Mississippi State baseball made NCAA Tournament. Is it enough to attract players for 2025?
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Unless he’s voicing his displeasure with an umpire, Mississippi State baseball coach Chris Lemonis often keeps his emotions concealed on the field or in postgame press conferences.
However, it was a battle to keep his feelings hidden Sunday after No. 2 seed MSU was eliminated by host and No. 1 seed Virginia with a 9-2 loss in the Charlottesville Regional final.
“I’m proud of my guys,” he said. “I’ve got a tough, gritty group.”
Lemonis tried to say more as he battled through his opening statement. Instead, he elected to turn the floor to shortstop David Mershon who was sitting beside him.
“That’s all I’ve got,” Lemonis said.
After three minutes of Mershon answering questions – ranging from his uncertainty about his future to how Mississippi State performed in its first postseason trip since 2021 – Lemonis regained the floor.
For a majority of the next eight minutes, Lemonis detailed a crucial offseason ahead − one with a question looming over it.
Did Mississippi State (40-23) do enough in 2024 to be a destination for the country's top players this summer?
What Chris Lemonis must address in the transfer portal
First baseman Hunter Hines arrived at Mississippi State in 2022. Mershon and outfielder Dakota Jordan joined him the following year, giving MSU a core looking to return the Bulldogs to the postseason.
They accomplished their goal, though they fell short of a trip to the College World Series. Now, their future in Starkville is unclear.
Jordan could be a first round pick in next month's MLB Draft along with ambidextrous pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje. Hines is a top 200 prospect, according to MLB.com, along with pitchers Khal Stephen and Nate Dohm.
Mississippi State could lose its top players. Even with a top 20 high school class incoming, the transfer portal will be key to success in 2025.
“Every team in the country feels like their teams are so liquid because of where we’re at in the NCAA and everything,” Lemonis said. “I think there’s a big month ahead of us.”
Unlike last season, though, those who return from the 2024 roster will have played in the NCAA Tournament.
“Obviously, you have to have a good team,” Lemonis said. “But you need that experience in there. I thought that this little ride the last couple weeks has been really good for our clubhouse. Obviously, we’ll lose some guys, but we’ll have a lot of guys back. Looking forward to the future.”
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Can Mississippi State attract top transfer targets?
Despite selling teams coming off years with no postseason appearance, Mississippi State has landed transfer prospects who made an impact – such as Dohm from Ball State in 2022 and Stephen from Purdue in 2023.
However, MSU has struggled to land the big-name players. The Bulldogs pursued Paul Skenes (Air Force to LSU) before he became the top pick in the 2023 MLB Draft. They went after pitcher Chase Burns (Tennessee to Wake Forest) and two-way player Braden Montgomery (Stanford to Texas A&M) last year but whiffed.
Can the Bulldogs land players of that caliber now that Lemonis has proven he can get back to the postseason? The answer to that question could determine the fate of Mississippi State’s 2025 campaign.
“I’m happy where we’re at,” Lemonis said. “Unfortunately, you lose in the championship game of a regional. But now we’re back on the national stage.”
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: Can Mississippi State baseball have good offseason after NCAA regional?
