The Southeastern 16 crew discusses Mississippi State fired baseball coach Chris Lemonis on Monday, April 28, topics include:

Lemonis leaves a legacy that includes a 2021 national championship. But the Bulldogs struggled since, failing to make the NCAA Tournament in 2022 and 2023 and failing to make it out of a regional in 2024. Lemonis was 232-135 overall and 82-89 in SEC play, but just 42-69 after winning a national title. He's owed approximately $1.2 million and is the second baseball coach MSU has fired this century.

Why did athletic director Zac Selmon make a change now? And are we surprised Lemonis was fired in-season?

Pitching coach Justin Parker will be the interim coach. What will that mean?

How attractive is the job in a more-competitive-than-ever SEC and does MSU have the budget to hire an elite coach? Who will the Bulldogs hire?

Potential candidates might include: Those with MSU ties: Georgia hitting coach Will Coggin (played at MSU), Kentucky coach Nick Mingione (MSU assistant from 2009-15), Auburn coach Butch Thompson (MSU assistant from 2009-15), Georgia coach Wes Johnson (pitching coach in 2016), Louisiana Tech coach Lane Burroughs (MSU assistant from 2009-12)

Sitting head coaches without MSU ties: Alabama’s Rob Vaughn, East Carolina’s Cliff Godwin, Clemson;s Erik Bakich, Kansas coach Dan Fitzgerald, Duke’s Chris Pollard, Dallas Baptist’s Dan Heefner and Wake Forest’s Tom Walter, Oklahoma’s Skip Johnson, Oregon State’s Mitch Carnham, North Carolina’s Scott Forbes, Oregon’s Scott Wasikowski

Current assistants without MSU ties: Tennessee hitting coach Josh Elander

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