Ace Reese Named For A Pitcher, Now A 2026 MLB Draft Prospect
ace reese was named for a pitching future his parents imagined, even though he became Mississippi State’s star third baseman and one of the top prospects for the 2026 MLB Draft. Aaron Reese said the family settled on the name because they thought their son would grow into a star pitcher, not a middle-of-the-order hitter.
Reese At Mississippi State
Reese has turned that name into a profile built on power production. He is batting.328 with 22 home runs, 72 RBIs and 69 runs, and he leads Mississippi State in all three categories. He also joined Rafael Palmeiro and Will Clark as the only players in program history with consecutive 20-home-run seasons.
Those numbers have put him in rare company inside the program. In two Mississippi State seasons, he is batting.337 with 43 home runs, 136 RBIs and 125 runs, and his.707 career slugging percentage is on pace to be the third-highest in program history behind only Clark and Palmeiro.
Aaron Reese And The Name
Aaron Reese explained last season that the choice came from faith and expectation. “I didn't know, right?” he said. “We prayed about it a lot and you have confidence and faith and know that you're going to get going in the right direction. At that moment, that was the direction we were being led.”
The family’s idea for a pitcher never became the player Mississippi State has now. Reese played at Houston as a freshman in 2024 before transferring to Mississippi State, and his rise since then has carried him from a transfer addition to a two-time All-SEC first-team selection and the 2025 SEC Newcomer of the Year.
Mississippi State And The Draft
His stock goes beyond the program record book. MLB ranks him as the No. 21 prospect for the 2026 draft, and Mississippi State has not had a batter drafted in the first round since Justin Foscue in 2020.
That gives the Bulldogs a front-line bat with both present production and future value. Reese also spent last summer with the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team, and he arrived at this stage after growing up in Canton, Texas, and playing at Canton High School.
Mississippi State opened the Athens Super Regional against Georgia on June 6 at 10 a.m. CT on, with Game 2 set for June 7 at 11 a.m. CT on and a Game 3 on June 8 if needed. The winner goes to the College World Series, and Mississippi State has not been back since its 2021 national championship.
