Postgame Quotes: Ole Miss (April 16)

2021 Mississippi State Baseball
Postgame Quotes
Mississippi State vs. Ole Miss
April 16, 2021

Head Coach Chris Lemonis

Q: Can you talk about Tanner Allen's performance tonight and how he got you guys going?
CL: He's been really good of late. Just swing wise, he feels really good with his swing. I tell pro scouts all the time that he's a plus runner. People don't realize that, but I think on the triple he was 4.2 [seconds] on the turn [at first base], which if you don't know, that's what some guys run down there on the straight line and he's doing that on the turn. He's a great athlete. He's got a lot of bulldog in him. He plays hard and the bigger the moment, the better Tanner you usually get.

Q: What was Christian MacLeod doing to battle through those innings?
CL: I thought about in the second or third [inning] he lost command of his breaking ball, which he's had for the last couple of weeks. It's been really good. Once he lost that command, it was a lot of fastballs, so they were able to get on some balls. I give Christian a lot of credit. Five innings, a quality start against a good opponent in a big atmosphere. When you don't have your best stuff, that's [tough]. He's starting to become a veteran. I don't know if he would've done that a year ago. So, I was proud of him to just keep competing because he gave us a chance to head into our bullpen at a decent time. I thought Preston [Johnson] and, obviously, Landon [Sims] pitched great there to finish the game out.

Q: How do you think your kids handled the hype in the tight ballgame?
CL: I thought they did great. It was hype. Those maroon-white chants in the eighth [inning]; we haven't heard those in a long time, so it was nice to hear that. Even if you're the opponent in this environment, it's nice to feel like there's some normalcy back and playing in front of these environments that we're used to. I thought our kids did a great job. I thought, especially our relievers, you worry about your relievers coming in and handling it and being in the zone. I thought our guys did a great job.

Q: What can you say about Kamren James' performance?
CL: I thought he was really good. You're watching him evolve as a hitter. Not just from the power side but just everything. It's just understanding what's happening in the game, staying on pitches with a two-strike fight. He's just doing a lot of everything. He's been hot for a couple of weeks now. It's nice to know when he walks up there you're going to get a big swing out of him ... It's fun to watch these guys grow as players and develop as players.

Q: How did you feel like the guys got those key hits and attacked Gunnar Hoglund?
CL: I thought we were good at times. I thought we were good. We came out early and ran the pitch count up which was good. We let him settle in in those middle innings and I thought he was pretty good in those middle innings. Being able to push in the seventh [inning] when we really ran his pitch count up and got him out. Getting a starter out in the seventh isn't great, but even getting the bullpen in the eighth we were able to get a couple of runs. [Hoglund] is really good and he's going to pitch a long time, especially in pro ball. He is one of the better guys we've seen here in a couple of years.

Q: Last Friday, Preston Johnson sort of struggled with his command. Tonight, he really bear down and got some outs. How big is that to have a guy like him come in?
CL: We need those bridge guys. He's going to be one of them. He's got really good stuff. If you look at his analytics, his analytics are really good. Him coming in and being in the zone is big. You see him come in and his pitches start at 92-93 [mph] and usually ends up 94-96 [mph.] He has that ability to throw some high-end velocity at you as a bridge guy. We've used him like that a couple of times. I think last week was just being on the road. In front of this environment, to come out and pitch the way he did, we're really excited about him.

Q: How big of a factor is it when you all get on a roll and the crowd gets on a roll with you?
CL: Having the opportunity to play and coach here, with this fan base and how much they love baseball, [it awesome]. And [our fans are] not just out of control, they are knowledgeable. Our fans know what's going on. They know everything. They're in at the right moments. Those maroon and white chants for a freshman pitcher out there trying to get us out in the eighth [inning], it just makes it hard. It just makes it fun for us. Even in batting practice, when you're sitting out there and the gates open, you see all the fans and students load into the berms. It's just the excitement that our fan base has. It makes it better for our players. We're very fortunate to have a fan base like ours.

Q: What kind of impact does it have on your hitters or anyone else when you have a guy like Landon [Sims] and his level of caliber?
CL: If you notice in these weekends, it's kind of hard because you never know when to pull that punch and when to use him. Every time we've used him, he pitches really good and it's a spark for the offense. It happened with Kentucky, and it happened tonight. He's just one of those guys, he brings energy to the ballpark. Our fans, when they see him coming in, you see them give him a standing ovation. Our fans understand it, too. He's a special player. I told the team after the game that I sure am glad Landon Sims is on our team. Hopefully, we can get another shot at using him this weekend.

Q: Was there ever a moment when you got to look around at the crowd and think it felt like it did two years ago?
CL: We did. I think everybody did at some point in time. I always check and make sure my dad's there. As I look up, I make sure he made it to the ballpark. You see all the fans in the stands, in right field, and around their bullpen, it filled up fast, which we liked to see. We were able to appreciate it a little bit. I'm sure we'll have another great crowd out there tomorrow.

Mississippi State University Athletics

Postgame Quotes: Ole Miss (April 16)

Players Mentioned

Tanner Allen

Kamren James

Preston Johnson

Christian MacLeod

Landon Sims

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