Wednesday Bulldog Update - 5/14/14
If you or someone you know is not receiving this and would like to, please e-mail us at:
bulldog-club@athletics.msstate.edu
Happy Wednesday, Bulldogs.
The postseason is upon us for several of our sports, but an even more important season begins for many in the coming days.
The most important thing we do here is to educate young minds and this weekend the fruit from years of labor will be realized with the commencement ceremonies of Mississippi State graduation.
At MSU, we tell our student-athletes that we expect them to excel just as much in the classroom as on their fields of play, and many go far beyond that. We’ve had student-athletes spend their summers learning politics in Washington, designing aircraft in Alabama and studying under local law enforcement. Our Bulldogs have gone on to careers in coaching, engineering, accounting and medicine.
For as much as we celebrate victories in games, those who earn their degrees and leave this campus as college graduates are the biggest winners we produce.
Congratulations and good luck to all graduates this weekend, both student and student-athlete. We’re proud to have you represent MSU and we hope you’re proud to represent us as well.
Enjoy your big weekend!
MEN'S GOLF BEGINS NCAA PLAY THURSDAY
As it stands today, we yet again have double-digit teams in the postseason this year and Coach Clay Homan’s men’s golf team is the next up to begin NCAA Tournament action. Our Bulldog linksters hit the course tomorrow in Illinois as they begin their second-straight tourney appearance.
Coaches Homan and Sean Covich have done a tremendous job with the program, building it into a regular contender and earning the respect of the college golf community.
I should also say congratulations to senior Chad Ramey, who has been a big part of the process, for being named first-team All-SEC, his third all-conference honor in a row. Chad’s time here has been quite impressive and he will leave as the all-time MSU leader with a 72.09 career stroke average.
SOFTBALL IN NCAA TOURNEY THIS WEEKEND
Speaking of upward-trending and nationally-competitive programs, Coach Vann Stuedeman’s softball team will be in Lafayette this weekend for the ULL-hosted NCAA Regional. I’ll be down there to watch and I hope some of our area Bulldogs will join me. We play Texas in the opening round starting at 3 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ESPN3.
This is Vann’s third season here at MSU, and accordingly, it’s the program’s third-straight year to make the NCAA Tournament, quite an impressive feat. Few teams have been as entertaining – or playing as well – over the last month as our Bulldogs, with two series victories over top-five teams, several extra-inning games and a pitching staff and offensive lineup that have really come on hot lately.
Good luck to the team in Louisiana!
WOMEN’S GOLF IN NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
There have been several impressive achievements by our programs lately, but few are as big as the two-year feat accomplished by our women’s golf program, as they have now reached the NCAA Championships final site in back-to-back years.
With the top eight teams from each regional advancing, Coach Ginger Brown-Lemm’s team went above and beyond by finishing third in the Central Regional this past weekend, including the second-lowest score of anyone in the final round on Saturday.
In fact, on that final day, All-SEC junior Ally McDonald carded a 2-under-par 70, the best round of the day.
I know I say this a lot, but the women’s golf program is yet another one which has advanced itself greatly the last few years. Congrats to the ladies and good luck as they begin play in Tulsa next Tuesday.
TRACK AND FIELD IN SEC CHAMPIONSHIPS
It seems like the outdoor season just started, but it’s already time for the SEC track and field championships. Coach Steve Dudley’s team is off to Kentucky for the weekend as our men’s and ranked women’s teams will compete over the course of the next four days.
While on the subject, it was fun to host the Jace Lacoste Invitational two weekends back and we look forward to our turn hosting the SEC Championships next summer in Starkville.
SOCCER, VOLLEYBALL ON SEC NETWORK
Later today (or earlier today, depending when you read this), we’ll be announcing some more scheduling news. This will come in relation to our volleyball and soccer teams, who will each have several games broadcast nationally on the SEC Network this fall.
Many of you have already done so, but I encourage those who haven’t to visit www.GetSECNetwork.com and make sure your provider knows you want to watch your Bulldogs. Between this news, the announcement of our season-opener against Southern Miss being on SEC Network and future announcements on other sports, the need for the channel has become very clear for those of who follow the Maroon and White.
Congrats again to all our graduates, good luck to our teams in action this week and I hope everyone remembers to wear maroon on Friday!
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