Photo by: Sloane Bush/MSU Athletics
Football Assistants Bond Over Bulldog Baseball
October 29, 2021 | Baseball, Football
STARKVILLE – Mike Leach brought a majority of his football staff with him when he took the Mississippi State job in January 2020.
Many of those assistant coaches left their families behind in Washington so they could start recruiting and get everything settled in Starkville before everyone else made the move as well.
It was during that time that those assistants bonded by attending baseball games just across the parking lot from their offices at Dudy Noble Field.
"It's important because at the end of the day, you've got to be able to enjoy the company of the people you spend time with," said offensive line coach Mason Miller. "That's what makes this staff special. We're all pretty close and spend a lot of time together. We've have been together for four years and most of us are baseball guys."
The staff fit right in with the rest of the maroon and white faithful right from the start and enjoyed roaming the famed Left Field Lounge and cheering on the Diamond Dogs from the grandstands.Â
"Everybody was talking about the excitement that the fans bring and that got us excited about it," said cornerbacks coach Darcel McBath. "Going in there and seeing how everybody comes together and how great an atmosphere it is and how great we are as a baseball team, that was the fun part. Being able to be a fan is a relaxing thing. I love watching coach (Chris) Lemonis and the boys put on a show."
Miller is a self-diagnosed baseball fanatic and grew up watching Ron Polk's teams play on ESPN as a kid in Marietta, Georgia. As an adult, his fandom had usually been reserved for the Major Leagues because there was not as much emphasis placed on the sport at some of his previous coaching stops.
But the investment MSU makes towards its baseball program and facilities was certainly evident when he saw the new Dudy Noble Field for the first time.
"It's the best baseball stadium in the country, and that's hands down," Miller said.
McBath, on the other hand, learned about the Bulldogs' storied success on the diamond and all the past greats that have worn the M-over-S while doing his homework on the university after accepting the job.
But all of his research did not prepare McBath for the firsthand experience he got when he attended a game in person.
"The Left Field Lounge is not something that you're going to see every day," McBath said. "You can try to explain it to people. I'd seen videos before but to be there and to see it in full when everything is rolling, it's pretty spectacular."
Outside receivers coach Steve Spurrier Jr. shares those sentiments. Spurrier spent time coaching in the Southeastern Conference at Florida and South Carolina but contends that the fans are what makes Mississippi State baseball so unique and special.
"Our crowd and all they allow them to do with the food and the tailgating, it's one of the most remarkable things I've ever seen," Spurrier said.
As the Bulldogs were making their historic run to the College World Series and eventual national championship last season, the football coaches considered themselves some of their biggest supporters.
"We had a blast watching them win it," McBath said. "You feel like you're a part of them winning it, which we are. Mississippi State is a family and it was great to see that happen."
Miller was on vacation with his wife, Megan, in the Dominican Republic while State was making its run in Omaha, Nebraska. Miller made sure he watched every game from the resort they were staying at and even had to download a VPN to ensure he could access the ESPN app outside of the United States.
McBath and Spurrier watched the College World Series at home with their families in Starkville. McBath was so fired up about State advancing to the championship series that he contemplated loading up his wife and two children and making the 13-hour trek to TD Ameritrade Park.
However, their superstitions got the better of them and decided to stick with what was working. The McBaths even ate the same meal each night before the Bulldogs took the field: skirt steak tacos with all the fixings.
The dogpile in Omaha and the subsequent parade and celebrations back home in Starkville were special for the baseball team but also inspired the entire university and fan base as a whole. Â
"It was obviously a cool win for our baseball program but what that meant to our university for Mississippi State to win its first national championship, that'll be remembered forever," Spurrier said. "Everyone feels that and everyone recognizes that. It tells every coach, every player and every student here that this is a national championship athletic department. That was a cool moment without a doubt."
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Many of those assistant coaches left their families behind in Washington so they could start recruiting and get everything settled in Starkville before everyone else made the move as well.
It was during that time that those assistants bonded by attending baseball games just across the parking lot from their offices at Dudy Noble Field.
"It's important because at the end of the day, you've got to be able to enjoy the company of the people you spend time with," said offensive line coach Mason Miller. "That's what makes this staff special. We're all pretty close and spend a lot of time together. We've have been together for four years and most of us are baseball guys."
The staff fit right in with the rest of the maroon and white faithful right from the start and enjoyed roaming the famed Left Field Lounge and cheering on the Diamond Dogs from the grandstands.Â
"Everybody was talking about the excitement that the fans bring and that got us excited about it," said cornerbacks coach Darcel McBath. "Going in there and seeing how everybody comes together and how great an atmosphere it is and how great we are as a baseball team, that was the fun part. Being able to be a fan is a relaxing thing. I love watching coach (Chris) Lemonis and the boys put on a show."
Miller is a self-diagnosed baseball fanatic and grew up watching Ron Polk's teams play on ESPN as a kid in Marietta, Georgia. As an adult, his fandom had usually been reserved for the Major Leagues because there was not as much emphasis placed on the sport at some of his previous coaching stops.
But the investment MSU makes towards its baseball program and facilities was certainly evident when he saw the new Dudy Noble Field for the first time.
"It's the best baseball stadium in the country, and that's hands down," Miller said.
McBath, on the other hand, learned about the Bulldogs' storied success on the diamond and all the past greats that have worn the M-over-S while doing his homework on the university after accepting the job.
But all of his research did not prepare McBath for the firsthand experience he got when he attended a game in person.
"The Left Field Lounge is not something that you're going to see every day," McBath said. "You can try to explain it to people. I'd seen videos before but to be there and to see it in full when everything is rolling, it's pretty spectacular."
Outside receivers coach Steve Spurrier Jr. shares those sentiments. Spurrier spent time coaching in the Southeastern Conference at Florida and South Carolina but contends that the fans are what makes Mississippi State baseball so unique and special.
"Our crowd and all they allow them to do with the food and the tailgating, it's one of the most remarkable things I've ever seen," Spurrier said.
As the Bulldogs were making their historic run to the College World Series and eventual national championship last season, the football coaches considered themselves some of their biggest supporters.
"We had a blast watching them win it," McBath said. "You feel like you're a part of them winning it, which we are. Mississippi State is a family and it was great to see that happen."
Miller was on vacation with his wife, Megan, in the Dominican Republic while State was making its run in Omaha, Nebraska. Miller made sure he watched every game from the resort they were staying at and even had to download a VPN to ensure he could access the ESPN app outside of the United States.
McBath and Spurrier watched the College World Series at home with their families in Starkville. McBath was so fired up about State advancing to the championship series that he contemplated loading up his wife and two children and making the 13-hour trek to TD Ameritrade Park.
However, their superstitions got the better of them and decided to stick with what was working. The McBaths even ate the same meal each night before the Bulldogs took the field: skirt steak tacos with all the fixings.
The dogpile in Omaha and the subsequent parade and celebrations back home in Starkville were special for the baseball team but also inspired the entire university and fan base as a whole. Â
"It was obviously a cool win for our baseball program but what that meant to our university for Mississippi State to win its first national championship, that'll be remembered forever," Spurrier said. "Everyone feels that and everyone recognizes that. It tells every coach, every player and every student here that this is a national championship athletic department. That was a cool moment without a doubt."
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