Baseball Hot Board

[State82]

My concern with Bischel is that he seems to rely too much on playing small ball, and I don't think that style has a chance in hell of working in the SEC against teams like Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama who are coaching their hitters to mash the ball.

That is probably correct unless you have three Pico Kohns, a CWS caliber Will Bednar and a Landon Sims.

[StarkVegasSteve]

My concern with Bischel is that he seems to rely too much on playing small ball, and I don't think that style has a chance in hell of working in the SEC against teams like Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama who are coaching their hitters to mash the ball.

And that's why you interview him because I'm sure that's the first question that will be asked of him. How does your style translate to a league that favors the long ball?

[KB21]

And that's why you interview him because I'm sure that's the first question that will be asked of him. How does your style translate to a league that favors the long ball?

His Cincinnati team also isn't very good this year after getting into the top 25 early on. However, one of the things this team is lacking right now is a swagger/arrogance. That's something that, with the exception of a handful of players, just hasn't been there over the past four seasons. Bischel is a guy that has the kind of swagger/arrogance that we need.

[StarkVegasSteve]

His Cincinnati team also isn't very good this year after getting into the top 25 early on. However, one of the things this team is lacking right now is a swagger/arrogance. That's something that, with the exception of a handful of players, just hasn't been there over the past four seasons. Bischel is a guy that has the kind of swagger/arrogance that we need.

Yea he and his teams generally have an arrogance about them. I mean go back to the 19 Regional and their dugout is chirping at Small the entire time. They also play loose, which we DO NOT right now.

[Todd4State]

And that's what I'm trying to get at with my point since I think you called me out for hating Starkville, even though I give a good amount to NIL and have a damn condo in Starkville so I'm paying those wonderful property taxes. For us, that does sound fun. And it sounded fun when we were 18 as well. What I'm saying is that we knew about Starkville. We're from Mississippi. Our expectations were set. If you were like me, by the time you were a Freshman at Mississippi State you had been on campus and in Starkville, give or take, 100 times.

What I'm saying is that we have to grow our brand. We can't keep counting on people from Clarksdale to come to Mississippi State, go back home to Clarksdale after graduation, and spread the message of Mississippi State far and wide. We have to start recruiting kids from Dallas, Atlanta, Nashville, Charleston, etc. and have them go back after graduation to spread the message. Starkville's problem is one thing PERCEPTION. Is it going to be the greatest college town? Absolutely not. Space wise we are limited with how many spots we can have in the Cotton District unless some of the apartment complexes are torn down. But it can be looked at in more of an Oxford light if you spread the message. We have never attempted to do that. We're too worried about in state students. Ole Miss has a better brand than us because they embraced out of state. Not because Oxford is just that much better than Starkville.

Ole Miss has simply talked up Oxford while simultaneously talking down about Starkville and people at MSU and Starkville did nothing about it for years.

[StarkVegasSteve]

Ole Miss has simply talked up Oxford while simultaneously talking down about Starkville and people at MSU and Starkville did nothing about it for years.

But they've spread that message to Dallas, Austin, Atlanta, Nashville, Charleston, etc. And they've done it for 50+ years. That's the difference. If that message just stays in MS, then no one cares. But because it has spread to Highland Park, University Park, Buckhead, Johns Creek, Greenhills, Sylvan Park, Kiawah Island, and Isle of Palms it is believed as gospel. These wealthy people want to send their kids to "The Harvard of The South". Not Starkpatch. It's all about perception. We've just now started to try and fight that perception. Mostly thanks to Parker Wiseman and Lynn Spruill. They've stepped up and pushed Starkville into the 21st century, despite the objections of Mr. Alcohol is Evil himself Roy Perkins.

[HoopsDawg]

But they've spread that message to Dallas, Austin, Atlanta, Nashville, Charleston, etc. And they've done it for 50+ years. That's the difference. If that message just stays in MS, then no one cares. But because it has spread to Highland Park, University Park, Buckhead, Johns Creek, Greenhills, Sylvan Park, Kiawah Island, and Isle of Palms it is believed as gospel. These wealthy people want to send their kids to "The Harvard of The South". Not Starkpatch. It's all about perception. We've just now started to try and fight that perception. Mostly thanks to Parker Wiseman and Lynn Spruill. They've stepped up and pushed Starkville into the 21st century, despite the objections of Mr. Alcohol is Evil himself Roy Perkins.

Who cares? We aren't going to draw the same type of people that Ole Miss draws (thank goodness). And this thread is about MSU baseball. I promise you Starkville doesn't hinder us from finding 34 dudes to play baseball. Lemonis is signing top high school classes and top portal classes. Recruiting talent is not his problem. He is average at 50 other things.

[StarkVegasSteve]

Who cares? We aren't going to draw the same type of people that Ole Miss draws (thank goodness). And this thread is about MSU baseball. I promise you Starkville doesn't hinder us from finding 34 dudes to play baseball. Lemonis is signing top high school classes and top portal classes. Recruiting talent is not his problem. He is average at 50 other things.

