Mangum was named an All-American by seven publications in 2016.
Cannizaro Talks Practice; Mangum Receives Third Preseason All-America Honor
January 31, 2017 | Baseball
STARKVILLE, Miss. – With team practice underway Mississippi State head baseball coach Andy Cannizaro met with the media, while sophomore outfielder Jake Mangum was named a Preseason All-American for the third time in 2017 and the second time in as many days.
Cannizaro talked about the start to spring, how the Diamond Dawgs' are adapting to his offensive philosophy and gave insight into key positions on the 2017 roster. A full transcript of Cannizaro's press conference can be found below.
Mangum, the 2016 Southeastern Conference Batting Champ and Freshman of the Year, was named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association's first team following a pair of second team honors from Baseball America and Perfect Game. Earlier this month, Perfect Game listed Mangum No. 25 on its list of Top 100 college sophomores.
Cannizaro, Mangum and the rest of the Diamond Dawgs will begin the 2017 season at Dudy Noble Field on Feb. 17 at 4 p.m. CT against 2016 College World Series participant Texas Tech.
For more information, follow the program on Twitter, like them on Facebook and join them on Instagram by searching for "HailStateBB." You can also find all-access coverage of the program on SnapChat by searching for "HailStateSnap."
Preseason Accolades
OF – Jake Mangum – So.
NCBWA Preseason All-American (First Team)
Perfect Game Preseason All-American (Second Team)
Baseball America Preseason All-American (Second Team)
OF – Brent Rooker – RJr.
Collegiate Baseball Preseason All-American (Third Team)
Below are quotes from Cannizaro's press conference:
Opening Statement…
"First of all, thanks everybody for being here today. We had an outstanding three days of practice that began last Friday. There is a lot of high-energy bringing it every day. One of the biggest things that I have talked about is that every time we hit the field, our players have an opportunity to show a brand-new head coach and staff who is capable of going out there and winning a starting job and helping Mississippi State University win the 2017 SEC championship. One of the biggest things I have tried to do is create an environment where our guys are constantly competing for playing time. I am a big believer in bringing it every single day. There are jobs to be won. There are at-bats and innings to be won. There are jobs that are still wide-open and we are less than three weeks away from the season. I think that is a good thing because I think it fosters an environment where guys know that every time they come to the field, they have an opportunity to earn playing time. I think that the best thing you can do is create a culture where guys want to show up to practice and guys want to bring it every day. They have the opportunity to grab their glove and run out on the field on opening night and be in that starting lineup. It was an outstanding three days and I loved the energy. Pitchers threw strikes. Hitters were highly aggressive and highly offensive. We defended at a really high level. It was an outstanding three days of baseball. We have talked about, from the very beginning, that less than three weeks from now, we have four games we have to play in three days. It is a 72-hour span where you have a minimum of 36 innings of baseball. We have to get ourselves ready for long weekends ahead of us. We are certainly out on the field every day. We have high expectations for a great day today. We will continue to work hard and get ready to play Texas Tech in a few weeks."
On the pitching staff…
"When we talk about the competition standpoint, I had a really long conversation with our pitchers the other day in terms of, there are only four or five guys that are returning who carried a bulk of the weight in last year's 2016 SEC championship team. We are fortunate enough to bring back a Konnor Pilkington as a sophomore this year who pitched a large amount of innings in the SEC in a starting role. We feel great about what he is going to bring to our team and the innings. He is a 6-foot-3 225-pound innings-eater type of guy who is going to run his fastball into the low-to-mid-90s with a plus breaking ball and a feel for a changeup. His work ethic and leadership is off the charts. I have been extremely impressed with everything that Konnor Pilkington has done so far. I have the utmost confidence right now in Konnor on a Friday night, so to speak. One of the strengths of our team is going to be the depth of our bullpen, where you are talking about guys like Blake Smith, (Ryan) Rigby and guys that impacted the team last year and are back this year. I think we will be outstanding on Friday nights. I think our bullpen is going to be a really big strength of our team. There is a massive amount of competition for the rest of those innings each and every day. Every time our pitcher picks up the ball I talk to him about it being an opportunity to open eyes. Everybody is getting equal mound time right now. Everybody has that chance to go out there and win innings. Everybody has a chance to earn the opportunity to take the baseball on that opening weekend. In the season, there are so many ups and downs that, inevitably, it doesn't matter who runs out there on Friday night, the lineup is going to be different over the course of the weekend. It is an ongoing battle for at-bats and for innings on the mound, but it is one that our guys are really embracing out there on the field each and every day."
