Mississippi State’s next opponent, the University of Arkansas, is without a doubt the most difficult opponent that the Bulldogs will face up to this point in the season.  You don’t have to be Bill James, the famous baseball stats guru, to see that.  The Razorbacks are 20-2 on the season and 3-0 in the SEC thus far.  Their ace, D J Baxendale, is a likely first round pick and is already 5-0 with an ERA of 2.30.  Ryne Staneck’s numbers are even better- 5-0 with an ERA of 1.52.   Arkansas is also led by several veteran players such as Matt Reynolds (.366 with 3 home runs), Tim Carver (.388), Dominic Ficociello (.333 with 2 home runs), Sam Bates (.333 with 5 home runs), and Bo Bigham (.268, but always seems to play well against MSU).  Arkansas is very good- and that’s exactly what John Cohen and the MSU players want right now.

Now, I’m not going to make a Joe Namath-esque prediction that MSU will sweep Arkansas or anything like that- although that would certainly be nice.  But more specifically, what the MSU team wants is the opportunity to play against a high quality opponent and have the chance to win a series from a team like Arkansas.  Obviously, thet may or may not happen- but it certainly can’t happen if you don’t play.  Regardless of what happens this weekend, I do feel like MSU will probably become a better team because of it and learn from whatever happens good or bad.

But, as we stand MSU is continuing to build/re-build their baseball program- re-build in the sense that we want to be where Arkansas is now.  MSU has gone up against opponents like Arkansas the past couple of years and competed well- most notably the Super Regional against Florida on the road last year where they took the Gators deep into the game with the lead.  MSU also won one game last year against South Carolina, Florida at home, and Vanderbilt on the road as well as Arkansas on the road last year.  But, what MSU has yet to do is win a series from a team like an Arkansas to this point- and that’s the next step for MSU baseball right now- whether that is Arkansas or someone else remains to be seen.

Now, I don’t think this is a total David vs. Goliath battle either.  If you look at the stats, MSU and Arkansas have almost identical batting averages- MSU is hitting .291 to Arkansas .292.   Arkansas’s pitching has been slightly better- their team ERA is 2.25 compared to MSU’s 2.62.  Also, MSU is at home- and like most teams, the Bulldogs are better at Dudy-Noble.  That may seem very obvious, but I think it may mean even more this weekend because Arkansas has not played a true road game yet.  They did play at a neutral site tournament in Houston, TX- and one of their two losses was in that tournament- to the University of Houston.  Also, MSU is a team that is tough to play because while we’re not the World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals (shameless plug), this is a team that is going to scrap, scratch and claw and won’t give up.  Oh yeah- and we have some good pitching and can play defense too.  Teams like that are teams that people don’t like to play.

Winning this series would be huge for MSU on a couple of fronts- it would get the attention of the fans, and it would earn MSU more respect nationally.  I think MSU fans in general are happy with MSU baseball right now, but I think at the same time there are extremely high expectations.  Playing well against LSU and coming close, then beating people like Penn State while “looking good” and playing hard is only going to go so far with MSU fans that want to dominate the SEC and win the College World Series.  And I think MSU fans know the “big series win” is going to happen at some point- it’s just that they- we, because I’m in that group too- are waiting for it.  The National respect is already coming- we’re starting to see MSU ranked in polls and things like that, which is the start of getting respect.

So, if at all possible go to Dudy-Noble Field and treat the Arkansas outfielders as bad as they treated Brent Brownlee last year.  Subjectively.

Mississippi State received their first football commit for 2013 on Thursday. Devante Scott is the name, a juco wide receiver/running back Copiah-Lincoln Community College.

Scott signed with State coming out of high school but went the juco route. He has now re-committed to the Bulldogs for the 2013 class. He is 5′-11″, 175 pounds and originally from Ferriday, Louisiana.

He was recruited by, and committed to John Hevesy. Scout and Rivals have not rated him, 247 lists him as a 3-star.

Spring practice was supposed to start today, but it was delayed due to the weather.

Johnthan Banks says Quay Evans and Denico Autry will live up to the hype.

John Calipari says his top assistant, Kenny Payne, would be a good fit for Mississippi State.

Arnett Moultrie says he will make his decision about the NBA draft on Monday. Of course, he can still change his mind up to a certain date.

It appears as though Murray State is ready to reach a new contract with their coach, and possible prospective MSU coach Steve Prohm.

The Diamond Dawgs host #3 Arkansas this weekend at Dudy-Noble Field.