I know what the thread is about, I started it. Recruiting Talent is his problem though. Over half our bullpen is a bunch of mental midgets who crap themselves any time they are put into a high leverage situation. Not to mention the fact that we left 29 people on base this weekend. Mental Toughness is part of talent and we have very little of that.

[HoopsDawg]

I know what the thread is about, I started it. Recruiting Talent is his problem though. Over half our bullpen is a bunch of mental midgets who crap themselves any time they are put into a high leverage situation. Not to mention the fact that we left 29 people on base this weekend. Mental Toughness is part of talent and we have very little of that.

Dude, that has literally nothing to do with Starkville. It has way more to do with his evaluations and laziness on the recruiting trail.

[StarkVegasSteve]

Dude, that has literally nothing to do with Starkville. It has way more to do with his evaluations and laziness on the recruiting trail.

I'm aware. I'm getting back on topic. The Starkville conversation is a whole other entity, which I conveniently started a new thread for. We're back to the hot board and why Lemonis can't recruit talent. You have said Recruiting talent isn't his problem and I refuted that because we have no mental toughness outside of about 5 players.

[Santiago]

Yea he and his teams generally have an arrogance about them. I mean go back to the 19 Regional and their dugout is chirping at Small the entire time. They also play loose, which we DO NOT right now.

I miss the recent years, such as Logan Tanner waving bye after throwing someone out. Only fun when they can back it up.
The teams in the past convinced they cannot lose when wearing a certain uni combo, and they didn't.

[cheewgumm]

No need to debate.

We have recruiting rankings.

[StarkVegasSteve]

I miss the recent years, such as Logan Tanner waving bye after throwing someone out. Only fun when they can back it up.
The teams in the past convinced they cannot lose when wearing a certain uni combo, and they didn't.

Yep. Whether it was Tanner waving goodbye to a runner, Sims staring down Bianco and yelling Our State at him, Ethan Small yelling at EVERY DUGOUT, Bednar with the Horns Down, or the voodoo magic in those all black uniforms we played with so much cockiness and confidence that others thought it was arrogance but it was not. They were just letting you know they were better than you. We do not have any players like that anymore. Our players look terrified in big moments.

[StarkVegasSteve]

No need to debate.

We have recruiting rankings.

Our average recruiting ranking over the last 4 years is between 15-20 depending on what site you use. Do we look like a top 15-20 team at the moment? Safe to say recruiting rankings might be a bit wrong. Some of that is coaching, but some of it is bad evals by our staff and the people evaluating the players.

[HoopsDawg]

You have said Recruiting talent isn't his problem and I refuted that because we have no mental toughness outside of about 5 players.

That's a culture issue.

[cheewgumm]

Our average recruiting ranking over the last 4 years is between 15-20 depending on what site you use. Do we look like a top 15-20 team at the moment? Safe to say recruiting rankings might be a bit wrong. Some of that is coaching, but some of it is bad evals by our staff and the people evaluating the players.

I agree we are not well coached and not taking advantage of talent . That is why the Lemonis era is about to end.

This debate is about can we get recruits to Starkville. We have and are set to again.

Our overall problem has more to do with the athletic department making bad hires and bad decisions and being kind of all around crappy. They just aren?t good.

It?s not Starkville fault they set up a. Huge cowbell and don?t anchor it.

It?s not Starkville fault the app stops working on big game day.

Stuff like that. They just do things poorly.

[StarkVegasSteve]

I agree we are not well coached and not taking advantage of talent . That is why the Lemonis era is about to end.

This debate is about can we get recruits to Starkville. We have and are set to again.

Our overall problem has more to do with the athletic department making bad hires and bad decisions and being kind of all around crappy. They just aren?t good.

It?s not Starkville fault they set up a. Huge cowbell and don?t anchor it.

It?s not Starkville fault the app stops working on big game day.

Stuff like that. They just do things poorly.

Out of all our gameday failures....this really goes above and beyond

[EdwardDrayton]

Yeah. Think we're going to have to let go a bit of this premise we have a bevy of talented players.

Upgrade the coaching and the players. Start with the coach now; whatever detrimental impact that will have short term, let's go ahead and get it behind us.

[KB21]

Mississippi State recruiting rankings according to Baseball America:
2025 - 5th
2024 - 18th
2023 - 7th
2022 - 9th
2021 - 10th

Talent isn't and hasn't been our issue.

[gtowndawg]

But they've spread that message to Dallas, Austin, Atlanta, Nashville, Charleston, etc. And they've done it for 50+ years. That's the difference. If that message just stays in MS, then no one cares. But because it has spread to Highland Park, University Park, Buckhead, Johns Creek, Greenhills, Sylvan Park, Kiawah Island, and Isle of Palms it is believed as gospel. These wealthy people want to send their kids to "The Harvard of The South". Not Starkpatch. It's all about perception. We've just now started to try and fight that perception. Mostly thanks to Parker Wiseman and Lynn Spruill. They've stepped up and pushed Starkville into the 21st century, despite the objections of Mr. Alcohol is Evil himself Roy Perkins.

Ole Miss and Oxford have done a wonderful job marketing themselves. There's nothing wrong with admitting that. We (State/Starkville) can learn a lot from them and we should.