NCAA Starkville Regional: MSU Quotes (June 7, 2021)

NCAA Starkville Regional
Postgame Press Conference - Game 7
Mississippi State
June 7, 2021

Chris Lemonis | Head Coach

Q: How do you feel about Houston Harding's performance?
CL: "We've played that all year. We were hoping to get three [innings] out of Jackson [Fristoe] and go right to him [Harding]. But it happened a little quicker today. He's kind of done that [all year]. We've piggybacked him at Alabama, against Ole Miss – there are so many games that he's done that for us. He's really talented, and he has a great make-up. So, I was worried he was going to sweat too much. We looked up there, and he was entirely drenched in sweat. That little break in the game probably helped him out a little bit. He pitched great and had pretty pitches for strikes all day long. He competed, that's what he's done. He has good stuff and great heart when he's out there pitching. We put some really tough guys on the mound today."

Q: What do you think it means to Kamren James and to the team that he's playing so well?
CL: "I'm so proud of him [James]. He has had a tremendous year. He's had some real highs, and he's had some lows. For him to come out and play the way he did, he's just handled the game with such professionalism all year long. For him to come out and play this way at the end, I know he and Jake Gautreau] have been working and spending a lot of extra time. You saw it out here, not only offensively, but he also made great plays all weekend."

"He's a Mississippi State guy. I don't think he would have gone anywhere else. His whole family has been to school here. It means a lot to him. It's just a special day for him and his family. I'm really happy for him."

Q: How do you see Houston Harding playing out the rest of the postseason, and do you think he could become your third starter?
CL: "He could be [our third starter], he's one of the options for us. We haven't found that real piece yet, but he could be one of those guys. He's been a starter for us in the midweek games. I have all the confidence in the world for him to run out there and start. I just have to look at matchups and who we're playing. I like him in the role that he's in. He's that good, long guy. He's pitched great in that role for us. Usually when we get him in the game and we have a chance to win, we win with him out there. We can use him in a lot of different ways."

Q: Where do you feel your team is at heading into NCAA Super Regionals?
CL: "I feel like we're in a really good spot. We played really good baseball most of these games. We had a tough first inning today. If you take that out of there, we pitched and defended at a high level. We had a lot of big swings. I like where we are. We have a tough weekend coming up. There's not an easy super regional in the country, and we feel like we have one of the hottest teams in the country coming in here. We're going to have to have a great week of practice and get ready to have another great weekend. I like where we're at right now. Our team is in a good spot."

Q: What did you think about Houston Harding today in that bases loaded situation and his overall performance?
CL: "At that point in the game, you feel like it's going to be a high-scoring game. He started attacking with the fastball and really put them on their heels. The energy that he brought into our dugout once he struck that third guy out [was incredible]. I felt pretty good at that point. The two walks, the base hit, then him striking out three dudes [in the third inning] was impressive. It was one of those moments in the game where we come back in, we're excited, and we end up scoring more runs to take the momentum. It was a big part of the ballgame, maybe the biggest."

Q: How do you feel about the trajectory of this program after making it to five straight NCAA Super Regionals?
CL: "The message all week to our guys was 'This is where you belong. This is where Mississippi State is supposed to be'. It's all about the players. The other piece I kept telling them was that the coaches can't help you this week. Players win championships, players win Regionals and players win super regionals."

"Five years in a row being in a super regional, what an impressive run. That run is by a lot of different people. A lot of people had their hands in that. For us, we're excited to be here. We still have work to do. It's a nice feeling. Once you're hosting these things and the experience it brings the entire program [is invaluable]. We're a pretty young team in some ways. We do have a couple of older players, but this was the first Regional for a lot of kids. For them to experience it and play the way they did, I'm fired up for those guys and looking forward to the next weekend."

Houston Harding | P

Q: What was so successful for them, and how were able to keep them off-balance?
HH: "I think it was a great mix of things. I wouldn't just narrow it down to one piece. Coach Fox [Scott Foxhall] called a great game. I just went out there and executed pitches."

Q: How comfortable are you coming out of the bullpen?
HH: "I'm playing my role. I just want to help the team win. I'm a team first guy. I feel confident for sure to start any game or come out of the pen in any game. I think it has been a good mix this year of both. I think that has really allowed me to settle in and just do what they call me to do."

Q: How were you able to settle in and get three outs after having the bases loaded in the third inning?
HH: "I think it was just taking a deep breath and get right back at it. I didn't want to overdue anything and didn't want to take my foot off of the gas. Just settle in, stay confident and start mixing some pitches."

Q: What was the process like coming into the game earlier than you expected?
HH: "I think it is one of those things where you think as soon the game starts you're ready to go. Whether it was the third, fourth or the sixth [inning], I was going to be ready to take the ball and run with it. Mindset wise, it's just planning each day to come in early and be the guy who can come in there and clean up a little bit of a mess. It's always making sure that I have the plan and prepare to go in there to get it done."

Q: What were you talking to Jackson Fristoe about in the dugout following the first inning?
HH: "I just needed to remind him that he's still that guy. We all have a bunch of bumps and obstacles that we have to overcome throughout the season. Today was just a tough day for him. I just had to let him know that he controls his own confidence. He's a guy who can run out there and get it done for us. He just had a rough day."

