Chris Lemonis

Chris Lemonis
Lemonis in 2016 with Indiana.
Current position
TitleHead coach
TeamMississippi State
ConferenceSEC
Record207–116
Annual salary$1,250,000
Biographical details
Born (1970-01-22) January 22, 1970 (age 54)
Starkville, Mississippi, U.S.
Playing career
1990–1993The Citadel
Position(s)First baseman
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1995–2006The Citadel (assistant)
2007–2014Louisville (assistant)
2015–2018Indiana
2019–presentMississippi State
Head coaching record
Overall348–207–2 (.627)
TournamentsNCAA: 20–11 (.645)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
As head coach:

As assistant coach:

Awards
As head coach:
  • ABCA/ATEC National Collegiate Coach of the Year (2021)
  • ABCA/ATEC NCAA Div.I South Regional Coach of the Year (2021)

As assistant coach:

As player:

  • 2× second-team All-SoCon (1991, 1993)

Christopher Michael Lemonis (born January 22, 1970) is an American college baseball coach, currently serving as head coach of the Mississippi State Bulldogs baseball team.

Lemonis grew up in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. He played college baseball as a first baseman at The Citadel, where he appeared with the team in the 1990 College World Series. He later earned All-SoCon honors twice and led the team in several offensive categories as a senior in 1993. In 1995, Lemonis began his coaching career as an assistant coach for The Citadel, a position he would hold until 2006. During his time on staff, The Citadel qualified for the NCAA tournament five times and had seven All-American players. From 2007 to 2014, Lemonis was an assistant coach at Louisville, helping Louisville make seven NCAA tournament appearances including the 2007 College World Series. In 2013, Lemonis won Assistant Coach of the Year honors from the American Baseball Coaches Association and Baseball America.

Lemonis held his first head coaching position at Indiana from 2015 to 2018, during which Indiana had 141 wins and three NCAA tournament appearances. Beginning in 2019, Lemonis was head coach at Mississippi State. After appearing in the 2019 College World Series, Mississippi State won the 2021 College World Series title, the first national championship in any sport for the school.