Wednesday Bulldog Update - 3/27/13
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While it’s taken some time for the weather to warm up here on campus, we’ve still had plenty of Bulldog student-athletes in spring action. Spring is a busy and fun time of year for us in the athletic department with so many teams in the middle of their seasons, along with Coach Mullen and the football team getting started with spring practices last week.
One of the neater moments I’ve had lately came outside the world of athletics. It was great to meet and hear Condoleezza Rice speak on campus last night, who is actually a pretty big sports fan when she’s not busy being one of our country’s most influential figures.
There’s always something fun happening at Mississippi State.
BIG WINS FOR TENNIS TEAMS
Despite the cool temperatures, the men’s and women’s tennis teams posted big SEC victories over the weekend. The women won a thriller against LSU on campus that had to be moved indoors because of strong winds. With only two indoor courts, they worked for over seven hours to secure the 4-3 victory.Our long-term goal is to build more indoor courts for our tennis teams, both for practice purposes and to be prepared for the stormy spring season.
Our 13th-ranked men’s squad defeated Arkansas over the weekend and had to reschedule its match with LSU for April 10 in Baton Rouge. Up next, Coach Nilsson and his guys have one of their biggest matches of the season on Friday when they host No. 10 Ole Miss at 1 p.m. After splitting the first two meetings of the season with one win each, this our third match with the Rebels and this one counts toward the SEC standings, so I’m hoping for a big crowd to support our Dawgs.
A PROMOTION FOR NEMETH AND AN AWARD FOR COLLINS
I’d also like congratulate Mike Nemeth, who has been with us for nearly three decades, on his promotion to Senior Associate Athletic Director for Administration, where he will take on a multitude of duties. As our department has grown, it’s natural that our executive staff changes to accommodate the needs of teams and fans. We’re very lucky to have someone like Mike around.
Many of you may know Dr. Bob Collins, who in addition to heading University Health Services, is the medical director for Davis Wade Stadium and a big part of keeping our Bulldogs healthy. Dr. Collins was presented with a prestigious honor, being named the Jack C. Hughston, M.D., Sports Medicine Person of the Year by the Southeast Athletic Trainers Association after 35 years with MSU.
APRIL 1 DEADLINE FOR PREMIUM SEATING PRIORITY
A friendly reminder that we’re closing in on the April 1 deadline for premium seating in the expanding Davis Wade Stadium. We’ve had an overwhelming response to our 22 skyboxes and really good traffic on other new spaces in the north endzone expansion. After the deadline passes, seating will be given on a first-come, first-serve basis to Bulldog Club members.
This is also a good time to remind you that 2013 season ticket renewals are out and have an April 25 deadline. When you order those tickets, you’ll notice you can also purchase your tickets for our game against Oklahoma State in Houston on August 31 to open the upcoming season. We don’t have an official kickoff time yet, but we expect it to be a national TV appearance, with an announcement coming in late spring or early summer once the Big 12 and the SEC have finalized all games on opening weekend.
While we’re on the subject of tickets and seating, don’t forget we’ll be re-seating the entire stadium in 2014, with priority locking in next spring.
SOFTBALL IN TOWN THIS WEEKEND
We wish the baseball team good luck as Coach Cohen’s team travels to Arkansas this weekend, but we won’t be lacking for action on the diamond in town. Coach Stuedeman hosts SEC West foe Auburn on Friday at 6 p.m. and in a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 1 p.m.
While I’ve been pleased with the direction she has our team headed, she must be scraping the bottom of the barrel at a couple positions this weekend. Coach has me scheduled to throw out the first pitch on Saturday and even has our HailState Beat writer Bob Carskadon as the guest coach for both games. Hopefully, she and her players are better at coaching and pitching than Bob and I.
SUPER BULLDOG WEEKEND LESS THAN ONE MONTH AWAY
All of our spring teams are in action and once the sun warms us up we’ll have everything we need for Super Bulldog Weekend. April 17-21 will mark the 28th anniversary of one of my favorite events and our setup is a little different this spring.
Most notably, the Maroon-White spring football game will be in the afternoon before baseball and only the east side of Davis Wade Stadium will be open as we finish renovations to the concourse on the west side. The change will limit our capacity to around 25,000, including the upper deck, so make plans to get to campus for a close-up look at both our football team and the expansion of our stadium.
We appreciate what you do for Mississippi State Athletics and want to encourage you to get others involved. There are three things you can do to help the athletic department at Mississippi State reach its desired goals –
1. Buy Season Tickets
2. Financially Support the Bulldog Club
3. Get Others To Do The Same
Thanks for taking the time to read this Update.
Hail State!
Scott Stricklin