STARKVILLE — Holding a clipboard flooded with notes from an upsetting season finale, Mississippi State baseball coach Chris Lemonis walked into the Bulldogs’ team room on May 20, 2023.

As he sat to field questions from reporters following a season-ending loss against Texas A&M, Lemonis was quickly reminded of his team’s failure to meet expectations. Illuminated in the back of the room was a sign reading, “OMAHA.”

Sitting 805 miles away from the home of the College World Series in Nebraska, and even further if quality of play was the measurement, Lemonis didn’t hold back on criticizing himself after back-to-back seasons of failing to reach the postseason.

Recruit better. Coach better. Pitch better. Defend better. Be tougher.

If the trajectory of the program was going to return toward its national title level in 2021, Lemonis would have to lead an impressive rebuild in his sixth season at the helm.

In 2024, Mississippi State (40-23) took a step in the right direction. The Bulldogs returned to the NCAA Tournament – losing in the Charlottesville Regional as one of the higher-ranked No. 2 seeds in the field of 64.

In returning to the postseason, Lemonis showed the blueprint for rebuilding a storied program.

Mississippi State hired Justin Parker as pitching coach

Despite going 18-42 in SEC play across the 2022 and 2023 seasons, Lemonis was adamant last year he’d hire an elite pitching coach after firing Scott Foxhall.

However, with a hot seat generating under Lemonis, there were reasonable doubts about a high-level assistant wanting to tie himself to a falling program. The opposite occurred.

Mississippi State landed Justin Parker – South Carolina’s former pitching coach who led the Gamecocks to the SEC’s second-best ERA in 2023. He told the Clarion Ledger in August, two months after his hiring, that the challenge actually drew him to MSU.

“There’s a lot of ground to cover,” Parker said. “We’ll get there day by day.”

He turned the SEC’s worst pitching staff into the conference’s fourth-best.

After whiffing on elite arms such as Paul Skenes (Air Force to LSU) and Chase Burns (Tennessee to Wake Forest) in the last two transfer portal cycles, Lemonis has a proven position coach in his pitch to prospects.

Mississippi State baseball addressed needs in transfer portal

When Mississippi State won the program’s first national title in 2021, it came without an error committed in Omaha. Last year, the Bulldogs owned the SEC’s worst fielding percentage.

“We have defended here for four years,” Lemonis said in 2023. “This year, for some reason, we did not defend. We have to defend at a high level if you want to play at a championship level.”

Mississippi State ranked third in fielding percentage this year among SEC teams. While this season ended with five errors at the Charlottesville Regional – including three in the final game against Virginia – there was evident improvement from players such as shortstop David Mershon and first baseman Hunter Hines.

MSU also landed third baseman Logan Kohler as a transfer from Memphis to help secure the hot corner after Slate Alford had a sub-.900 fielding percentage in 2023.

However, with stars such as outfielder Dakota Jordan likely departing for the 2024 MLB Draft, this year's portal haul will need more than clean defenders.

Mississippi State baseball found an edge in Johnny Long

It’s common for Lemonis to compliment players, but catcher Johnny Long was the recipient of an unusual form of flattery.

“He’s a little (expletive),” Lemonis said on March 17.” I hate to say that to the media, but he’s a competitor. He just competes.”

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Mississippi State landed Long as a transfer who hit .250 at Pittsburgh last season with two home runs. His commitment didn’t make waves, but it wound up being a crucial addition off the field.

Since outfielder Tanner Allen and Rowdey Jordan left after the national title, Lemonis has been searching for a leader with an edge. He wanted someone who could help reinvigorate the program’s mentality and culture.

Lemonis found that in Long, who was at the heart of Mississippi State’s fiery moments. Those traits are difficult to judge in the heat of portal recruiting, and perhaps Long has instilled those qualities into younger players already on the roster.

But he showed Lemonis the value of finding transfers with more than eye-catching statistics.

“He's one of the alphas of this team,” Lemonis said in May.

Stefan Krajisnik is the Mississippi State beat writer for the Clarion Ledger. Contact him at skrajisnik@gannett.com or follow him on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, @skrajisnik3.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Mississippi State baseball: 3 big decisions behind 2024 turnaround