The Empty Chair at Mississippi State: Some Thoughts About Who Might Fill It

By Colton Watson

Mississippi State fans‘ dissatisfaction with now-former Head Baseball Coach Chris Lemonis had been brewing for some time, steadily raising to a fever pitch after a 1-3 record last week that included a one-run last-inning loss to rival Ole Miss and another single run setback to Auburn when ace pitcher Pico Kohn gave up the decisive score on his 121st pitch.

One subpar season a year after a national title was forgivable. Another the following year was highly suspect for a historically nationally competitive program like State’s. But three losing seasons in SEC play out of the last four ultimately compelled a move in Starkville.

Now, Bulldog Athletic Director Zac Selmon is tasked with executing a national coaching search that will produce a coach who can recruit and win in the preeminent SEC, which has 6 of the top 10 and 10 of the top 25 college baseball teams in America as you’re reading. While Selmon undoubtedly has his list of available and feasible prospects, we at CBC thought we’d try our hand at listing some potential replacements who could be the next captain of the ship for the Diamond Dawgs. The list below is ordered with no respect to likelihood of being hired, preference to be hired, fitness for the job, and is, of course, for entertainment purposes only:

Josh Elander, hitting coach, Tennessee

The Tennessee Volunteers have ascended from SEC afterthought to perennial power, with Heach Coach Tony Vitello finally leading his team to the mountaintop with a national title a year ago. A staple throughout that period has been Josh Elander, who for 7 seasons has shepherded Tennessee’s lineup to the prowess it imposes on opposing pitchers today.

Tennessee hit the second-most home runs in any season in NCAA history last year with 184 long balls, with 5 different players eclipsing 20 home runs. Elander has also helped Tennessee set program records in both scoring and home runs more years than not since he began coaching there in 2017, and his Vols have finished in the top 20 in runs and power each of the last 5 seasons. State’s would not be the first job offer Elander has turned down should he remain in Knoxville for 2026, although I am unsure how many jobs like Mississippi State have kicked his proverbial tires.

Erik Bakich, head coach, Clemson

A long shot, but a guy who doesn’t seem totally out of reach. Posting zero losing seasons out of ten tries at Michigan is impressive, with a 50-win year and national runner-up to boot in 2019. While Clemson hasn’t gotten to Omaha yet in his two years, he’s won 44 games in both seasons and sits at 36-10 right now. The SEC would be the natural step-wise progression for his career, and among the sitting Power 4 head coaches that could be candidates for the job, Bakich seems neither too untouchable nor too unproven.

Mark Wasikowski, head coach, Oregon

Oregon has been a successful baseball program for some time now, and that has been no less true under head coach Wasikowski since he took over in 2020. Winning 36+ games every year, four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, one Super Regional appearance, and three NCAA Regional championships have kept Oregon in the mix as one of the Pac-12’s and Big-10’s better programs.

Wasikowski's Ducks reached Number 6 in the country in CBC’s poll, and the road to a national seed track that Oregon is currently on should only broaden for Wasikowski in Starkville. State fans may be hesitant to sign on for a coach without Omaha experience, but the Ducks have a squad this year that may break through and make Wasikowski an even more tempting candidate.

Ben Orloff, head coach, UC Irvine

Another coach lacking deep postseason experience, Orloff’s situation is a little different than Wasikowski’s. As head coach of the UC Irvine Anteaters, his uphill battle to college baseball’s promised land shouldn’t be held against him when vetting his candidacy for another head coaching job. UCI is 32-9 this year—improving Orloff’s mark to 235-106, and looking like a host team more and more every day. Not a stranger to postseason baseball, he was a game short of winning the Stanford regional in 2021 to an eventual Omaha team.

Steve Sabins, head coach, West Virginia

Another high-risk, high-reward candidate could be first-year head coach Steve Sabins of WVU. Taking over after Randy Mazey’s retirement a year ago, the former hitting coach has the Mountaineers staring at possible school records for regular-season wins and winning percentage with a current 32-5 clip and a 16-3 conference record. His team’s performance down the stretch could also strengthen his candidacy for the State job and any others that may come open.

As an assistant, Sabins helped recruit WVU’s two highest-ranked recruiting classes in school history in 2018 and 2019, turning in six consecutive top-40 classes since then at a state that doesn’t have the recruiting footprint that many SEC schools do. While starting your second ever season as a head coach with the pressure of one of college baseball’s most ravenous fan bases hanging over you may seem daunting, Sabins would undoubtedly say he’s up for the challenge. His team is also in the discussion for that magic word MSU fans love: hosting.

