John Cohen: 2016 is a Make or Break Season
Despite an appearance in the 2013 National Championship, John Cohen needs a really good season in the worst possible way in 2016.
Remember what life was like in June of 2013? The Mississippi State baseball team was riding high after an appearance in the National Championship against the UCLA Bruins. Sure, they didn’t win it, but the future was bright, and we were wondering if John Cohen was going to be able to take this team to places even Ron Polk hadn’t been.
Fast forward two years later and the Bulldogs are coming off one of the worst seasons in program history. They might have lost more games early in the John Cohen tenure, but those teams were talent depleted units which barely had a chance. The 2015 Mississippi State baseball team had some of the best recruiting classes in the country the past few seasons, so talent wasn’t the issue.
The 2016 baseball team is another one where John Cohen and his players are expected to do quite a bit. They are ranked no lower than 20th in any poll and no higher than 11th. The team is ranked so high despite a disastrous conclusion to the 2015 season.
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The optimism stems from summer and fall league play where the players for John Cohen excelled. Many of them went to the Cape Cod League, which is one of the premiere fall leagues for college players, and put on a show.
If the team should struggle again in 2016, it will look even worse for Coach Cohen. Players who did so well while under the direction and guidance of other coaches would be a black mark on John Cohen. If they perform poorly under his direction, it might be more about the coach than it is about the player.
2016 is important as well because the team is trying to rally support for a new stadium. Fans will be more willing to fork over large amounts of money to finance a stadium building project if the team is winning. They won’t be so willing if the team has another season where they finish close to the bottom of the SEC standings.
I’m not going to say anything like John Cohen is on the hot seat. His job is to win, and no one knows that more than he does. But keeping the faith of the fans is an important part of the job, and if the Bulldogs don’t rebound in 2016, I don’t think there will be many Bulldog fans who believe John Cohen can still get it done.