Just A Bulldog Minute: What Should The Expectations Be For Mississippi State Baseball
The Mississippi State Bulldogs endured another disappointing season in 2023, and their head coach, Chris Lemonis, is now firmly on the hot seat. The Bulldogs were coming off three consecutive trips to the College World Series before the last two seasons.
The expectation is simple going into 2024: get back to being one of the elite programs in college baseball. Elite college baseball programs host regionals and super regionals, so the expectation for MSU should be to host a regional. At some point, MSU must decide whether or not they want to be among the elite programs because elite programs do not settle for merely making the tournament.
This season should not be considered a rebuilding year for the Bulldogs as they have two All-American type players in their lineup: Dakota Jordan and Hunter Hines. MSU also hired former South Carolina pitching coach Justin Parker to improve a Bulldogs pitching staff that struggled mightily last year.
Dudy Noble Field is routinely packed with up to 16,000 fans, and that is not normal for college baseball, so the expectations should always be high for this program. A program that has reached the sport's mountaintop and has been a routine visitor to the CWS should never waver on expectations, especially with talent on the roster.
If postseason baseball is not being played at Polk-DeMent Stadium, this year has been disappointing.
