Baseball players dream of a two-homer game.
How about a two-homer inning?
Mississippi State outfielder Vytas Valincius lived that dream Wednesday in Hoover, as the Bulldogs rolled in their 2026 SEC Tournament debut 12-2 over Missouri, advancing to tomorrow’s Quarterfinals against top-seeded Georgia.
And Valincius did his damage to break open what was a two-run game.
The Mississippi State outfielder came to the plate to leadoff the bottom of the sixth inning, with the Bulldogs leading 4-2. He attacked the first pitch he saw, a 91-mph fastball over the heart of the plate, and quickly deposited that fastball over both walls in left field:
The blast also set a new single-season record for team home runs at Mississippi State:
But Valincius was just getting started in the sixth, and that new program record would grow soon enough.
Because the Bulldogs batted around in the inning, bringing Valincius to the dish again in the sixth with a pair of runners on the bases.
This time, Valincius homered on a blast to straight-away center:
By the time the inning ended, Mississippi State had a 12-2 inning thanks to an eight-run sixth, and the Bulldogs recorded three outs in the seventh to complete the win via the run rule.
Now the Bulldogs face … the Bulldogs on Thursday, with a spot in the SEC baseball tournament Semifinals on the line.
We’ll see what Valincius has up his sleeves tomorrow.