On creating the culture he wants for his program…
"One of the things that is going to help me establish the culture that I want to have is that last year's club lost so many guys. We have a really young team and really inexperienced team. This is probably the best time and the perfect time for a new coach coming in and establish that culture and establishing the types of day-to-day expectations that each and every guy needs to have if they want to have the privilege and honor of putting on a Mississippi State baseball jersey every day. I think the timing of it allows me to instill a lot of the values that I want to have and that I think are more important for our guys moving forward."
On the values he wants to instill in his program…
"The opportunity to earn and compete for playing time is there every day. It is about never letting those players who get three hits in Friday's intrasquad coast into Saturday's intrasquad because they had a good day before. We preach non-stop as an offensive unit being highly offensive and aggressive. We have the biggest scoreboard in the country and our plans are to light the scoreboard up every time we turn that thing on. I can't allow those guys to get complacent and rely on what they did yesterday. If we want to be a great offense, you have to bring it every day. You have to show up each and every day ready to be a great offensive team. There are going to be different guys in the lineup every day. You are going to have a steady influx of guys in that lineup all the time. It needs to be a top-to-bottom offensive game plan. That culture we talk about all the time is being aggressive, playing fast, putting pressure on the defense, and not striking out when you get to two strikes. We talk all the time about once you get to two strikes, it is an absolute fistfight in the batter's box. We are not going to strike out. We are going to put the ball in play and make somebody on the other team pick up the ball and throw us out. Once we buy into that and do that, that is when you get 27 really tough outs during the course of a road game and hopefully 27 really tough outs when we are at home right here at Dudy Noble."
On Jake Mangum…
"Jake Mangum is a stud. He is a bonafide superstar in college baseball right now. He won the batting title in the SEC as a freshman. He showed up from Jackson Prep and won the batting title. With that comes a lot of respect from his teammates in terms of his day-to-day work ethic. What allowed him to have that type of success? Like I said, we have such a young team that is full of inexperience. Those guys can look at him and see his daily work in the Palmeiro Center before practice, on the field during optional work. They can see how he goes about his business tracking fly balls in centerfield and seeing the focus and tunnel vision he has every day that he steps in the box during BP. The biggest thing about this league is that anybody can be good on a Friday or a Tuesday night. We want guys that baseball is the most important thing to them when they show up to the field every day. We want our guys to be the very best student-athletes they can possibly be. We want our guys to make the highest GPA they are capable of doing. We have goals in the classroom and goals off the field, but I want our guys that when they show up to the field every day, put on this uniform and go on that field, baseball is the most important thing in their life during that three, four or five-hour period that we are practicing or playing. When we can get our team to have that type of mindset, then I think these young kids are really going to take off and you will see a talented group of young players play at a really high ceiling this year."
On Logan Cooke's progress after being away from baseball for three years…
"We are certainly honored that Logan wanted to come out. He came into my office a couple of weeks ago and told me that he pitched in high school and he wanted to come out and see where he stood. He is a big, strong, left-handed kid on the mound. He has thrown strikes for us since he has been here. He got his first inning of intrasquads the other day and he threw strikes. He competed and gave his team a chance to win the game. He has been an outstanding kid for us and a really good leader for us. He brings that 'football mentality' to the baseball field every day where he is not going to back down. He is going to bring it every day. He is certainly competing for a roster spot right now. In a big picture, he is probably a little bit behind most of our full-time baseball guys who have been on the field every day. I think his athleticism has allowed him to have some success without spending nearly as much time on the mound as the rest of our pitchers."