Will Coggin, hitting coach, Georgia

Like many fanbases, the Maroon and White faithful often look toward those with prior connections to Mississippi State when coaching searches go into full gear. Georgia assistant Will Coggin played for Mississippi State in 2007 and 2008, served as a student assistant from 2009 to 2012, and served in two different roles as an off-the-field assistant coach from 2015 to 2017 before making the move to Kentucky and currently Georgia.

In his first year as Georgia’s hitting coach, the SEC’s other Bulldogs set a school record for home runs and were second nationally in 2024, when they launched 151 bombs. A win away from Omaha last year, this year’s Bulldogs are looking to make consecutive Top-10 finishes as they are first in home runs, seventh in slugging percentage, and ninth in runs nationally so far in 2025. The knock on him, like many on this list, would be the rapid ascension. But none could argue the impact he’s contributed toward at UGA since his arrival alongside former State pitching coach Wes Johnson last season.

Wes Johnson, head coach, Georgia

Speaking of Johnson, why hire an assistant when you can hire his boss and possibly get both guys anyway? Johnson’s name is still a bit of a pariah in Starkville from his days as pitching coach, when his brief tenure was pockmarked with injury after injury to the Bulldog staff. But, his work more recently as an assistant at Arkansas and LSU, then most recently as the author of Geogia’s ascension these past two years is undeniable. State would have to take a big swing, but Georgia’s commitment to baseball, despite its enviable and perhaps greater resources, has been questionable for decades. Now may be as good a time as any to pick off a sitting SEC coach.

Rob Vaughn, head coach, Alabama

One of the better hires in the 2023 offseason, Vaughn helped stabilize an Alabama program that, while never competing among the SEC’s uppermost tier under Brad Bohannon, could’ve completely imploded amid the gambling scandals that led to the former head coach’s termination. Winning consecutive Big-10 titles at Maryland before joining the Tide to start the 2024 season, Vaughn is off to an impressive 2025 campaign at 35-10 so far this year. A series loss at home to Mississippi State might make some State fans acutely aware of Vaughn’s shortcomings, but he could be a strong candidate for the job given the increases in commitment to baseball he would enjoy by simply moving his operation 80 miles west.

Butch Thompson, head coach, Auburn

Another SEC head coach and the second from the state of Alabama appearing on this list, Thompson has been synonymous with Auburn baseball in the modern era since his promotion to the head job from pitching coach for John Cohen at State. In his 10th season at the helm, he has Auburn in many pollsters' Top-10 and could make a strong push for a third Omaha appearance this season.

Injury-hampered seasons and so-so finishes in the SEC standings have limited Auburn in years gone by, but Thompson may have his best regular-season team yet in 2025. He could portal in a talented group of young players that have paced Auburn’s lineup this year should he make the move, coaching a lineup dotted with star underclassmen.

For all his pros, the cons of the Butch Thompson experience on the Plains have been the low points, with 10-20 in 2021 and 8-21 in 2024 standing out (notable that the team ironically overachieved in each of the years following those cruddy seasons). And for what it’s worth, some occupants of the Bryan Building across from Dudy Noble Field would love nothing more than to pull an uno-reverse on John Cohen and Auburn for the staff members lured east to the Plains. Expecting to grab a baseball coach away from an AD who not only coached baseball himself but was also previously his boss might seem folly, but you never know, because after all, that's baseball.

Dan Fitzgerald, head coach, Kansas

If the marks of a good head coach are consistency and improvement, Dan Fitzgerald has demonstrated a knack for both during his career. In five seasons as a JUCO head man from 2008 to 2012, he won his league in all five years—winning 47+ games each year and making JUCO World Series appearances in four of those.

Now at Kansas, he’s injected electricity into an afterthought of a program in three seasons at the helm. From 20-35 the season before he took over to 25-32 the next, then 31-23 the following year, and now working with a 35-10 clip this season, the turnaround is undeniable. Serving as recruiting coordinator and assistant coach at both LSU and Dallas Baptist before taking the reigns at Kansas, Fitzgerald’s reputation as a recruiter is among the best in the Big-12.

