Lemonis becomes MSU head coach years after his life started in Starkville

Chris Lemonis said his family had a cowbell on the refrigerator when he was growing up.

As the son of a Mississippi State graduate, it was a symbol of Lemonis' father's roots.

On Tuesday at Dudy Noble Field, Lemonis was handed his own cowbell – this one upon his hiring as the 18th head baseball coach in MSU history. He rang it proudly as he looked around the still-under-construction, $55 million stadium that he can now call his home.

“All I can think about is does it get any better than this?” Lemonis said.

The 48-year-old Lemonis was officially tabbed as the leader of the Bulldogs on Monday. He was given a fouryear deal in which he'll start out being paid $600,000 this year with a raise of $25,000 in each following year. He'll also earn a $50,000 retention bonus if he's still MSU's head coach in 2021.

Lemonis comes to Starkville from Indiana, where he led the Hoosiers to three NCAA Tournaments in the last four years. In all, Lemonis brings more than two decades of coaching experience to the Bulldogs, including assisting Louisville to three different trips to the College World Series.

Long before all that though, Lemonis' story started right where it came back to on Tuesday. He of course doesn't remember it, but Lemonis lived part of the first few months of his life in Starkville as his father, Thomas, completed an electrical engineering degree at MSU. Lemonis' parents lived in Mississippi State's married housing. Lemonis' journey has now come full circle as he guides his dad's alma mater's baseball team.

“My dad is really happy now,” Lemonis said. “(My

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