Inside anger fueling Bulldogs, Lemonis
STARKVILLE — Reminders of Chris Lemonis' journey surround him in his office outside Dudy Noble Field. Overlooking his desk, framed jerseys of teams he previously had been part of fill the wall. Behind him sits an impressive collection of cowbells. On his computer monitor, the final out of a run to Omaha remains the wallpaper.
The Mississippi State baseball coach has traveled the path necessary to reach the pinnacle of the sport. Two years ago, he led the storied program to its first College World Series title.
But as he tells his players, that history is part of the past. MSU is coming off back-to-back years without a postseason appearance, presenting a new challenge to Lemonis as he enters his sixth season with the Bulldogs.
He took a promising Mississippi State team and elevated it to heights never seen in Starkville. Now, he's tasked with taking it from the bottom of the SEC and back toward the top.
“That's the goal, to get to the postseason,” Lemonis told the Clarion Ledger in an exclusive interview. “It's always been. We've always talked about hosting. And I do think there's a chip on the shoulder of this program. I know the coaching staff has it. I know the older players that are coming back have it. There's a little bit of pissed-offness.”
How Justin Parker can elevate pitching woes
Amid pitching struggles last season, Lemonis made a midseason staff change for the first time in his coaching career. MSU parted ways with pitching coach Scott Foxhall on May 1 and hired Justin Parker from South Carolina to fill the role on June 19.
Lemonis says Parker was on his wish list from the start, particularly after facing the Gamecocks this year and seeing the success of their pitching staff. However, with South Carolina playing in a super regional, the midseason move didn't give MSU much of a head start.
“If you wanted the guy you wanted, you had to wait until their season was over,” Lemonis said. “I didn't talk to anybody that was in the middle of the season or anything like that, so you're waiting for guys to finish. I think that was the hardest part.”
Parker inherits a staff that had an Sec-worst 7.01 ERA. MSU addressed some needs in the transfer portal, adding pitchers such as Karson Ligon from Miami and Khal Stephen from Purdue. However, retaining and improving young arms such as switch-pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje and left-handed pitcher Bradley Loftin remained priority.
“Maybe I'm just biased, but there weren't many guys as good as Jurrangelo Cijntje in the portal,” Lemonis said. “He was just a freshman and had to pitch a lot. There weren't many guys in the portal as good as Colby Holcombe or some of those kids. Keeping them was really important to us. We needed some portal guys, don't get me wrong. But our guys were just as talented or more, and they've done it here.”
How Mississippi State's core can lead turnaround
The most frantic part of the offseason came in June when freshman Allamerican outfielder Dakota Jordan entered the transfer portal. Less than 24 hours later, Jordan removed his name and elected to stay at MSU.
Other leaders such as slugger Hunter Hines could have departed for programs on an upward trajectory, but that's where Lemonis believes MSU'S presence in college baseball remains strong.
“The positive for us is two-fold,” Lemonis said. “One, I think kids really want to be here at Mississippi State to play baseball. This is the greener side, right? The grass is always greener. Well, this is kind of one of those places. But also, No. 2, I think they like the way they're coached here. Yeah, we had a tough year. But I think they knew, ‘Hey, I can do well here. I can win, and I can move on and chase my dream.' ”
Through the Bulldog Initiative, MSU'S official NIL collective, Hines spoke out in June about wanting to play for championships. For those like him who joined the roster after the national title run, returning the program to that glory is the top goal.
Lemonis didn't want the 2022 team to think much about what the 2021 roster accomplished. Now, he doesn't want the 2024 team to delve too much on the struggles of the two previous seasons. However, for the leaders such as Hines, remembering the low points fuels motivation to reach the highs.
“I've talked about being a little angry,” Lemonis said. “We have to take it out there every day.”