NCAA Starkville Super Regional: MSU Quotes (June 11, 2021)

NCAA Starkville Super Regional
Press Conference – Practice Round
Mississippi State
June 11, 2021

Mississippi State Head Coach Chris Lemonis

Q: You flipped the pitching order last week and it worked out. Was that the same thinking this weekend?
CL: "It's just one guy is rested more than the other. You're going to pitch them both, you might as well pitch them on their most rest. That's all that came down to."

Q: How does the home field advantage here in Starkville compare to some of the other places, and how much of an advantage is it?
CL: "It's a big advantage at certain times. I always tell our guys that it's not an advantage until you hit a ball in the gap, get an inning going or make something happen. Other teams can come in here and play well also. You have to do things to get the crowd into it. Once we get into some of those games where we make some things happen, it gets tougher to play here as an opponent. It's a lot of fun. The last time I was here in a Super Regional, I felt like it had a huge difference in the weekend. I'm hoping that's the same this weekend."

Q: What have you seen from Notre Dame and how do they rank against other teams you've played against this season?
CL: "They are at the top of the nation. They are a top-10 team. They won the ACC by five games, one of the best leagues in the country. They throw a lot of strikes, really know how to pitch, and they're the No. 1 team in the nation defensively. You've got some challenges there just scoring runs and having a good approach against them. Their offense is a great approach-driven offense. They do a lot of things to put pressure on you. They have one of the better hitters in the country there, Niko Kavadas. We'll have our challenges, it's not an easy opponent. Is there an easy opponent still playing this time of year? I think you're going to play somebody who's good and somebody who's hot, we got both with Notre Dame. They're really well coached. I've known Link [Jarrett] for a long time. He's done an unbelievable job there at Notre Dame to put together a season like they've had this year."

Q: You faced several teams last weekend who played many games already with completed pitching, does that change against a team that had three starters go 8 or 9 innings last week?
CL: "Trying to win two games on a weekend is a little different than not only having to win three last weekend, but if you fall into the wrong bracket, it could be fine. You have a little bit of a difference there just in the amount of games it takes to win. Their guys just pitched really good, so that kept them fresh. Our two guys pitched good and got into a lot of pitches. I think everybody is rested and ready to go. It's our job to make them work a little more and fight more on the mound. I think you'll see that. The grind of the game and the heat we're expecting in the next couple of days can factor into that too."

Q: How much do you think postseason experience helps you as a team?
CL: "I think it really helps us with Tanner [Allen] and Rowdey [Jordan]. I think those are the only two. The rest of our team are pretty new guys also. Most of our ball club hasn't been to a regional or super regional. Last week was a big deal for a lot of those young kids. Even though they're sophomores with Covid cutting everything out, a lot of those kids haven't played there. I think having leaders like Tanner and Rowdey in that clubhouse [will help]. We talked about it today. How to approach these games and what our goals are. Obviously, our goal is to win, but we try to keep the message on playing great baseball. If you start thinking about next week, you lose this week. Being able to go out there and play really good baseball is going to be the key for us."

Q: Can you put into words what Rowdey Jordan has meant to this program?
CL: "He brings a good energy every day. I really enjoy being around him. He's a very upbeat kid who works really hard and takes a lot of pride in his game. I've learned over the years how much pride he takes in his game. It's been slow starts, which we fight through a little bit, with great finishes. That's what we're hoping here too. He's a very experienced player. He does a lot of things for you. The switch hitter piece is huge for us, especially as a manager because you can match up a little better. The speed piece and the only quality him and Tanner have that are very similar is that they don't back down from anybody. They'll hit the best in the country. They don't back down and they're never scared. They learned that as freshman. They got thrown to the fire that first year in 2018. They have taken that throughout their whole careers. I've enjoyed him. He's a wonderful kid to be around every day and he's going to be successful in whatever he does because he brings a real positive vibe to the ballclub. Not as loud as Tanner or Mule [Brad Cumbest], he's a little more of a quiet guy publicly. Inside of our club house, he's a lot of fun."