@dirty_panda

Yesterday afternoon it was reported that Murray State head coach Steve Prohm might be Scott Stricklin’s #1 target. Then last night the A.D. at Murray State has some comments about the way Mississippi State’s approached Prohm, so it’s safe to say we’ve talked to him.

Would Prohm be a good fit? Well, he’s coached in Alabama and Louisiana so he knows what we’re about down here. He took Murray State to a 30-1 regular season record and an Ohio Valley Conference Championship in his first year. He is 37 years old.

Prohm made $200,000 this past season, although that is surely to go up. Still, it’s doubtful Murray State could match Mississippi State in a bidding war. And if a 30-1 record at your school only gets you a 6 seed in the NCAA tournament, you might want to consider moving up.

Should be interesting to see how it plays out.

Think of all the coaches that are being named as possible candidates for the Mississippi State basketball head coaching job. Do any of them have the resume of Bruce Pearl? I don’t think so.

Now, Pearl comes with a giant weight of baggage if he was to be hired. For one, he has a three-year show-cause penalty, of which he has only served one year. So, if MSU were to hire Pearl they would basically be putting themselves on probation for two years. He is not allowed to have contact with any recruits, so it would be hard to lock down any talent…at all. BUT, if Stricklin could “show-cause” to the NCAA as to why Pearl’s restrictions should be lifted if State hires him, then they could take the penalties away.

This would all be a big “IF”. The NCAA would not likely do this for MSU, as maybe they would a smaller school. Even if they wouldn’t reverse the ban, could it be worth it for State to hire Pearl?

First, take a look at his record. The guy flat out wins, at Wisconsin-Milwaukee (who?) he went 86-38..making two NCAA tourneys including a Sweet 16 appearance. That got him the Tennessee job where he was 145-61 in six years. He made the NCAA tourney every-single-year. His season ended in the Sweet 16 twice, Elite 8 once. He had a winning record against every SEC school not named Kentucky. Coaching ability – no question he’s got it.

Second, he’s a cheater. There’s no doubt, he likes to bend the rules. He didn’t get his first big time job until he was 45 in part because of a recruiting scandal where he tried to frame Illinois while he was an assistant coach at Iowa. Then he lies to the NCAA about his recruiting barbecue while at UT…and I’m sure he’s done a few things here and there we haven’t heard about.

But hey, aren’t we the same school that hired Jackie Sherrill? JWS bent the rules a little (maybe a lot before he came to Starkville), we won a lot too. I’m not saying we should cheat, but I’m not opposed to getting a coach who hasn’t completely read the NCAA rule book. Please don’t say Jackie left us on probation and that was his problem, because that was nothing….his real problem was the 2001 recruiting class full of Jucos with an attitude.

If MSU were to hire Pearl, we’d be looking at two down years. Well, I say that, but he may get the most out of the remaining guys and make a run. But as far as recruiting, it will take a dip. After that, open ‘em up…we’ll be setting sail. And it doesn’t take that long to build a basketball team, you only need five guys on the court. One super-star will take you a long way, and he can be a freshman…so this wouldn’t be a football 5-year rebuilding process. Pearl would have us in the NCAA Tourney every year from 2015-2025. I think I can sacrifice the next two years for that.

Is there a chance of this happening, probably not. Maybe if Pearl just had one more year left on his show-cause penalty there might be a chance. Still, he’s the best coach out there who is available and ready to go. Listening to him on XM, he’s knows his stuff, he’s a great coach, and it would pay off in the long run.

@mandwnation

Mid-march, a big week with no team in March Madness? Well, surprisingly yes.

Starting off with basketball, the coaching search should kick into high gear this week. Most folk’s top choice is Shaka Smart from VCU, who Illinois is reportedly going to make a very strong run after. If we hear anything, we’ll post it right here on the front page..

In baseball, the Diamond Dawgs dropped out of the Top 25 for the first time in two weeks. State lost 4 of 5 games during their week-long trip to the state of Louisiana. Among others receiving votes in the USA Today poll, MSU was 29th.

Chris Stratton was named SEC Pitcher of the Week and National Player of the Week by Louisville Slugger. He had 17 strikeouts in 8 2/3 innings vs. LSU on Friday night, a 3-2 loss in which he got a no-decision.

In less-happy baseball news, C.T. Bradford and Taylor Stark aren’t expected back until mid-April, which is the same time Daryl Norris should be back. Injuries have been tough for State, but the schedule doesn’t get any easier. #3 Arkansas come to Starkville this weekend, before they do Alabama A&M comes in for a game on Tuesday.

