Did Mississippi State's Easter resurrection give hope to fans wanting change?

Gehrig Frei's homer keys enthusiasm among Bulldogs' fans after nail-biter became celebration at end of disappointing series

Mississippi State coach Chris Lemonis struggling to find answers for Bulldogs blowing leads like big one they had over Florida on Sunday afternoon | Keith Warren, Keith Warren

STARKVILLE, Miss. — Gehrig Frei's key homer in Mississippi State's 14-8 win over Florida probably didn't save Chris Lemonis but it did give the folks in Dudy Noble Field the feeling they found the good Easter eggs for a change.

After the Bulldogs blew middle-inning leads on Friday and Saturday it wasn't the best holiday vibes for a lot of fans.

Lemonis' job may or may not be riding on it, but based on what the grumbling and moaning is about from State fans, he may be finding out how long the career rope was in that College World Series title in 2021.

Both of those games against the Gators to start the weekend series are ones Bulldogs fans want to forget. They had their hopes up that winning two of three at least could resurrect hopes for postseason with some momentum.

That was about gone. When Florida cut what was a 9-3 lead at one point to a single run in the eighth inning, fans were squirming in their seats.

Frei's homer in the bottom of the eighth wasn't the winning runs, but it injected some enthusiasm. More importantly, it gave fans hope going forward.

Lemonis won't mention it, of course, be he knows what fans have been saying. With renewals from seat licenses at Dudy Noble coming up that doesn't work out well if the Bulldogs aren't winning games.

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Most of them prefer postseason wins and hosting NCAA Regional and Super Regional games. It's a by-product of winning it all.

Now they have to keep the momentum going from that one win of the series against Florida. Considering it's the pilgrammage to Pearl, Miss., for midweek SEC game against Ole Miss, nobody's going to put that one in the win column until it happens.

That game won't affect the SEC standings (the Rebels are four games ahead). It could affect the fans' perspective these days.

That can make Lemonis' life harder or easier.