Q: How is Rowdey Jordan able to maintain consistency once he gets started in the postseason?
CL: "I think it's more at bats and finding his swing. Once he finds it, he takes off. Or it could be when we play Auburn, once he plays against Auburn, he plays really well after that. It's been a whole joke in our clubhouse. I think it's seeing pitches. He carries around two swings in his right hand and left hand when everybody else just has to get one ready, he has to get two. He spends a lot of time hitting, more than anybody in the program. It just takes a while to get him going. Once he gets going, he finds it. Once we hit SEC play, his competitive side takes off and carries his at bats."

Q: Are there any aspects of the old rivalry that conjures up with you when you see Notre Dame on the schedule?
CL: "Similar to our Governors Cup here, we played in Indianapolis against Notre Dame. They wore their all-green uniforms, and we wore are all red, so we looked like the Christmas game. Somebody was asking me about Niko Kavadas and telling me about him, I've been watching Niko Kavadas since he was a sophomore in high school. We recruited him when I was at Indiana. One of our top recruits who ended up signing for over a million dollars played with Niko. They won a state championship, and I watched every game when he was young. I've watched his career as he's gone on. He's a tremendous player. Some of the other guys are Indiana kids in that program. It's a program with a lot of history. We enjoyed playing every year. They're going to be really good. It's going to be a tough weekend with hardnose games."

Q: What are the nerves like knowing you're only two wins away from Omaha?
CL: "The one thing with our guys is that every weekend you play here is big. You play an SEC weekend that's big, regionals are big, and everything is big here. I'm a little antsy before every game that we play. You want to keep coaching your team. That's one of the biggest things this time of year. It's a great group of kids and I feel like we can play a lot of baseball left in front of us. We talked about being able to control our nerves and having the ability to relax sooner than them and play free. When you can play relaxed in these atmospheres, it's a lot of fun. That's what I'm hoping our guys will be able to do this weekend."

Q: You stress to the team to play games not series, how do you keep the team focused on one game at a time?
CL: "The message today was just to play good baseball. I know it's a boring message, but you can't start thinking about next week. You need to get it out of your head, stay focused in the moment or while getting a guy out, making a play or getting a hit. We have to play great baseball. That's all this comes down too. It's a very basic message, but the guys have bought into it all year long. It is big and as you go through the weekend, it gets bigger. We want to be able to stay focused in the moment and be where your feet are, some of these old phrases that we use. That's the message to our guys right now, just stay in the moment."

Tanner Allen | Right Fielder

Q: What do you see from Notre Dame that makes you think this is a team that you have to play your best to take care of?
TA: "Their hole lineup is scrappy. They have one guy who has hit a lot of home runs. They pitch really well, hit really well and are overall a really good team. We are going to have to be on our A game this weekend."

Q: How big of an advantage is it to play at home during Super Regionals?
TA: "It's a big difference playing at home. During my freshman year, we played on the road at Vanderbilt, and you could tell when they did something good, they would gain momentum. Same thing in 2019 when we played the Super Regional here, when we made plays and were doing good, we got the crowd behind us and had momentum. It's hard for the other team to get it back."

Q: What was the mood like at practice this week?
TA: "It was a great week of practice. We came in and got our work in. Everybody is healthy and feeling good. We got a good lift in yesterday. The spirit of practice and our attitude was being focused. I'm excited for this weekend."

Q: With Rowdey Jordan, what has he meant to this team and program during the last three years?
TA: "He's consistent. He took over Jake Mangum's role very well in center field and being a great leadoff hitter. I tell everyone to just wait for postseason Rowdey. We've had some ups and downs this year, but he turned it on at the right time. He's fun to watch, and I love hitting behind him because he's always on base for me to get some RBIs."

