the main focus in Starkville is currently turned to the gridiron, there's still plenty of buzz about Mississippi State baseball following the hire of HC Brian O'Connor and a strong summer for the program. We've been anxious to see what the schedule will look like for the Diamond Dawgs in 2026, and on Tuesday, we got our answer.

However that answer now has us asking who at the SEC offices did the Diamond Dawgs tick-off?

If you're expected to be an elite team in the SEC and, as a result, the nation in 2026, chances are you're on Mississippi State's baseball schedule. The Bulldogs will face powerhouses in LSU, Texas, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, and Arkansas. Strong Texas A&M, Georgia, and Auburn programs, as well as rival Ole Miss, are also on the slate, all teams capable of big seasons. The only favorable draw looks to be against South Carolina (no offense to the Gamecocks).

These teams were overwhelmingly great last season. Eight of State's 2026 opponents reached the 2025 NCAA Baseball Tournament. All eight of those teams were national seeds with four reaching Super Regionals and two making Omaha, including eventual national-champion LSU.

Now last year is last year, and obviously teams can look very different in 2026. But the early projections for next season still suggest the Diamond Dawgs are in for a murderer's row of an SEC schedule. Nine of their 10 SEC opponents were ranked in Baseball America's "Way Too Early Top 25" with five ranked in the Top 10! Eight opponents received at least one vote in D1 Baseball's "2026 (Way Too Early) Eight for Omaha."

It's a brutal schedule to try and navigate. Now, there is a point to be had that life in the SEC is never easy on the diamond. You're going to see great teams week in and week out and will undoubtedly meet a title contender (or several) somewhere along the way. But this is another level of difficult.

Of course, Mississippi State is expected to be a strong team themselves. In the aforementioned Baseball America rankings, they checked in at No. 4, and a pair of D1 Baseball voters expect them to reach Omaha.

Brian O'Connor has assembled a loaded roster this offseason, and with his own pedigree as a coach, expectations are rightfully sky-high for his debut season leading the Diamond Dawgs. The schedule isn't going to change that, but it's clear MSU will have to grind their way through conference play next spring. One thing is for certain, no one will be questioning State's strength of schedule in 2026.

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