Chris Pollard, head coach, Duke

One of the hotter names if you ask those in the Mississippi State social media sphere, Pollard has a long and successful tenure as Duke’s head honcho of 13 years. A strong 30-15 record so far this season, Pollard has eclipsed the 40-win mark twice at Duke and made three Super Regional appearances working for an athletic department with other things on the brain besides baseball most years. Another coach that lacks Omaha experience, he’s also never won his division in the ACC (albeit at a relatively underfunded program compared to some of his competitors). This is another coach that could add the final piece to his resume soon with a strong finish to the schedule. And, MSU Baseball old timers will recall that one of Duke's most successful baseball coaches, and longtime athletic administrator, Tom D'Armi came to Duke from Mississippi State, so perhaps it's time the Blue Devils return the favor to the Bulldogs.

Brian O’Connor, head coach, Virginia

If we’re talking big fish, the Big Wahoo himself O’Connor might the biggest in the ocean for Zac Selmon’s angling expedition. An institution in Charlottsville, O’Connor has averaged 44 wins in his 20 full seasons as UVA skipper.  Seven of those seasons ended in Omaha, one of which with a dog pile in 2015. Seasoned State fans know O’Connor well from numerous tilts with the Bulldogs at all three levels of postseason play. Would he be willing to make a change after leading his squad to Omaha three out of the last four years? Likely not, but you never know when a guy is trying jump ship for whatever reason, and it can’t hurt to at least put your hook in those waters if you’re Mississippi State. It would be interesting just to see into whose pot a certain famous legal novelist's funds might fall.

Nate Yeskie, pitching coach, LSU

A guy who has been to Omaha with three different programs may know a thing or two about winning. One day, LSU pitching coach Nate Yeskie is going to be a head coach. Will Zac Selmon be the one to make it so? LSU has thrived under Yeskie in his two years in Baton Rouge, leading the NCAA in strikeouts in 2024. This season, LSU is 12th or better in lowest ERA, fewest hits per nine innings, and most strikeouts per nine innings. The last assistant to make the journey from Red Stick to Starkvegas had a memorable tenure, to say the least, but it remains to be seen if Selmon is willing to go back to that well.

Justin Parker, pitching coach, Mississippi State

Not every coaching name in the Mississippi State dugout has turned sour for Bulldog fans. State pitching coach Justin Parker, nothing short of a miracle worker during his first two seasons working with Bulldog arms, has been tabbed as the interim head coach. One has to think he’d at least get the courtesy of an interview if State makes a bit of a run to end the season. The last time this team was led by an interim, a third-place finish nationally wasn’t enough to get the guy a fulltime job in Starkville, although conditions may be different now.

Some names that are not on my list for one reason or another are listed below. You’ll likely hear these names tossed around, but I see these as more long shots than likely candidates. Of course, that probably just means that these guys are at the top of the actual list.

Tony Vitello, head coach, Tennessee

Hey, a guy can dream, right? While even the soon-to-be renovated Lindsey Nelson Field won’t compare to the facilities at the "Carnegie Hall" Dudy Noble, and Tennessee’s newly invested fanbase isn’t quite yet up to par with the baseball fervor filling the stadium each weekend in Starkville, Vitello is the highest paid coach in the sport competing at the highest levels in the sport. He’s not looking to make a change.

Cliff Godwin, head coach, ECU

This is a guy that has had every opportunity to turn heel against his Pirates and leave for greener pastures, but he just won’t. Whether that is his choice or everyone else’s, I think history holds serve for a coach who still hasn’t seen Omaha.

Nick Mingione, head coach, Kentucky

While I think Nick’s experience at State and the upgrade in commitment to baseball could persuade him to come to Starkville, he has but three winning seasons in SEC play out of eight attempts so far. New heights for his program a season ago don’t move the needle that much.

Chris Ostrander, head coach, Southern Miss

Another guy who has been successful in a short stint as a head coach, but not at a major program. One could also argue that USM has been stable or perhaps fallen off somewhat since Scott Berry’s retirement.

While this list is extensive, it is far from exhaustive. Some other names to consider include Texas Tech’s Tim Tadlock, LSU hitting coach Eddie Smith, Texas assistant Max Weiner, Troy head coach Skylar Meade, and probably about a dozen others I can’t be bothered to write about right this second. The take-home point is that Mississippi State is not short of options when it comes to who will lead Bulldog Baseball moving forward, and I doubt they’ll be short of ready and willing suitors either.

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