Mississippi State’s 2023 season was nothing but a disaster on the mound. The Bulldogs finished with a 7.01 earned run average, the highest in school history, and made a pitching coach change from Scott Foxhall to South Carolina’s Justin Parker following the season.
What goes under the radar was the injuries Mississippi State had from its pitching staff. Two of the team’s top bullpen arms, Stone Simmons and Brooks Auger, underwent Tommy John surgery after elbow injuries during the 2022 season, and sophomore Pico Kohn would injure his elbow during preseason practices earlier this spring.
With the recovery for Tommy John surgery typically being between 12-15 months, it’s no surprise that Simmons and Auger will be back in action. The promising news is that Kohn, who had his surgery done in April, is expected to resume activities after Christmas, according to head coach Chris Lemonis.
“We get all of our injured pitchers from 2022 back,” Lemonis said on the Dear Ol' State podcast. “I don’t think everybody realizes that Stone Simmons is 100% back. Brooks Auger is 100% back. Pico will be ready after Christmas so he’ll be back.”
The return of this trio will be pivotal for a Bulldog pitching staff that relied heavily on freshmen in 2023.
Simmons was an integral part of the Diamond Dawgs’ 2021 National Title, posting a 4.81 ERA in 19 relief appearances. The former Furman transfer got off to a hot start in 2022 with zero base runners allowed in three appearances but saw his season end prematurely with his injury.
Auger came on strong in 2022 with a 3.05 ERA in 16 relief appearances, striking out 27 hitters in 20.2 innings. Kohn had his ups and downs as a true freshman in 2022, but the southpaw put together a solid debut season with a 4.91 ERA in 21 appearances, including two starts. He was developing well ahead of his sophomore campaign and was expected to be a part of the starting rotation.
“You’re talking about our National Champion setup guy (Simmons)," Lemonis said. "Brooks Auger’s stuff is really good right now. Pico was supposed to be our Saturday starter this year.”
In addition to those returnees, the Bulldogs had a few new faces that battled injuries. Freshman Max Miller and junior college transfer Nate Williams are promising arms that never saw the field, and Bradley Loftin, one of the top talents on the roster, saw his freshman campaign end abruptly with bone spurs.
“Max Miller is a lefty that came in injured last year. Nate Williams was a righty that came in injured, and Bradley Loftin had bone spurs,” Lemonis said. “You’re talking about six guys that are really in the mix to pitch.”
The Diamond Dawgs have a talented nucleus on the mound that couldn't quite put it together like Jurrangelo Cijntje, Nate Dohm, and Colby Holcombe to go along with the arms they'll be getting back from injury. MSU also brought in three transfer portal pieces in Nate Lamb, Karson Ligon, and Khal Stephen, and the hope is that Parker can take this group to the next level.
"People don't realize the Jurrangelos, the Colby Holcombes, the Nate Dohms, the Loftins are better than what's in the portal. They just have to pitch better," Lemonis said. "I think with the combination of Coach Parker and being in the league for a year and understanding what's going on, those will be some really big pieces."
