The baseball student support group, The Dudes, gets ready to start its second year as one of the top student sections in the country with a preseason organization and sign-up meeting today at 6 p.m. in the Palmeiro Center.
The Dudes broke ground last year with over 1,000 participating students.
Tyler Bratton, the director of Baseball Operations, said he is especially proud of what The Dudes were able to accomplish in its inaugural season.
“We started last year and it was our first run through it, and the Friday night opener vs. Washington State was the largest student involvement at a baseball game on a non-Super Bulldog Weekend,” Bratton said. “We had 1,423 students show up for that baseball game that Friday night. It was an incredible turnout.”
The Bulldogs had a successful season last year, winning the SEC Championship, and Bratton said he believes the students certainly played a role in it.
“We have a unique facility here, one of the best facilities in all of college baseball,” Bratton said. “Getting students involved helps to add to the home-field advantage that we already have.”
Student support particularly means a lot to the players.  MSU pitcher Ross Mitchell praised The Dudes for their efforts last season.
“It really makes the home-field advantage that much better, having people out there supporting us,” Mitchell said. “The intensity they bring throughout the game gets in the other team’s head.”
The meeting today will last around 30 minutes, and all students who plan to come need to bring their student IDs. Attendance throughout the season will be tracked through the student IDs, and students with perfect attendance at the end of the season will receive prizes. The first 1,000 students that show up to the meeting will receive a free MSU Dudes T-shirt.
Bratton said he is optimistic about the future of The Dudes.
“We expect even higher turnouts this year,” Bratton said.  “We expect this to grow and grow and keep adding to our unbelievable home atmosphere.”
The Dudes officially starts its second year as a group on Feb. 15 when the No. 5 MSU Bulldogs host Portland.