Did the baseball team exceed your expectations?

[dawgstudent]

Of course, I thought Lemonis had to make a regional but I was unsure if we would. The fact we have a chance to host exceeded my expectations.

Lemonis is still on the hot seat in my opinion for next season. No regional = fired.

 

[onewoof]

yes but my expectations were very low, pitching has improved but bullpen is suspect

baserunning mistakes are abysmal

 

[ZombieKissinger]

Yes

 

[8dog]

I figured we could be a 2 seed with a real PC. Thats what we are but the schedule gave us a chance to host.

 

[TrueMaroonGrind]

Overall yes. Pitching and defense were out of the park better. Hitting has been slightly disappointing.

ETA: I agree with the sentiment that he is still on the hot seat for next year. Missing the postseason 3 out of 4 years isn’t cutting it.

 

[Faustdog]

I figured we could be a 2 seed with a real PC. Thats what we are but the schedule gave us a chance to host.

In hindsight the move of Dohm to starter likely doomed us. And I know there were other factors at play here.

I think there’s a good chance he doesn’t get hurt in the pen, and we have a good shot at winning five more SEC games with a dominant closer.

We’d also have a shot at a decent tourney run if he’d be willing come back and close games.

 

[Pilgrimdawg]

Yes, but my expectations were at an all time low. We are still not playing Mississippi State Baseball with all the base running mistakes and various other head scratching decisions.

 

[columbiadawg2]

Yes but I had zero expectations. Also, factoring in Dohm getting injured and we blew my expectations out of the water.

 

[Shmuley]

Remains to be seen. My expectations are “relentless disappointment.” Tonight portends great promise to meet and/or exceed my expectations.

 

[She Mate Me]

Yes. I would've laughed at you if you'd told me we'd be a top half pitching team and lead the league in fielding.

And I'm probably one of the more positive baseball posters.

 

[Dawgg]

Of course, I thought Lemonis had to make a regional but I was unsure if we would. The fact we have a chance to host exceeded my expectations.

Lemonis is still on the hot seat in my opinion for next season. No regional = fired.

Right there with you. I thought he would be gone after this year and, after Austin Peay, I thought he may not make it to the end of the year. I do think he's gone after next year without a regionals appearance. 3 out of 4 years being left out is not going to cut it.

Breaking the Ole Miss series winning streak sucks, but otherwise, I can't complain too much about this year. If you told me at the beginning of this school year that soccer and baseball were our best chances at post season success, I wouldn't have believed you, yet here we are.

 

[rynodawg]

5th in SEC is higher than I thought, but still think clock is ticking for Lemonis. Road regionals should be the down years. To be competitive next year he will need a portal haul that exceeds anything he has done to date.

 

[Maroon Eagle]

No.

Expectations were and always are a regional at least.

And I’ll remind you of this portion of the Lemonis (and other coaches) interview in The Athletic before the season earlier this year:

Do you like conference tournaments?​

Lemonis: Our fan base would tell you I’d say no. We didn’t play good in ours and we won a natty (in 2021). But I do like it. When you pull that bus up to the SEC Tournament, it’s awesome. And I think that’s a really cool thing. And it gives some teams some opportunities to get in (a Regional) who have had maybe a tough season or had a tough start or had some injuries and started playing well. And I think they’re good for the game.

 

[patdog]

Overall, yeah. I figured we'd be low-2 / high-3 seed. Not a high 2 seed with an outside chance to still host. Completely agree he still needs to be on the hot seat for next year (I have no faith in our administration that he will be though). We're sill right where I predicted we'd be back in the off-season, which is another long Polk II era where we're making the tournament more often than not but not hosting and not advancing far. Mediocrity.

 

[HuntDawg]

Half and Half:

Didnt think Hines, Jordan, CJ, etc all those guys were coming back to suck for another year. Lemonis was on the hot seat as well, and didnt think he'd lay an egg......So i expected improvement.

That said, with the level of improvement the pitching staff made which blew expectations out of the water...would have expected a better season.

Either way like others have said. Step forward. Gives lemonis another year. Need to make another step forward next season, any step backwards and there are decisions to be made.

 

[pseudonym]

2022: 9-21, DFL in ERA, no postseason
2023: 9-21, DFL in ERA, DFL in FLD%, no postseason
2024: 17-13, 3rd in ERA, 1st in FLD%, 5th in the SEC, regional w/ possibility of hosting

17+ wins after 9 or fewer wins since 2012 expansion:

• 2016 Mississippi State 21-9 after 8-22 in 2015
• 2017 Arkansas 18-11 after 7-23 in 2016
• 2022 Texas A&M 19-11 after 9-21 in 2021
• 2024 Mississippi State 17-13 after 9-21 in 2023

 

[Drebin]

Of course, I thought Lemonis had to make a regional but I was unsure if we would. The fact we have a chance to host exceeded my expectations.

Lemonis is still on the hot seat in my opinion for next season. No regional = fired.

I think the fact that we have lowered expectations for baseball is the root problem.

 

[GloryDawg]

I didn't expect this out of this team, but I do expect this to be the minimum every year for our team.

 

[Thebulldogcountry1]

My expectations for State baseball is to make a regional every year and host about 50% of the time. I’m not going to let a coach lower those expectations.

Based on that, we still met expectations. The inconsistency is frustrating and concerning to me, though. The only reason we aren’t a host lock is that the team can’t play at a high level for more than 2 games in a row.

