HOOVER, Ala. — The top of the Texas A&M order went down 1-2-3 against Mississippi State starter Ryan McPherson, who struck out the side with the confidence and composure of a veteran.
It was a strong start to the SEC Tournament for the Bulldogs, but the tide turned quickly with three defensive mishaps in the second inning.
The Aggies got three straight baserunners on potential outs. Reed Stallman and Gehrig Frei both miscalculated playable drives into the outfield, and Gatlin Sanders missed on a grounder to second base. Suddenly, the bases were loaded on McPherson with no outs.
The true freshman had a pitch near the zone called a ball by the umpire with a chance to get a strikeout, and he wound up walking in the opening run of the game. Then, Aggies power-hitter Jace LaViolette took him the distance for a grand slam to put the Bulldogs in a five-run hole.
It wasn’t all on McPherson, but the breakdown resulted in MSU going one-and-done in Hoover.
“We don’t need to try to scrape out of this thing completely, give up one or two, but let’s keep us in the game,” interim head coach and pitching coach Justin Parker said of the early jam. “Sometimes I think guys end up trying to strand everybody, and you end up making big mistakes. And then, of course, you roll around to one of the best power hitters in the league with the bases loaded, and that was a pretty defining moment of the game.”
Starting a true freshman to lead off the conference tournament might have turned some heads, but McPherson is someone Parker has shown faith in all season. He’s made 18 appearances for the Bulldogs in 2025, with Wednesday being his first credited loss. The early defensive collapse wasn’t squarely on his shoulders, and there wasn’t much overthinking from the coaches regarding the start.
“The thought and the hope was that Ryan came out and kind of did what he did in the first, and move the ball around and kept them off balance,” Parker said. “I love the kid. I think he’s got big-time stuff. I don’t think he was the beneficiary of a ton of luck today, albeit some of it was his own doing. But he was our guy there, and I’d start him again.”
Another factor was MSU’s inability to get back in the game, and there were opportunities. The Bulldogs put up zeroes over five of the next six innings as Ben Davis, Dane Burns, Luke Dotson and Charlie Foster all got work out of the bullpen to steady the ship.
Burns and Foster both looked good as they continue to get up to speed after injuries, and more importantly, the Bulldog pitching staff will get some much-needed rest ahead of the anticipated start to their NCAA Tournament campaign next week. The regular rotation was available for action in Hoover, but Parker wasn’t planning on calling their names until the later rounds. Even with the knowledge of the Aggies going with their ace, Ryan Prager, he was sticking with McPherson.
Parker was pressed about the availability of MSU’s ace Pico Kohn after the game, and he made it clear there was no consideration of starting him right off the bat. Considering his workload in recent weeks, Kohn’s recovery was a priority.
“Two weeks ago against Kentucky on a Saturday, he went Friday the week before, and then last week, went on Thursday, so he was on short rest all three weeks,” Parker said of Kohn. “We felt like he was a non-option to move up another day. All three of the guys threw bullpens, light bullpens, yesterday, anticipating us playing the game last night. They would have all been available tomorrow.”
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