Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics
There’s No Place Like Dudy Noble Field
June 06, 2021 | Baseball, Joel Coleman
Bulldogs and their visitors soak up the chance to be a part of postseason baseball in Starkville.
STARKVILLE – It was 5 a.m. on Friday morning and Mississippi State head coach Chris Lemonis was already up and stirring. About nine hours before his Bulldogs were set to open up the Starkville Regional, MSU's skipper was brimming with anticipation.
"Like I told our players before the game, I hadn't been this excited for a game in a long time," Lemonis later said. "Just excited to play and be in the postseason. I told our kids, this is where our program belongs. It's just fun to be back out there in this type of atmosphere."
Of course the environment Lemonis was referring to was the one housed in the college baseball palace that is MSU's Dudy Noble Field. Nearly two full calendar years passed between postseason games at The Dude – 726 days to be exact. But some 24 months after MSU put away Stanford in Starkville to advance to the 2019 College World Series, playoff baseball was finally back at the home of the Bulldogs. And on Friday and the days since, seemingly everyone has used the weekend to rejoice and take it all in.
Grilling and greeting
Chad Dacus' outfield rig sits just to the right-field side of the batter's eye at Dudy Noble. The MSU Extension Service instructor mans his One Tortilla Grill at Bulldog home games and the return to Regional play at the home of the Diamond Dawgs means Dacus had a few extra hands to shake and a few more folks to cook for.
"The best part about it is seeing people who you don't get to see all the time that come back for Regionals and seeing old players that come back for Regional events," Dacus said. "Then you get to meet these guys [that are fans of Campbell University] that are walking around with Camels [the school's mascot] on their heads. Being able to come by and feed these folks and make new friends…being able to make friends with some of these guys from other programs and show them this and hear what they say about what we all take for granted about the stadium – being able to hear that from other folks that are walking around wide-eyed, it's good to be back."
Like Dacus, Ron Caulfield is a Dudy Noble Field staple. Better known around MSU as The Candyman, Caulfield has been cheering on State and doling out treats to Bulldogs and visitors for years. He says he always uses Regionals as an opportunity to meet new fans and welcome them in, but with no slight meant towards the visitors from Samford and VCU, a couple of folks from Campbell caught Caulfield's eye and became his favorites.
"Two women came up and had Camel hats sitting on top of their heads and I thought, 'I need to meet these ladies,'" Caulfield said with a big smile. "Them and some others have been [in the Left Field Lounge sitting with State fans] all weekend."
Among the Campbell fans that found themselves family amongst strangers was Lou Yusko, the father of Camels senior pitcher Jack Yusko.
A "bucket list thing"
Lou Yusko and his wife weren't totally unfamiliar with Mississippi State. The couple has frequently admired the Bulldogs and Dudy Noble Field from afar, watching MSU often from their North Carolina home. When their son and the rest of the Camels earned the chance to head to the Starkville Regional, the Yuskos finally had the perfect chance to finally visit The Dude.
"It's been a bucket list thing," Yusko said.
Dudy Noble Field did not disappoint the Yuskos. When asked to describe it, one word quickly came to mind.
"Overwhelmed is a good word for it," Yusko said. "It's been better than I could have even imagined. I didn't really know what to expect when I got here, but it's been a fantastic experience. And the people have been so gracious and so nice. I can't say enough great about the people here in Starkville."
Of course the menu out beyond the outfield wall certainly sweetened the whole deal for Yusko.
"We've had homemade sausage," Yusko said. "We've had racks of ribs. We've had boudin. Everybody has just been shoveling food in our mouths. We've had food shoved in our face all weekend and it's been fantastic. Just amazing. Great people and good cooks too."
The trip was worth every bit of Yusko's 700-mile journey. So much so, he's already plotting a way to get back and experience it all again he says.
No place like it
The centerpiece of any Starkville Regional party is what happens on the diamond at Dudy Noble. Many get to experience the Lounge or the Starkville hospitality. Few get to know what it's like between the lines. So how does it feel to have your pulse racing and season on the line in front of thousands and thousands of passionate fans?
"It's electric," MSU pitcher Will Bednar said after leading the Bulldogs to a Friday win. "There is no place like Dudy Noble. Growing up, I was never playing in front of big crowds. Coming here and playing in front of 10,000 or 15,000 people is incredible. There's nothing like it."
"Since the day I committed here back in my sophomore year of high school, I've just been watching these big moments unfold here in Starkville," State closer Landon Sims said about his home park a day earlier. "In 2019, the Regional and the Super Regional got me really fired up…You don't want to go anywhere else in the country and play in front of anybody else with anybody else."
Even those wearing colors other than maroon and white on the field can't help but respect Dudy Noble Field's magic.
"This is why you go to college," VCU coach Shawn Stiffler said following his club's Friday win. "This is why you play college baseball. When you are six, seven, 12, even 15 years old, you close your eyes and think about [environments like Dudy Noble's]… Probably the best college baseball atmosphere in the country."
Cherishing the moment
This weekend is the 15th time Dudy Noble Field has hosted an NCAA Regional. That number might be 16 if not for the COVID-19 pandemic cancelling the 2020 campaign long before the postseason had the chance to take place.
A year without even so much as the opportunity to play a Regional in Starkville has made this one all the more fulfilling – for the Bulldogs, for their fans and seemingly for their visitors as well. If these kinds of events were ever taken for granted before, it surely isn't this go-around and likely won't be for a long, long time.
