STARKVILLE — In the modern age of college sports, success will inevitably lead to some amount of attrition. But in no sport is that the case more than baseball, and Mississippi State found that out the hard way last summer.
After two years without postseason play in the wake of their 2021 national championship, the Bulldogs won 40 games last spring and returned to the NCAA Tournament, losing in the regional finals to Virginia. MSU then had 11 players selected in the 2024 MLB Draft — more than any other college program — so the 2025 Bulldogs will look much different at almost every position than the group that took the field in Charlottesville last June.
Head coach Chris Lemonis, whom many believed was on the hot seat following back-to-back 9-21 showings in Southeastern Conference play, bought himself another year thanks largely to a pitching staff that made huge improvements with new pitching coach Justin Parker. Lemonis’ staff is all back in place, though first baseman Hunter Hines and outfielder Bryce Chance are the only starting position players from a year ago who are back in the fold.
“Hunter Hines and Bryce Chance, they’re high school buddies. They room together,” Lemonis said Monday, speaking at a Starkville Rotary Club meeting. “You’re doing so much as a coach right now to build a team. It used to be (players) were with me (for) three or four years. Half my team is new. We were playing a scrimmage in September, a guy threw a pitch, and one of the hitters was like, ‘Man, that guy’s good! What’s his name?’”
MSU lost all of its opening weekend rotation to the draft with Khal Stephen, Jurrangelo Cijntje and Nate Dohm all moving on to the pros. Left-hander Pico Kohn had a 3.38 ERA in eight starts last year, capping his season with seven strong innings against Virginia in the regionals. Karson Ligon, who had a strong sophomore year at Miami in 2023 but struggled to stay healthy last year, is also a candidate to start.
Lemonis is high on Jacob Pruitt, a junior coming off a solid sophomore season at Indiana State, as well as freshman lefty Charlie Foster, an Atlanta-area product who chose MSU over Georgia.
“I had like eight people ask me who’s pitching on my way in. I don’t know who’s pitching yet,” Lemonis said. “My question mark is early in the season, what’s more important, the Sunday starter or the Tuesday starter? That’s something we’re trying to figure out. But sometimes it’s just win the game you’re playing that day.”
The Bulldogs had the SEC’s worst team ERA in 2023 but improved to fourth last year with Parker on board. The former South Carolina pitching coach helped develop a strong late-inning relief corps, and although Cam Scheulke, Tyson Hardin and Tyler Davis are all gone, Lemonis is counting on both old and new faces to fortify the MSU bullpen.
The oldest pitcher on the roster and the only remaining member of the 2021 national championship team is Stone Simmons, who has missed two straight full seasons with injuries but is now healthy. Holdovers like Gavin Black and Luke Dotson should play bigger roles, and the Bulldogs also added Chase Hungate in the transfer portal from Virginia. Junior college transfer Ben Davis was throwing in the mid-upper 90s in last weekend’s scrimmages.
MSU is deeper at catcher than it’s been in a few years, with Ross Highfill returning from an injury and Joe Powell back for his final year of eligibility. Jackson Owen flashed big-time power in the fall, and Steven Spalitta got some experience last year as a freshman.
“We have four catchers who can do some different things,” Lemonis said. “Catching is nerve-wracking. Last year when Ross went out in November, you get nervous. You can’t win without a good catcher.”
Hines is entrenched as the starter at first base, with Houston transfer Ace Reese across the diamond from him at third. Dylan Cupp’s freshman season was derailed by a knee injury in the SEC opener against LSU, but he is back to play shortstop, while second base is an open competition involving Sawyer Reeves (a transfer from The Citadel), Gatlin Sanders (a junior college product) and sophomore Ethan Pulliam (also a punter on the football team).
Chance is expected to retain his starting spot in left field, with defensive specialist Michael O’Brien in center. Nolan Stevens, a two-way player coming off an outstanding summer in the New England Collegiate Baseball League, has the inside track to start in right.
“My biggest concern (in the scrimmages) was we dropped fly balls, ground balls. We’re good, I promise,” Lemonis said. “You have to get that out of your system, because since we’ve been back, we’ve been in the Palmeiro (indoor facility) the whole time. We haven’t been on the dirt a lot. We were one of the top defensive teams in the country last year.”
The Bulldogs had their share of struggles early in the year last season and in midweek games, so getting off to a fast start is important to give MSU the best odds of hosting NCAA Tournament games. Lemonis’ team will be tested early at the Astros Foundation College Classic in Houston against Rice, Arizona and Oklahoma State, with Southern Miss and Troy among the Bulldogs’ other notable non-conference opponents.
SEC play begins Mar. 14 against Texas in what will be the Longhorns’ first-ever conference game as an SEC member.
“Our league has gotten so much better,” Lemonis said. “It’s just a lot of good teams, and the portal has made our league better, because there’s really not a bottom feeder right now. Because of the finances of the SEC, everybody in our league can bring in players. You’re just looking at a really hectic 10 weeks there, those 30 games of being able to get yourself in the right spot.”
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