On freshmen Riley Self, Graham Ashcraft and Dustin Skelton…
"Both (Graham Ashcraft and Dustin Skelton) have been outstanding. Riley Self has been outstanding. Those three freshmen have a chance to be three of the better freshmen in the league this year. Two of them are certainly big, strong-armed right-handed pitchers. Graham Ashcraft is going to run his fastball to 98 or 99 miles an hour. Every time I have seen him pitch he has thrown it anywhere from 94 to 98 every time out. His secondary stuff is getting better each and every time. He is just a young 18-19-year old freshman right now who has to learn how to pitch and have success in this league. Riley Self is built out of the same mold right now. He is a big, strong kid from north Mississippi. His fastball is going to be up to 94-95 miles an hour with incredible movement. You are talking about a fastball, cutter, slider guy that attacks the zone. He has a great tempo and works fast. He is a guy that our defense loves to play behind. I love when I get the chance to watch him pitch. He just attacks guys and the innings go quick. He really gets out on the mound with confidence and I have been very impressed with him. Dustin Skelton has done a great job with us in terms of being versatile. He can catch and play third. His at-bats have been outstanding since he has shown up here on campus. He has barreled up a lot of balls over the course of this weekend. He is a guys that has a chance to have a lot of impact on our team here in year one. Those are three freshman young guys that are going to be asked to do a lot for this program in year one. They are certainly capable of it with their ability, but they are also three kids with tremendous makeup and work ethic that are going to have a chance to be really good leaders in our program moving forward as well."
On freshman C/3B Dustin Skelton…
"I think (Skelton) is one of the guys who has really benefited from the approach and attitude of 'there are no guaranteed starting jobs right now.' Everything on the field is up for grabs every single day. A guy like Dustin Skelton can catch, play third and give quality at-bats. He is a guy that is fighting every single day for the opportunity to grab his glove and run out onto the field on opening night. I feel really good about Dustin Skelton. I think he is going to be an incredible player at Mississippi State and am really glad he is on our team. He has a chance to be a star in the SEC the next couple of years."
On the battle at catcher…
"I think the catching position is probably one of the most important spots on the field. You are only a foul-tip off the thumb or wrist from being down to your second guy. We have three guys that I feel extremely confident in with (Josh) Lovelady, (Dustin) Skelton and Elih Marrero. I think all three are competing daily for playing time. I would expect all three of those guys to play opening weekend. It is going to be an ongoing battle of who can go out there and win the job when the lights come on starting February 17. Our offensive aggressiveness has created an opportunity for our catchers to really throw, be confident in throwing the ball to second base or third base. We are going to put pressure on the defense. You have to start that today, last week and the first week that I got here. Our pitching staff knows we are running, which is allowing those guys to be quicker to the plate. Our catchers know we are running, so it allows them to know that each time they have the opportunity to throw a guy out, they have an opportunity to impress the new coach. It is a three-fold thing right now, where offensively, we are building the type of game we are going to play in terms of being aggressive on the basepaths. Pitching staff-wise, it is forcing guys to be quicker to the plate and catchers are getting the chance to throw all day long. It has really helped our team in terms of getting our guys better on the mound, behind the plate and forcing us to be better at the plate knowing that our pitchers are coming to the plate because they know we are running. The offensive aggressive is something that I really believe in. It is the way I played the game a long time ago. I just believe in putting the pressure on 18-22 year-old kids and forcing them to handle the baseball and deliver the ball home in a quick time. It forces the catcher to get the ball out of his glove and deliver a strike to second. If they can't do that, we are going to run and steal bases. We have led the SEC the last two years in stolen bases at LSU. The year before I got there they stole, I think, 45 bases. The two years after we stole 130 and 100 bases. We are going to run and put pressure on the defense. We have guys that can run. I am very fortunate to have guys that can run and they are excited about the style of baseball we are going to play."
