Opinion: The Bulldogs Have Tough Pitching Decisions to Make Ahead of their Regional

STARKVILLE, Miss.— Mississippi State baseball was not given a host spot by the NCAA tournament committee. The Bulldogs had a rightful gripe when it was revealed they were not a top-16 seed, given they had 16 Quad 1 wins (fourth most nationally) and finished fifth in undoubtedly the toughest conference in the country.

However, State must flush its disappointment and prepare to head to Charlottesville for a regional. Virginia was the 12th-ranked national seed, and they will face Penn (4) in the first round.

The Bulldogs will face the Big East Conference Tournament champions St. John's (3) to open. The question is always, what will the pitching plans be?

For the three and four seeds, it is easy to throw their staff's ace first, but for the top two seeds, it is a little trickier. Mississippi State head coach Chris Lemonis is in his sixth year in Starkville and has never traveled to a regional or super regional.

While the Bulldogs hosted in 2019 and 2021, Lemonis decided to go with his second starter to open a regional in Jt Ginn and Will Bednar and saved his ace for the second game. It worked out for State as they swept through both regionals, but being a two-seed changes things a bit.

The gap between one and four seeds is substantial, and while there is a gap between two and three seeds, it is much tighter. Khal Stephen (8-3, 3.38 ERA) has been the ace of this Bulldogs staff, but second starter Jurrangelo Cijntje (8-2, 3.55 ERA) has yielded similar results and has more high-end stuff.

"I feel good with our staff," Lemonis said. "I think we have one of the better staffs in the country.. two of the better starters."

However, there is a wild card regarding who the Bulldogs should start. Brooks Auger has mainly worked out of the bullpen this season, and the senior right-hander was given a shot to be in the rotation and put up solid starts against Vanderbilt and Auburn.

The former Hinds Community College Eagle made his last regular season start against Alabama, and he struggled, lasting only two innings and giving up four earned runs.

Lemonis still had faith in Auger as he started the opening game of the SEC tournament against Ole Miss and dealt. The Farmerville, La., native gave up one earned run in eight innings of work while striking out 13.

He pitched the best game of his MSU career and was selected to the SEC All-Tournament team. However, it is risky to roll the dice knowing Cijntje and Stephen have pitched well all year, but saving both of them for potentially two matchups with Virginia is intriguing.

Pico Kohn has been the third starter for State and replaced Auger after the Alabama series. The Verbena, Ala. native is working his way back from injury, but he has done well.

The tall lefty is likely not a factor to start against St. John's, but will Lemonis move him into the bullpen and slide Auger into that third spot?

Auger has pitched well and has been more consistent out of the bullpen, so he should stay there in case he is needed. Kohn is a solid third option, and Stephen and Cijntje are both in the top four in the SEC regarding innings pitched, so MSU will likely have a fresh bullpen when Kohn takes the mound.

State has the luxury of having two starters who eat up innings and are effective. They can ill-afford to get into a losers bracket, so the Bulldogs must go all in on the first game.

Cijntje or Stephen should get the ball against St Johns, and the other should start game two. Both guys can take a lot of pressure off the bullpen and could keep them fresh for a possible game three.

Regarding Auger, he should be used whenever needed, whether out of the bullpen or starting a game. If he gets to start a game, great; if not, Kohn is undoubtedly capable.

It is a tough decision for Lemonis, and multiple scenarios make sense, which is a positive sign for State.

"We have not looked at them (St Johns) (Not sure) Who will start there yet," Lemonis said. "Right now we have the ability to start whoever we want because of the couple extra days rest."

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