SEC Baseball Tournament: catch the action

Miss State Baseball "Built it and they came"

Commemorative pin

For college baseball fans, and especially those who 'Hail' from Mississippi State University, it is no secret that Dudy Noble Field offers the ultimate college baseball experience.

Tonight celebrates 5 Million Fans through the gates as Miss State plays South Carolina, and the first 5,000 fans will receive a pin to commemorate this milestone.  The baseball program is known for drawing large crowds and for setting attendance records.

A long history of winning baseball teams, and trips to the College World Series mark the colorful baseball history of Mississippi State University.  The field was originally named for C.R. "Dudy" Noble who served as athletic director for many years.  In 1998 the name was updated to Dudy Noble Field, Polk-DeMent Stadium to honor longtime Miss State coach Ron Polk and the late Gordon DeMent, supporter and fan.

The bulldogs have seen 40 years of baseball on this diamond, and I was fortunate to be there during a portion of the Ron Polk years.  The 1985 season with greats like Will Clark and Rafael Palmeiro on the field, the SEC Championship and a trip to the College World Series helped drive attendance that has successfully grown into a baseball legacy.  In 1987 a $3.5 million expansion project paid off and today Dudy Noble Field is a premier baseball facility with several projects over the years creating a successful college baseball program.

For those students who remember the old bleachers, and a Left Field Lounge with no waiting list and our folding chairs in the back of a pickup truck, the new stadium is possible because of your loyalty over the years.  Congratulations to the Bulldog players, coaches, alumni and students - "If you build it they will come".