Dawghouse: A Mississippi State Podcast

Bulldog football recruiting was maroon-hot all June, now Jeff Lebby and staff review commitment trends and how to complete this next signing class. Mississippi State baseball continues working portal players for the 2025 roster ahead of Tuesday's closing. The mid-July Major League Draft is two weeks away as well. And Bulldog basketball rewards staff members with adjusted roles and new titles ahead of Chris Jans' third season in Humphrey Coliseum.

No games are being played on Mississippi State fields these days but recruiting for both Bulldog football and baseball has seized the summer headlines. Coach Chris Lemonis is plugging in players for 2025 through the transfer portal open through July 2. He has an eye on the mid-July draft and what it will do to the roster also. May and June weekends have been busy for first-year coach Jeff Lebby as he recruits for his second, third, and beyond Mississippi State seasons. And here at Dawgsbite we are working up a summer series asking you, the fan, for input on all sorts of Mississippi State topics. So watch the website for the first round of Proposed: Readers Always Write.

Mississippi State's return to the NCAA Tournament after a two-year absence ended after four games in Virginia. How close were the Bulldogs to themselves hosting and perhaps still be playing for Omaha? But also how much rebuilding can be done if the 2025 Diamond Dogs are to be post-season worthy? The spring transfer portal runs through July 2 and then the mid-month Major League Draft will have a huge impact on Chris Lemonis' seventh roster. Chris Jans got his well-earned contract extension and raise going into year-three with Bulldog basketball. Meanwhile Jeff Lebby and staff are hosting prospects for next year and beyond at June campus camps. Scholarship offers are already being extended, too.

The NCAA baseball committee did not give Mississippi State a regional. So the Diamond Dogs will take their assignment to the Charlottesville Regional and try to run with it all the way to Omaha.

Bulldog Country is in an unhappy holiday mood as the Mississippi State is not hosting a Starkville Regional after all. The Diamond Dogs learn their regional site assignment and the other three teams in that field Monday. How close were the Bulldogs to hosting? As close as too many of the narrow losses in both SEC and non-conference play this year.

Mississippi State walks-off Ole Miss for a SEC Tournament win that has the Diamond Dogs thisssss close to securing NCAA Tournament host rights as a top-sixteen seed. Bulldog basketball extends Chris Jans' contract while he extends the 2024-25 roster. Jeff Lebby and staff begin two weeks of prospect camps next weekend.

The last weekend of SEC season has Mississippi State hosting Missouri. But the Diamond Dogs have another hosting on their minds. With a strong finish to this schedule and perhaps one more win at the SEC Tournament, a Starkville Regional is very much in play. The late return of former ace Nate Dohm is encouraging for post-season pitching. Centerfielder and best SEC season batter Connor Husjak should be back for this weekend. Will Joe Powell's late show of power shake up the lineup and order? And scoreboard watching is in vogue at Polk-Dement Stadium as other SEC series impact State's chances to host. Bulldog softball hoped to be assigned to a closer regional but will take their best shot in Palo Alto against Cal State Fullerton Friday evening as well as host Stanford. Jeff Lebby is making the Road Dawg rounds in May ahead of the coming weeks of hosting early summer prospect camps.

After five winning weeks Mississippi State is safely in the SEC and NCAA tournaments. Now the trick is earning the best seeding for both. With a strong finish the Bulldogs could make a case for hosting Regional play again. Softball's stay at their SEC Tourney is short but the Ladydogs will learn their NCAA assignment this Sunday. The campus crusher race is tied with 16 home runs each by the leading Diamond Dog and Ladydog slugger. The spring portal is closed but Jeff Lebby is still finding late additions for his first Mississippi State roster.

Consecutive won SEC weekends have Mississippi State back solidly in the post-season picture. The Diamond Dogs took two at Vanderbilt and are 5th in the overall league standings. They also are close to locking up a SEC Tourney berth, but the goals now turn to NCAA Tournament seeding if the Dogs keep this pace. Pitching and defense remain the squad strengths. But a revamped batting order came up clutch in both wins. The NFL Draft claimed three Bulldogs from the 2023 roster and all come from the defensive side of the squad. State has had just four offensive skill position players drafted in the last 14 years. The Jeff Lebby approach to recruiting and development should change this troubling trend.

Spring football games rarely matter, but this 2024 Super Bulldog Weekend event was a glimpse at future fun for the Bulldogs. Coach Jeff Lebby's offense put on a spring show led by Blake Shapen throwing and a variety of receivers catching. The offensive line showed attitude, the defense looked athletic, and everybody was aggressive. Bulldog baseball did what had to be done with a three-game sweep of Auburn. Now above-.500 in SEC play Mississippi State can build its post-season case in the remaining league series. Bulldog softball has two SEC series left of their own and is on track to host a NCAA Regional again. And congratulations for the first-ever SEC Championship by Lady Bulldog golf.