Why 2021 might be CWS or bust for Mississippi State
STARKVILLE – Mississippi State baseball hasn't seen a single pitch in 2021. And yet, there is already talk about the College World Series floating around Starkville like snow flurries.
That chatter came long before multiple winter storms rocked the Magnolia State this week. It's a year-round conversation.
There are 297 Division I teams. Only 12 have more College World Series appearances than Mississippi State (11). The Bulldogs have the third-most appearances without having won a championship.
That's Mississippi State's mission every year. This one isn't any different. Mississippi State is ranked in the top 10 in five of six major preseason polls, including No. 7 in the USA Today Coaches Poll.
Bottom line? MSU coach Chris Lemonis has one of the best teams in the nation. The best way to validate that is by booking travel reservations for Omaha in mid-june.
"People ask me all the time, 'Coach, you all look like you all are pretty good.' And I can't lie, I think we have a pretty good team," Lemonis said. "Unfortunately, I think everybody because of (the pandemic) has a really good team."
Five of those good teams – No. 4 Texas Tech, No. 5 Ole Miss, No. 8 Arkansas, No. 10 Texas and No. 11 TCU – will join Mississippi State in Arlington, Texas, this weekend for the State Farm College Baseball Showdown.
The Bulldogs begin their quest for the College World Series against Texas on Saturday at 11 a.m. They play TCU on Sunday and Texas Tech on Monday. It's already time to put what could be one of the best MSU rosters ever to the test.
'There has been a lot of hype'
If it's true pitching wins championships, then Mississippi State is in as good of hands as anyone. MSU coaches believe they have a talented, deep pitching staff.
"There has been a lot of hype," pitching coach Scott Foxhall said. "I would say that it has been well-deserved hype for the talent that these guys have. It is a special group. It is a competitive group. It is a talented and very smart group."
Foxhall said starter Eric Cerantola, who has consistently touched the upper 90s with his fastball, has worked hard on his other pitches. Scouts attending MSU practices in the fall told Foxhall that Cerantola has one of the best breaking balls in the country.
Lefty Christian Macleod has a lethal mix of pitches, too. He was one of the top pitchers in the nation in his four starts a year ago. Sophomore righty Will Bednar? He was a fastball first bruiser last year, too, but Foxhall said his slider has become a trusty backup pitch.
If they stay healthy, those are the three pitchers MSU coaches are counting on to start from this weekend's College Baseball Showdown until the day the Bulldogs are done playing – which could very well be late June.
"The game is the best teacher and that is what we have lacked for the past year due to the situation we have all been placed in," Foxhall said. "I am anxious to see how they handle games."
'Arms that never stop'
Cerantola, Macleod and Bednar are only the beginning of the Bulldogs' talented pitching corps. Mississippi State has plenty of arms. Perhaps, too many.
There's junior Brandon Smith who was supposed to be either a weekend or midweek starter last year before he had elbow surgery. MSU also has three graduate seniors – Carlisle Koestler, Riley Self and Spencer Price – who have thrown a slew of pitches in their careers.
Sophomore Landon Sims had 23 strikeouts in 13 innings as a true freshman thanks in large part to a tantalizing fastball. Foxhall said he might have the best slider on the team. He called him "electric" with the potential to be the "heart and soul" of MSU'S pitching staff.
Pitching isn't supposed to be a problem for Mississippi State. That's more than almost every college baseball team can say in any given year.
"In my time here, we've had great pitchers and first-rounders come through, but I think the reason this staff is set apart from others is because you have three elite starters and then you have more behind them," Self said.
"You don't just have one or two big arms for the weekend. You have four or five arms that could start on the weekend for you. You have elite midweek arms. You have bullpen arms that never stop. The depth is the reason why this staff is considered one of the best."
'We have more expectations'
Pitching is important. So is hitting and fielding. Mississippi State is loaded in those departments, too.
Mississippi State had three starters named to preseason ALL-SEC teams by the conference's coaches. Right fielder Tanner Allen was tabbed to the first team, and first baseman Josh Hatcher and center fielder Rowdey Jordan were selected to the second.
Those are three key pieces to MSU'S puzzle.
Graduate senior Scotty Dubrule ranks second among active NCAA players in hits with 249. He's slated to start at second base. Sophomore Kamren James is likely to start at shortstop. He hit .308 with 12 RBIS in 52 at bats as a true freshman.
Lemonis knows who he's starting at five of the eight positions on the field. They all have reliable bats, too. Catchers Logan Tanner and Luke Hancock will rotate starts, and they've proven to have a knack for the batter's box as well.
Once Lemonis knows who he will start at third base and left field, and he has a variety of options at both spots, he'll have his entire lineup figured out. That's not something that is rarely ironed out going into opening weekend, but Mississippi State is nearly there.
It's just another reason why the Bulldogs might be destined for the program's 12th College World Series appearance and perhaps its first title.
"We have a lot of experience," Lemonis said. "We have a lot of youth. Being able to blend those two together, being able to have great team chemistry during all of this because we have a bigger roster than we normally have (will be important). We have more expectations maybe, as well."
Contact Tyler Horka at thorka@gannett.com. Follow @tbhorka on Twitter. To read more of Tyler's work, subscribe to the Clarion Ledger today!