On the style of offensive baseball he wants to play…
"I really believe that hitting is more mentality than it is the aesthetics of someone's swing. Everybody is going to have a different swing. Everybody has the same swing today that they had at eight or nine years old when they were hitting in the backyard. Your swing is so much muscle memory that it is so hard to overhaul a college kid's swing. What I have always thought that you have to do is that you have to create a game plan for each kid. How is that particular person's swing going to allow them to have success? Maybe they are not going to hit the breaking ball well. If they are not a good breaking ball hitter, we are going hunt the fastball. Don't miss the fastball and get in the box ready to hit. If a guy has a lot of power to the pull-side and doesn't hit the ball very well the other way, we are going to get the head out and drive the ball with authority and impact to the pull-side. One of the things that I like to do is watch and study our guys and come up with a game plan, outline or itinerary of each guy on our team and go over it with them. We talk all the time in our hitter's meetings about becoming an expert at your game. No hitting coach in the world is going to know a hitter's swing better than the individual that has been doing it since they were five years old. You have a lot of coaches out there who can help kids become better with their current swings. It takes time and everybody being on the same page. You need to be able to earn your players' trust that you can help them become a better player. That is one of the things that we really want to do here is that I want to be able to earn our players' trust that I can help those guys become better hitters and become productive college performers."
On sophomore 1B Cole Gordon and junior OF Tanner Poole…
"Cole Gordon hit three home runs this past weekend—three majestic bombs. He took a lefty-lefty fastball from Konnor Pilkington and almost hit it into the road in right field. One thing about Cole is that he is about as big and strong as you are going to find in the SEC. He has incredible power to the pull-side. One of the things I wanted to do with Cole when I first got here is talk to him about is being aggressive and staying aggressive. Every single day Cole Gordon picks up the bat, he has one goal in mind and that is to get the head of the bat out, drive the ball and pull the baseball to the pull-side. It doesn't mean every swing, he is trying to lift the baseball over the fence and hit the new scoreboard, but it means his mentality and aggressiveness towards hitting needed to improve. I tell him, 'Cole, I don't care if you pop it up or fly out. You need to get in the box at 6-foot-4, 240 pounds and drive the baseball.' He has really bought into it. He comes out and is the first one on the field almost every day. He is always hitting and has really bought into it. He hits three home runs the very first weekend. He is flying around the field and playing with a lot of confidence. He has been outstanding and he had a great weekend for us. Tanner Poole is a phenomenal defensive outfielder. He can really go get the baseball in the outfield. Tanner is another guy that we really wanted to talk to about being aggressive and trying to be a more impactful offensive player. (We tell him to) fly around the field and have confidence and let us see how fast he is. He is one of our best 60-yard dash guys. He is a 6.3/6.4 runner in the 60, which is incredible. He is doing it and he continues to see the need to play with more confidence, put a smile on his face every day, fly around the field and be the best defensive outfielder we have. In the meantime, his offensive game keeps getting better and better. He is a guy who is competing for playing time every single day as well."
On balancing aggressiveness with working pitch counts…
"I think walking is a byproduct of being an aggressive hitter. When the reputation gets around that guys are 'patient,' it usually means that hitters are taking pitches and hitters are looking at 0-1 or 0-2 counts for three hours. It is really hard to hit in this game when you are behind in the count. When you establish an aggressive environment, it doesn't mean that we are swinging at every ball that is thrown. It is getting in the box ready to hit and ready to impact the baseball when you step in the box. That starts in optional work every day. That carries over into BP every day and our game at-bats every day. It is not something that you can just flip on February 17 when the lights come on. We have a rule in our cage and in our program now, that if you get in the cage and foul off the first ball, you are late, top it or take some kind of lazy swing and hit the ball to the opposite field, you get out of the cage. I tell guys all the time, 'I am not mad at you. I don't dislike you. I think you are an awesome kid. You just simply weren't ready to hit so now you have to go to the back of the line and make sure you are ready to hit when you get in this box. I really believe that anything and everything good that happens offensively comes from an aggressive mindset. You can't be passive or tentative. Hitting is an offensive, aggressive thing, so we try to create that each and every day."
