Ace Reese confirms return to Mississippi State after rumors of leaving for transfer portal

Ace Reese confirmed his returned to Mississippi State following rumors of him leaving for the NCAA transfer portal. The baseball All-American first told the news to Kendall Rogers.

“SCOOP: Contrary to what has been rumored over the last week or so, Mississippi State slugger and D1Baseball All-American Ace Reese tells me he will not enter the portal, and will stay put,” Rogers wrote on Twitter. “Reese’s return is obviously massive for Brian O’Connor and Co.”

This past season, Reese played in 57 games and hit .352 for the Bulldogs. He also hit 21 home runs and had 66 RBI to go along with his 80 hits and 58 runs scored.

Reese transferred to Mississippi State prior to the 2025 season after spending 2024 with Houston. He hit seven home runs, 34 RBI and had a .278 batting average during that season.

Ace Reese staying with Mississippi State

Reese wasn’t the only “Ace” to make his way to Mississippi State either. Davion Hickson, a former Rice pitcher, transferred to the school at the end of June.

The former Florida State pitcher spent his last two seasons with the Owls and produced some strong results. As a sophomore, Hickson worked as the team’s closer and was 3-2 in 27 appearances with a 3.62 ERA and six saves. Hickson threw 54.2 innings, gave up 33 walks and struck out 64 batters.

This season, Hickson slid into the Ace role for the Owls and was stellar. Despite the 2-7 record, Hickson had a 3.82 ERA and was named Second-Team All-AAC. He threw 73.0 innings, gave up 59 hits, 31 earned runs and 35 walks while striking out 90 batters and holding teams to a batting average of .220.