Postgame Quotes: Arkansas State (April 13)

2021 Mississippi State Baseball
Postgame Quotes
Mississippi State vs. Arkansas State
April 13, 2021

Head Coach Chris Lemonis

Q: How big has Lane Forsythe been for the team since you put him in the shortstop position?
CL: The last week has been really good [for Lane]. He started to really make some moves offensively, so I was really pleased with him. He made some plays, and his offense is really taking off right now, which is fun to see.

Q: How do you think Cade Smith performed in his second appearance?
CL: I thought [Cade] was good. We tried to stretch him out a little bit and give him two innings. I thought it was really good; the stuff was really good. He pitched pretty good. I think he left a couple balls over the middle of the plate, but he was able to wiggle out of a jam. We want to see how he feels tomorrow and the next day to see how he's bouncing back, but everything's been good since he's come back.

Q: What's going through your mind about the last couple innings?
CL: It's just frustrating. I know the kids are frustrated too, but we've got to come in and make pitches. You have to finish out a ball game, play a clean game and feel good about getting off the field. It leaves a bad taste in your mouth. I thought our bottom half of the eighth was really good, but we've got to make more pitches [in the ninth].

Q: How do you handle it as a coach having to walk out to replace a pitcher?
CL: I don't talk a lot on the mound unless they're coming in. I usually pat them on the back and let them go [back to the dugout] and we'll talk to them tomorrow or after the game. It's too intense. They're too disappointed and they're probably not listening to me anyway, so I usually just take the ball and let them go in, decompress a little bit, then we reteach the next day and try to be better. So, I'm really more focused on the guy coming in, getting a good warmups, knowing the situation, if we have any bunt defense or first and third call, so there's not really a lot of conversation out there.

Q: How much do you address what happened in the top of the ninth?
CL: We address it for 20 seconds, then we move on. There's a lot of game. We talk about it for a little bit, we talk about the rest of the game, now our eyes are on Ole Miss now. We're getting focused on having a good week of practice and getting ready for a big series here at home.

Q: How important is Rowdey Johnson to the team offensively? How has Kellum Clarke improved?
CL: Rowdey's kind of had the same couple years but watching him swing it the way he can right now, it changed our lineup. He can do a little bit of everything, and he's been really good in the leadoff spot. Then, it's good for Kellum. He needs some positivity in his game, and he put a swing on that one and drove it. He and [Brad Cumbest] hit two of the longest home runs we've had all year. It was good to see those guys connect. Seeing Kellum out there, he just gets a little more comfortable every time we play him.

Q: Do you feel that this offense has reached its potential?
CL: I think we're close. We're working, and I always feel like we're two hitters away. We're playing better and the lineup from 1-to-9 is having more success. I would still like to get a couple more guys to going, but that's just the coach being greedy. [I know] usually you don't have all nine going, but we've been pretty good of late.

Q: Did you foresee Lane Forsythe hitting this well?
CL: Not at first, no, but he's surprised us, and what he's doing is getting better every game. That's what the good ones do, and every game you watch him play, he's not going to make the same mistake twice. I was really proud of him. He had an awful game on Friday [at Auburn] and he came right back and bounced back and played great the next day. He's actually played great the last couple days; that's just the sign of a good player. He's mentally tough. He's got some toughness in him and he likes to play the game.

Mississippi State University Athletics

Postgame Quotes: Arkansas State (April 13)

Players Mentioned

Kellum Clark

Brad Cumbest

Lane Forsythe

Cade Smith

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