Chris Lemonis talks Friday win vs. UGA: Eighth inning spark, Khal Stephen's impact, the team's fight and more
Some late inning offense would make for a comfortable ninth inning as No. 23 Mississippi State was able to deliver a 6-1 Friday night win over Georgia.
David Mershon’s bunt single with two outs in the eighth sparked four-straight base runners and saw an RBI single from Hunter Hines and three-run home run by Connor Hujsak that would give State breathing room. A stout start from Khal Stephen and scoreless relief effort from Cam Schuelke would carry the team most of the way.
After the victory, head coach Chris Lemonis spoke to the media about the win.
Question: What did you see in the eighth inning for your team to extend that lead?
CL: “Just some great at bats. Mersh gets the bunt. Hunter Hines, as talented and powerful, he’s a really pure hitter and we’ve been waiting for one of those swings for a while. I thought that was probably the play of the game – him staying on the ball and driving it through the left side. Obviously, Connor fought through that one and you could see our dugout explode because we were pretty anemic for those middle innings.
“They had done a really good job. They pitched on the edges all night. We didn’t do much down the middle of the plate and they did a really nice job and kind of held us at bay. You can be offensive really quick. Three or four at bats in a row and you can win a ball game. It’s fun to see.”
Q: What has been different from Khal Stephen since the LSU game?
CL: He’s getting better. If you notice, his curveball was really good tonight which you have to have. This lineup is scary, especially all of the right handers they have in there. The slider is better. He’s always located the fastball and I think he’s getting going earlier. The two outings that he struggled in he struggled early. He’s come out and been very attentive to that just being sharp and ready to go. I thought he was great early and late.”
Q: Going back to the eighth inning, how many times does it feel like Mersh is the sparkplug for you guys and was that his call on the bunt?
CL: “That’s totally his call. I’ll call some, but that one was his. He’s in the middle of everything and then he’s running and the pitcher is looking at him. He causes havoc out there. He’s a fun player.”
Q: One of the key plays of the game was Connor Hujsak going first to third and then scoring in the second inning. What can you say about the job he did?
CL: “He’s a super athletic kid. I don’t know if you saw us last week at Florida but we did the same thing. A lot of teams in the SEC like to play deep and so we’ve said we’re going to go first to third on as many as we can. He did an excellent job. That’s an extra run in the game.”
Q: UGA had a late scratch with starting pitcher Charlie Goldstein not throwing. How much did that change your gameplan?
CL: “We found out this morning so it wasn’t too late. We were able to prepare. Their coach had called ahead when they found out so we got to the office this morning and we knew. It wasn’t as big as a deal. We probably would have been better off facing Charlie even though Charlie is really good. One of the best lefthanders in our league.”
Q: Can we expect to see Cam Schuelke Saturday and Sunday?
CL: “I don’t know about tomorrow but he will be ready to pitch when he’s needed. He’s got that rubber arm. It was pretty impressive what he did out there tonight.”
Q: Seems like since SEC play started Connor has really become a better hitter. What has been the difference for him?
CL: “I think it’s probably just comfort. Being out there every day and just being confident in himself. You can tell early in the year he was kind of feeling his way through. Right now, there’s a lot of good things going on in the ball game. He hasn’t played centerfield long. He’s crazy athletic and can do a lot of things for you. He reminds me a lot of Jordan Westburg with the body type and the way he runs and moves around and he has a really strong arm. He can do a little bit of everything.”
Q: What did it mean for Schuelke’s confidence to get that out of Charlie Condon in the 7th?
CL: “Cam Schuelke’s confidence is always (high) so I don’t know if that changes anything. He’s probably the most confident kid I’ve got. It was a big moment in the game. That guy is scary. I feel like in the last couple of weeks I feel like I’ve seen the best hitters I’ve seen in my life – Tommy White, (Jace Laviollete), (Braden Montgomery), (Jac Caglianone) and now you’ve got Charlie Condon and all the other great hitters in their lineup. Our league has some really special hitters right now. But that was a great pitch by Cam. Big play in the game.”
Q: Why do you think this team is able to respond this year as opposed to the last couple of years?
CL: “It’s a lot chemistry. We’re growing. We’re about at the halfway point and how much better can we get? Look at all the adversity that we’ve had to go through at this point and they still come out and play hard and love each other. It’s a tight, tight group.”
Q: How much better did you feel to have a little pressure off of you in the ninth?
CL: “You know what’s amazing? It doesn’t feel any easier. Even with the four (runs). It does give you a little bit of a gap and let you relax and you’re not as pressed. It was good, we needed that. We look back at last week, and yeah you could have pitched better in the ninth, but we could have added on earlier. I think people forget that. Our ability to add on there and make it a non-pressure situation was huge.”
