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STARKVILLE — Standing ovations for Tomas Valincius at Dudy Noble Field aren't a new occurrence for Mississippi State baseball's ace pitcher.
But this time, he couldn't resist acknowledging the crowd after he handed the ball to coach Brian O'Connor and walked from the mound to the dugout.
Valincius took his hat off and waved it around as MSU fans applauded and rang their cowbells. The left-handed sophomore had just completed another pitching masterclass, this one to put the No. 14 national seed Bulldogs (42-17) one win from their first super regional since 2021.
"Today was probably the most unreal thing I've ever seen in the world," said Valincius, who also got a standing ovation from the crowd before the game even started. "That started as soon as I walked out of the bullpen. The entire stadium went nuts, and it put me in this like crazy space."
MSU took down No. 2 Cincinnati 10-5 on May 30. The Bulldogs will play either No. 3 Louisiana (40-24) or Cincinnati (38-21) again on May 31 (7 p.m.).
Four runs by the Bearcats in the final two innings don't tell the full story of Valincius' big game.
He pitched 7⅓ innings and threw 112 pitches, both tying career highs. Valincius (11-2, 2.99 ERA) had 10 strikeouts, including the first three batters he faced, with three runs, five hits and two walks allowed.
Two of the runs, two walks and one hit came in the eighth inning as MSU tried extending Valincius while it led Cincinnati 10-1.
"I've been doing this for a little while," said O'Connor, who coached Valcinius last season at Virginia. "As far as pitchers go, this guy is right up there and might be No. 1 as far as competitive spirit. It's a different level."
MORE: Valincius brothers' mom having her best season living with sons at Mississippi State
Valincius' outing and Duke Stone's six shutout innings against Lipscomb on May 29 have Mississippi State's pitching staff in an excellent spot to win the regional.
The Bulldogs have only used four relievers in the regional: Tyler Pitzer and Jack Gleason against Lipscomb and Maddox Webb and Ben Davis against Cincinnati.
Ryan McPherson will be the starting pitcher in the regional final. When he exits, Mississippi State will have many of its key relievers available. That includes top lefties Jack Bauer, Maddox Miller and Dane Burns.
"Tomas Valincius couldn't have done that last year," O'Connor said. "Not anywhere close."
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for The Clarion Ledger. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Tomas Valcinius' dominance has Mississippi State in regional final
Continue reading...
But this time, he couldn't resist acknowledging the crowd after he handed the ball to coach Brian O'Connor and walked from the mound to the dugout.
Valincius took his hat off and waved it around as MSU fans applauded and rang their cowbells. The left-handed sophomore had just completed another pitching masterclass, this one to put the No. 14 national seed Bulldogs (42-17) one win from their first super regional since 2021.
"Today was probably the most unreal thing I've ever seen in the world," said Valincius, who also got a standing ovation from the crowd before the game even started. "That started as soon as I walked out of the bullpen. The entire stadium went nuts, and it put me in this like crazy space."
MSU took down No. 2 Cincinnati 10-5 on May 30. The Bulldogs will play either No. 3 Louisiana (40-24) or Cincinnati (38-21) again on May 31 (7 p.m.).
Four runs by the Bearcats in the final two innings don't tell the full story of Valincius' big game.
He pitched 7⅓ innings and threw 112 pitches, both tying career highs. Valincius (11-2, 2.99 ERA) had 10 strikeouts, including the first three batters he faced, with three runs, five hits and two walks allowed.
Two of the runs, two walks and one hit came in the eighth inning as MSU tried extending Valincius while it led Cincinnati 10-1.
"I've been doing this for a little while," said O'Connor, who coached Valcinius last season at Virginia. "As far as pitchers go, this guy is right up there and might be No. 1 as far as competitive spirit. It's a different level."
MORE: Valincius brothers' mom having her best season living with sons at Mississippi State
Valincius' outing and Duke Stone's six shutout innings against Lipscomb on May 29 have Mississippi State's pitching staff in an excellent spot to win the regional.
The Bulldogs have only used four relievers in the regional: Tyler Pitzer and Jack Gleason against Lipscomb and Maddox Webb and Ben Davis against Cincinnati.
Ryan McPherson will be the starting pitcher in the regional final. When he exits, Mississippi State will have many of its key relievers available. That includes top lefties Jack Bauer, Maddox Miller and Dane Burns.
"Tomas Valincius couldn't have done that last year," O'Connor said. "Not anywhere close."
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for The Clarion Ledger. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Tomas Valcinius' dominance has Mississippi State in regional final
Continue reading...
