Heeeere’s Johnny!
May 20, 2024 | Baseball, Joel Coleman
State catcher Johnny Long’s intensity and passion has been key in putting the Diamond Dawgs back in the postseason.
STARKVILLE – Baseball is a game of numbers, right? Batting averages and ERAs. Home run totals and pitch counts. Exit velocities and radar gun readings.
There's a digit for everything, all the way down to the back of players' jerseys. But, speaking of, don't even attempt to put a figure on Mississippi State's No. 18. Bulldog catcher Johnny Long's impact on MSU's 2024 season goes so much further than any number could ever begin to explain.
"Johnny Long is a special dude," State head coach Chris Lemonis said of his backstop. "He's one of the heart and soul guys of our ballclub."
This week as MSU plays postseason baseball for the first time since its national championship campaign of 2021, it'll do so in no small part because of the intensity and passion that Long brought with him to Starkville after transferring in from Pittsburgh. Behind State's success all year long has been the Naples, Florida, native who made the choice to come put on Maroon and White with one goal and one goal only – to make those around him better.
"When I first talked with [assistant coach Kyle Cheesebrough] and he told me he was interested in having me play for State, I kind of just was going to accept the role of being a team guy," Long explained. "I really had no expectations of starting or really even playing much. I just wanted to come in and bond the team and help the team jell together and teach the young guys how things work. Being a freshman is tough, so you have to teach them how it goes. Then I got my opportunity and I just had to make the best of it."
And make the best of it Long has. While pitching coach Justin Parker's staff put together the SEC's fourth-best team ERA over the course of the regular season after finishing last in that department a year ago, Long was vital to the success with his presence behind the dish.
From his pitch-framing ability to his fiery personality, Long has in many ways been the engine of not only the pitching staff but the entire locker room.
"He's a monster back there [behind the plate]," MSU's ace and All SEC First-Team selection Khal Stephen said of Long. "He's really, really special. We're very grateful to have him back there and the confidence he bleeds back into us is something really special. Whether it's a voice in the dugout between innings or banging on his chest or something.
"He's very vocal, a great leader and was such a big pick-up for us here."
Remember back in February when MSU dropped a couple of nonconference games and was limping a bit coming out of the gate this season? Well, it was Long who was one of the centerpieces of a players-only meeting that began to put the Bulldogs back on track.
"I don't know what he said in there, but he fired them up," Lemonis said at the time. "It says a lot about his character."
Fast-forward to earlier this month. Mississippi State was looking for a critical series win over Alabama – one the Dawgs eventually got. But ahead of the second victory of that weekend, it was Long making sure his guys were ready and their heads were in the right place.
"He's got some real personality," Lemonis shared about Long. "He sent a text to the whole team [ahead of the Saturday game against the Crimson Tide]. I can't read it to you. It might be inappropriate, but he's one of the alphas of this team and he's a fun kid to coach."
He's fun to play with, too, and that's shown up time and time again over the course of this year. The respect Long has earned from his teammates is readily apparent.
Perhaps the greatest example came back on March 30. Jurrangelo Cijntje led the Bulldogs to a victory over Florida that day after tossing seven extremely strong innings, allowing just five hits, two runs and striking out eight. Lemonis gave the postgame shirt – a player of the game award of sorts – to Cijntje, who then had another idea.
"I know I deserve the shirt, but I think Johnny deserves it more than me," Cijntje said in the dugout in Gainesville before handing the garment to Long and hugging him.
Mississippi State has embraced Long, and make no mistake about it, Long has embraced Mississippi State right back. That goes for his fellow Bulldogs as well as all things MSU. He treasures putting on the M-over-S.
"I kind of compare playing for Mississippi State as if I was playing for the Yankees," Long said. "From everything from the fans to the culture to the experience to the city to the media to everything like that, it makes it feel like you're a professional baseball player being here."
The only downside to any of that for Long is with his demeanor that already has no trouble turning up the volume, he admits there was a bit of an adjustment period to make sure he played with just the right amount of emotion.
"I think in the beginning of my time here at State and playing at [Dudy Noble Field], The Dude Effect for me kind of made me feel like I was invincible," Long said. "So, I did some pretty careless things. I was taking pitches off the elbow trying to get in the way. That was all just The Dude Effect. It could have been coming at me at 100 and it wouldn't have hurt.
"But I've learned how to play here. I've learned to relax my nerves and just play the game. There's definitely no better place to play. This place is unbelievable."
Perhaps Long will have the chance to play in Starkville a little more. The Bulldogs go into the SEC Tourney on Tuesday looking to add to their resume and maybe, just maybe, bring an NCAA Regional back to Dudy Noble come next week.
Either way, whether at home or away, it's a virtual certainty the Dawgs are going to have the chance to chase a return trip to Omaha once the NCAA field is announced in a few days. It'd be the program's 13th appearance in the College World Series if it happens.
That's the only number Long is chasing after as he tries to make the most of his remaining days of his unforgettable year in Maroon.
"Honestly, I feel like sometimes I'm not living a real life," Long said. "I feel like I'm dreaming some days because playing at The Dude and being a part of this program and Mississippi State baseball, it doesn't feel real. Ever since [Coach Cheesbrough] called me, I feel like my life has been a dream. I have to give it all to God because it's been a blessing and, everything he's given me, it's all to him."
