Mississippi State baseball fires coach Chris Lemonis

Mississippi State baseball fired head coach Chris Lemonis, according to Robbie Faulk Maroon and White. It comes on the heels of a losing weekend at Auburn.

Long time assistant coach Jake Gautreau is a candidate to serve as the interim head coach, per Faulk. He’s previously held that position.

Lemonis, a Starkville (Mississippi) native, was the head coach of the Bulldogs since 2019. Winning the national championship in 2021, a lot has changed for Lemonis and Mississippi State, apparently.

MSU has lost consecutive SEC series after dropping two of three to Florida and, most recently, No. 11 Auburn. State also lost a 7-5 lead in the ninth inning against rival Ole Miss and dropped the Governor’s Cup last Tuesday.

Director of Athletics Zac Selmon has begun a search for the next head coach immediately as the Bulldogs look to return to national prominence. The latest from Maroon and White can be seen HERE.

He went 232-135 during his time with the Bulldogs. Lemonis had a record of 25-19 with Mississippi State this season, fresh off an NCAA Regional appearance in 2024.

During his first season with the Bulldogs, Lemonis went 52-15 and led them to the College World Series. Following the canceled 2020 season, he followed it up by delivering a national title in 2021. However, Mississippi State did not make the NCAA Tournament for the next two seasons.

Prior to Mississippi State, Lemonis was the head coach at Indiana from 2015-18, making the NCAA Regional three out of four seasons. He went 141-92-1 in Bloomington.

Lemonis also had assistant coaching stints at The Citadel (his alma mater) from 1995-2006 and Louisville (2007-14). He has a head coaching record of 373-226-2.