Cohen's Corner - 5/9/18 - Mississippi State

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With our first letter of the summer, I want to take a moment here to congratulate all of our graduates who completed their education and earned their degrees over the weekend. Those who walked the stage were students and athletes, old and young, and people from all majors and backgrounds, but through our shared education, we all now have a bond that will last for life. I know you will make Mississippi State proud as you go out into the world and begin your careers.

I would be remiss if I didn't specifically tell our graduating student-athletes how proud I am of your accomplishment. I know first-hand how much work goes into balancing the athletic and academic lives at the same time and how much sacrifice is required to do both successfully. Many of you will go on to professional careers in your sport – and several of you already have – while many more of you will go into fields of competition different from those you played in here. Whatever your future holds, remember what we always say here at MSU – wherever you go, we go with you.

MEN'S TENNIS SET TO HOST NCAA 1ST/2ND ROUNDS, THREE TEAMS BEGIN NCAA PLAY

The list of honors for Coach Roberts and our SEC Tournament Champion men's tennis team goes on and on with multiple All-SEC selections last week, including Coach of the Year, Player of the Year and SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year. This weekend, our attention turns back to the court as Bulldogs host the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament right here on campus as the No. 6 national seed. I've made this challenge already, but I'll say again how strongly I want us to have a capacity crowd and an incredible atmosphere to cheer on the guys as they begin the final stretch of the season.

We host Tennessee Tech on Friday afternoon at approximately 1 p.m., that matchup coming after the first match of the day in the morning at 10 a.m. (featuring No. 21 Memphis and South Alabama). The winner of our match against TTU will play the Memphis-South Alabama victor on Saturday at 1 p.m. for the right to advance to the NCAA Round of 16 in Winston-Salem, N.C. next week. Visit www.hailstate.com/ncaatennis for full information on the weekend, including ticket purchasing.

While our men's tennis team is at home, we've got two more programs on the road starting NCAA play this week, as well. Coach Greenan and our No. 31 women's tennis team are off to Chapel Hill, N.C., where they will face William and Mary in the first round Friday morning at 9 a.m. CT, with the winner of that match going on to play Saturday afternoon against the winner of Morgan State and top-ranked host North Carolina. Then on Monday, first-year coach Dusty Smith and his men's golf team start play in Bryan, Texas, in the first round of the NCAAs. Good luck to all our teams as they chase championships!

ROAD DAWGS BEGINS TOMORROW, CONTINUES NEXT WEEK

Starting tomorrow, our athletic department is excited to hit the highway with Coach Moorhead and tour Mississippi and the southeast for our annual Road Dawgs Tour. We'll be in Vicksburg for lunch and Cleveland for dinner tomorrow, so Bulldogs in the area be sure to make plans to join us. The tour continues next Monday-Thursday with five more stops in Mississippi and destinations in Houston, Huntsville and Atlanta to round out the tour. For schedule and ticket information, visit our Moor Cowbell Road Dawgs Tour page here and be sure to come see us at a stop near you.

SOFTBALL CLAIMS SEC TOURNAMENT OPENER; FACES SOUTH CAROLINA THURSDAY

Finally, congratulations go out to Coach Stuedeman and our 25th-ranked softball Bulldogs, who upset sixth-seeded and 14th-ranked Texas A&M 2-0 in the first round of the SEC Softball Tournament in Columbia, Mo., today.

Our ladies, seeded 11th, will meet third-seeded and 14th-ranked South Carolina at 11 a.m. CT tomorrow in the quarterfinals on the SEC Network.

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!

John Cohen
Director of Athletics

Mississippi State University Athletics

Cohen's Corner - 5/9/18

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