Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics
Maroon Friday Update: May 23
May 23, 2025 | Athletics
Happy Maroon Friday!
It's a great day to be a Mississippi State Bulldog! Our Diamond Dawgs are in the postseason and take the field in Tallahassee tonight at 6:30 p.m. CT on ESPN+.
Typically, at the start of meetings within our department, I ask our staff to go around the room and give one of their teammates what we call a "S.T.A.T.E. Shoutout." S.T.A.T.E. Shoutouts are earned through exemplifying our core values – Serve, Together, Act, Transform, Excel. So, at the start of this note, I am giving Jon Addy, our lead baseball videographer, a S.T.A.T.E. Shoutout for excelling and showcasing awesome content throughout the season, specifically the most recent video that our team posted yesterday, narrated by Elijah MacNamee. If you missed it, I included the link here where you can click to check it out. Jon Addy is an MSU graduate who is originally from Philadelphia, Mississippi. He continues to rise to the challenge and excel in delivering great content of our Diamond Dawgs!
I know many Bulldogs are curious about the future of our baseball program. As I told our team this week, this weekend's regional in Tallahassee is an important moment for them and for all of us who support Mississippi State. These young men have earned the opportunity to compete on this stage, and we're proud of what they've done to get here. At the same time, we're continuing the work required to shape what's next for our program. When there's more to share, we will. For now, I hope you'll join me in cheering on our Diamond Dawgs.
This week, my family and I were in Destin for the annual SEC Meetings. While there, my fellow ADs and I had full agendas, including in-depth discussions and planning around the College Football Playoff scheduling format, future conference football scheduling, the House settlement, and future governance in this new model of college athletics. There is so much change and so much to be sorted through; however, I am confident that we have the strongest conference in the country, and we will continue to lead the way. We don't have all the answers today. But we will find a way. In addition to the athletics directors, the head coaches for football, men's basketball, and women's basketball all met to discuss their current topics, including the transfer portal. We all know that is one area that we must all find a way to resolve. Annually during these meetings, our Presidents, Chancellors, and Faculty Athletics Representatives meet to discuss important topics as well. It is a series of important meetings that truly pave the way for years to come.
While my family and I were in the lobby before a reception hosted by the SEC, we ran into the Duke family, who are Bulldogs from Madison, Mississippi! They were kind enough to stop and chat with us. After a day full of meetings discussing the complexities in the college space, it was great to see fellow Bulldogs and MSU alums who were so positive and joyful. We snapped a photo together, and I wanted to share it here. Bulldogs truly are everywhere, and we love it!
In recent news, it was great to hear that our friends at the National Football Foundation (NFF) announced a revision to the minimum career winning percentage for coaching eligibility, lowering the threshold from .600 to .595. This adjustment opens the door for two iconic figures in Mississippi State football history – Coach Mike Leach and Coach Jackie Sherrill – to be considered for induction beginning with the 2027 class. The work the NFF and the College Football Hall of Fame do is both tireless and often thankless, and I am grateful to the people within those organizations who made this change.
Looking forward to the 2025 football season, we will open the year at 11 a.m. CT on Saturday, Aug. 30, at Southern Miss. That game will be broadcast on ESPN. We then host Arizona State on Saturday, Sept. 6, at 6:30 p.m. CT, with the contest being broadcast on ESPN2. Then we host Alcorn State on Saturday, Sept. 13, at 5 p.m. CT. That game is set to be broadcast on ESPN+/SECN+. Coach Lebby and the squad are chomping at the bit to take the field for his second season.
On the softball front, Sierra Sacco is a consensus All-American after earning First Team recognition from the NFCA on Wednesday. She joins Bulldog legend Mia Davidson as the only players in school history to be recognized by three different outlets in the same season. Congrats to Sierra!
Lastly, don't forget to wear your Maroon today. It's Maroon Friday! If you're repping the Bulldogs, tag us on social media and let us know. There's nothing better than seeing the Mississippi State Family showing out.
Hail State!
Zac
It's a great day to be a Mississippi State Bulldog! Our Diamond Dawgs are in the postseason and take the field in Tallahassee tonight at 6:30 p.m. CT on ESPN+.