Cannizaro talked about the start to spring, how the Diamond Dawgs' are adapting to his offensive philosophy and gave insight into key positions on the 2017 roster. A full transcript of Cannizaro's press conference can be found below.
Mangum, the 2016 Southeastern Conference Batting Champ and Freshman of the Year, was named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association's first team following a pair of second team honors from Baseball America and Perfect Game. Earlier this month, Perfect Game listed Mangum No. 25 on its list of Top 100 college sophomores.
Cannizaro, Mangum and the rest of the Diamond Dawgs will begin the 2017 season at Dudy Noble Field on Feb. 17 at 4 p.m. CT against 2016 College World Series participant Texas Tech.
For more information, follow the program on Twitter, like them on Facebook and join them on Instagram by searching for "HailStateBB." You can also find all-access coverage of the program on SnapChat by searching for "HailStateSnap."
Preseason Accolades
OF – Jake Mangum – So.
NCBWA Preseason All-American (First Team)
Perfect Game Preseason All-American (Second Team)
Baseball America Preseason All-American (Second Team)
OF – Brent Rooker – RJr.
Collegiate Baseball Preseason All-American (Third Team)
Below are quotes from Cannizaro's press conference:
Opening Statement…
"First of all, thanks everybody for being here today. We had an outstanding three days of practice that began last Friday. There is a lot of high-energy bringing it every day. One of the biggest things that I have talked about is that every time we hit the field, our players have an opportunity to show a brand-new head coach and staff who is capable of going out there and winning a starting job and helping Mississippi State University win the 2017 SEC championship. One of the biggest things I have tried to do is create an environment where our guys are constantly competing for playing time. I am a big believer in bringing it every single day. There are jobs to be won. There are at-bats and innings to be won. There are jobs that are still wide-open and we are less than three weeks away from the season. I think that is a good thing because I think it fosters an environment where guys know that every time they come to the field, they have an opportunity to earn playing time. I think that the best thing you can do is create a culture where guys want to show up to practice and guys want to bring it every day. They have the opportunity to grab their glove and run out on the field on opening night and be in that starting lineup. It was an outstanding three days and I loved the energy. Pitchers threw strikes. Hitters were highly aggressive and highly offensive. We defended at a really high level. It was an outstanding three days of baseball. We have talked about, from the very beginning, that less than three weeks from now, we have four games we have to play in three days. It is a 72-hour span where you have a minimum of 36 innings of baseball. We have to get ourselves ready for long weekends ahead of us. We are certainly out on the field every day. We have high expectations for a great day today. We will continue to work hard and get ready to play Texas Tech in a few weeks."
On the pitching staff…
"When we talk about the competition standpoint, I had a really long conversation with our pitchers the other day in terms of, there are only four or five guys that are returning who carried a bulk of the weight in last year's 2016 SEC championship team. We are fortunate enough to bring back a Konnor Pilkington as a sophomore this year who pitched a large amount of innings in the SEC in a starting role. We feel great about what he is going to bring to our team and the innings. He is a 6-foot-3 225-pound innings-eater type of guy who is going to run his fastball into the low-to-mid-90s with a plus breaking ball and a feel for a changeup. His work ethic and leadership is off the charts. I have been extremely impressed with everything that Konnor Pilkington has done so far. I have the utmost confidence right now in Konnor on a Friday night, so to speak. One of the strengths of our team is going to be the depth of our bullpen, where you are talking about guys like Blake Smith, (Ryan) Rigby and guys that impacted the team last year and are back this year. I think we will be outstanding on Friday nights. I think our bullpen is going to be a really big strength of our team. There is a massive amount of competition for the rest of those innings each and every day. Every time our pitcher picks up the ball I talk to him about it being an opportunity to open eyes. Everybody is getting equal mound time right now. Everybody has that chance to go out there and win innings. Everybody has a chance to earn the opportunity to take the baseball on that opening weekend. In the season, there are so many ups and downs that, inevitably, it doesn't matter who runs out there on Friday night, the lineup is going to be different over the course of the weekend. It is an ongoing battle for at-bats and for innings on the mound, but it is one that our guys are really embracing out there on the field each and every day."
