How fast freshman Jack Bauer pitched in Mississippi State baseball debut
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STARKVILLE — Jack Bauer got an extra loud applause from the Mississippi State baseball fans as he took the mound at Dudy Noble Field on Feb. 17.
The freshman pitcher was the top-ranked MLB draft prospect to opt for college baseball instead. He has drawn national buzz for ability to throw 103 mph, the hardest thrown pitch ever by a left in high school baseball.
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Bauer pitched 1⅓ innings during the 13-7 win for MSU (4-0) against Troy (1-3), his first collegiate appearance. The first inning went extremely well, while the second inning didn't.
Bauer, who's from Frankfort, Illinois, reached 99 mph and had numerous pitches clocked at 98.
Bauer struck out all three batters he faced in the eighth inning. But in the ninth inning, Bauer walked three, allowed a single and threw a wild pitch. He was tagged for two earned runs.
Bauer's velocity didn't top 96 mph in the ninth inning.
He threw 40 total pitches, 23 of them for strikes.
Jack Bauer's 3Ks in the 8th...and ⚔️⚔️⚔️ pic.twitter.com/6Hn9ps69Mf
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) February 18, 2026
"I was proud of him," Mississippi State coach Brian O'Connor said. "He had a couple of deep counts there and ended getting strikeouts. Coach (Justin) Parker and I talked after the eighth (inning) and certainly would have been easy to take the young man out of the game so he leaves with a good feeling. But we also need to see what he's made of and what he's capable of."
Bauer was ranked as the No. 44 prospect in the 2025 MLB Draft. The 6-foot-4, 195-pound Bauer was named USA TODAY's preseason Freshman of the Year.
He flipped from Virginia to Mississippi State after O'Connor was hired in June.
According to D1Baseball, only four pitchers in college baseball threw a pitch 99 mph or more during opening weekend. Three of them reached 100 mph: UC Santa Barbara's Jackson Flora, Binghamton's Conner Griffin and Wake Forest's Chris Levonas.
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: Jack Bauer's Mississippi State baseball debut reached 99 mph pitch