Where was Mississippi State Baseball Picked to Finish in SEC West?

SEC coaches announced preseason picks and All-SEC selections, which included outfielder Dakota Jordan.

The Mississippi State Bulldogs are predicted to finish last in the SEC West in the annual coaches poll. The last two seasons for MSU have disappointed, as they have failed to make the postseason. 

However, the salt on the wound for Bulldog fans is that MSU was coming off three straight trips to the College World Series and a national title before these last two seasons. These last two seasons have been bad enough to land Bulldog head coach Chris Lemonis firmly on the hot seat. 

The good news is that MSU returns a lot of talent to this year's squad, including Dakota Jordan, Hunter Hines, and Nate Dohm. Lemonis also added former South Carolina pitching coach Justin Parker to help rebuild a pitching staff that was dreadful last season. 

Bulldog pitchers struggled with control, and that helped lead to a team era of over seven. The lineup for MSU has all the talent to be one of the top offenses in the SEC, so if Parker can improve the pitching staff, the Bulldogs could surprise some people. 

The good news is that this Bulldog team has talent and the potential to be a postseason team. However, MSU has had talent the previous two seasons, but the addition of Parker could be the difference. 

Opening Day is next Friday as the Bulldogs welcome Air Force to Dudy Noble Field for a three-game series. 

2024 SEC Baseball Coaches Preseason Poll

Western Division

1. Arkansas (9) – 87
2. LSU (5) – 82
3. Texas A&M – 68
4. Alabama – 47
5. Auburn – 46
6. Ole Miss – 32
7. Mississippi State – 23

Eastern Division

1. Florida (11) – 88
2. Tennessee (2) – 75
3. Vanderbilt (1) – 73
4. South Carolina – 50
5. Kentucky – 44
6. Georgia – 36
7. Missouri – 19

SEC Champion: Arkansas (9), LSU (3), Florida (2)

Coaches Preseason All-SEC Team

First Team

C: Cole Messina, South Carolina
1B: Jac Caglianone, Florida
2B: Cade Kurland, Florida
3B: Tommy White, LSU
SS: Colby Shelton, Florida
OF: Jace LaViolette, Texas A&M
OF: Ethan Petry, South Carolina
OF: Kendall Diggs, Arkansas
DH/UTL: Ike Irish, Auburn
SP: Hagen Smith, Arkansas
SP: Drew Beam, Tennessee
RP: Brandon Neely, Florida

Second Team

C: Devin Burkes, Kentucky
1B: Charlie Condon, Georgia
2B: Christian Moore, Tennessee
3B: Billy Amick, Tennessee
SS: Jonathan Vastine, Vanderbilt
OF: Braden Montgomery, Texas A&M
OF: Dakota Jordan, Mississippi State
OF: Bobby Peirce, Auburn
DH/UTL: Hayden Travinski, LSU
SP: Jac Caglianone, Florida
SP: Carter Holton, Vanderbilt
RP: Alton Davis II, Alabama

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