Pre-NIL I would say he needs a few years to build a program, recruit his players, etc... However, in today's environment virtually every program is starting fresh every season with massive turnover. This team has had many opportunities this season to step up and win some big games and secure a super regional. However, they have failed nearly every time. We can discuss unfortunate injuries, but every other program has to battle this as well. Is anyone else concerned about our record in our biggest games? Thoughts?
O'Connor is now 4-15 vs Top 10 Teams
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We didn’t do as well as I hoped. O’Connor is working with a core of players who were recruited by Lemonis. SixPackers once gripped that ‘Lem won with other coach’s talent.’ Now here you go wanting to criticize O’Connor for a lack of success with the other guy’s core. Lord, help us all!! Do you go to games? You been watching?? We beat who we needed to beat, but Georgia is a little better than we are. Talent. Texas’ pitching is a little better than ours. Talent. Mississippi State can’t turn it around immediately. O’Connor needs time to rebuild.
I may have bought into the preseason number 4 and batting averages more than I should have, but McPherson injury also hurt. We haven’t really put it together for a whole weekend against an elite team, but I still believe we’re capable of that.
We can start by trying to keep the catcher recruit from Memphis. Easier said than done, I know. Maybe find him a current cute freshman MSU gal to befriend him? Then of course the financial incentives. Hey, just spit ballin'.
We're a clear Top 20 team. We're clearly not a Top 10 team.
We are improving vs Lemonis’s post natty performance. Hosting is acceptable. We were close to a super host just came up short. Can’t wait till the post season and will be happy to see what they put together for next year.
I am certainly not second guessing the Lemonis decision... I'll agree he needed to go, but for comparison sake here is how the two coaches stacked up AT MSU vs elite top 10 competition.
Lemonis at MSU vs top 10 teams: 26-38 winning percentage 40.6%
O'Connor at MSU vs top 10 teams: 4-15 winning percentage 21.1%
Is this a step forward? For the record, I am not proposing we move on from O'Connor but this stat is EXTREMELY alarming. I am hoping for a postseason run to Omaha and several sweeps of top 10 teams to get this record back above what we moved on from in Lemonis.
Lemonis at MSU vs top 10 teams: 26-38 winning percentage 40.6%
O'Connor at MSU vs top 10 teams: 4-15 winning percentage 21.1%
Is this a step forward? For the record, I am not proposing we move on from O'Connor but this stat is EXTREMELY alarming. I am hoping for a postseason run to Omaha and several sweeps of top 10 teams to get this record back above what we moved on from in Lemonis.
Lemonis wasn't fired for his stellar first 3 years, which are skewing your numbers and mean very little in comparison to Oak at this stage.
He was fired for his last 4 years, in which the Dude was completely empty of baseball teams and fans during the NCAA tournament. That place wasn't built for that result.
Oak fixed that problem Year 1. I suspect he knows the mission and will succeed going forward.
Great point regarding the fan support. MSU fans have really stepped up in terms of attendance and that is a testament to the excitement O'Connor brought to the program. What recruit would NOT want to play here? Hopefully the wins vs top competition follow suit.
Fan support has been great, but I was really referencing the fact that we haven't hosted an NCAA tournament game at the Dude since 2021. That should be the expectation basically every year and should be met 75% of the time going forward IMO.
We thought we hired the Nick Saban of College Baseball, so far it appears we hired the Jimbo Fisher of College baseball.
Give Lebby or Purcell Top 5 NIL in their respective sport like MSU Baseball has.
I do too. 4-15 vs top 10 teams. But 36-2 vs non top-10 teams is probably best in program history. And most of the 15 losses were close. It’s not like we’re getting blown out every time. This team could go out in a regional. But it definitely has a decent chance to get to Omaha.
Nick Saban took Bama to the independence bowl his first year. Just sayin’
He’s not necessarily pointing out fan support. He’s saying Lemonis failed to host a region since the Natty and Oak has seemingly got us there year one.
Nick Saban was 7-6 his 1st year at Alabama, including a loss to Sylvester Croom and NE Louisiana.
If Lebby and Purcell were top 5 coaches in their sport maybe they could attract better players.
This whole thread is silly. We are a top 15 team about to host. Some of our fans act like other teams aren’t trying to win.
I've heard this. It is very misleading as Nick Saban could not start off his first year at Alabama bringing half his team from LSU, purchasing a vet QB and an entire seasoned OL... while facing lots of opponents with tons of roster turnover. It truly is apples to oranges. There is no 3 year "program rebuild" or "system installation" in college sports anymore. What we see is what we get. If this is a "down" year for O'Connor I guess thats pretty dang good. If this is the best we can expect we made a very bad hire imo.
I think BOC unfortunately missed on Catcher, pitching depth and a couple of his own Virginia players.
three really big previous misses were Foster, Schnoor, and Burns. But, no doubt this would have been a better team with McPherson and Kirk available all season. With those 2, State would have been more likely to overcome the periods of crappy batting and won a few more lower scoring games.
three really big previous misses were Foster, Schnoor, and Burns. But, no doubt this would have been a better team with McPherson and Kirk available all season. With those 2, State would have been more likely to overcome the periods of crappy batting and won a few more lower scoring games.
Remind me of the SEVEN times that Jimbo had a top 8 team at the end of the season please
Yes , Very accurate assessment. I’m hoping still we go on a run and win it.
All the Lemonis position players will be gone next year so who Oak is able to replace them with and how they perform will tell us if he was worth becoming the 2nd highest paid coach in college baseball.
For me being a regional host this year was the target so mission accomplished there. I'd love to see us get hot and make a run but based on how we've played against the top 10 I don't see us getting past super regionals
For me being a regional host this year was the target so mission accomplished there. I'd love to see us get hot and make a run but based on how we've played against the top 10 I don't see us getting past super regionals
Might kill for 4 wins against anybody this season
Well he’s 5 time ACC coach of the year. 7 CWS, including a runner up and a national title. And he’ll have more resources here than he did at Virginia. I’m pretty sure this year isn’t the best we can expect.
Check Lemonis record against Top 10 teams in '22, '23, and even '24 and get back to us
His last decade or so Virginia consisted of inconsistent regular seasons but when he got in the postseason his teams were really hard to kill. Since 2009 he’s 9-4 in Regionals and 7-2 in Supers.
I am willing to give him the benefit of the doubt until I see him in a postseason or two here.
I am willing to give him the benefit of the doubt until I see him in a postseason or two here.
You know how annoying bama fans are about football? There are state fans that act that way about baseball, as this thread proves.
we are going to be hosting a regional. Just F’n enjoy it
we are going to be hosting a regional. Just F’n enjoy it