Two years removed from a national title, it appears head coach Chris Lemonis and the Mississippi State baseball program have reached a crucial point in its marriage.
On path to missing his second consecutive NCAA tournament, Lemonis, in his fifth season at helm of the Bulldogs, decided to part ways with pitching coach Scott Foxhall, a decision he said Monday was one of the toughest in his coaching career.
So will be the decision on who he hires next.
Here are 10 potential candidates that could fit Lemonis’ needs as MSU’s next pitching coach.
Austin Knight, East Carolina
Knight, a Hattiesburg native, is in his second year as the Pirates’ pitching coach. Before that, he was a volunteer assistant coach under current Cal State Fullerton coach Jason Dietrich, who is widely regarded as one of college baseball’s best pitching minds.
In 2021 the duo guided a pitching staff that led the American Athletic Conference in earned run average (4.03), fewest runs allowed (264) and opponent batting average (.239), among other pitching categories.
Knight is also no stranger to the Southeastern Conference, having played at Ole Miss from 2012-15.
ECU currently ranks 15th in college baseball with a team ERA of 3.89.
Knight probably has more to show as ECU’s pitching coach before making a jump to a program like MSU, but he has the area connection that would make sense to hire.
Sean Snedeker, Lamar
Snedeker has the coaching pedigree that Lemonis should be seeking with this hire.
Snedeker, who has been Lamar’s pitching coach since 2017, has had 35 MLB Draft picks and five All-Americans in 17 years of coaching at the collegiate level.
Over the past two years, Snedeker has led Lamar’s pitching staff to top conference ERA marks. This year, Lamar ranks 12th in college baseball with a team ERA of 3.87.
Snedeker, a Texas A&M alum, also spent 12 years as a pitching coach in the Chicago White Sox organization as well as one year with the Dodgers.
Kyle Bunn, Houston
Bunn, who became Houston’s pitching coach in 2021, stands out as an obvious choice because of his connections with Lemonis. Bunn was Lemonis’ pitching coach during his head coaching stint at Indiana, where Bunn also served two seasons as associate head coach. Both Bunn and Lemonis are also graduates of The Citadel.
In Bunn’s 20-year coaching career, he has been on staff at Ole Miss, Clemson and Alabama (among others) and has coached 24 top-five round MLB Draft selections. Three Houston pitchers were selected after his first year on staff.
Roger Williams, Louisville
Williams is another long-tenured coach with connections to Lemonis. The duo were on staff at Louisville from 2007-14, when Lemonis was an assistant coach.
Williams’ extensive resume includes 43 drafted pitchers, five first round selections and 17 pitchers taken in the first five rounds of the MLB Draft.
This year Louisville ranks 15th in college baseball with a team ERA of 3.95.
This hire seems a little more far-fetched, considering Williams has been at Louisville for 17 seasons. However, maybe an old buddy in Lemonis can convince the Greenville, North Carolina, native that he is ready for a change in scenery.
Micah Posey, Dallas Baptist
Since 2014 Posey, a Florida State grad, has had eight pitchers selected in the top-10 rounds of the MLB Draft including two first rounders in George Kirby (2019, Seattle Mariners) and Cole Ragans (2016, Texas Rangers).
In 10 years of coaching, Posey, who is in his third season at Dallas Baptist, has had 29 players drafted and has helped the Patriots reach the NCAA Tournament, including a Super Regional in 2021, in his two prior seasons.
Last season, DBU’s pitching staff ranked 26th in college baseball with 10 strikeouts per nine innings, which was also a school record. This year the Patriots’ 3.90 team ERA ranks 14th in college baseball.
Corey Muscara, Wake Forest
This is the home-run-hail-mary hire that should be on every major program’s list looking for a new pitching coach.
Muscara, in his second season on Wake Forest staff, helped guide the Demon Deacons to 40-plus wins last season, while his pitching staff dropped its team ERA by an entire run from the previous year.
Wake Forest currently boasts the No. 1 pitching staff in college baseball with a team ERA of 2.40 and is in line to grab a top-10 national seed for the NCAA Tournament.
Christian Ostrander, Southern Mississippi
Ostrander is in his sixth year as Southern Miss’ pitching coach and second as associate head coach.
Last season, Ostrander was named Conference USA Assistant Coach of the Year for the second year in a row after the Golden Eagles tallied a program-record 746 strikeouts.
A native of Monroe, Louisiana, Ostrander helped Southern Miss’ pitching staff to reach the tops of numerous statistical categories last year, including No. 2 nationally in strikeout-to-walk ratio (4.12), WHIP (1.16) and ERA (3.29).
The Golden Eagles currently rank 85th in team ERA (5.19).
Jerry Oakes, Elon
Oakes, a former Coastal Carolina player, had coaching tenures with the Chanticleers and at Pitt before joining Elon’s coaching staff three years ago.
In his career, Oakes has had 63 players selected in the MLB Draft, including 21 top-10 round picks.
Last year, Elon had one of the most disciplined pitching staffs in baseball, walking 2.54 batters per name innings (second fewest in the country) and had the seventh-best strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.20).
The Phoenix rank 26th in college baseball this season with a team ERA of 4.19.
Jason Jackson, Alabama
Grabbing another coach out of the SEC would be an interesting dynamic, but Jackson would be a pretty solid choice if Lemonis was to go down that route.
Jackson, a Florida State graduate, has been with the Crimson Tide since 2017.
Last season, Alabama’s pitching staff set a program single-season record with 9.3 strikeouts per game. Jackson’s staff also had the 24th best strikeout-to-walk ratio at 2.74.
In Tuscaloosa, Jackson has had 29 pitchers selected in the MLB Draft and currently has the Tide ranked 29th in team ERA (4.23) this season.
One for fun: Jonathan Papelbon
Papelbon, a former MSU pitcher from 2001-03, would instantly become a fan-favorite if he were hired, though he would be doing it with zero coaching experience.
The former six-time All-Star, a Hattiesburg native, has been out of baseball since 2016 after he amassed 368 saves during his 12-year MLB career.
Whether he would actually work out as a college coach, Papelbon would certainly have the majority of the fanbase supporting him and would certainly draw more eyes to the program.
Bonus pick: Roy Oswalt
A lot about Oswalt could make sense. A Weir native who currently resides in Starkville. A three-time MLB All-Star and member of the Houston Astros Hall of Fame.
Like Papelbon, Oswalt has no coaching experience other than a short stint as a guest instructor for the Astros. But at 45 years old, he could be a high-energy recruiter with extensive knowledge of how to be successful on the mound.
Justin Frommer is the Mississippi State sports reporter for The Dispatch.
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