Bulldogs hungry for success in 2023 season
Playing or coaching baseball at Mississippi State is not for the faint of heart.
Fans of the Bulldogs don't enter a season just hoping that everyone has fun. There aren't many people that just aspire to get the team's name called in the NCAA Tournament. The goal is always and will always be to make it to Omaha, Nebraska, and the College World Series.
It's what makes this 2023 season all the more crucial for those that will be wearing the M over S hats this year. A season after winning the school's first national championship, MSU had a disaster of a season. A 26-30 record and 9-21 mark in Southeastern Conference play was a complete turnaround in a negative sense from the magical run the Bulldogs had in 2021 and it was the worst season for the program since 2015.
It made players like Luke Hancock hungry to correct the wrongs. For the last two seasons, Hancock had a chance to leave MSU and start his minor league baseball career. He came back last year to try and improve his draft stock, he came back this year to be the captain that turns the ship around.
“Last year was embarrassing to this program and embarrassing to us,” Hancock said. “It's not what Mississippi State baseball is all about. I personally tried to move past it as much as I can. It's hard, especially when you play at a place like this where everybody expects so much of you. Whenever you don't perform, people talk about it. We have to come out this year and be ready to perform and play good baseball for Mississippi State.”
Opening weekend is here for the Diamond Dawgs as they try to start anew this weekend with VMI beginning today. State will take the field with many new faces and some
Jr., RHP
that are hungry to bring the Bulldogs back to prominence.
MSU has 15 players returning that were a part of last season's disappointment, but head coach Chris Lemonis also went out and changed the roster with an influx of freshmen, junior college and transfer portal talent.
Outfielders Colton Ledbetter and Connor Hujsak will factor in out of the portal while freshman Dakota Jordan has been one of the most impressive newcomers in the offseason. New Orleans transfer Amani Larry has locked down second base and a spot at the top of the order and transfer pitchers Aaron Nixon, Tyler Davis and Landon Gartman will make an immediate impact with signing class players like Bradley Loftin, Colby Holcombe and ambidextrous pitcher Jurrangelo Cijintje.
Speaking of pitchers, the rotation for the weekend has already been set. Junior righthander Cade Smith will hit the mound on Friday followed by senior righty KC Hunt and the former Memphis pitcher Gartman. After working through injuries and trying to find a role last year, Hunt gets his chance on Saturday and he's hoping to take that next step this year.
“The first thing is staying healthy, but staying consistent,”hunt said.“will Bednar and Landon Sims were always consistent, so I'm looking to be like that and stay healthy.”
Last year was a season to forget, but those that were involved want to use it as motivation.
This year is about finding a way to show that 2022 was a fluke. Lemonis' message to the team coming in is that baseball is important at MSU and it's time to deliver again.
“Ours is about culture,” Lemonis said. “We talk about ‘we.' We have a lot of talent in the program. Always will. It's about playing together. One of the toughest things is playing for each other and playing for the team. We showed that in '21 with how tough a team we were. We have to get back to being a tough team.
“Our league is probably as good as it's ever been right now with portal and NIL. When you look at the top 25, you're looking at a lot of talent in our league. Every day is going to be a knockdown, drag-out fight. It's a lot easier when you have everybody on board. It's what we've been preaching.”
Game times this weekend are 3 p.m. today, 2 p.m. on Saturday and 1 p.m. on Sunday. All games can be seen online on SEC Network+.