Following Mississippi State baseball’s season-ending loss to Texas A&M on May 20, head coach Chris Lemonis made no secret he planned to utilize the transfer portal this offseason to improve his roster.
“We will have to fill some needs,” Lemonis said, after the Bulldogs finished with a 27-26 record and missed the Southeastern Conference Tournament for the second consecutive year. “I truly believe we had one of the younger teams in the league and have some special young talent that we can build around. We will have to go in the portal and find some guys that can help us in a couple different areas.”
One area Lemonis will definitely look to improve is MSU’s pitching staff. The Bulldogs finished with an SEC-worst 7.01 team ERA last season, allowing a league-high 310 walks and 410 runs.
Lemonis also is still in the process of hiring a new pitching coach, nearly a month after Scott Foxhall was relieved of his duties on May 1.
The Bulldogs have already made one move in doing that, nabbing Nate Lamb, a graduate transfer, out of the portal over the holiday weekend. With the portal now open to undergraduate additions, there will surely be more additions and departures in Starkville.
Some of last year’s transfer portal additions, like outfielder Colton Ledbetter and relief pitchers Nate Dohm and Aaron Nixon, made immediate impacts on the field. The Bulldogs hope for the same this time around.
Check here to track which players are coming into the program and those that are leaving this offseason.
Players coming in:
Nate Lamb, LHP, Young Harris College
At the Division II level, Lamb posted a solid season with Young Harris, pitching 89 1/3 innings in 14 starts, striking out 90 batters, walking only 28 and holding opposing lineups to a .252 batting average. Lamb’s 3.53 earned run average was his lowest since his freshman year, when he finished with 1.84 ERA in 2019 at Spartanburg Methodist.
Lamb, a graduate transfer, has one year of eligibility remaining.
Gavin Black, RHP, Northwest Florida State College
At the JUCO level, Black posted a freshman season where he made 17 appearances (five starts), pitching 36 innings and finishing with a 4.00 ERA. Black has three years of eligibility remaining.
Johnny Long III, C, Pittsburgh
Long III, a graduate transfer, announced his commitment Monday over his social media. In two seasons with the Panthers, Long III batted .224 over 45 games. Last season he batted .250 with 23 hits, two homers and 12 RBIs. Long III, who began his career at Florida Gulf Coast University, has one year of eligibility remaining.
Logan Kohler, 3B, Memphis
Kohler, a graduate transfer, announced on July 7 he would play his final season in Starkville. Kohler batted .330 last season for the Tigers, tallying 65 hits, 11 homers and 34 RBIs over 52 games. He also recorded a .942 fielding percentage, committing eight errors.
Karson Ligon, SP, Miami (FL)
Ligon, a junior, announced on July 12 that he would be continuing his career at MSU. Ligon, an All-ACC freshman in 2022, will have two years of eligibility remaining. Ligon finished with a 4.80 earned run average over 10 starts in 2023, pitching 50 2/3 innings, allowing 27 earned runs and striking out 37 batters.
Players leaving:
Lane Forsythe, SS
Forsythe entered the portal on May 30, according to 247sports. Forsythe batted .248 this past season, tallying 27 hits, 14 RBIs and two home runs.
Graham Yntema, LHP
Yntema entered the portal on May 30, according to 247sports. In his lone season at MSU, Yntema finished with a 10.55 ERA over 13 appearances, pitching 21 1/3 innings, allowing 25 earned runs and striking out 21.
Bryce Hubbard, C
Hubbard confirmed with The Dispatch he had entered the portal on May 30. Hubbard, a true freshman, played in only three games for the Bulldogs this season, tallying one hit and one RBI.
Ryan Williams, C
Williams entered his name in the portal on May 31, according to 247sports. Williams, a true freshman last season, did not play and will have for years of eligibility left at his new program.
Von Seibert, 1B
Seibert entered the portal on June 1, according to D1baseball.com. Seibert spent two years with MSU, tallying 13 total hits. Only one of those came this season, where he hit .167 in six games. Seibert will have two years of eligibility left at his new program.
Slate Alford, 3B
Alford entered the Portal on June 5, according to D1baseball.com. Alford was MSU’s starting third baseman for most of the season, batting ,248 with 39 hits nine home runs. and 36 RBIs in 45 games. Alford also committed 13 errors this season.
Justin Frommer is the Mississippi State sports reporter for The Dispatch.
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