STARKVILLE — Catcher Johnny Long is a newcomer to Mississippi State baseball. However, the graduate transfer from Pittsburgh has quickly become a vocal leader for the Bulldogs.

MSU had lost back-to-back games, and prior to Friday’s 5-1 win against Georgia Southern, Long made himself heard in a players-only meeting.

“Johnny Long is a special dude," MSU coach Chris Lemonis said after the game. “He actually gave a speech to the team (Friday). He is a pretty neat guy. Players only, so I don’t know what he said, but he fired them up. He’s only been here six months, seven months, and is probably one of the heart-and-soul guys of our ball club. It says a lot about his character.”

MSU pitcher Nate Dohm added: “I think it’s huge for us as a team to have an older presence and a guy who has been around the game a long time, understands a lot and has been through a lot. What he talked about was just very big for us as a group and really helped us come together.”

Mississippi State (3-3) got off to an inauspicious season start, taking just two of three games against Air Force before being swept by Austin Peay in a two-game midweek set.

Throughout the struggles, Lemonis said he believed the team was trying to do too much. Long agreed with that sentiment.

“In the beginning we’ve been pressing to win, which has been our problem,” Long said. “I think it suffocated us. Today, we played for each other and that’s why the outcome happened. That’s why it’s going to continue to happen.”

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The Bulldogs took a 2-0 lead in the first inning against Georgia Southern but struggled to pull away. The Eagles (1-4) got the game within one run in the seventh after a solo home run, but instead of getting tight, Mississippi State collected a trio of insurance runs to seal a win.

MSU got 6⅔ scoreless innings from Dohm, who served as the latest example of an improved pitching staff. After back-to-back seasons with the SEC’s worst ERA, the Bulldogs are allowing only 4.3 runs per game, albeit in a small sample size.

Long has worked closely with those pitchers, serving as an on-field reminder of the early impact he has had in Starkville.

“We were trying so hard to win,” Long said. “That was taking our bat out of our hands. Instead of focusing on our at-bats, we were focusing on putting our hitters or putting the pitchers in the best situation they could possibly be in. I think we’re going to keep doing that throughout the year. We’re going to keep focusing on just being a better teammate. If that keeps happening, I think we’re going to have a lot of success.”

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: Johnny Long details players-only meeting