On creating the culture he wants for his program…
"One of the things that is going to help me establish the culture that I want to have is that last year's club lost so many guys. We have a really young team and really inexperienced team. This is probably the best time and the perfect time for a new coach coming in and establish that culture and establishing the types of day-to-day expectations that each and every guy needs to have if they want to have the privilege and honor of putting on a Mississippi State baseball jersey every day. I think the timing of it allows me to instill a lot of the values that I want to have and that I think are more important for our guys moving forward."
On the values he wants to instill in his program…
"The opportunity to earn and compete for playing time is there every day. It is about never letting those players who get three hits in Friday's intrasquad coast into Saturday's intrasquad because they had a good day before. We preach non-stop as an offensive unit being highly offensive and aggressive. We have the biggest scoreboard in the country and our plans are to light the scoreboard up every time we turn that thing on. I can't allow those guys to get complacent and rely on what they did yesterday. If we want to be a great offense, you have to bring it every day. You have to show up each and every day ready to be a great offensive team. There are going to be different guys in the lineup every day. You are going to have a steady influx of guys in that lineup all the time. It needs to be a top-to-bottom offensive game plan. That culture we talk about all the time is being aggressive, playing fast, putting pressure on the defense, and not striking out when you get to two strikes. We talk all the time about once you get to two strikes, it is an absolute fistfight in the batter's box. We are not going to strike out. We are going to put the ball in play and make somebody on the other team pick up the ball and throw us out. Once we buy into that and do that, that is when you get 27 really tough outs during the course of a road game and hopefully 27 really tough outs when we are at home right here at Dudy Noble."
On Jake Mangum…
"Jake Mangum is a stud. He is a bonafide superstar in college baseball right now. He won the batting title in the SEC as a freshman. He showed up from Jackson Prep and won the batting title. With that comes a lot of respect from his teammates in terms of his day-to-day work ethic. What allowed him to have that type of success? Like I said, we have such a young team that is full of inexperience. Those guys can look at him and see his daily work in the Palmeiro Center before practice, on the field during optional work. They can see how he goes about his business tracking fly balls in centerfield and seeing the focus and tunnel vision he has every day that he steps in the box during BP. The biggest thing about this league is that anybody can be good on a Friday or a Tuesday night. We want guys that baseball is the most important thing to them when they show up to the field every day. We want our guys to be the very best student-athletes they can possibly be. We want our guys to make the highest GPA they are capable of doing. We have goals in the classroom and goals off the field, but I want our guys that when they show up to the field every day, put on this uniform and go on that field, baseball is the most important thing in their life during that three, four or five-hour period that we are practicing or playing. When we can get our team to have that type of mindset, then I think these young kids are really going to take off and you will see a talented group of young players play at a really high ceiling this year."
On Logan Cooke's progress after being away from baseball for three years…
"We are certainly honored that Logan wanted to come out. He came into my office a couple of weeks ago and told me that he pitched in high school and he wanted to come out and see where he stood. He is a big, strong, left-handed kid on the mound. He has thrown strikes for us since he has been here. He got his first inning of intrasquads the other day and he threw strikes. He competed and gave his team a chance to win the game. He has been an outstanding kid for us and a really good leader for us. He brings that 'football mentality' to the baseball field every day where he is not going to back down. He is going to bring it every day. He is certainly competing for a roster spot right now. In a big picture, he is probably a little bit behind most of our full-time baseball guys who have been on the field every day. I think his athleticism has allowed him to have some success without spending nearly as much time on the mound as the rest of our pitchers."
