Two Mississippi State baseball pitchers will trek across the globe to represent the country starting this weekend.
Rising juniors Ryan McPherson and Tomas Valincius were selected to the 2026 Collegiate National Team roster on Sunday. The duo will travel to Taiwan July 11-15 for the World Collegiate Baseball Championship.
Both Bulldogs shined in their starts during the USA Baseball training camp. McPherson started two games, pitching 4.2 innings with just one hit and four strikeouts. Valincius pitched 4.1 over two starts without allowing a run and tallying six strikeouts.
Valincius had an All-American season in 2026, starting 17 games with an 11-2 record. He had a 3.50 ERA and 134 strikeouts.
McPherson’s 2026 season was shortened due to injury, starting just 10 games. He shined in his 10 starts, racking up 51 total strikeouts with a 3.56 ERA. He pitched for the Collegiate National Team in 2025.
Rising sophomores Jacob Parker and Jack Bauer participated in the USA Baseball training camps. Seventeen MSU players and four coaches have been selected to the Collegiate National Team since 1984.
The team will open its play against Korea on Friday at 11:30 p.m.
Jake is the Mississippi State athletics reporter for The Dispatch.
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