Postgame Quotes: Eastern Michigan (March 14)

2021 Mississippi State Baseball
Postgame Quotes
Mississippi State vs. Eastern Michigan
March 14, 2021

Head Coach Chris Lemonis

Q: Last weekend it seems you all started getting rolling a little bit earlier, is there anything that you attribute that to?
CL I do think we've had some more hits fall. We were a little bit more hot offensively earlier in the week, but that is how offense goes. It kind of stops and goes depending on the pitcher and the conditions of the game. We weren't great today offensively, but I thought we did enough. If you can show up playing defensively every day and can pitch, then you have a chance to will and that is what happen today.

Q: Will [Bednar] came out and gave you some good innings. Right now, in your plans does he have a chance to start next weekend?
CL: Yeah, I think so. Will is at a point right now where we wanted about 60 pitches and three innings out of him today and I think he gave us four innings and about 50 pitches. He looked good because he had both pitches for strikes. Velocity was where he needed to be so we will evaluate. We feel good having those weapons available for the weekend. I think you can see a lot of good starts like we saw today.

Q: In terms of the offense, you guys got a lot more hits early. What is the approach being with the guys trying to get things going earlier and what you have done throughout the last week?
CL: They are always trying to get things done earlier, so it's not a lack of intention. I think it is the way the game is played. We talked about hit one and stack ones on top of each other early in the game. Especially with the way that we pitch, it's been nice for us. That's been our mentality. We got a couple early today and that's why we were able to relax and play. Knowing who we had on the mound today, those guys pitched really well."

Q: Since you made the move last week moving with getting Lane Forsythe at shortstop and Kamren James over to third the defense has been pretty sharp. Are you getting similar vibes to your move in 2019?
CL: I do I think we have been pretty good in the infield with where we are at. Even in the ninth inning, we are able to run out Brayland Skinner who is getting healthy and plays a really good defensive game. Also, Tanner Leggett who also plays really good defensively. To hold on to leads and to make plays is huge. The way we punched out guy this week and not seeing as many errors, we are not getting many opportunities. It feels like we are not having to make as many plays as a normal team.

Q: Your pitchers aren't walking a lot of guys, there's not a lot of guys getting on base freely. How successful is that?
CL: This group, we threw some balls week one, and so it threw me off because we had been so good pounding the zone throughout practices. In the last couple weeks, they're pitching the way they normally do, and they've been really good ... The two solo homers were the only runs we gave up all weekend, so making sure nobody is on base for that is probably the key.

Q: How do you think Jackson Fristoe did today and where does he factor in moving forward?
CL: He's a big piece moving forward, for sure. It's a power arm, but I thought he was just okay today. I'm happy for him and the fact that he couldn't find it for a little bit, but [fought through a couple of innings]. He's been pretty electric the first couple starts, and I thought this one was not his best, but he still pitched well enough to give us a chance to win. I think that's a big piece. As a young pitcher, handling this week-to-week and the success and being able to stay focused and razor sharp is not easy. I think he's learning a lot about being a college pitcher. I know he's pitched more [this season] than he pitched for his high school team last year and we're starting to add some innings onto him. So, he'll be a big piece and we'll be using him in the future here.

Q: How do you keep your pitchers grounded throughout the success before conference play starts?
CL: Right now, the positive and negative of our staff is our depth. Trying to get enough guys reps is one thing, but also having depth—they're keeping themselves sharp. They know they have to come out and they have to be good. They have to work. It's hard to have a bad start. It's hard for them not to be prepared for an outing because the competition is so great and they're fighting for innings each time we go out there. I think that's the key for us with those guys. When you're Will Bednar or Landon Sims, the hitter doesn't matter. If they pitch with their stuff, they're going to have success either way. Eric Cerantola, he could pitch in the National League Central [Division] if he's throwing strikes and commanding it, and he'll probably be doing it in a couple years.

Mississippi State University Athletics

Postgame Quotes: Eastern Michigan (March 14)

Players Mentioned

Will Bednar

Eric Cerantola

Lane Forsythe

Jackson Fristoe

Kamren James

Tanner Leggett

Landon Sims

Brayland Skinner

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