On freshmen Riley Self, Graham Ashcraft and Dustin Skelton…
"Both (Graham Ashcraft and Dustin Skelton) have been outstanding. Riley Self has been outstanding. Those three freshmen have a chance to be three of the better freshmen in the league this year. Two of them are certainly big, strong-armed right-handed pitchers. Graham Ashcraft is going to run his fastball to 98 or 99 miles an hour. Every time I have seen him pitch he has thrown it anywhere from 94 to 98 every time out. His secondary stuff is getting better each and every time. He is just a young 18-19-year old freshman right now who has to learn how to pitch and have success in this league. Riley Self is built out of the same mold right now. He is a big, strong kid from north Mississippi. His fastball is going to be up to 94-95 miles an hour with incredible movement. You are talking about a fastball, cutter, slider guy that attacks the zone. He has a great tempo and works fast. He is a guy that our defense loves to play behind. I love when I get the chance to watch him pitch. He just attacks guys and the innings go quick. He really gets out on the mound with confidence and I have been very impressed with him. Dustin Skelton has done a great job with us in terms of being versatile. He can catch and play third. His at-bats have been outstanding since he has shown up here on campus. He has barreled up a lot of balls over the course of this weekend. He is a guys that has a chance to have a lot of impact on our team here in year one. Those are three freshman young guys that are going to be asked to do a lot for this program in year one. They are certainly capable of it with their ability, but they are also three kids with tremendous makeup and work ethic that are going to have a chance to be really good leaders in our program moving forward as well."
On freshman C/3B Dustin Skelton…
"I think (Skelton) is one of the guys who has really benefited from the approach and attitude of 'there are no guaranteed starting jobs right now.' Everything on the field is up for grabs every single day. A guy like Dustin Skelton can catch, play third and give quality at-bats. He is a guy that is fighting every single day for the opportunity to grab his glove and run out onto the field on opening night. I feel really good about Dustin Skelton. I think he is going to be an incredible player at Mississippi State and am really glad he is on our team. He has a chance to be a star in the SEC the next couple of years."
On the battle at catcher…
"I think the catching position is probably one of the most important spots on the field. You are only a foul-tip off the thumb or wrist from being down to your second guy. We have three guys that I feel extremely confident in with (Josh) Lovelady, (Dustin) Skelton and Elih Marrero. I think all three are competing daily for playing time. I would expect all three of those guys to play opening weekend. It is going to be an ongoing battle of who can go out there and win the job when the lights come on starting February 17. Our offensive aggressiveness has created an opportunity for our catchers to really throw, be confident in throwing the ball to second base or third base. We are going to put pressure on the defense. You have to start that today, last week and the first week that I got here. Our pitching staff knows we are running, which is allowing those guys to be quicker to the plate. Our catchers know we are running, so it allows them to know that each time they have the opportunity to throw a guy out, they have an opportunity to impress the new coach. It is a three-fold thing right now, where offensively, we are building the type of game we are going to play in terms of being aggressive on the basepaths. Pitching staff-wise, it is forcing guys to be quicker to the plate and catchers are getting the chance to throw all day long. It has really helped our team in terms of getting our guys better on the mound, behind the plate and forcing us to be better at the plate knowing that our pitchers are coming to the plate because they know we are running. The offensive aggressive is something that I really believe in. It is the way I played the game a long time ago. I just believe in putting the pressure on 18-22 year-old kids and forcing them to handle the baseball and deliver the ball home in a quick time. It forces the catcher to get the ball out of his glove and deliver a strike to second. If they can't do that, we are going to run and steal bases. We have led the SEC the last two years in stolen bases at LSU. The year before I got there they stole, I think, 45 bases. The two years after we stole 130 and 100 bases. We are going to run and put pressure on the defense. We have guys that can run. I am very fortunate to have guys that can run and they are excited about the style of baseball we are going to play."
