Vytas Valinčius has written his name into the history of NCAA baseball. In a Southeastern Conference (SEC) post-season tournament between Mississippi State University (MSU) and the University of Missouri, Valinčius became the first player ever in the storied event to hit two home runs in the same inning.
The historic moment occurred in the sixth inning with MSU batting. Valinčius led off with a solo shot to left field. However, he did not stop there, returning to the plate with two outs and runners on second and third. The leftfielder then torched a ball to left center to cap the eight-run inning.
It has been another strong season for the Chicago-born Valinčius, who has a .363/.443/.560 line in 33 games as a postgraduate [graduate] student at Mississippi State. In four NCAA Division I seasons, he has a career .317/.418/.520 line in 145 games, with 81 walks, 105 strikeouts, and 12 stolen bases. Born to two Lithuanian parents, Valinčius has represented his country of heritage four times since 2021, recording a career line of .370/.471/.778 eight eight games, during which he has hit three home runs and two doubles, walked six times, and swiped six bags.
Vytas’ younger brother Tomas Valinčius, a major draft prospect for 2027, also made a significant contribution in the 12-2 victory for the Bulldogs. The team’s starting pitcher recorded eight strikeouts in six innings, surrendering only one unearned run on five hits and no walks, to win his tenth game of the season. In 15 starts, he has thrown 86 innings, striking out a whopping 120 (34.3 percent) and issuing only 17 free passes (4.9 percent) with a 2.93 ERA. Only 20, he is in his second of university baseball.
After this impressive victory, the Mississippi State Bulldogs advanced to the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament, where they lost to SEC regular season winner and eventual tournament champion Georgia.