Wednesday Bulldog Update - 3/19/14
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Happy Wednesday and welcome back from spring break to all of you lucky enough to enjoy a break.
Many of us in the athletic department were able to sneak in some off days, while many more of us – players and staff alike – spent the week on fields, courts and tracks around the country as seasons continue.
On that note, I am incredibly proud of Brandon McBride, the new NCAA Indoor National Champion in the 800-meter race. Brandon is a sophomore here on Coach Steve Dudley’s track team, and he is also the third individual in the program to win a national title in the last 12 months. It’s an impressive achievement, particularly for a sophomore, and we all look forward to watching Brandon’s career as it continues.
Junior Erica Bougard, who won the pentathlon title last year, became our first SEC Champion in the event earlier this semester and finished as the national runner up over the weekend. Our women finished 10th overall in the country, while our men placed 12th at the indoor championships, two fine achievements.
UPGRADES TO FOOTBALL FACILITIES
Spring practice began yesterday, where if you come out you can see some of the ongoing improvements the football program is making to its facilities. The older practice fields between the Seal Family Football Complex and the softball stadium are being renovated, which will include two new grass fields, new drainage and newly-erected lighting and an observation tower.
The $1.5 million upgrades come in large part from the money received for our game against Oklahoma State in Houston last fall.
Many of you may also have seen, either in person or online, the new M-STATE logo on the west side of Davis Wade Stadium. The backlit sign measures in at 60 feet wide and 36 feet tall, an exciting (and bright) piece to the continuing expansion and renovation of our stadium.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL HOSTS WNIT THURSDAY AT 7
As a reward for success and hard work, Coach Vic Schaefer’s ladies will be hosting the first round of the NIT at Humphrey Coliseum on Thursday, playing Tulane at 7 p.m. Postseason hosting is a unique opportunity and one we certainly plan to take advantage of. Tickets are very affordable at $6 for general admission and $4 for students and anyone 18 and under. We need a big crowd, so please come support your Bulldogs.
The entire process can be very interesting from a departmental perspective, where there is a new set of rules for how the game and gameday operations must be run, as much of what we do involves creating a “neutral” experience for both teams.
However, the upside is that our fans get to be anything but neutral and I’m looking forward to a loud and exciting atmosphere for a team which earned and deserves a nice finish to the year.
DISH SIGNS ON FOR SEC NETWORK
I’ve mentioned several times in this space the coming SEC Network the conference and ESPN have been planning and producing together. With a launch date of August 14 of this year, Dish has officially signed on as a carrier of the network. The launch of the SEC Network on all platforms – televised, online and mobile – will give us unprecedented access to the conference, with producers, directors and talent of all kinds working exclusively with the SEC and its 14 member institutions.
As it affects us at Mississippi State, almost all of our competitions in every sport will be available on the SEC Network on one platform or another.
If you already have one of the carriers who have signed on, then congratulations and I hope you look forward to the content coming. If not, please visit www.getsecnetwork.com to express your desire for your providers to join in.
OTHER NOTES AND AWARDS
Congratulations are in order for many of our Bulldogs who have earned recognition this week.
- For the second time in three weeks, junior Ross Mitchell was named the SEC Pitcher of the Week, this one following his complete-game win against Georgia.
- On the track, we had five Bulldogs named to USTFCCCA All-American teams, with junior Erica Bougard, senior Rochelle Farquharson, senior Marcus Jackson and sophomore Brandon McBride earning first-team honors, while senior Jason Harper garnered second-team recognition.
- Senior golfer Chad Ramey was named the SEC Player of the Week after turning in two Top-5 cards last week.
- Junior forward Martha Alwal was named to the first team Associated Press All-SEC women’s basketball team, this coming shortly after being named the co-Defensive Player of the Year by the league.
I hope to see you this weekend as our nationally-ranked baseball team hosts highly-ranked Vanderbilt for the first home SEC series of the season, where we will be giving away baseball cards featuring our own players. In fact, this weekend will also be the debut of mini MSU baseball helmets filled with ice cream for sale at games.
And while you’re in town for baseball, our 22nd-ranked men’s tennis team hosts three matches this weekend - LSU on Friday at 2 and a doubleheader on Sunday afternoon with Arkansas and Nicholls State (1 and 5).
Hail State!
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