Two Mississippi State baseball players have been selected to compete for the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team in Taiwan. Ryan McPherson and Tomas Valincius will participate in the inaugural World Collegiate Baseball Championship in Taichung City from July 11-15, according to an announcement from USA Baseball.
During training camp, McPherson made two starts, pitching 4 2/3 shutout innings while allowing one hit and striking out four. Valincius also started twice, tossing 4 1/3 scoreless frames with six strikeouts and no walks, USA Baseball reported.
The Bulldogs’ rising junior pitchers will depart for Taiwan on Monday. Their first game against Korea is scheduled for Friday at 11:30 p.m. Central Time. They will also face Chinese Taipei on July 12 at 5:30 a.m. and Japan at 11:30 p.m. Semifinals and finals are set for July 14 and 15.
McPherson is making his third international appearance, having previously pitched for the USA in Japan last summer and on the 15U team in 2021. Valincius participated in the 2025 USA Baseball training camp, the organization said.
Since 1984, 21 Bulldogs have been selected to the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team, including 17 players and four coaches, with 25 total selections. McPherson joins Eric DuBose as the only MSU players to make the team twice. Mississippi State led all schools this year with the most players in the training camp, which included rising sophomores Jack Bauer and Jacob Parker.
Fans can follow the team on social media by searching ‘HailStateBB’ on X, Facebook, and Instagram.
