STARKVILLE — Andy Cannizaro only had three seasons of college baseball experience before getting his first head coaching job.
If Cannizaro had 30 years of experience, he isn’t sure his first year as coach would have been any easier.
“I don’t think there’s anything anyone can tell you to prepare you for it,” Cannizaro said. “There’s a lot of things outside of the nine innings of the game that you have to learn how to deal with as it comes.”
Earlier this week, Cannizaro reflected on the 2017 season with The Dispatch. It was a season in which he said he “could not be more proud of our guys.” Cannizaro praised the Bulldogs for overcoming a series of injuries that depleted the pitching staff. Still, MSU (40-27, 17-13 Southeastern Conference) finished the season No. 14 in the Baseball America Top 25 and No. 13 in the Collegiate Baseball Poll. National runner-up LSU eliminated MSU in the NCAA tournament’s Baton Rouge Super Regional.
Cannizaro’s experience in baseball helped him guide the Bulldogs through the ups and downs of the season.
“(The on-field) part takes care of itself. That’s the years and years of experience, being around the game and knowing how to manage the game,” Cannizaro said. “I think the biggest thing in learning on the fly was management of a bullpen. Trying to give guys enough time to warm up, be proactive, and plan ahead.
“When the game is over, it’s as much mental fatigue as in anything I’ve ever done. You haven’t physically done anything for hours, but you’re exhausted when the game ends. That part of it is pretty neat.”
Cannizaro and MSU pitching coach Gary Henderson had a bullpen that at times was half that of other teams after five pitchers missed the season due to Tommy John surgery. Blake Smith missed the season with an elbow injury, while Ryan Cyr was dismissed from the program.
Despite having a pitching staff that ranked next to last in the SEC with a 4.94 earned run average, MSU was in the running for the SEC regular-season championship entering the final weekend of the regular season. Part of that can be attributed to a lineup that ranked among the best in the league in batting average (.284), home runs (59), and stolen bases (75). Brent Rooker, who won the second Triple Crown in conference history, led the way with a .387 batting average, 82 RBIs, and 23 home runs.
Cannizaro said he learned plenty this past season, but he hopes MSU doesn’t find itself in the same situation again any time soon.
“I think everything that happened this year was just jumping right into the fire,” he said. “There were so many things that came up this year that most people don’t have to deal with in a given baseball season.”
After being eliminated by LSU, MSU parted ways with former assistant coach Will Coggin and replaced him with Jake Gautreau, who played with Cannizaro at Tulane. They quickly grabbed another Tulane product in graduate transfer starting pitcher J.P. France.
The addition of Gautreau and France figures to bolster a program that will look for the pitching staff to make a return to better health. That’s why Cannizaro has plenty to smile about as he thinks about the years to come.
“I’m hoping,” he said, “it feels like you have all kinds of new toys.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brett Hudson on Twitter @Brett_Hudson
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