Q: What did you learn from the SEC Tournament that helped get the offense going last weekend?
TA: "It was big time. We knew going into the SEC Tournament that we wanted to win and compete, and that didn't happen. The SEC Tournament really didn't matter at the time. We knew we were going to be a national seed and would host, so we started getting ready for postseason baseball. Coach said it today; there are 16 teams left playing baseball, and we are one of them. We are going to do what it takes to keep winning and play as long as we can."

Q: Have you thought about what this weekend is going to be like with it being your last weekend at Dudy Noble Field?
TA: "I thought about it a lot. I told my dad that this is going to be an emotional weekend. I just want to play the best I can. I know what's on the line, and I know this is going to be my last weekend in Dudy Noble. I've done everything that I can to prepare. I'm going to control what I can control, and that's my preparation."

Q: What separates the winners and losers when you get to this point in the year?
TA: "It's going to be blow after blow between both teams this weekend. Whatever team responds best will win. I feel like having a big home crowd in Super Regionals will play in our advantage. I know they are a great team. I've heard all about them, scouted them and watched their pitchers and lineup. They are a great team. When we get the momentum, we are going to need the crowd to help us keep it. The best way to keep the crowd in the game is to play well."

Q: What is it about Rowdey getting hotter as the season goes on?
TA: "He lives for the big moment. When there's a big stage, Rowdey is going to be there. He's worked hard just like I have all year long. We have done all kinds of work off the field in the weight room, and he's carried the load just as much as I have. I tell everyone to just get ready for postseason Rowdey."

Q: You have been in this situation before, but do you still get nerves when you get into a win-or-go-home situation like this?
TA: "Of course. You are always nervous, especially playing in front of big crowds when you know what's on the line. The best way to calm those nerves down is to trust your preparation and know that, even if you fail, you did everything you could to succeed."

Rowdey Jordan | Center Fielder

Q: How well do you feel like you're seeing the ball through the regional and heading into the super regional?
RJ: "I think I'm seeing it well. I had a good regional. I put some good at bats together and had some stuff fall for me, so I'm seeing it pretty well."

Q: How big of a home advantage is Dudy Noble Field?
RJ: "It's a huge advantage when you have so many people there cheering on your team and giving the other team chaos. For a lot of other teams, it shell shocks them a little bit. Especially when they play all year in front of 500 to 1,000 people before they come here and there's 13,000 people right on top of them. It makes it difficult for them to play well. I think playing at home gives us a huge advantage."

Q: What's the scouting report on these guys and the arms you are going to face?
RJ: "I think they're crafty lefties. They like to throw different pitches and different counts. I think the approach is just going to be (middle-away?) and get good pitches to hit."

Q: How much do you think postseason experience will help the team this weekend?
RJ: "I think having the experience that we have is going to help us. In terms of being a little looser as the game starts and playing more freely, so I think the experience that we've gotten the past few years plays a big advantage in us getting momentum."

Q: How important is getting off to a start of scoring in the first inning?
RJ: "Scoring in the first obviously gives you an advantage. If it happens, great, it gives you a little leeway. If it doesn't, you stay at to approach and keep on going. I don't think we're going to expect anything, but we're going to go out there, put good at bats together and hopefully we put up a good spot in the first."

Q: Did you feel like it was just a matter of time before Kamren James came around hitting?
RJ: "The SEC schedule is long. Players go up and down, especially first year players. When you have somebody that's had a great year and is struggling a little bit, you know they're going to break out of it. He had a great weekend and hopefully carries it into this weekend."

Q: Is there something beyond usual baseball that has helped this team advance?
RJ: "The confidence in the guys that are in the dugout. We have a lot of guys that know we're really good. The confidence to go out there and play well has helped us get to this point. I think that's one of the biggest things that helped us win a regional, have a good SEC schedule and get to the supers."

Q: People mention "Postseason Rowdey." What is it about you that allows you to thrive in these big moments?
RJ: "I think one of the biggest things is the more baseball you play, the more pitches you see, I get more comfortable. I think it attests to the slow starts and as the season goes on, I have more at bats and see more pitches. I think that's one of the biggest reasons I've had success in the post season."

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