And then football, which starts spring practice on Thursday. It will last until the Maroon and White game on April 21st.

It’s Monday morning and there is a coaching search taking place for Bulldog basketball. You can bet that talks have been going on all weekend, and interviews are scheduled all this week. Bulldog fans are curious- where’s Scott Stricklin? Is Strick headed to Lawrence, Kansas- talking to the nation’s top assistant coach in Joe Dooley? While there, would he stop off in Wichita to speak with Gregg Marshall? I’ve heard we received permission from Kentucky to interview their assistants. Are the plane trackers over at Sixpackspeak on alert? Will Strick stop off and visit Murray St coach Steve Prohm while he is in the Bluegrass State? It would make sense wouldnt it? Prohm is doing a great job at Murray St in his first season as a head coach- and he has recruited Mississippi for awhile now I might also add. Keep an eye on this guy.

I’m not sure how much we will hear in the coming days. I fully expect Stricklin to keep things under wraps as much as he can. Is he as good as The Ninja- Greg Byrne? We shall see. But it doesnt hurt to keep a look out for him. It’s not “where’s Waldo” in Starkville these days, it’s “where’s Scott Stricklin”? Come out, come out wherever you are!!!

Mississippi State is coming off of a five game stretch where they won one game out of five- including three one run losses, a loss where Chris Stratton struck out 17 and took the lead in the tenth inning on a home run, and a loss with the bases loaded in the ninth, not to mention getting swept by lowly Southeastern Louisiana on the road.  Injuries have mounted to the point where John Cohen has had to call redshirt freshman off the beach from spring break so that MSU can have a functioning outfield.

As far as luck in baseball, I remember something Uncle Mark taught me- you make your own luck.  I believe that is very true when it comes to baseball.  MSU could very easily say- “hey, we have a lot of injuries and now we’re having to start freshmen because of that- what do you expect?”  Despite that fact, this team has decided to play hard and they put themselves in position to win a series against LSU on the road- in fact, I would say that MSU should have won the series despite their situation.  But the fact remains that they did not win- and I think that any time a baseball team does not win, you have to take cold hard look at your team and try to figure out why you did not win and what needs to be done better.  And usually, when your team is falling just a little bit short, it’s normally one or two little things- so at least a total overhaul isn’t needed.

So, looking at this team and the losses that they have had it’s very apparent that they miss CT Bradford and Daryl Norris.  The pitching has been pretty good and the defense has been pretty good.  As mentioned before we had a 17 strikeout performance, and Kendall Graveman had an outstanding complete game performance in game three.  MSU did not make an error on the weekend on defense- and that’s a big reason why MSU has been in almost every game this year- we pitch and play defense well in general.  So, the onus goes on the offense- which actually outscored LSU this weekend.  If you look at the stats, you will see that we are hitting .291 on the season, and this weekend MSU hit .242.  That’s respectable for a young team.  And with two of the main cogs in the offense out, we have seen some players step up- such as Demarcus Henderson (.347), Wes Rea (.309, 2 home runs), and the guy that was on spring break- Tyler Fullerton is hitting .412.  Adam Frazier and Trey Porter continue to be solid as well.

By the end of the season, I think MSU may look back on this stretch and actually feel lucky on a couple of fronts.  Because of the injuries, players like Tyler Fullerton are now getting quality at bats and playing time that they would not have gotten otherwise.  The other thing that is good is much like the trading deadline in MLB, a team can improve vastly by adding one hitter.  Obviously, MSU can’t trade for anyone, but there is no doubt that adding CT Bradford and Daryl Norris will improve the offense and the team later in the SEC season.  CT should be back first- likely in a week or two and then Norris should be back sometime around the middle of the SEC season.  That’s not to mention Taylor Stark, Ben Bracewell, and Brent Brownlee- those players coming back along with the now experienced younger players could set MSU up to make a late run in the SEC season.

I just hope that MSU heeds Uncle Mark’s advice and makes their own luck good luck.

Mississippi State has hired the services of the Parker Executive Search firm in Atlanta to help Scott Stricklin find a new head basketball coach. Don’t expect to hear anything out of the MSU Athletic Department, just like all the other recent hires including women’s basketball coach Vic Schaefer earlier this week.

When Dan Mullen was hired in December of 2008, us fans were all over the place with our assumptions about possible candidates. Chris Petersen and Kevin Wilson were popular choices…but then Dan Mullen was hired. So chances are we’ll think we know who might be hired, and Stricklin will go in a little different direction. I trust him though, he was there to assist Greg Byrne in hiring Mullen and Cohen.

