STARKVILLE, Miss. (WJTV) – Mississippi State Director of Athletics Zac Selmon announced Monday that Chris Lemonis has been relieved of his duties as head baseball coach effective immediately.

Lemonis was in his seventh season as the Bulldogs’ head coach. Officials said a national search to identify the program’s next head coach is underway.

Assistant coach Justin Parker will serve as interim head coach for the remainder of the season.

“A change in leadership is what’s best for the future of Mississippi State Baseball,” Selmon said. “We have not consistently met the standard of success that our university, fans and student-athletes expect and deserve. I want to thank Coach Lemonis for his work and the time he gave to our program, including a national championship in 2021. We appreciate his efforts and wish him and his family all the best moving forward.”

Lemonis became Mississippi State’s 18th head baseball coach on June 25, 2018, and was 232-135 in his six-plus seasons. He owns a 373-226-2 career record as a head coach. Under Lemonis, MSU made three NCAA Tournaments (2019, 2021, 2024), two College World Series (2019, 2021) and won the 2021 national title.