Dakota Jordan stays True Maroon, inspired to get Diamond Dawgs back on top
There were a couple of sleepless nights for coach Chris Lemonis back during the summer when he heard the news that his star freshman Dakota Jordan was thinking of entering the transfer portal.
Shortly after Mississippi State third baseman Slate Alford entered the portal, his close friend and teammate Jordan was rumored to be heading there also. It was confirmed on June 20 that Jordan would indeed follow Alford into the portal.
Just a day later, Jordan pulled his name out. He was remaining in Starkville.
“There are a lot of things behind the scenes that happened. There wasn’t a ton of conversation. He woke up and said ‘I’m a Mississippi State Bulldog.’ Always has been,” Lemonis said of Jordan. “He’s been committed since the eighth grade. It’s in his blood. He’s a wonderful kid. He’s working his tail off, and he’s as talented as there is.”
Lemonis got that news early on June 21 and the weight of the world was lifted off of his shoulders momentarily. A Freshman All-American in year one, Jordan was named to the SEC’s All-Freshman Team last season.
For as much as Jordan provided on the field, though, the simple adoration that he has for MSU means more to Lemonis, his staff and the Diamond Dawg fanbase. After listening to others tell him what they thought was best for him, Jordan decided he wanted to do what was best for himself.
“Just blocking out the outside noise. Everybody has an opinion about the life that they don’t live,” Jordan said. “This was my decision and I’m not going to let anybody take this moment away from me playing in front of the best fans in baseball.
“I’ve been committed here since 8th or 9th grade so the relationship that I’ve built with coach Gautreau and coach Lem over the years has been top notch,” Jordan said. “I don’t question their loyalty and they believe in me. They expect good things out of me so I’m going to give them what they want.”
Jordan primed for huge sophomore season
As happy as Lemonis was to keep the star outfielder on his team, Bulldog fans are the real winners here. State fans get to see the Jackson Academy alum at least one more year and – if this season is anything like the last – they’re in for a show.
Jordan hit a little bit of a snag earlier in the season as a freshman when he had to adjust to life on the college level. That meant a whole lot of breaking balls to try to take away Jordan’s natural ability to hit the fastball hard.
He adjusted in SEC play and would become one of the best young hitters in the league a season ago. Jordan finished year one starting in 41 of 44 games with a .307 batting average, a .575 slugging percentage, 47 hits, 10 home runs, nine doubles, one triple and 40 RBI.
The Mississippi native got to experience some high highs on the year with big hits like his game-winner against Ole Miss in front of a record-setting crowd at Dudy Noble Field on Super Bulldog Weekend. He experienced some lows as well, though, as the team finished with just nine SEC wins and managed to miss the SEC Tournament for the second-straight season.
The right fielder Jordan and his teammates are locked in on changing that this year. The Diamond Dawgs are hoping to get back on the horse and into postseason play. For Jordan, his aspirations go beyond just getting in the tournament. He’s ready to get the Bulldogs back to the top of college baseball where they belong.
“We talk about going to Omaha every day, honestly. I vision it every day. Whatever it takes, that’s my goal this year is to get to Omaha and not just get there, to win it. That’s how I feel and that’s how my team feels – we’re going to do everything in our power to get this program back to where it was,” Jordan said.
“Everybody is committed to doing their part and doing whatever it takes to help the team win. Not just trying to do your own thing. We’re going to bring it in together and lock it in.”