Opinion: What Would be a Successful Season for Mississippi State Baseball?

There's no questioning that the Bulldogs have to be better in 2024, the only debate is over how much.

STARKVILLE, Miss. — The Mississippi State Bulldogs have had two straight tough seasons, with a combined record of 53-56 and 18-42 in Southeastern Conference play, and no appearances in Hoover, Ala., for its postseason tournament. This from a prominent program with a proud history including 12 College World Series appearances, a national title, and has arguably the best stadium in the country at Dudy Noble Field. 

Mississippi State head coach Chris Lemonis enjoys the fan support and all the other history he can lean on in recruiting, but all that success leads to great expectations. Not much has changed since the Bulldogs' 2021 national championship; the passionate fanbase hasn't wavered as it set a new NCAA on-campus attendance record at Dudy Noble last season, with 16,423 fans filling the stadium to watch MSU's comeback win over Ole Miss.

They have also signed two straight top-12 classes, per the website Perfect Game. The talent has been there for the Bulldogs, but they have struggled to translate that talent into wins.  

The Bulldogs come into the 2024 season with enough talent to get back into the postseason with guys like Hunter Hines, Dakota Jordan, Jurrangelo Cijntje, and Colby Holcombe. Last year, the Bulldogs' issue was their pitching staff, as they touted a team ERA of over seven, and MSU also led the SEC with 65 errors. 

During the offseason, MSU looked to the portal to improve the defensive woes by adding Logan Kohler from Memphis to take over at third base, a position where the Bulldogs struggled mightily a season ago. The Diamond Dawgs return four everyday starters from last year's team, plus two players who got significant playing time, David Mershon and Bryce Chance. 

Lemonis also brought in former South Carolina pitching coach Justin Parker. He has a lot of work to do to rebuild this pitching staff, but the roster appears to have plenty of raw talent. 

The question heading into this season is whether Mississippi State is ready to regain its place among the elite teams in college baseball. The Bulldogs can't do this by merely making postseason play as other top college baseball programs such as LSU, Texas, and Vanderbilt don't consider that an adequate measure of success. 

Neither should the Bulldogs. 

This should not be dubbed a "rebuilding" process, which usually implies little returning talent or the gutting of a roster. This one has two All-SEC-type players in the middle of the lineup. It now falls strictly on Lemonis's shoulders as he needs to prove he can develop raw talent and get this program back to being a national seed. 

Consequently, a successful season for MSU will be to host a regional, and nothing less. The Bulldogs are talented enough to be in that position, and it's time for Lemonis to step up and deliver. 

A coach rarely gets to rebuild a program that fell apart under his leadership, so the narrative that Lemonis needs time to get this program back on track is ludicrous because he did not inherit a losing culture or a talent-depleted roster. He inherited a team coming off an appearance in Omaha and was preparing to open a new ballpark. 

To give Lemonis credit, he continued the success as he made the College World Series during his first two full seasons and rode that momentum into a national championship. Nevertheless, the former Indiana manager should not get to rebuild a program that fell apart during his tenure. 

The SEC in baseball may be the most difficult conference in collegiate athletics, with numerous well-established powerhouses that will expose any weakness, and fill the weekly rankings. This year, its coaches picked Mississippi State to finish last in the West Division. 

This program is too storied and is too successful to accept mediocre results. 

Jacob Bain's column appears each week on Cowbell Corner. Opening Day is Friday, when the Bulldogs welcome Air Force to Dudy Noble Field for a 4 p.m. CT first pitch.

A Breakdown of Mississippi State Bulldog Hitters and Position Players