Typically, at the start of meetings within our department, I ask our staff to go around the room and give one of their teammates what we call a "S.T.A.T.E. Shoutout." S.T.A.T.E. Shoutouts are earned through exemplifying our core values – Serve, Together, Act, Transform, Excel. So, at the start of this note, I am giving Jon Addy, our lead baseball videographer, a S.T.A.T.E. Shoutout for excelling and showcasing awesome content throughout the season, specifically the most recent video that our team posted yesterday, narrated by Elijah MacNamee. If you missed it, I included the link here where you can click to check it out. Jon Addy is an MSU graduate who is originally from Philadelphia, Mississippi. He continues to rise to the challenge and excel in delivering great content of our Diamond Dawgs!
I know many Bulldogs are curious about the future of our baseball program. As I told our team this week, this weekend's regional in Tallahassee is an important moment for them and for all of us who support Mississippi State. These young men have earned the opportunity to compete on this stage, and we're proud of what they've done to get here. At the same time, we're continuing the work required to shape what's next for our program. When there's more to share, we will. For now, I hope you'll join me in cheering on our Diamond Dawgs.
This week, my family and I were in Destin for the annual SEC Meetings. While there, my fellow ADs and I had full agendas, including in-depth discussions and planning around the College Football Playoff scheduling format, future conference football scheduling, the House settlement, and future governance in this new model of college athletics. There is so much change and so much to be sorted through; however, I am confident that we have the strongest conference in the country, and we will continue to lead the way. We don't have all the answers today. But we will find a way. In addition to the athletics directors, the head coaches for football, men's basketball, and women's basketball all met to discuss their current topics, including the transfer portal. We all know that is one area that we must all find a way to resolve. Annually during these meetings, our Presidents, Chancellors, and Faculty Athletics Representatives meet to discuss important topics as well. It is a series of important meetings that truly pave the way for years to come.
While my family and I were in the lobby before a reception hosted by the SEC, we ran into the Duke family, who are Bulldogs from Madison, Mississippi! They were kind enough to stop and chat with us. After a day full of meetings discussing the complexities in the college space, it was great to see fellow Bulldogs and MSU alums who were so positive and joyful. We snapped a photo together, and I wanted to share it here. Bulldogs truly are everywhere, and we love it!
In recent news, it was great to hear that our friends at the National Football Foundation (NFF) announced a revision to the minimum career winning percentage for coaching eligibility, lowering the threshold from .600 to .595. This adjustment opens the door for two iconic figures in Mississippi State football history – Coach Mike Leach and Coach Jackie Sherrill – to be considered for induction beginning with the 2027 class. The work the NFF and the College Football Hall of Fame do is both tireless and often thankless, and I am grateful to the people within those organizations who made this change.
Looking forward to the 2025 football season, we will open the year at 11 a.m. CT on Saturday, Aug. 30, at Southern Miss. That game will be broadcast on ESPN. We then host Arizona State on Saturday, Sept. 6, at 6:30 p.m. CT, with the contest being broadcast on ESPN2. Then we host Alcorn State on Saturday, Sept. 13, at 5 p.m. CT. That game is set to be broadcast on ESPN+/SECN+. Coach Lebby and the squad are chomping at the bit to take the field for his second season.
On the softball front, Sierra Sacco is a consensus All-American after earning First Team recognition from the NFCA on Wednesday. She joins Bulldog legend Mia Davidson as the only players in school history to be recognized by three different outlets in the same season. Congrats to Sierra!
Lastly, don't forget to wear your Maroon today. It's Maroon Friday! If you're repping the Bulldogs, tag us on social media and let us know. There's nothing better than seeing the Mississippi State Family showing out.
Hail State!
Zac
2024-25 Mississippi State Athletics Recap
Thursday, August 21
STATE OF MIND: EP 4 | FT. ZAC SELMON
Thursday, January 09
STATE OF MIND: EP 1 | FT. JOSH HUBBARD
Monday, November 04
Zac Selmon Joins Charlie Winfield And Bart Gregory On Out Of Left Field
Thursday, October 03