Another Opener And Another Special Chapter In StarkVegas
February 16, 2024 | Baseball, Joel Coleman
Dawgs win again and enjoy so much more.
STARKVILLE – Let's just be honest here. Baseball is different in StarkVegas.
Some places, Opening Day is cool. At Mississippi State, lawmakers in Jackson might as well make it a holiday.
Go ahead and chalk Friday up as another chapter in MSU's incredible baseball history. State topped Air Force 8-4 at Dudy Noble Field to get 2024 off to a fantastic start. But it was so much more than victory No. 1.
It was a celebration. It was a beginning – both for individuals and as a group. And it showed that, even through the turbulent times of the last couple of years, that the M-over-S is still and will forever be one of college baseball's most special symbols.
Baseball is a game of numbers right? So, let's just start with a figure. How about 11,216. That's how many made sure they were at The Dude on Friday. It stands as the largest Opening Day attendance in the history of the ballpark.
Think about that. Yeah, there's a been a bump or two in the road the last couple of years since State dogpiled in Omaha as the 2021 National Champions. But still the fire for baseball burns as intensely as ever in the house that Ron Polk helped build.
"Our fan base is the best," State head coach Chris Lemonis said. "I mean, we say it every day. It's really a pretty special place.
"Our fans are knowledgeable. They know baseball. They know the game. I think that's one of the biggest things [about baseball at Mississippi State]. You're not just getting a ton of people. You're getting a ton of people that know the game."
Those people had plenty to cheer for Friday, both on the field and otherwise.
Between the lines, Mississippi State looked very much like a baseball team poised to return to glory.
MSU pitched it well. How about this for a stat to drive home the point? A total of 96 of pitching coach Justin Parker's staff's 120 pitches were thrown for strikes. The Diamond Dawg hurlers jammed the strike zone, daring the Falcons to answer. They couldn't.
MSU issued only two walks all day and the Bulldog bullpen didn't hand out a single free pass over five frames.
The bullpen's dominance set the stage for State to come back from a 4-2 deficit to capture the win.
"[Evan Siary] held it together there for a couple of innings and I thought we won the game with [Tyler Davis] and [Cam Schuelke] there at the end," Lemonis said. "I mean you look up at the scoreboard and we scored five in the last three [innings] and [Air Force] scored none."
It's always good when the opponent scores none. Schuelke was especially dominant. The late-inning specialist that throws from three different arm slots faced six batters and retired them all to earn a save in his Bulldog debut.
Schuelke said he thrived on his home fans and the atmosphere they created to nail down the triumph.
"It's nice having 11,000 people rooting for you," Schuelke said.
Schuelke's showing was one of a handful of standout performances by first-year Dawgs. Freshman Dylan Cupp drew the Opening Day start at shortstop, turned in a couple of outstanding plays in the field, showed tremendous patience by drawing three walks at the plate and scored a run.
Transfer third baseman Logan Kohler had a game-tying RBI single in his first-ever at-bat in Maroon and White, plus made a fantastic defensive play at the hot corner before exiting the contest with injury.
Bulldog veterans showed out, too. Nate Dohm drew the start on the mound and allowed just one earned run over four innings. Dakota Jordan flashed his skill set in the field and at the plate, making a highlight-reel grab in right field, plus driving a missile over the centerfield wall for his first home run of the season. It was likely the first of many.
Bryce Chance – who made a name for himself last year on Opening Day with a big game that included a homer – made for a little déjà vu on Friday with three RBI, including a go-ahead two-run long ball in the seventh that put State ahead for good.
"It was nice," Chance said. "I got ahead in the count [and the Air Force pitcher] hung a breaking ball for me. It was a lefty breaking ball we'd been working on this week to get ready for this game and it came to life right there."
State's offense added some insurance down the stretch and Schuelke took care of the rest. The result? Dawgs Win Again. It's only one, but the 56-game regular season schedule is off to its best possible start.
Funny thing is, the W only added to how special Friday was.
All weekend with Air Force in town, Mississippi State is honoring service members. The big picture isn't at all lost on the Bulldogs.
"It's really special," Chance said of having the chance to honor military members. "Especially at a place like this where we can get everything in and do a really good job to just show our appreciation to them. We do our best to be respectful and I know I have a lot of respect for [Air Force]. Not only on the baseball side but all the other aspects as well.
'We have a lot of respect for them. We know how tough they are. This is just a great experience. I'm excited for [Saturday] too and just this whole weekend."
Lemonis echoed Chance's sentiments, and even pointed to his own personal past for why this weekend is just different than most openers.
"I thought it was huge," Lemonis opined. "I mean, our athletic department has done an unbelievable job setting up everything this weekend. We've got planes, paratroopers and all kind of stuff. I have a military background myself. I never talk to the other team [on most weekends] but I asked if I could talk to [Air Force ahead of this series].
"I grew up in a military family – dad was in the Air Force, granddad was in the Air Force and I was born at Keesler Air Force Base. I went to the Citadel. I don't know if that's as military as these guys [we're playing against], but I just spoke to them for a while about how this is a military community. A lot of my players have military families and we do a great job for the military families here, so I thought it was pretty cool."
Pretty cool indeed.
And the coolness is set to continue over the weekend as State and Air Force continue this weekend's series at 4 p.m. Saturday ahead of Sunday's 1 p.m. series finale.
That gives everyone two more chances to experience opening weekend in StarkVegas – a place that year after year does baseball like no one else in the nation.