 

[The Peeper]

Yes they did but my expectations were not good.

Our bullpen is still bad. Our hitting is still bad. Our base running is still bad. Our prospects for next year aren't good. Sad thing is if he didn't get fired last year no way Selmon will do it this year.......

 

[Crazy Cotton]

Exceeded. We could be 3-4 games further to the good in SEC play with a few breaks, so this crew could easily have a hosting spot locked up; they are that talented. I think some of the younger players stepped up leadership-wise, particularly Jordan during the middle of the season, but he's gone a bit quiet (and is going to be counting his millions next year in all likelihood) but we have some other young players (e.g. Mershon) who I think can fill that role.

 

[patdog]

My expectations for State baseball is to make a regional every year and host about 50% of the time. I’m not going to let a coach lower those expectations.

Based on that, we still met expectations. The inconsistency is frustrating and concerning to me, though. The only reason we aren’t a host lock is that the team can’t play at a high level for more than 2 games in a row.

Based on those stated expectations, we did not meet them. When you haven't even made the tournament the last 2 years, you need host the next 2 to meet even one of those expectations.

 

[ababyatemydingo]

Of course, I thought Lemonis had to make a regional but I was unsure if we would. The fact we have a chance to host exceeded my expectations.

Lemonis is still on the hot seat in my opinion for next season. No regional = fired.

yes

 

[00Dawg]

Not yet. Right now, we're technically a "meets expectations". If we host a regional, that would get an "exceeds".

I'll say this has still been an infuriating season, though. The boneheaded baserunning, blown opportunities, and odd in-game management so far have made this feel somewhat like the baseball equivalent of Moorhead's 2018 season. A super regional berth (where we don't have more screw ups) would go a long way to erasing that.

 

[was21]

Of course, I thought Lemonis had to make a regional but I was unsure if we would. The fact we have a chance to host exceeded my expectations.

Lemonis is still on the hot seat in my opinion for next season. No regional = fired.

sliding scale from beginning to now

 

[Seinfeld]

Of course, I thought Lemonis had to make a regional but I was unsure if we would. The fact we have a chance to host exceeded my expectations.

Lemonis is still on the hot seat in my opinion for next season. No regional = fired.

I feel like I need to qualify my response because while simply being in the conversation for a hosting spot undoubtedly exceeded my expectations for this team and coaching staff, my expectations were at an unacceptably low level for the program, so the situation is ultimately still unacceptable for me

Either way, I realize that Lemonis isn’t getting fired for getting a 2 seed in a regional, but if next season’s expected slip proves that this team’s “up year” in a 4 year cycle was nothing more than a 2 seed, something has to be done. Let me also say that Lemonis’s propensity for hanging on to absolutely $hitty assistants for too long will end up being his demise

 

[patdog]

Lemonis is still on the hot seat in my opinion for next season. No regional = fired.

If we didn't fire him for the last 2 years, why would we fire him for missing a regional next year? Not saying we shouldn't. Just that I have little confidence we would.

 

[dog99walker]

I usually post positives. I am pleased with much of what I saw. Justin Parker made a huge difference. Pitchers who struggled last year, righted the ship. Last in ERA in 23 and first this year. We need to address a closer or two. The team lived up to pre-season Lemonis said about them, “they need to get a year older.” I am not going to wander into ‘stupid-land,’ like some of you. Next year is next year. The future is not something that I am going to make pronouncements about (excuse me for dangling my participle.)

 

[Podgy]

Yes. We looked mediocre after the first few weeks. But after SEC play the team looked pretty good. Not great but pretty good and good enough for a regional. Being in play to host a regional exceeded expectations. Being a 2 seed is still a good year.

 

[bolddogge]

Currently meeting. Exceeding... TBD.

 

[17itdawg]

I don't know mostly because of how up and down this season has felt. I felt like this team would make a regional coming into the season and that was the absolute bare minimum that Lemonis had to do to keep his job. I believe he met my expectations to get another year. I do think he is still on the hot seat and if he misses the post season next year, he's gone.

Having said all of that, if you had told me in February after the loss to Air Force that this team would still have a chance to host in May, I would have taken it.

 

[Walkthedawg]

Of course, I thought Lemonis had to make a regional but I was unsure if we would. The fact we have a chance to host exceeded my expectations.

Lemonis is still on the hot seat in my opinion for next season. No regional = fired.

I would have not taken a single person seriously if prior to SEC play they claimed that being a projected high two seed with still an outside shot at a host was possible going into the tournament.

Admittedly the season did exceed my expectations.

 

[CochiseCowbell]

Yes.

 

[SchrodingersDawg]

Yes

 

[greenbean.sixpack]

No, but if we host, it will meet my expectation.

 

[thatsbaseball]

Yes

 

[85Bears]

Yes

 

[The Cooterpoot]

If we host, yes. If not, not really.

 

[57stratdawg]

Easily exceeded. We’ve been in and out of the top 15 most of the year. We’re on the hosting bubble at the end of the regular season. All of that with arguably our best pitcher on the shelf for 85% of the year who we are getting back in time for post-season.

Who is not taking that in February?

 

[msudawg12]

Yes and No.

No because we all know we shouldnt have been as bad as we have been so we knew we COULD have done better the last couple of years.

Yes because we had not proven we could do it with this staff recently and the presumed portal haul didnt seem to shine on paper preseason. Top to bottom, we looked really good and made huge strides comparatively.