Mississippi State Baseball

[BrickCity]

Alright... someone talk some sense into me. Will this year be another repeat of last year?

[maroontide06]

Yes and no Brick.  Let's get to the yes part first.  The yes is yes it feels like a continuation of last season.  Now let's get to the no part.  No, we cannot afford to sit here and suffer with this atrocity of a coaching staff/HC.  Which brand of dynamite should we use?  Atlas, Hercules, Du Pont, or Nobel?  I'm sure any of it will suffice.

[Bulldogs4]

Five games in and it appears to be but we will see what develops. Don’t want to throw in the towel in February but certainly very discouraging right now. 
 

[maroontide06]

Oh, and the post game press conferences are a complete joke.  It's flat out embarrassing.

[BrickCity]

15 minutes ago, maroontide06 said:

Yes and no Brick.  Let's get to the yes part first.  The yes is yes it feels like a continuation of last season.  Now let's get to the no part.  No, we cannot afford to sit here and suffer with this atrocity of a coaching staff/HC.  Which brand of dynamite should we use?  Atlas, Hercules, Du Pont, or Nobel?  I'm sure any of it will suffice.

I hope we can flip things around. Baseball is a weird sport, anything can happen. Also, we have the athletes. The talent is there. We just have to find a way to win

[maroontide06]

18 minutes ago, BrickCity said:

I hope we can flip things around. Baseball is a weird sport, anything can happen. Also, we have the athletes. The talent is there. We just have to find a way to win

I knew we needed to have lowered expectations, but what I didn't know is that those expectations needed to be tethered/anchored to the ground.  Could we at least have a hovercraft so that we can have a space between the floor and the ground?

[Dawg83]

I would not waste a ton of time on this team or coaching staff. Maybe plan a vacation for early June. Shouldn’t have any baseball to worry about then.

[Bulldogs4]

Already have vacation scheduled May 30-June 9

So no worries there….LOL

 

I know there are considerable differences but I think we are in a similar but much worse situation that LSU was in toward the end of Paul Mainieri’s tenure. It seems that we are stale and new blood and a new fresh start will do wonders for the baseball program. I think we have plenty of talent on the field. And looking at LSU, Jay Johnson did not take long to elevate the program again. And we can rise again quickly as well. 
I think we have squeezed all the juice we can out of the current turnip.

But just my two cents. 

[BrickCity]

15 minutes ago, Bulldogs4 said:

Already have vacation scheduled May 30-June 9

So no worries there….LOL

 

I know there are considerable differences but I think we are in a similar but much worse situation that LSU was in toward the end of Paul Mainieri’s tenure. It seems that we are stale and new blood and a new fresh start will do wonders for the baseball program. I think we have plenty of talent on the field. And looking at LSU, Jay Johnson did not take long to elevate the program again. And we can rise again quickly as well. 
I think we have squeezed all the juice we can out of the current turnip.

But just my two cents. 

good take

[coastfootballfanman]

I was not impressed with Lemonis from the beginning. Never made it past a regional and never finished higher than 3rd in a conference that is not known for baseball excellence. He had a ton of success early on playing with guys that were not his recruits. Once those guys phased out and his recruits began playing, you saw the drop off. There were several players he signed that were head scratchers to me. Zero excuse to be where State is as a program with the facilities, resources and players you can get there.

Edited February 22, 2024 by coastfootballfanman
Statistical Error

[pancho]

I figure MSU will have an interim by mid April at least.  The poor guy is simply done and must not have any idea.

[maroontide06]

10 minutes ago, pancho said:

I figure MSU will have an interim by mid April at least.  The poor guy is simply done and must not have any idea.

I'm hoping they'll have one by March 13th because I got tickets LOL!  I wanna get my money's worth in Biloxi and not get shortchanged by a clown show.

[Dawg83]

3 hours ago, Bulldogs4 said:

Already have vacation scheduled May 30-June 9

So no worries there….LOL

 

I know there are considerable differences but I think we are in a similar but much worse situation that LSU was in toward the end of Paul Mainieri’s tenure. It seems that we are stale and new blood and a new fresh start will do wonders for the baseball program. I think we have plenty of talent on the field. And looking at LSU, Jay Johnson did not take long to elevate the program again. And we can rise again quickly as well. 
I think we have squeezed all the juice we can out of the current turnip.

But just my two cents. 

Elite programs don’t miss Hoover three years in a row. Anyone can have a bad year, but stacking three bad seasons in a row is a sign that your program is in a very unhealthy spot. These kind of results are something you see from the Missouri’s of the world who don’t care or invest in baseball. State has more skin in the game with this sport than most do.

 

Is it an over-investment? Probably. I think the Stricklin and Cohen regimes were content to neglect men’s basketball because they incorrectly viewed baseball as more important.

