Postgame Quotes: Kentucky (April 3)

2021 Mississippi State Baseball
Postgame Quotes
Mississippi State vs. Kentucky
April 3, 2021

Head Coach Chris Lemonis

Q: How big was it to come out and get a sweep a week after getting swept?
CL: It's huge and [it was huge] for our guys to play well, too. Getting them going this week has been a challenge. They got knocked down a little bit [last weekend]. I'm excited. It's fun to watch them bounce back and get their confidence back and play good baseball. Kentucky is really good. We just swept a really good team and they're well coached. But man, they have physical hitters and we saw good arms in every game. That team is going to win a lot of games this year. Getting us back and making up a game from last weekend and getting a sweep is huge in the conference rankings.

Q: Where do you think Rowdey is at the plate and how happy are you to see him on base?
CL: He had some good swings [this weekend]. I feel like he's kind of turning the corner a little bit. Sometimes it's just the game play, you ride it a little bit. I remember a couple years ago when he got going, he flared a ball in against Samford, next thing you know he took off. We need him. He's one of the better offensive players out there and when he's going, he can help us out a lot.

Q: How would you assess what Jackson [Fristoe] was able to do today?
CL: I thought he was great. He's a Kentucky kid, he had originally committed to Kentucky. So for him to go out there with all that emotion today… we give up one [run] early because of the sun. So he gives up the one late and he's almost out of the [inning] and he walks the nine-hole guy [on] four pitches. The only coaching point there is to keep your focus and then he gives up a ball in the gap. I thought his stuff was really good, his composure was great and he's growing weekly. I think we're starting to see a more complete pitcher every week and he's been able to hold his stuff [longer in games]. With him and Will [Bednar] and Christian [Macleod], they all pitched on one less day of rest this week, I felt like all their stuff was still there, which was nice to see.

Q: What's your confidence level in [Jackson Fristoe] the rest of the stretch based on the improvement he's shown you?
CL: He's one of the better Sunday starters out there, I would imagine. His stuff is really good and he's ultra-competitive. For a freshman, he just doesn't pitch like one. He holds the running game. I think the kid we threw out in the first inning today, [Austin] Schultz, he hadn't been thrown out all year long, we throw him out. He pounds the zone for the most part. Walks are rare, which is what got him a little bit late today, but he's got a lot of composure.

Q: It's been reported that Riley Self is out for the season. Can you confirm that news?
CL: Yeah, he's out for the year. We're not sure of all the details yet, but he hurt his elbow last weekend and he'll be out for the season. He's going to help me coach a little bit. He's always telling me what to do anyways so it'll be nice that he can be officially helping me out.

Q: How tough is that for a guy that was here in 2017 and went to two College World Series, to see his career possibly end like that, how tough is that?
CL: It was really tough last weekend. He's such a passionate kid. He is such a great teammate on this ballclub, and he loves Mississippi State. It's in his blood and he has so much pride in this program. He's still going to be around and be a part, just not pitching. Hopefully he's with us all the way out and we can help him rehab back from this injury.

Q: How did you feel Parker [Stinnett] handled the end of the game to get the win?
CL: I thought he was great. He's got plus-plus stuff and my only fear and [Scott Foxhall]'s fear is getting too much adrenaline in those moments. He handled it there, especially at the end to throw some really nice pitches. With [Ryan] Ritter, after he bounced the breaking ball, he spun some breaking balls in there nicely. He could be a big piece or us, he's just got to get some experience out there in front of those crowds and handle the moments of what's going on. It's not easy. Once you learn to pitch in that, the crowd really helps you. I go back to Cole Gordon and he loved those moments and Spencer [Price] and those guys. But Parker, I felt like on a couple of those balls, he's trying to throw it through the backstop. Hopefully, it was a good learning experience for him today.

Q: What are going to do about Josh Hatcher's struggles lately?
CL: He is just trying to do a little too hard. All year long he's been [hitting balls hard]. Last year he was one of our top hitters. You try to do a little bit too much and you end up missing a little bit. I pulled him [aside] after Friday's game and spoke to him. I thought he let the slump get to him a little bit [on Friday]. The last two days he has played with great energy. He has been a great teammate. He is making plays. He is hitting balls hard and getting no luck, which is the way this [game] goes. I give him a lot of credit for that. He is working. He is a very talented kid so we just hope he will get going.

Q: How does it feel to win these close games?
CL: We play a lot of close games. I don't know if that's what I want all of the time. When you really pitch and defend, then you are in a lot of close games. Even if you are not hitting the ball. I would like us to be able to separate a little bit more. Eight runs on Friday night I like a little bit more than the last two days. Our team is used to it. The bullpen pieces that we have help to keep games close. Being able to run Landon [Sims] out yesterday and Parker [Stinnett] today helps a lot.

Q: Did you go to Parker Stinnett today because you didn't want Landon Sims pitching two days in a row?
CL: I would like to use Landon every day if I could. The reality is he threw 60 [pitches] last Sunday. We warmed him up on Thursday. He threw in a stressful environment last night. We needed to see if Parker could do it. We have to have Parker out there, too. Parker has that type of stuff. We have to be smart with Landon in the ways that we use him because he gets extended. Last week was 60 [pitches] and now it's 18 [pitches]. You don't want to burn a guy out and not have him at the end of the year. We had him hot on Thursday night because the game was 4-1. Kamren [James] hits the double and clears the bases. That was the mindset behind it.

Mississippi State University Athletics

Postgame Quotes: Kentucky (April 3)

Players Mentioned

Jackson Fristoe

Cole Gordon

Josh Hatcher

Riley Self

Landon Sims

Parker Stinnett

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