Everything Justin Parker said after Mississippi State sweeps the series over Kentucky

A crazy week brought home some great results for Mississippi State baseball.

Justin Parker stepped into the Interim Head Coaching position on Monday and he and the Bulldog staff managed a team that would take home four wins in as many tries. Three of those came with the team’s first sweep of the SEC season as they knocked off Kentucky in three games.

The final game was a strong 6-1 victory on Sunday as the Bulldogs moved back into position to compete for postseason. Parker spoke to the media after about the big win and the positive week for the program.

Question: What did you think of your pitching staff today?

JP: “The message this weekend is we had a great bullpen all fall and we felt it was the strength of our team. We had a great bullpen the first three quarters of the way we’ve played so far. You don’t just overnight lose your bullpen. There’s good arms in there, there’s good competitors, there’s really good stuff. It was just matter of going back out there and believing and competing.

“I thought Karson (Ligon) scraped through. The command was the big thing today. The command of the secondaries and the command of the fastball. We felt like we had enough guys to make that move early. It’s just the trust of that group. It hasn’t wavered.”

Q: We haven’t seen a lot of these guys turnaround and pitch back-to-back like that. How did you feel Ben Davis and Luke Dotson did turning around and pitching two days in a row?

JP: “We feel like Ben is very vibrant. Ben bounces back very well. He’s done twice in a weekend quite often, maybe back to backs. His feedback is always very good. Dotson was probably on fumes there a little bit late, but he’s our toughest guy. He’s got our best fastball and, in my opinion, one of the best left-handed fastball in the league. There’s nobody I trust more out there and it was his game at that point.”

Q: You guys had a couple of really good situational pitching innings. Take us through the gameplan to limit them to taking extra bases.

JP: “They’re ultra aggressive. We just felt like if we could mix it up and stay in good counts… I felt like we got ourselves in trouble today not getting into good counts. We felt like being able to manage through jams and traffic was the key to the game. That was the message all week. We’ve been through a lot. It’s a tough and resilient group and they’re proving it. That’s what was called on today is toughness with runners in scoring position and we did good job of it.”

Q: Defense made some really good plays today. Where is this defense coming from?

JP: “We made some highlight catches no question, but we can also tighten it up. I don’t think the errors showcase the defense. We’ve got to tighten some things up as well, but it is nice to see guys stepping up when we needed it and making big time plays.”

Q: You guys had a little bit of a sluggish start what did it take to get the energy back?

JP: “Well I think momentum is just as good as the next day’s starter. Their guy coming in and has been really good in league play. He’s a left hander, it’s a big-time fastball. I know the velo is maybe sub-90, but it plays way up. He did a nice job. He got to his glove side; he elevated the ball.

“I thought we grinded him in the first and the third and elevated his pitch count. We would have liked to have done a little more in the second, but I tip my cap to that guy. I think the sluggishness was more facing a really good SEC left hander.”

Q: What’s the status of Nolan Stevens?

JP: “I think we’re going to assess all of those things. The injury status on a couple of guys is more day-to-day than having lost them for the season. This week will give us an opportunity to get a couple of guys healthy and commit to the weightroom not having the Tuesday game. We’ll see what happens next weekend.”

Q: After a full week, do you feel like you have a grasp on this whole thing as a manager?

JP: “I have veterans on the staff and every day position players so a lot of it runs itself. The entire coaching staff is obviously involved so there’s been very little changes. I have a really veteran staff with Pico (Kohn), Karson (Ligon) and Evan Siary and those guys are incredibly self-sufficient and very mature. I’m not spending any less time with them, but I also trust their preparation and communication.”

Q: What did you think of situational hitting today?

JP: “We’ve talked all week about being multiple on offense, being versatile. I thought Tuesday night was as complete an offensive night as I’ve seen in a long time. It was hit by pitch, free bases, stolen bases, home runs, doubles, two-strike fights. You never know what the game and the situation is going to demand of you.

“We had another base hit bunt tonight that was huge, we had a couple of  hit by pitch that came up in big spots. It’s just playing the entire game of baseball, not just looking to stand in there and slug doubles or hit homers.

“You’re looking at a guy that says the SEC is built on eliminating free bases and homers and on the other side trying to hit homers and earn free bases. Between those things, there is a lot to be had in the game and we’re doing all of those things.”

Q: What went into the decision to pull Karson Ligon in the fourth inning?

JP: “Just command. I think he grinded all three innings. The command of the fastball specifically. There were moments where he really had the changeup and the slider working. They did a nice job and stacked a bunch of lefties against him and I don’t think he commanded his fastball well enough in some of the misses.

“He’s a competitor and warrior. We’ve seen starts where he’s taken that same outing and gone five or six innings and we’ve also seen some where he didn’t get a lot of help. To be able to go through with the stuff and command he had and go three innings to give us a really strong start on Sunday and turn it over to the bullpen, it could have easily been three or four runs. I thought he did a nice job competing through it.”

Q: What did you learn about your team this week through all the changes?

JP: “I’ll probably steer clear of answering that one. We’ve got such great respect for coach Lemonis, I kind of know what you’re getting at. I think the big thing is that when you’re coaching 18, 19, 20-year-old kids, they’re very impressionable and impulsive. There’s been a lot of times this year where we haven’t played great, but as quick as you can turn it around, we’re able to flip it and have a really good week.

“It’s not a completely different club, there’s not a lot of different moves being made. We’re fairly consistent as a staff. I think it was just guys believing in themselves, getting a little bit of a wakeup call and responding to it.”