Mississippi State baseball will return to the Sunshine State in October to pick up where they left off at the end of the 2025 season. The Bulldogs will face Florida State at Blue Wahoos Stadium in Pensacola at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 18. 

The Miami Marlins’ Double-A affiliate team will host the postseason rematch in the first action of the Brian O’Connor era. 

“I’m excited about the group of young men that will wear the M over S logo this year and can’t wait for them all to come together and get to work this fall,” said the new head coach. “We’re looking forward to traveling down to Pensacola in October and appreciate the hospitality already shown by the Blue Wahoos. We hope to see a lot of maroon and white in the stands when we take the field against the Seminoles.”

O’Connor was named the 19th head baseball coach at Mississippi State on the evening of June 1, just over an hour after the conclusion of the Bulldogs’ season after a loss to the Seminoles at the Tallahassee regional. His arrival carried the program into the offseason with noticeable momentum, bringing in a highly-rated transfer class and retaining several top players from the year before, including All-SEC third baseman Ace Reese and two-way star Noah Sullivan.

Tickets for the fall exhibition are currently available to Blue Wahoos season-ticket holders. Tickets will go on sale to the general public at 9 a.m. Aug. 12 at BlueWahoos.com 

The exhibition will take place on the same day as Mississippi State football takes on Florida on the road in Gainesville, a game set for the 2:30-3:30 p.m. afternoon window.