On the style of offensive baseball he wants to play…
"I really believe that hitting is more mentality than it is the aesthetics of someone's swing. Everybody is going to have a different swing. Everybody has the same swing today that they had at eight or nine years old when they were hitting in the backyard. Your swing is so much muscle memory that it is so hard to overhaul a college kid's swing. What I have always thought that you have to do is that you have to create a game plan for each kid. How is that particular person's swing going to allow them to have success? Maybe they are not going to hit the breaking ball well. If they are not a good breaking ball hitter, we are going hunt the fastball. Don't miss the fastball and get in the box ready to hit. If a guy has a lot of power to the pull-side and doesn't hit the ball very well the other way, we are going to get the head out and drive the ball with authority and impact to the pull-side. One of the things that I like to do is watch and study our guys and come up with a game plan, outline or itinerary of each guy on our team and go over it with them. We talk all the time in our hitter's meetings about becoming an expert at your game. No hitting coach in the world is going to know a hitter's swing better than the individual that has been doing it since they were five years old. You have a lot of coaches out there who can help kids become better with their current swings. It takes time and everybody being on the same page. You need to be able to earn your players' trust that you can help them become a better player. That is one of the things that we really want to do here is that I want to be able to earn our players' trust that I can help those guys become better hitters and become productive college performers."
On sophomore 1B Cole Gordon and junior OF Tanner Poole…
"Cole Gordon hit three home runs this past weekend—three majestic bombs. He took a lefty-lefty fastball from Konnor Pilkington and almost hit it into the road in right field. One thing about Cole is that he is about as big and strong as you are going to find in the SEC. He has incredible power to the pull-side. One of the things I wanted to do with Cole when I first got here is talk to him about is being aggressive and staying aggressive. Every single day Cole Gordon picks up the bat, he has one goal in mind and that is to get the head of the bat out, drive the ball and pull the baseball to the pull-side. It doesn't mean every swing, he is trying to lift the baseball over the fence and hit the new scoreboard, but it means his mentality and aggressiveness towards hitting needed to improve. I tell him, 'Cole, I don't care if you pop it up or fly out. You need to get in the box at 6-foot-4, 240 pounds and drive the baseball.' He has really bought into it. He comes out and is the first one on the field almost every day. He is always hitting and has really bought into it. He hits three home runs the very first weekend. He is flying around the field and playing with a lot of confidence. He has been outstanding and he had a great weekend for us. Tanner Poole is a phenomenal defensive outfielder. He can really go get the baseball in the outfield. Tanner is another guy that we really wanted to talk to about being aggressive and trying to be a more impactful offensive player. (We tell him to) fly around the field and have confidence and let us see how fast he is. He is one of our best 60-yard dash guys. He is a 6.3/6.4 runner in the 60, which is incredible. He is doing it and he continues to see the need to play with more confidence, put a smile on his face every day, fly around the field and be the best defensive outfielder we have. In the meantime, his offensive game keeps getting better and better. He is a guy who is competing for playing time every single day as well."
On balancing aggressiveness with working pitch counts…
"I think walking is a byproduct of being an aggressive hitter. When the reputation gets around that guys are 'patient,' it usually means that hitters are taking pitches and hitters are looking at 0-1 or 0-2 counts for three hours. It is really hard to hit in this game when you are behind in the count. When you establish an aggressive environment, it doesn't mean that we are swinging at every ball that is thrown. It is getting in the box ready to hit and ready to impact the baseball when you step in the box. That starts in optional work every day. That carries over into BP every day and our game at-bats every day. It is not something that you can just flip on February 17 when the lights come on. We have a rule in our cage and in our program now, that if you get in the cage and foul off the first ball, you are late, top it or take some kind of lazy swing and hit the ball to the opposite field, you get out of the cage. I tell guys all the time, 'I am not mad at you. I don't dislike you. I think you are an awesome kid. You just simply weren't ready to hit so now you have to go to the back of the line and make sure you are ready to hit when you get in this box. I really believe that anything and everything good that happens offensively comes from an aggressive mindset. You can't be passive or tentative. Hitting is an offensive, aggressive thing, so we try to create that each and every day."
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