Going Out On Top

OMAHA, Neb. – Scotty Dubrule had a choice to make. It was the spring of 2020 and while the world was essentially shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the present, Dubrule also had his future weighing on his mind.

He'd starred for four years at Jacksonville University. He was exploring his options as a graduate transfer. Many schools had interest in Dubrule, but one in particular began to rise to the top of Dubrule's list: Mississippi State.

"It was pretty nuts," Dubrule said when remembering the situation. "But at the same time, I'm thinking, 'This team has a real shot to go to Omaha and I want to be a part of it.'"

It's not often you get to have your cake and eat it, too. In Dubrule's case, that's exactly what has happened. On Sunday night, he'll take the field with the Bulldogs as State opens play in the College World Series. Win, lose or draw over the upcoming days, Dubrule will close out his collegiate career on college baseball's grandest stage. Coming to Starkville proved to be all Dubrule hoped it would be.

Dolphin to Bulldog

Before Dubrule put on the maroon and white, he had to say goodbye to his incredibly successful past in Jacksonville. Dubrule is a Venice, Florida, native and did nothing but shine in the Sunshine State.

He was picked to the ASUN Conference All-Freshman Team in his debut season with the Dolphins in 2017. He followed that up by being chosen to All-ASUN teams in both his sophomore and junior campaigns. He was then leading the entire ASUN in hits in 2020 before the season was cancelled.

With his sports business degree completed, and an extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA due to the pandemic, Dubrule had an opportunity to rewrite the ending of his career. He entered the transfer portal and the Bulldogs were among those that wanted him.

"He was a baseball player, number one," State hitting coach and recruiting coordinator Jake Gautreau said of the attraction to Dubrule. "And he was a veteran that had been there and done it at a very high level. He was an on-base machine and an elite hitter with a really good approach. He has good instincts and was a very good base runner, and we also knew he could play a very, very good second base and if we needed him to play short or third, he could do that as well."

For Dubrule, he'd been somewhat intrigued with Mississippi State for nearly a decade. He can't remember the details exactly, but it was the early 2010s and a former Bulldog pitcher captured his attention. Dubrule says he loved the uniform. Little did he know at the time, he'd one day play in an M-over-S hat of his own.

But the thing that stood out the most about Mississippi State was the environment Dubrule witnessed as he watched the 2019 Starkville Super Regional unfold.

"It looked like a big league game from on TV," Dubrule recalled. "I was like, 'Wow. This is crazy. I can't imagine being there.'"

In 2021, Dubrule didn't have to imagine it. There he was, wearing maroon, at the center of the diamond at Dudy Noble Field. He describes the experience with a sense of awe.

"It's pretty crazy because I've played in a Regional at Gainesville before and it's pretty packed and I've played at Florida State before and it's pretty packed, but you come (to MSU) and it feels like you're in front of a green screen," Dubrule said. "It doesn't feel real for a second. So for the first game or so, you have some jitters, then you realize they're all behind you and there's no reason to be nervous and it really helps us out."

Figuring it Out

As much as Dubrule has loved his time as a Bulldog this season, it wasn't without a challenge. Dubrule came to State as a .323 career hitter. He'd hit .341 over the previous three seasons.

However at midseason with MSU, Dubrule was in a little bit of a rut. In a series at Auburn in early April, the Bulldogs opted to hold Dubrule out of the starting lineup for a few days just to clear his head.

"It wasn't like the struggle was bad, he was just kind of going out of the zone a little bit and swinging at balls down and making some early outs," Gautreau said. "So at Auburn we gave him a few days off to relax his brain and let him get back in the swing of things."

Adversity oftentimes reveals true character. And in that moment, Dubrule proved what he was made up of.

"I went over to [Dubrule] and said, 'Hey, we're just giving you a couple of days man,'" Gautreau remembered. "He looked at me and he said, 'Coach, I came here to win a national championship. You don't have to explain yourself to me. I get it. Other guys need an opportunity to play. I know this thing will come back around to me at some point and I'll be ready.' As a coach, you don't hear things like that very often from players when they're sitting."

Dubrule's mature approach paid off. He did return to the starting lineup, just as he felt he would. Dubrule has hit .306 and raised his overall season batting average by 34 points since sitting on The Plains. He's solidified the second base position and the sixth spot in the Mississippi State batting order.

"He's just been really, really good for us," Gautreau said. "He's everything we thought he was going to be."

The Cherry on Top

Now here's Dubrule, all set to live out a fantasy on Sunday when the Bulldogs start play in Omaha. He's already brought one dream to life in the act of just getting to this point.

You might remember that it was Dubrule who started the 4-6-3 double play that closed out the Starkville Super Regional. He'd done that plenty of times in his mind growing up.

"Even when I was a young kid, my brother and I used to go out in the yard and be like, 'Alright, this double play right here is to go to Omaha. Let's get it done,'" Dubrule said with a big smile.

Just like in his childhood, Dubrule indeed helped complete the twin killing. MSU put away Notre Dame and the Bulldogs were off to the College World Series.

"When it happened, I just kind of blacked out," Dubrule said. "I don't remember a whole lot of it, I just remember being in the dogpile after that ball was hit to me."

Not all tales get the storybook ending. Dubrule's does. He wanted to put the exclamation point on his career with a chance at a national title and here he is, as a Bulldog, playing for it all.

"In his heart, I think he knew he could go anywhere," Gautreau said. "He knew he could play anywhere he wanted to. I'm sure there were a lot of schools involved in that process."

But Mississippi State won out, and both the Bulldogs and Dubrule couldn't be more grateful for how it's all unfolded.

"It'll mean a whole lot to look back on this in the future as one of the best experiences of my life," Dubrule said.

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