Mississippi State baseball coach Chris Lemonis addressed the media following the Bulldogs' 4-3 loss to Vanderbilt Thursday night. The transcript follows:
Question: What led to the changes in the starting lineup tonight?
Lemonis: Just trying to figure some things out, get some guys going, and put our hot guys together. We obviously have a couple of guys struggling a little bit. Just trying to shake it up and give it a different feel.
Question: What are you seeing from Dakota and Hunter at the plate right now?
Lemonis: Just presssing. Trying to do too much. That's what happens in this game. I hate it for them because it's such a fine time of year to play and they're struggling a little bit. They can be ready tomorrow. Just have to have the right mindset and attitude and come out here and compete.
Question: How much confidence do you have that they can turn it around?
Lemonis: They've been able to do it all year. They have bad games and come back and have good games. They're super talented players and they can get hot in an instant. Right now, they're just trying to do a little too much.
Question: What can you do to calm that process down?
Lemonis: Gaut's been trying to help them mechanically a little bit. I spoke to both of them today. You hate it for them. As happy as you are for Connor Hujsak for playing well on this stage, it's tough for the kid who's not playing. They've worked so hard to get to this moment. They need a couple of balls to hit their bat and find some holes and get going because we know how good they are.
Question: Do you think that ninth inning could spark something for tomorrow?
Lemonis: I hope so. We haven't been super offensive here but we're competing our tails off. We're in every game. And we had some big hits there. We have a tough match up tomorrow wotj a good team, so it will be fun.
Question: What did you see from Jurrangelo?
Lemonis: He was good. They played baseball on a couple, a bunt, a hit, an HBP, and then they get the big hit. You have to give them credit for that and they took that momentum. But I thought he was really good, his stuff was really good. He competed at a high level.
Question: What did you think about your back end to keep it competitive until the end?
Lemonis: Yeah, they were good. I think both guys came in and walked the first guys. That never makes the coach happy. But after that they settled down and pitched well. And gave us a chance to win.
Question: Where are you in the process of the bigger picture with this team?
Lemonis: We're coming out and trying to win tomorrow. If we win tomorrow, it solidifies us even more. We feel like we should host already. Our resume and winning 20 games in the hardest league in the country and finishing fifth. That gets you a chance to host. We want to got out tomorrow, play good, and show people we can beat Tennessee. They're one of the best teams in the country.
Question: Facing elimination, do you feel like you have a team that can respond to that?
Lemonis: I do. We've responded all year. It hasn't been an easy year for us at all. We're responded at every opportunity. I know they'll be ready to go tomorrow.
Question: What do you see out of Tennessee?
Lemonis: We have to scout all day tomorrow a little harder than we had to the first couple of days because you're working off your report from the regular season games. Now, we have to spend a lot more time watching video. We've seen them play a lot, watched them play today. You have one of the better offenses in the country. I'm sure we're facing Drew Beam tomorrow, and he's one of the top starters in the country.
Question: What goes into the quick turnaround after a late game?
Lemonis: Just getting rest. We play tomorrow night, maybe an hour earlier than what we've been playing. You're locking into some intense games, night after night. Just want their bodies to feel good and ready to go.
