Chris Lemonis on Logan Kohler: 'He's swinging it well right now'

Following the Mississippi State Bulldogs‘ series win over the Alabama Crimson Tide, head coach Chris Lemonis praised third baseman Logan Kohler for how he’s swinging the bat right now.

For Logan Kohler, the Alabama series was an excellent one to get right and flash his power that hadn’t been on display to this point in the season. In the three games, he had three home runs and was a massive reason why the Bulldogs were able to win the series.

“He’s always had the power,” Chris Lemonis said. “He’s hit 10 or 12 [home runs] every year. So, the fact that he didn’t have much power the first half of the season was a little bit of a shock to us, but he’s swinging it well right now.”

This season, Logan Kohler is hitting .226 with four home runs and 27 RBIs. He also has an OBP of .349 and is currently slugging .365. That lack of power to this point is part of what made his performance stand out to Chris Lemonis.

Still, in the past, Logan Kohler has produced more power than he has this season. He previously played for the Memphis Tigers. In 2023, he hit .330 with 11 home runs. That helped him to hit for a .574 slugging percentage. So, it’s clear that power is a tool that he has in his bag.

Prior to his two seasons at Memphis, Logan Kohler played for the Oklahoma Sooners. While there, and early in his time at Memphis, he was a two-way player, also pitching for both teams out of the bullpen. However, he hasn’t done that for Mississippi State.

Mississippi State won its series against Alabama two games to one. However, the Crimson Tide did save themselves from getting swept with a win on Sunday. Now, the Bulldogs will turn their attention to another very difficult SEC series against the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Chris Lemonis shared his thoughts on the series finale against Alabama

Mississippi State may have won the series against Alabama. However, a loss on Sunday left Chris Lemonis disappointed in how the series ended.

“Disappointed. We just didn’t show up locked in ready to go. We gave up six freebies with HBPs and walks. I know we had two errors and I feel like we made four of them,” Lemonis said.

“You could easily look up and say six of those runs shouldn’t have been on the board but we gave them opportunities in those spots. I just think we’ve got to make those plays. Two bad base running plays. Just not real mindful stuff today.”