Mississippi State Baseball: Chris Lemonis talks Diamond Dawg expectations and more ahead of 2025 season

Mississippi State baseball is just three weeks away from Opening Day at Dudy Noble Field and anticipation is building for the Diamond Dawgs yet again.

Friday was a chance for head coach Chris Lemonis to meet with the media and discuss his early thoughts on the team and the progress they’ve been making in fall practices.

The coach discussed his team’s leadership, the newcomers, players to watch and expectations ahead of the 2025 season.

Question: How do you feel like this year’s team is different than some of your others?

CL: “I think they’re just different now, because the rosters are changing a lot more day to day. I mean, year to year. In my first couple years, you have a team, and 75% of the team would come back and now it’s, you know, we had so many draft picks last year and the portal and everything else that I think that’s the biggest dynamic. I really like our group, but there’s a lot of things to find out about us, and we need to find out really early in the season.”

Q: How do you feel about the depth of your lineup heading into the year?

CL: “Well, beginning of season you always feel like you got enough. About halfway through, you wish you had another arm or another hitter. But I do like our pieces. It gives you a little bit better chance to manage. Last year, right as we hit SEC play, we didn’t have Ross (Highfill) we didn’t have Dylan (Cupp). And those were two big pieces that hopefully are gonna be really big pieces this spring coming up. But I do think it gives me a chance to match up a little more left on left or whatever it might be, on the pitching side, too. And if you have a little more flexibility than we’ve had.”

Q: What kind of expectations and objectives do you share with the team this year?

CL: Well, we want to go to Omaha. And to go to Omaha, you got to host. And so I think the message has been about being consistent, taking care of all your games, not just the big ones on Friday night, and putting yourself in a really good position so that you can host. I’d like to think (getting back on track) is out of here and we’re ready to play ball move forward. After last year’s group, they got us back on track.”

Q: You chose Noah Sullivan to represent your offense at the press conference. Why is that?

CL: “Well, you know, we have some returning guys, but we have so many new guys, and Hunter (Hines) doesn’t like to do this a lot, so he just saved for game day. But hey, we’re gonna have to lean on some new guys, and we had to lean on some last year. And the challenge with these rosters now is you got to have leaders quick. Noah Sullivan has played more baseball than probably anybody in that clubhouse, besides Stone Simmons. Those two guys have been around this for a long time, so the challenge is some of my leaders are some of my new guys, because they’ve done it, they’ve done it at a high level, and they’re they got great makeup. So just trying to blend it in.”

Q: What are some things you’re still trying to learn about your team heading into the season?

CL: “I think our defensive flex is a big piece for me, and who’s going to play where and  managing a game. Does somebody need to play somewhere late? I need to have multiple guys that can do multiple things. Who are my center fielders? Who’s better left or right? I think those are big pieces. And I think the same thing goes for the mound. Trying to see what are the pieces that we have there.

“I didn’t know we had them last year, a Khal (Stephen) and a (Jurrangelo Cijntje) at this time. We have a very talented pitching staff with a lot of diversity, which I really like. So I don’t know if we have two guys in the front that are going to give you seven innings on average, but I do think we have a lot of good pieces in there, exciting pieces.

Q: How do you feel about the defense heading into the season?

CL: “I feel really good about it. I think we got to Virginia and David (Mershon) had made, like, one error all year at  shortstop and I think he made a couple in Virginia. But a couple errors from the shortstop all year; that’ll really help your fielding percentage. And I thought one of the unsung guys was Connor Hujsak. I mean, Connor just made play after play, and you really didn’t even notice it out there.

“But, man, we got Hunter back, and I thought that we sat here this time last year worried about Hunter defensively. I think he showed he can really play defensively. And Dylan Cupp is one of the better defenders of the country, so I feel really good. And then we get Ross Highfill back behind the plate with the Joe Powells and the Jackson Owens and you build your team through the middle. I think you have a really good opportunity there to be good defensively.”

Q: What are your thoughts on adding Ace Reese and the role he brings?

CL: “Well, Ace had a great fall, and he was a big recruit, probably one of the one of the hardest fights we had this summer. Coming out of the portal showed kind of why this fall, big left handed bat. But what I love about him is, knock on wood, he doesn’t strike out a ton and hits the ball to all ball parts of the ballpark and hits with power to all parts of the ballpark.

“He’s  still a work in progress. He’s working his tail off defensively every day. Probably have a chance to run out there and play third base going into the season, and then just kind of learn on the run. You know, I think he has a chance to be a third baseman in pro ball down the road. He’s got the tools and just needs the experience now, but he’s going to be a big piece for us. He’ll be right in the middle of the lineup.

Q: What does Hunter Hines mean to the team and what would it mean for him to get the home run record?

CL: “Well, it means a lot. I mean, he’s a middle lineup type hitter and when you coach against somebody, you’re always looking at somebody’s lineup and saying, ‘don’t let that guy beat us.’ And he’s that guy that you should be looking at saying, ‘man, this is one of the toughest outs in the league.

“I’m trying to get him to hit the ball more to left field. So hopefully he won’t be thinking about those home run records, but it’d be awesome. That was one of the challenges when he came back like, you can come back here and do some special things and still have pro ball on the other side and look back and say that was one of the best hitters in Mississippi State history. Still got to work. Got to get after it. This game is tough, so he wants to get back on track. It takes a lot of hard work, but I like what he’s doing right now.”

Q: How has Bryce Chance looked trying to build off of a good season last year?

CL: “He’s been good. He’s fighting for centerfield right now, so really wants to move over and play some center. Him and Michael O’Brien are playing. But he had a good fall and he has the experience. I mean, he’s done it. He’s been a part of it. I think that’s a big, big part of this. But it’s been the challenge for the whole offense is, got some pretty good guys came in so there’s a battle everywhere. He’s really responded to that, worked hard, and I’m looking forward to him having a good spring training here getting ready for the season.”

Q:  What’s your message to the team about how important every game is during the year to make sure you can put yourself in the best position?

CL: “It’s just about coming and playing that day, that game. You’ve heard so much coach speak, but we say it all the time. It’s the Tuesdays when it’s the hardest ones for us to motivate because you come out here on the Friday night against LSU, and the place is packed, and then you show up Tuesday and the opponents not LSU, but the opponent is still good, and they all want to beat you. And so that’s been the biggest motivation. And we’ve talked a lot about consistency. It’s hard to sweep in the SEC at home or on the road. You’re going into battle for everyone, but still, every game counts, and you look down in the season like last year. Man, I wish we could have that game back, or that game back, and we could have won, should have won, and we don’t.”