Q: What is like being around your teammates after a successful performance on the mound knowing that you helped your Bulldogs win a regional?
HH: "It's an indescribable feeling especially when my defense plays as well as they do behind me. I'm very thankful. The Lord has blessed me tremendously. I'm just excited to continue this journey with these guys."

Landon Sims | P

Q: Houston Harding goes out there and is a dude for you guys today. When you see a guy up there throwing like he is, what does that do for your confidence?
LS: "It gives the whole entire team a lot of confidence, not just me. When he's rolling like that, it's always going to be a good day."

Q: When did you start warming up and were you itching to start warming up or were you waiting for Coach [Scott] Foxhall to tell you when to go?
LS: "I think I headed down there in the fifth inning. We had previously spoke before the game about how I might have a little bit of an extended outing today. So, I headed down there a little earlier. I was itching to get out there, but with Hooty [Houston Harding] rolling. Then, Preston [Johnson] coming in after that, we were pretty set right there."

Q: To close it out, you're facing the conference player of the year [Zach Neto] and their best player, what's going through your mind at that point? What was your approach to make him ground out?
LS: "He [Coach Foxhall] was letting me know how good of a player he was. I had known that already, we had a lot of respect for him coming into the weekend and into the game today. We were talking about the plan right there to try and do our best to get him out. But we had a lot of respect for him. So, we didn't want to give him anything that he could handle."

Q: What kind of a rush does it give you when you have the lead and the ball, and you're going to go as long as you can to punch your team's ticket to the super regional?
LS: "It definitely gives me a pretty good rush. I try and stay in the middle right there, not too high not too low. We talk about that a lot, especially Spencer Price and me. He's done measures for me with his experience. I can credit him with a lot of my success. He talks to me in between each inning [to] calm down, and do this do that. But I've been very fortunate to have been able to play with him."

Q: What kind of rush is it when you give up a leadoff double in the ninth after a couple innings of having your way with them, what goes through your head and how do you dial it back in?
LS: "He ambushed that fastball right there, but baseball is a game of the next pitch. I can control if he stayed right there. I knew if I got a strikeout right there, some swings and misses to that next hitter, that we were going to be in a good spot right there to keep that guy on the base paths and not let him cross home plate."

Q: You talk about itching to get out there, is that because you're surprised you didn't have to throw the first two games?
LS: "I wasn't surprised at all. We really prepared this week for this weekend. Our pitchers went to work, our hitters went to work, defensively, offensively, in our bullpen sessions. So, I wasn't surprised at all about the big leads we had. But waiting a few games to get out there, it makes that anticipation that much more."

Tanner Allen | RF

Q: Does it get old making the NCAA Super Regionals or does it feel just as good as the first time?
TA: "It's just as amazing as it was the first time. With this atmosphere and what's on the line, there is nothing better in the country."

Q: This has become yours and Rowdey Jordan's team. How much pride do you take in that?
TA: "I take a lot of pride. I feel like if I bring the energy every day. Then, everyone will just feed of me, and my mentality when I get to the field. I try to be in the best mood and spread positive vibes as much as I can."

Q: What do you think it means Kamren James to win Regional MVP?
TA: "He talks about how much he loves this place all the time. I know he hasn't been playing as well as he probably wants the last couple of weeks. But this weekend, he turned it on. He was catching a lot of flak because his game hasn't been where he wanted it to be, but it was there this weekend. He silenced all the haters, and I love it. Hopefully, he can stay hot next weekend and moving forward."

Q: What does it mean for Lane Forsythe to get that final out after some of his recent struggles?
TA: "It tells me that he's still in the game. You can't take your offense to your defense. For him to make a big play on a hard-hit ball in that situation, it was awesome. I would not be surprised if that gives him some confidence at the plate as well. That's baseball. The ball always finds you, and it found him. Thank God he was still in the game, because we would probably be changing uniforms to get ready for another game if he wasn't."

Q: Does it add a little bit of drive knowing that you don't have many more games left at Dudy Noble Field?
TA: "For sure, I was taking in the field. In my mind, I realized I don't have many more games left at Dudy Noble Field. That motivates me to play harder, and I'm using that to my advantage right now."

Q: What did this weekend reveal about this team's resolve and determination after the SEC Tournament?
TA: "It shows that we are a gritty bunch. The SEC Tournament didn't end up the way we wanted it to, but we came home and got after it all week in practice. We came out this weekend and swept like we wanted to. That shows we have some grit, and I love it."

Q: You have never not played in a NCAA Super Regional, What is your message to the rest of the guys as you get ready for the next level of the postseason?
TA: "I will just tell them that we have to take it one day at a time. We are going to control what we can control, and that is our preparation. I told our guys that when Notre Dame comes here, they will have never played in front of an atmosphere like the one they are going to play in this upcoming weekend. We will use that to our advantage."

Mississippi State University Athletics

NCAA Starkville Regional: MSU Quotes (June 7, 2021)

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Players Mentioned

Tanner Allen

Lane Forsythe

Jackson Fristoe

Houston Harding

Kamren James

Rowdey Jordan

Spencer Price

Landon Sims

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