[pancho]

Lemo kinda waddles around like a big ole wop and even has a sideways croom cap and the team resembles him.  I hate to see it but I think anyone could have taken this job when he did and ended up winning a natty but anyone else wouldn't have the current situation either.

[rebmus]

4 hours ago, Dawg83 said:

Elite programs don’t miss Hoover three years in a row. Anyone can have a bad year, but stacking three bad seasons in a row is a sign that your program is in a very unhealthy spot. 

Absolutely. 

If you look at facilities and investment into the two programs, there's really no excuse for MSU or Ole Miss missing the postseason 3 years in a row. (I think 2 years in a row is pretty unacceptable... but whatever). 

 

Bianco will likely get a pass if this is his second year in a row, and he probably should due to his MANY years of success AND the recent NC. I think a lot of Bianco and will always appreciate him as one of the best coaches in Ole Miss history, definitely the best baseball coach in Ole Miss history by far. IF he misses the NCAAT this AND next year, it's time to make a move. 

 

Some would argue OM/MSU are top 5 programs looking at facilities/support. 

Most would argue OM/MSU are top 10 programs looking at facilities/support. 

I don't think anyone with a brain would argue OM/MSU aren't top 20 programs looking at facilities/support. 

Somehow, neither program are sniffing top 20 results... and that may well be a trend without some changes. 

 

We'll see how the season plays out.

 

 

Edited February 23, 2024 by rebmus

[Bulldogs4]

This is easily the worst stretch for State since 2008-2010. We went to the CWS in 2007 but then the bottom fell out in 2008 and Polk retired.

That left Cohen with a major rebuild and to his credit we were in a SR in 2011. 
 

Now fast forward to today and the dynamics are so much different. But like RM noted, State/OM are at the top of the food chain with facilities/stadium/fan support. I have always been a fan of Coach Bianco going back to his playing days at LSU. I have a great amount of respect for him. That said, it kind of feels like he has done all he can at Ole Miss and maybe it is time to turn the reins over to someone else. Hopefully that will be on his terms and when he is ready to do so. 
 

It just feels like both programs are stuck in a rut and we are stomping on a pedal but the gearshift is in neutral. 
 

I will end with what I said above. I hate to throw the towel in after five games but for State & Ole Miss things quite frankly look bleak. 

[Dawg83]

A question that I don’t know the answer to is the NIL piece and how it’s affecting things.

 

NIL was legalized by the NCAA on the afternoon of State’s national championship win (June 30, 2021). Ole Miss won it the next year with a roster full of guys who came in pre-NIL.

 

Now that we are fully in the NIL era, both teams stink. Coincidence? Or is it a factor here? I can see why both would maybe not be the top of the food chain for baseball, but surely it’s not in such bad shape that it’s causing all this.

[BrickCity]

26 minutes ago, Dawg83 said:

A question that I don’t know the answer to is the NIL piece and how it’s affecting things.

 

NIL was legalized by the NCAA on the afternoon of State’s national championship win (June 30, 2021). Ole Miss won it the next year with a roster full of guys who came in pre-NIL.

 

Now that we are fully in the NIL era, both teams stink. Coincidence? Or is it a factor here? I can see why both would maybe not be the top of the food chain for baseball, but surely it’s not in such bad shape that it’s causing all this.

If we were talking about football, I think it States NIL would be more of a question. On the other hand, I feel like there are some deep pockets in baseball. Especially with the alumni in Starkville. With that being said, I honestly feel like there is no excuse to not have a solid roster and hot bats through the entire lineup

[Former Coach]

Who do you hire if you get rid of  Lemo? He basically got the job because the big names we went after,  Corbin, Schlossnagle, McDonnell,  and others all said no. I agree something has to change, hopefully that will be wins the rest of the year.

[Dawg83]

5 minutes ago, Former Coach said:

Who do you hire if you get rid of  Lemo? He basically got the job because the big names we went after,  Corbin, Schlossnagle, McDonnell,  and others all said no. I agree something has to change, hopefully that will be wins the rest of the year.

I wouldn’t expect a big name this time around either. The program is not in as good of a spot as it was in 2018. I honestly have no idea how the job is viewed nowadays. Obviously the facility is great but the league is deeper than it’s ever been, arguably.

[Bulldogs4]

The way State’s softball team is playing, I will probably find myself following them more closely than the Diamond Dawgs this season. 
They lost to OK 9-3 yesterday but had the lead early and were more competitive this game than the last time we played them when I think they waxed us 11-0. 
OK is on a similar run that the Connecticut women had years ago. It will eventually end and after that, I think you will see women’s softball become more widespread competitive with more teams capable of winning a NC. 

[maroontide06]

Mississippi State Baseball = time to push the plunger down.  (Note:  either type of plunger will suffice)

[pancho]

thud

[Dawg83]

I think if they lose today there is a possibility it’s his last game.

[pancho]

I am told the same.  The folks who really are into ba$eball at MSU are pushed to the brink.