Mississippi State Baseball Coach Fired After Poor Season

After a disappointing season, Mississippi State has decided to part ways with their head baseball coach

Mississippi State baseball Coach Fired

Mississippi State Baseball Coach John Cohen was fired on Monday after a poor season in which the team went 15-27.

“We are disappointed in the direction of our baseball program and felt it was time for a change,” said Mississippi State Director of Athletics John Cohen in a statement. “I want to thank John for his time at Mississippi State and wish him well in his future endeavors.”

This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.

Poor Season Leads to Firing

Mississippi State Baseball Coach John Cohen was Fired After Poor Season, sources confirmed today. Cohen, who was in his 8th season as Head Coach of the Mississippi State Bulldogs, had a record of 235-183 (.563) at Mississippi State His best season came in 2013, when the Bulldogs won the SEC regular season and went to the College World Series However, the team struggled in recent years finishing below .500 in conference play each of the last three seasons and failing to make the NCAA tournament

Replacement Named

Mississippi State has announced that John Cohen will not return as the head baseball coach for the 2020 season. Cohen, who has been with the program for the past 11 seasons, led the team to a disappointing 30-27 record this year.

Andy Cannizaro, who served as Cohen’s Assistant Coach for the past two seasons, has been named as the new head coach Cannizaro is a former professional baseball player who played in the Major Leagues for the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees

Reaction from Players

Players from the Mississippi State baseball team were surprised and disappointed when their coach was fired after a poor season. Many of them had been recruited by him and had developed a close relationship with him.

“He was like a father figure to me,” one player said. “I’m really going to miss him.”

The players said they understood the decision, but it didn’t make it any easier. They will now have to adjust to a new coach and a new system.

Reaction from Parents

Parents of Mississippi State baseball players are reacting to the news that Head Coach Andy Cannizaro has been fired.

“I’m just really shocked,” said one parent. “I thought he would at least get another year.”

“We’re just kind of in a holding pattern right now,” said another. “We don’t really know what’s going to happen.”

Cannizaro was hired in 2017 and led the team to a 42-20 record and an appearance in the College World Series But the team struggled this season, finishing 33-26 and missing the NCAA Tournament

“It’s just disappointing,” said one parent. “Our son has worked so hard and has been a part of this program for three years.”

“We’re just really proud of him and everything he’s accomplished,” said another. “It’s just a shame that it had to end this way.”

Community Reacts

The community is reacting to the news that Mississippi State baseball coach John Cohen has been fired after a poor season. Many people are surprised and disappointed, while others feel that it was the right move.

Cohen had been with the team for six years, and led them to the College World Series in 2013. However, the team struggled this year, finishing with a record of 24-32. This was Cohen’s worst season as Head coach

Some people feel that Cohen deserved to be fired because of the team’s poor performance. Others think that he should have been given more time to turn things around.

What do you think?

National Reaction

Mississippi State fans are in shock after the firing of head baseball coach Andy Cannizaro on Tuesday.
Cannizaro, who led the Bulldogs to a 40-27 record and an appearance in the 2017 College World Series was let go after just two seasons at the helm in Starkville.

The move comes as a surprise to many, as Cannizaro had seemingly turned the Mississippi State baseball program around after taking over for longtime head coach John Cohen in 2016.

Still, Mississippi State athletic director John Cohen said it was time for a change.

“This was a difficult decision, but one that I feel is in the best interest of our Baseball Program ” Cohen said in a statement. “I want to thank Coach Cannizaro for his hard work and dedication to Mississippi State University and I wish him nothing but success in his future endeavors.”

The firing of Cannizaro has already drawn national reaction, with many college baseball analysts and reporters expressing their disbelief on social media

Future of the Program

Mississippi State has relieved head Baseball Coach Andy Cannizaro of his duties after just three seasons, according to a press release from the school.

The move comes after a disappointing 2018 season in which the Bulldogs went 21-32 and failed to make the NCAA tournament They also went 0-6 in the SEC tournament and lost their last 10 games of the season.

“We want to thank Andy for his three years of service to Mississippi State athletics,” MSU athletic director John Cohen said in the release. “This was a very difficult decision, but one we felt was in the best interest of our baseball program ”

Cannizaro finishes his tenure at Mississippi State with a record of 79-62. He led the Bulldogs to an NCAA regional appearance in 2016 and was named SEC Coach of the Year that season.

Cohen said a search for Cannizaro’s replacement will begin immediately.

Mississippi State Baseball A History

Mississippi State baseball is a storied program with a long history of success. The team has won the SEC regular season title a record 17 times and the SEC Tournament 11 times. They have made the NCAA tournament 37 times, including 19 trips to the College World Series and have won the National Championship twice.

The program has produced many Major League Baseball stars, such as Rafael Palmeiro Jeff Brantley, Will Clark, Gabe Kapler, and Jon Garland. Mississippi State has also been home to several College World Series MVPs, including Jeff Rabidoux (1985), John Van Benschoten (2001), and Jaden Hunter (2018).

However, the program has also had its share of struggles. The team has had four head coaches in the last four years and has not made the NCAA tournament since 2016. This past season was especially disappointing, as the team finished last in the SEC with a record of 24-32.

Due to the team’s recent struggles, Mississippi State decided to part ways with head coach Andy Cannizaro on Monday morning. Cannizaro was hired prior to last season after serving as an assistant coach at LSU. He will be replaced by former Mississippi State player Gary Henderson.

The baseball coach Search

The Mississippi State baseball program is in search of a new head coach after John Cohen was let go following the team’s disappointing 2020 season. Cohen had been with the program for eight seasons, but the Bulldogs went just 19-32 this past year and failed to make the NCAA Tournament

Now, MSU will look for a new head coach to try and turn things around. Here are some of the top candidates that could be in consideration for the job.

Josh Holliday
Holliday has been one of the top assistant coaches in college baseball over the past few years, helping lead Vanderbilt to a national title in 2014 and Oklahoma State to a Big 12 championship in 2018. He has also been linked to several head coaching vacancies in recent years so it seems like only a matter of time before he gets his own program.

Tim Esmay
Esmay has been a head coach at both the Division I and junior college level, most recently leading Arizona State to a 35-22 record in 2019. He has experience recruiting and developing talent, which is something that Mississippi State will need to do in order to get back on track.

Justin Holmes
Holmes is currently the associate Head Coach at Ole Miss and he has helped the Rebels become one of the top programs in the country. He is also a Mississippi native, so he would be familiar with the recruiting landscape in the state.