Mississippi State coach Chris Lemonis discusses frustrating series loss to Ole Miss
After getting a big Friday night win, No. 22 Mississippi State fell apart the last two days.
State had a 7-3 lead in the eighth inning on Saturday and blew the game in extra innings. Sunday, matters were made worse as the Bulldogs were run-ruled 14-2 in just seven innings.
After the game, Chris Lemonis spoke to the media about the frustrating two days.
Question: Things turned for your team in the eighth inning on Saturday night. What happened?
CL: “I thought from the eighth inning when it did turn, they had a good inning or two but we fought our asses off last night. We just didn’t make it happen. What happens when you lose a walk off like that it gives the other team a lot of momentum and I think you tip your hats to Ole Miss. They took that momentum and played with it today.
“Emptying the bullpens last night had an impact on today. We’ve got to finish games out. We’ve had a couple of them in the league. We got four runs lead in the eight and leads in the ninth and we don’t finish it. It’s not just about pitching, it’s about everything. It’s about making plays.”
Q: What did you see out of Mason Nichols?
CL: “Just a steady mix. He was mixing everything so I think the steady mix was the biggest thing.”
Q: You had the tough series win last week after facing adversity but couldn’t do that this week. What are your thoughts about where your team is?
CL: “I think we’ve got a great team. We’re starting the second half of SEC play and get three of the series at home to finish the SEC slate. We’ve shown we can play with anybody. Last night we were playing as well as we can until we get to the eighth inning. We’ve got to continue that. We’ve got to continue to get better. The best teams keep improving through this and we’ve got to be a team that improves.”
Q: You said on Friday that Ole Miss would come out with a different attitude. What did you see from your guys and their approach after winning?
CL: “I thought our guys were still locked in, it’s just rivalry. Nobody is putting their heads down, nobody is feeling sorry for themselves. Everybody wants to win so bad in this. It is tougher, but the reality is you have to flush it. We can’t go back and play it again – it’s over. I told the team we’re going to move past this. We’re going to get back to practice and get ready for Super Bulldog Weekend.”
Q: You’re having trouble finding that designated hitter. What are your thoughts on what you’re not getting out of that spot in the lineup?
CL: “It’s killing me right now. We’ve got good players, just no one has taken it. Nobody wants to run with it. We just need quality at bats. I need some walks, I need some hard-hit balls. A hit or two is nice, but we’ve got to be able to situational hit. We have talented guys, for some reason or another the guys I’m putting in there just aren’t making it happen. We’ll figure out who’s going to get in there.”
Q: Is Dylan Cupp healthy?
CL: “He’s getting close. That would be a big help for us right now, but he wasn’t on the roster for us this weekend.”
Q: You had to take Johnny Long out, what happened there?
CL: “I think he was cramping. It was just kind of odd. He was having a cramp and I saw him back there, it looked like he was doing yoga. Where the score was and where the game was, we’ve got to be smart with him.”
