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Mississippi State to hire....

Kendall Roger at d1baseball.com is reporting it. I guess Hendo doesn't want the job, I don't understand why he wouldn't get it unless he didn't want it.
 
They were looking to hire the best of the best. O'Sullivan, Corbin, McDonnell, and Snossnagle... all CWS coaches were on their radar. So, this hire has to be a massive let down.

Lemonis hasn't been bad, and probably has one of only a handful of 40 win seasons in Indiana history, but he's never even won the Big 10, or finished better than tied for 3rd.

In some ways, this has to be a huge letdown for Miss. State, a team that fancies themselves as one of college baseball's elite. You're not hiring a coach that had you a game away from the CWS final and instead are hiring a guy that has never gotten out of a regional, even when they hosted 2 of 3. Lemonis could be great with better facilities and such, but seems like a let down right now.
 
Very odd given all of the bluster from Cohen about hiring a big dog...

When Hendo left here, he said he didn't want to be a HC anymore. I don't know if he told Cohen he didn't want the job permanently, or if Cohen snubbed him. Because honestly, Lemonis is a step down from Henderson.
 
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When Hendo left here, he said he didn't want to be a HC anymore. I don't know if he told Cohen he didn't want the job permanently, or if Cohen snubbed him. Because honestly, Lemonis is a step down from Henderson.

Until this year with Miss. State, I wouldn't consider Henderson a step down. Hendo made the NCAA twice in 8 years. Lemonic has done it 3 of 4. Without the two outlier years he averaged 29 wins a year and had a win percentage of 53 percent. We finished above .500 in the SEC just once.

Lemonis has an easier schedule but also has a hard hand with such a northern school. He's kept them as a top 25 team. Henderson didn't do that with UK and I wouldn't ever want him back even after he took State to the CWS.
 
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According to Kendall's Twitter feed, Henderson did want the HC job. I'm sure it's hard for him to be passed over, but I think everyone involved in the damage control that occurred in February was in agreement that Henderson was only to coach for this season.

The issue at hand is that they wildly exceeded expectations in making the final four at Omaha. It's a hard call on both sides because you're pulling the plug on a guy who just took them to Omaha, but his entire body of work has been inconsistent. If Henderson was being replaced by Schlossnagle or McDonnell, that would be one thing, but Lemonis is unproven in leading a program at the SEC/ACC level. Personally, I think he'll recruit and motivate well enough to be pretty successful, but he's got to win over a fanbase that's unhappy because he's not one of their first 5-10 choices.
 
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According to Kendall's Twitter feed, Henderson did want the HC job. I'm sure it's hard for him to be passed over, but I think everyone involved in the damage control that occurred in February was in agreement that Henderson was only to coach for this season.

The issue at hand is that they wildly exceeded expectations in making the final four at Omaha. It's a hard call on both sides because you're pulling the plug on a guy who just took them to Omaha, but his entire body of work has been inconsistent. If Henderson was being replaced by Schlossnagle or McDonnell, that would be one thing, but Lemonis is unproven in leading a program at the SEC/ACC level. Personally, I think he'll recruit and motivate well enough to be pretty successful, but he's got to win over a fanbase that's unhappy because he's not one of their first 5-10 choices.

Cohen made some pretty unusual and specific public statements about the kind of coach he was going to hire. Makes me think he had a handshake deal with Schlossnagle months ago and something happened along the way.

Nothing short of Schlossnagle, McDonnell, Corbin or Tadlock was going to galvanize that fan base. Henderson obviously built up some support with the team's late season heroics. But they've been to the CWS ten times so at the end of the day, that was not going to be enough to win over a large group of baseball boosters.
 
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Kendall Rogers said on Chris Childers radio show minutes ago that Hendo could be a serious candidate for the Kansas State and Central Michigan jobs.
 
Until this year with Miss. State, I wouldn't consider Henderson a step down. Hendo made the NCAA twice in 8 years. Lemonic has done it 3 of 4. Without the two outlier years he averaged 29 wins a year and had a win percentage of 53 percent. We finished above .500 in the SEC just once.

Lemonis has an easier schedule but also has a hard hand with such a northern school. He's kept them as a top 25 team. Henderson didn't do that with UK and I wouldn't ever want him back even after he took State to the CWS.

Well, when you put it that way, I would have to agree with you. I was never a big fan of Hendo when he was here.

It's interesting, that Indiana is one of the most southern of the Big 10 schools, (Nebraska & Maryland is more?), but Minnesota won the conference championship in baseball this year. Their coach is has been there 37 years and has no intentions of ever going anywhere else.
 
Well, when you put it that way, I would have to agree with you. I was never a big fan of Hendo when he was here.

It's interesting, that Indiana is one of the most southern of the Big 10 schools, (Nebraska & Maryland is more?), but Minnesota won the conference championship in baseball this year. Their coach is has been there 37 years and has no intentions of ever going anywhere else.
IU has lost it's last 2 HC's to big name programs. Tracy Smith, who took them to the CWS to Arizona State, and now Lemonis to MSU !
 
IU has lost it's last 2 HC's to big name programs. Tracy Smith, who took them to the CWS to Arizona State, and now Lemonis to MSU !

I can't imagine anyone who has success in the Big 10 not getting picked up by one of the other P5 conference schools (maybe for baseball we should call it the power 4?). The only exception is someone like John Anderson at Minnesota, who is a Minnesota guy through and through, and would probably never go anywhere else.
 
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I can't imagine anyone who has success in the Big 10 not getting picked up by one of the other P5 conference schools (maybe for baseball we should call it the power 4?). The only exception is someone like John Anderson at Minnesota, who is a Minnesota guy through and through, and would probably never go anywhere else.

Baseball is certainly becoming more competitive. Michigan and Indiana and Minnesota getting better. UK getting better and getting guys from Canada and Minnesota. It's really kind of cool that it's growing like it is.
 
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