Questions Abound for Mississippi State Entering 2017 Baseball Season

The Mississippi State Bulldogs will enter the 2017 Baseball Season doing something many thought they wouldn’t, trying to defend their 2016 SEC Championship. The team was supposed to be good in 2016, but no one was expecting them to find themselves adding an 11th SEC Championship to their program’s history.

If they are going to defend it, things won’t be easy. The Bulldogs lost two of their vaunted weekend starting pitchers and 6 of the regular members of their starting lineup. The Bulldogs excelled in 2016, and it did not go unnoticed by scouts for Major League Baseball.

Not only do the Bulldogs have questions to answer on the field, they have a brand new coach to lead the team. John Cohen relinquished his head coaching duties to take over the Athletic Director position. In his place is former LSU Assistant and New York Yankees scout Andy Cannizaro.

Cannizaro takes over the head coaching job without any prior experience. For that reason, it was a head scratching move to some fans. But Cohen feels confident Cannizaro will pick up right where Cohen left off.

For the rest of this month and the first half of February, I’ll spend Monday through Friday getting you ready for the upcoming baseball season. I write these previews for myself as much as I do you guys. There isn’t a ton of coverage for baseball, but I know there are people who want as much info as possible. This is one of the ways I learn about the team, and in turn, I try to pass it on to our readers. If you’re wondering what I plan to cover, here is the schedule I plan to follow.

January 23 – Questions Abound for Mississippi State entering 2017 Baseball Season

January 24 – POLL: Where do you think the Baseball Team finishes compared to 2016?

January 25 – 2017 Mississippi State Baseball Preview: Outfielders

January 26 – 2017 Mississippi State Baseball Preview: 3^rd Base

January 27 – 2017 Mississippi State Baseball Preview: Shortstop

January 30 – 2017 Mississippi State Baseball Preview: 2^nd Base

January 31 – 2017 Mississippi State Baseball Preview: 1^st Base

February 1 – 2017 Mississippi State Baseball Preview: Catcher

February 2 – 2017 Mississippi State Baseball Preview: Relief Pitchers

February 3 – 2017 Mississippi State Baseball Preview: Staring Pitchers

February 6 – Andy Cannizaro was an Obvious Choice for John Cohen

February 7 – Dudy Noble Field Renovation will Spark Controversy Until it is Complete

February 8 – Bulldogs Filled Holes in 2016 Recruiting Class

February 9 – Can Jake Mangum do even better in 2017 than he did as a Freshman?

February 10 – What will Mississippi State’s Offense look like in 2017?

February 13 – What will Mississippi State’s Pitching look like in 2017?

February 14 – 2017 Mississippi State Projected Lineup

February 15 – 2017 Mississippi State Projected Pitching Rotation

February 16 – Predicted Order of Finish in the SEC

February 17 – Opening Day at Dudy Noble Field

I don’t know what this team will be, but that is part of the fun in writing about baseball. We’ll all get to find out together. And even if it doesn’t end in another SE Championship, it should be another fun season of Mississippi State baseball.