Mississippi State head coach Chris Lemonis has seen it time and time again in his career. The postseason starts, players try to do a little too much, hitters squeeze the life out of bat handles and the nerves impact performance.
Well Lemonis’ Bulldogs didn’t have that problem on Friday. State found production up and down its lineup as MSU topped Samford 8-4 to move into the winner’s bracket of the Starkville Regional. When it came time to start their postseason push, the Bulldogs and their bats were ready.
“We didn’t get too big,” Lemonis said. “Sometimes in this opening game of a tournament, everybody’s trying to swing a little too hard and do some things. Our approach was just to stay on balls, make them make plays and I thought our guys did a great job with that.”
Mississippi State now moves into the winner’s bracket on Saturday night to face the winner of the VCU-Campbell game. Lemonis, along with starting pitcher Will Bednar and Luke Hancock, met with the media following the game to discuss the win. Video is courtesy of the SEC.