Wednesday Bulldog Update - 8/12/15
August 12, 2015 | Athletics
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Happy Wednesday, everyone, and welcome to a new year of Mississippi State athletics.
I hope all of you had an enjoyable summer, and to those of you who have missed watching the Bulldogs over the break, your wait is almost over. Several of our teams have already begun preseason practices, and our soccer team had an exhibition against UT-Martin this morning, and plays again at home on Saturday at 7 against Memphis.
It's become clear lately that MSU fans are as excited as they've ever been for the beginning of the athletic calendar, as we've sold over 49,000 season tickets for football, a school record. We're closing in on 50,000 sold, an astounding number indicative of the commitment from fans, coaches and players across the board to Bulldog football.
Additionally, we've sold our allotment of 5,000 tickets to the season opener at Southern Miss. I'm anticipating a large MSU contingent in Hattiesburg on September 5 and can't wait to see you there, as well as back home in Davis Wade for a night game against LSU the following week.
Our volleyball and cross country teams are gearing up for their seasons, as well, and August marks the return of our veterans in all sports. I'd also like to officially welcome our new freshmen and transfers who have arrived in Starkville the last days and months. We are thrilled to have you join the family and can't wait to watch what you become over your career at Mississippi State.
STUDENT TICKETS ON SALE NEXT WEEK
Members of the Hail State Rewards program are eligible to purchase student football season tickets next Monday (must register for HSR by noon on Friday), while sales open up to the general student body on Wednesday morning. All student ticket sales are now online at $55 per ticket, and we expect to sell out of all 11,000 so make sure to secure yours quickly.
Also, a reminder about our guest ticket program, which makes single-game tickets available at a discounted rate while supplies last on the Tuesday morning of each game week. For more information on any of the above, visit www.hailstate.com/studenttickets.
BASEBALL, BASKETBALL TICKET INFORMATION
We have had great response in the form of baseball pre-sale opportunities for the New Dude with over 3,500 seats reserved, and I'd encourage you to check the updated information the Bulldog Club put out yesterday for season tickets moving forward. You can find them on Twitter at @HailStateBDC. We are still taking deposits for the remaining chairbacks and premium seating. As far as the future stadium itself, we are currently in the process of finalizing designs and fundraising to complete the project. Momentum continues to grow toward our goal to have the best stadium for the best fans in college baseball.
As for basketball, we will be sending out renewal information soon to existing season ticket holders for the men's and women's teams. Renewals for the men are expected to go out in the coming days. We expect the majority of our existing 5,000 season ticket holders to renew at last year's rate, leaving roughly 1,800 season tickets available to Bulldog Club members who did not purchase last season.
I should also remind those ticket holders that we are entering the final season of a three-year reseating plan, meaning we will reseat once more after this season.
I am very much looking forward to our first year of basketball under Ben Howland, as well as two anniversary reunions we have planned for the 1991 SEC Champs and the historic 1996 Final Four team. We ought to be in for a fun year of basketball with the promise of excitement for our men and the return of one of the nation's top teams for the women.
We'll be kicking it off with a huge weekend when our men and women open their season in a doubleheader at The Hump on Friday November 13, the night before our football team hosts Alabama. Should be a great weekend.
FUTURE EGG BOWL SCHEDULING
Over the past few months, both MSU and Ole Miss have been in conversations with ESPN and the SEC office about possibly moving the Egg Bowl to Thanksgiving night, beginning this season.
While open to the idea (the game has been on Thanksgiving seven of the last 17 seasons), both Ross Bjork and myself felt that in order to move the game off of Saturday, our preference was a long-term commitment for the Egg Bowl to consistently be on the same day, at the same time, and on the same network each year (as it was from 1998-2003).
While our partners at ESPN have made it clear how much they value our rivalry, they were not in a position to annually provide us with the day, time slot and network we requested. Thus, this year's game will be played on Saturday, Nov. 28. The time and network assignment will be made by the SEC office 12 days prior to kickoff, just like most other games.
The success of both schools has given new prominence to the Egg Bowl in recent years. There is a chance these talks could continue related to future years, but at this time plan on seeing the Bulldogs and Rebels tee it up on Saturdays!
OTHER NOTES
I get this question often during the season, so I'll share some advance information now. The athletic department requested three fly-overs for football games this year. Approval is not guaranteed, but our paperwork for all three has been submitted to the FAA and we are hopeful our requests will be granted, though night games can make approval more tricky.
Looking ahead at the schedule, we'll be honoring the 1980 Sun Bowl team on homecoming against Northwestern State. They are one of the storied teams in the history of MSU football and I look forward to welcoming them back to campus.
During the month of September this football season, each SEC team will be hosting a Prostate Cancer Awareness game in honor of former SEC Commissioner Mike Slive and his battle with prostate cancer. For us, that game will be our home opener on September 12 against LSU.
We appreciate what you do for Mississippi State Athletics and want to encourage you to get others involved. There are three things you can do to help the athletic department at Mississippi State reach its desired goals –
1. Buy Season Tickets
2. Financially Support the Bulldog Club
3. Get Others To Do The Same
Thanks for taking the time to read this Update.
Hail State!
Scott Stricklin
