Dudy Noble Field will be the scene of plenty of activity this week, with the 11th-ranked Diamond Dogs launching preseason practice Monday and the famed “outfield terrace” set to open for parking this weekend.
Weather permitting, the Baseball Bulldogs are scheduled to open preseason drills with a 2:30 p.m. practice Monday at Dudy Noble Field. The practice sessions are open to the public.
“We’re anxious to get on the field and get practice started,” said coach Ron Polk, set to begin the second season of his second coaching stint at Mississippi State. “We’ve got a solid group of returning veterans and an impressive collection of talented new players.”
MSU’s returnees include junior lefthander Paul Maholm, a preseason All-American and one of six current MSU players accorded freshman All-America team honors over the past three seasons.
State returns five starting position players, nine pitchers and four other letter-winners from last year’s team that posted a 34-24-1 record, advanced to its 16th consecutive SEC Tournament and came up just short in a bid for its seventh straight NCAA Tournament berth.
MSU opens its 113th season of baseball Feb. 21-23 at Dudy Noble Field, playing host to Birmingham-Southern and Connecticut in the third annual National Bank of Commerce Classic.
A full complement of trucks, trailers and other vehicles should be settled into their assigned outfield parking positions for opening weekend at Dudy Noble Field. Outfield terrace move-in activities are set this weekend (Feb. 7 for front row vehicles and Feb. 8 for all others). Nearly 70 vehicles are parked for the duration of the season beyond the outfield fence each year at Dudy Noble field.