Here’s some names, in no particular order.

• Wichita State head coach Gregg Marshall
• MSU assistant coach Phil Cunningham
• Duke assistant coach Chris Collins
• VCU head coach Shaka Smart
• Kentucky assistant coach Orlando Antigua
• Southern Miss head coach Larry Eustachy
• MTSU head coach Kermit Davis, Jr.
• Miss. Valley State head coach Sean Woods
• Murray State head coach Steve Prohm
• Georgetown assistant coach Robert Kirby

Stricklin says he’s looking for coaches who are ”smart, competitive, intelligent, hard-working people who understand how to attract and sell what we have here at Mississippi State University”. Those adjectives fit John Cohen and Dan Mullen to the tee, so that is the kind of basketball coach we are looking for.

Stricklin says money won’t be an issue. Stansbury was paid around $1.5 million per year and it is rumored State is willing to go up to $2 million for the right coach.

Look for Mississippi State to hire an up and coming, young head coach – like Cohen and Mullen. Cohen was 42 when hired, Mullen was 36. I would be surprised if State hired an assistant coach. Basketball is much different from football where assistant coaching jobs at big schools pay better than head coaching jobs at lower-tier schools. Look for Stricklin to go after a younger guy who is currently the head coach of a smaller school.

Rick Stansbury retires as Mississippi State’s all-time winningest coach with 293 victories. He had 7 Western Division Championships, 6 NCAA Tournament appearances, 2 SEC Tournament Championships, and 1 SEC Championship.

Below I’ve compiled an ‘All-Stansbury Team’. Throughout his 14 years as coach, here are best players who would make up the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd team of Stansbury.

1st Team

G – Dee Bost (2009-2012): 4-year starter, 13.4 PPG, 5.2 APG (MSU all-time assists leader), 1.6 SPG, 237 career 3-pointers and MSU leader in games started (122).

G – Timmy Bowers (2001-2004): 2-year starter, PG on 26-4 ’04 team, 11.2 PPG, 2.6 APG, 1.4 SPG and 197 career 3-pointers.

F – Charles Rhodes (2005-2008): 3-year starter, 13.2 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 1.3 BPG, 56% FG and MSU leader in most dunks (183).

F – Lawrence Roberts (2004-2005): 2-year starter (transfer from Baylor), 1st team All-American in ’04, 16.9 PPG, 10.5 RPG, 1.6 APG, 1.5 SPG, 48% FG and drafted in 2nd round of ’05 NBA draft.

C – Jarvis Varnardo (2007-2010): 3-year starter, 3 time SEC Defensive Player of the Year, NCAA all-time leading shot blocker, 10 PPG, 7.8 RPG (MSU all-time rebounding leader – 1,096), 4 BPG, and 59% FG.

2nd Team

G – Derrick Zimmerman (2000-2003): 2-year starter, 6.9 PPG, 4 APG, 3.3 RPG, 1.6 SPG, 48% FG and drafted in 2nd round of ’03 NBA draft.

G – Jamont Gordon (2006-2008): 3-year starter (left for NBA, undrafted), 15.7 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 4.9 APG, 1.2 SPG and 41% FG.

F – Shane Power (2004-2005): 2-year starter (transfer from Iowa State), known for defense, 10.4 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 2 APG and 42% from 3 (best in MSU history – min. 100 attempts).

F – Arnett Moultrie (2012): 1-year starter (transfer from UTEP), 16.4 PPG, 10.5 RPG, 1.2 APG., 54.9 FG%. 2012 Bailey Howell Award winner.

C – Mario Austin (2001-2003): 3-year starter (left early for NBA, 2nd round draft pick), 13.2 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 53% FG and MSU all-time leader in most charges taken (51).

3rd Team

G – Barry Stewart (2007-2010): 3-year starter, known for defense, 11.4 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 2.1 APG, 1.1 SPG and MSU leader with 280 career 3-pointers.

G – Winsome Frazier (2002-2005): 2-year starter, 9.2 PPG, 1.4 SPG, could place a quarter on top of the backboard in a single bounce, and is tied with Marcus Campbell as MSU’s all time winning-est player (97). 

G – Ravern Johnson (2008-2011): 3-year starter, 11.4 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 40% 3-point FG and 260 career 3-pointers.

F – Tang Hamilton (1998-2001): 3-year starter, 10.6 PPG, 5.5 RPG and 48% FG.

F – Brandon Vincent (2003-2004): Started one year (juco transfer), known for defense, 5.9 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 1.2 APG and 53% FG.