Baseball Announces Second Ron Polk Ring of Honor Class

by: Greg Campbell, Assistant Director/Communications

STARKVILLE – Dudy Noble Field will host the first SEC weekend series of 2020 when Mississippi State welcomes Arkansas to town March 13-15 and the Diamond Dawgs will induct the second class into the Ron Polk Ring of Honor.

State's career leader in strikeouts, the first head coach to lead the program to the College World Series and one of the best two-way players to wear the maroon and white will take their place among the programs most noteworthy in the Adkerson Plaza, as Eric DuBose, Paul Gregory and Bobby Thigpen join the fraternity.

The inaugural class of 2019 included Jeff Brantley, Will Clark, David "Boo" Ferriss, C.R. "Dudy" Noble and Rafael Palmeiro.

The Ring of Honor is named after legendary head coach Ron Polk, who served as the head coach at Mississippi State from 1976-97 and again from 2002-08. Affectionally referred to as the Godfather of Southeastern Conference baseball, Polk served 31 years as head coach in the conference, adding a stint at the University of Georgia (2000-01). The architect of five SEC championship teams and five SEC Tournament-title winning squads, Polk was a four-time SEC Coach of the Year and two-time national Coach of the Year honoree.

The first SEC coach in any sport to reach 1,000 victories, he guided Mississippi State to six College World Series appearances and owned a 1,139-590 record with the Maroon and White. He totaled 1,373 career coaching victories, making eight total trips to Omaha. A two-time Team USA head coach, Polk is a member of the American Baseball Coaches Association, Mississippi Sports and College Baseball Halls of Fame. During his tenure as a head coach, Polk tutored 33 All-Americans, 71 All-SEC selections, 187 Major League Baseball draft picks, including 29 who reached the big leagues. Named an SEC Legend in 2017, Polk has also earned the prestigious Lefty Gomez Award from the ABCA and Rube Award from Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame for his tireless service to others during his career.

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Eric DuBose
1995-97
A dominating left-handed pitcher that amassed 27 victories and school-standard 428 strikeouts in three season, Eric Dubose led the program in strikeouts and innings pitched each of his three seasons on campus. A Freshman All-American during his initial campaign in 1995, DuBose added All-America accolades as a sophomore and junior. A two-time All-SEC performer, the starting pitcher landed first-team honors in 1996, before spending the summer with USA Baseball.

In his career, the left-hander piled up a then-single season school record 174 strikeouts during the 1996 campaign for the best of his three 100-strikeout seasons in the maroon and white. Winning the decisive game of the 1997 Mideast Regional over Washington, DuBose tied for team best with nine victories during State's 1997 College World Series season. He also led the 1996 squad with 10 victories.

The 21st overall pick in the first round of the 1997 Major League Baseball Draft, DuBose spent five seasons in the big leagues with the Baltimore Orioles. He amassed 115 strikeouts in 188 1/3 innings of professional mound work, working in the rotation and out of the bullpen during his career.

Paul E. Gregory
1928-30 – Student-Athlete | 1957-74 – Head Coach
A three-sport student-athlete and two-sport head coach at Mississippi State, Paul E. Gregory also served in the U.S. Navy and played professional baseball in his lifetime. After lacing his shoes up for the football, basketball and baseball programs for the Maroons, Gregory would spend two seasons with the Chicago White Sox and then serve in World War II. Upon return, he spent two more seasons in the minor leagues, before C.R. Dudy Noble hired him as State's basketball coach before the 1947-48 season.

After leading MSU on the court for eight seasons, Gregory took over on the diamond in 1957 and held the head coaching post for 18 seasons. His baseball coaching resume includes State's first four NCAA Tournament appearances in program history – including its first trip to the College World Series in 1971 – and four Southeastern Conference titles. Gregory amassed 328 victories and was named SEC Coach of the Year on four occasions. He is a Mississippi Sports, Mississippi State University Sports and American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame inductee.

Bobby Thigpen
1984-85
After appearing in 53 games in his first season on campus – most of which came in the outfield – Bobby Thigpen set the standard for what the college baseball two-way player would look like during his second season in Starkville. In two seasons, Thigpen appeared in 118 career games, which included jogging from the outfield to the pitcher's mound on 29 occasions.

The right-hander tallied a then-school-record seven saves during the College World Series season of 1985, while he carried a .306 batting average. For his career, Thigpen drove in 101 runs, hit seven home runs and was credited with seven saves and one victory. He fanned 49 batters in 42 innings of work on the mound in 1985, while also posting career highs for average (.306), hits (70), runs scored (46), home runs (9), total bases (109), walks (40) and RBIs (56).

One of five Bulldogs selected in first 10 rounds of Major League Baseball Draft in 1985, Thigpen was taken in the fourth round by the Chicago White Sox. His nine-year career in Major League Baseball included a 1990 All-Star selection and 1990 Rolaids Relief Pitcher of the Year award. He posted a then-MLB record 57 saves in 1990, a record which stood for 18 seasons. Overall, Thigpen amassed 201 saves and 31 victories in 448 appearances with three MLB organizations. He also spent three seasons as an instructor in the White Sox organization.

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The Bulldogs open the 2020 season with a three-game series at Dudy Noble Field against Horizon League champion Wright State on Feb. 14-16. The season opener is slated for 4 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 14. The remainder of the series will start at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 15 and 1 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 16.

While reserved seating season tickets are sold out for the 34 straight season, general admission/stadium room only season tickets are available from the Mississippi State ticket office at the Bryan Building on MSU's campus. The GA/SRO ticket costs $199.

New for the 2020 season, the Mobile Access Pass will provide access to already-sold chairback seats at Dudy Noble Field. The Mobile Access Pass provides a GA/SRO ticket for all games on the 2020 home schedule, while also offering access to the already-sold chairback seats for all home weekend series – excluding Super Bulldog Weekend – on a game-by-game basis. The cost for the Mobile Access Pass is $225.

Mississippi State University Athletics

Baseball Announces Second Ron Polk Ring of Honor Class

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