"When I walked out of the stadium in Biloxi [after MSU's last game before the season was cancelled last year], I never thought that was the last live baseball game I was going to attend for almost a year," Dacus said. "I really think at the beginning of this season, slow-walking it into what we were able to get to now, it makes these games a lot more special, not only for the fans, but for the players. And not only our players, but for the opposing team players. It means a lot to everyone."
"Like I told our players before the game, I hadn't been this excited for a game in a long time," Lemonis later said. "Just excited to play and be in the postseason. I told our kids, this is where our program belongs. It's just fun to be back out there in this type of atmosphere."
Of course the environment Lemonis was referring to was the one housed in the college baseball palace that is MSU's Dudy Noble Field. Nearly two full calendar years passed between postseason games at The Dude – 726 days to be exact. But some 24 months after MSU put away Stanford in Starkville to advance to the 2019 College World Series, playoff baseball was finally back at the home of the Bulldogs. And on Friday and the days since, seemingly everyone has used the weekend to rejoice and take it all in.
Grilling and greeting
Chad Dacus' outfield rig sits just to the right-field side of the batter's eye at Dudy Noble. The MSU Extension Service instructor mans his One Tortilla Grill at Bulldog home games and the return to Regional play at the home of the Diamond Dawgs means Dacus had a few extra hands to shake and a few more folks to cook for.
"The best part about it is seeing people who you don't get to see all the time that come back for Regionals and seeing old players that come back for Regional events," Dacus said. "Then you get to meet these guys [that are fans of Campbell University] that are walking around with Camels [the school's mascot] on their heads. Being able to come by and feed these folks and make new friends…being able to make friends with some of these guys from other programs and show them this and hear what they say about what we all take for granted about the stadium – being able to hear that from other folks that are walking around wide-eyed, it's good to be back."
Like Dacus, Ron Caulfield is a Dudy Noble Field staple. Better known around MSU as The Candyman, Caulfield has been cheering on State and doling out treats to Bulldogs and visitors for years. He says he always uses Regionals as an opportunity to meet new fans and welcome them in, but with no slight meant towards the visitors from Samford and VCU, a couple of folks from Campbell caught Caulfield's eye and became his favorites.
"Two women came up and had Camel hats sitting on top of their heads and I thought, 'I need to meet these ladies,'" Caulfield said with a big smile. "Them and some others have been [in the Left Field Lounge sitting with State fans] all weekend."
Among the Campbell fans that found themselves family amongst strangers was Lou Yusko, the father of Camels senior pitcher Jack Yusko.
A "bucket list thing"
Lou Yusko and his wife weren't totally unfamiliar with Mississippi State. The couple has frequently admired the Bulldogs and Dudy Noble Field from afar, watching MSU often from their North Carolina home. When their son and the rest of the Camels earned the chance to head to the Starkville Regional, the Yuskos finally had the perfect chance to finally visit The Dude.
"It's been a bucket list thing," Yusko said.
Dudy Noble Field did not disappoint the Yuskos. When asked to describe it, one word quickly came to mind.
"Overwhelmed is a good word for it," Yusko said. "It's been better than I could have even imagined. I didn't really know what to expect when I got here, but it's been a fantastic experience. And the people have been so gracious and so nice. I can't say enough great about the people here in Starkville."
Of course the menu out beyond the outfield wall certainly sweetened the whole deal for Yusko.
"We've had homemade sausage," Yusko said. "We've had racks of ribs. We've had boudin. Everybody has just been shoveling food in our mouths. We've had food shoved in our face all weekend and it's been fantastic. Just amazing. Great people and good cooks too."
The trip was worth every bit of Yusko's 700-mile journey. So much so, he's already plotting a way to get back and experience it all again he says.
No place like it
The centerpiece of any Starkville Regional party is what happens on the diamond at Dudy Noble. Many get to experience the Lounge or the Starkville hospitality. Few get to know what it's like between the lines. So how does it feel to have your pulse racing and season on the line in front of thousands and thousands of passionate fans?
"It's electric," MSU pitcher Will Bednar said after leading the Bulldogs to a Friday win. "There is no place like Dudy Noble. Growing up, I was never playing in front of big crowds. Coming here and playing in front of 10,000 or 15,000 people is incredible. There's nothing like it."
"Since the day I committed here back in my sophomore year of high school, I've just been watching these big moments unfold here in Starkville," State closer Landon Sims said about his home park a day earlier. "In 2019, the Regional and the Super Regional got me really fired up…You don't want to go anywhere else in the country and play in front of anybody else with anybody else."
Even those wearing colors other than maroon and white on the field can't help but respect Dudy Noble Field's magic.
"This is why you go to college," VCU coach Shawn Stiffler said following his club's Friday win. "This is why you play college baseball. When you are six, seven, 12, even 15 years old, you close your eyes and think about [environments like Dudy Noble's]… Probably the best college baseball atmosphere in the country."
Cherishing the moment
This weekend is the 15th time Dudy Noble Field has hosted an NCAA Regional. That number might be 16 if not for the COVID-19 pandemic cancelling the 2020 campaign long before the postseason had the chance to take place.
A year without even so much as the opportunity to play a Regional in Starkville has made this one all the more fulfilling – for the Bulldogs, for their fans and seemingly for their visitors as well. If these kinds of events were ever taken for granted before, it surely isn't this go-around and likely won't be for a long, long time.
"When I walked out of the stadium in Biloxi [after MSU's last game before the season was cancelled last year], I never thought that was the last live baseball game I was going to attend for almost a year," Dacus said. "I really think at the beginning of this season, slow-walking it into what we were able to get to now, it makes these games a lot more special, not only for the fans, but for the players. And not only our players, but for the opposing team players. It means a lot to everyone."
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