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Dudy Noble Field/Polk-DeMent Stadium home of MISSISSIPPI STATE baseball

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The largest on-campus facility in college baseball, Dudy Noble Field will see the 57th season of Mississippi State baseball at its current site in 2023. With over 1,690 games played at the venue, the Diamond Dawgs have a .730 winning percentage at the facility, which recently received a $68-million upgrade.

The field is named in honor of longtime MSU baseball coach, athletics director and ABCA Hall of Famer Clarke Randolph “Dudy” Noble. On April 27, 1998 the facility was renamed Dudy Noble Field, Polk-DeMent Stadium, honoring another ABCA Hall of Famer, former Bulldog skipper Ron Polk, and the late Gordon DeMent, a successful businessman and longtime fan of the Diamond Dawgs from Indianola, Mississippi.

With a laundry list of legendary names on its all-time roster, it comes as no surprise that Mississippi State ranks among the nation’s attendance leaders year in and year out. The Dudy Noble Field faithful have sold out the reserved seating allotment every season since 1987.

In 23 of the last 24 seasons, Mississippi State has averaged 6,000 fans per game, including a record average of 11,094 during the 2023 campaign. Overall, State has eclipsed the 200,000-fan mark 15 times since 2002, with a school-record 373,784 viewing the 2019 home schedule.

Of the top 25 all-time college baseball on-campus attendances, Dudy Noble Field finds itself on the list 23 times, most notably owning the all-time on-campus attendance record of 16,423 on April 15, 2023. The Bulldogs own 19 of the top 20 marks in NCAA on-campus history and are the only NCAA baseball program to boast on-campus attendances of 14,000 or more. The five largest NCAA Super Regional crowds have all assembled in Starkville, Mississippi, as well.

Mississippi State has hosted 25 postseason events at the facility, including three NCAA District III Tournaments (1973-75), five SEC tournaments (1979, 81, 83, 88 & 95), 15 NCAA Regionals (1979, 84, 85, 87, 88, 89, 90, 92, 97, 2000, 03, 13, 16, 19 & 21 ) and four NCAA Super Regionals (2007, 16, 19 & 21).

The aura of Mississippi State baseball at Dudy Noble Field is certainly not confined to the loyal legions in the impressive grandstand, pro-style luxury sky suites or luxurious Left Field Lofts.

In fact, some of the more highly-prized seats at Bulldog baseball games are found beyond the outfield fence in the Left Field Lounge™. Waiting lists greet those seeking to purchase one of the 96 outfield lounges in the iconic two-level outfield tailgate.

Once a colorful assortment of pickup trucks, motor homes, and trailers — most equipped with barbecue grills — lined the outfield fence, completing a circle of humanity at Dudy Noble Field. Now, the permanent lounge spaces are connected to the concourse, allowing everyone to stroll through and experience the iconic lounge culture. What began in the late 1960s as a popular gathering spot for baseball-loving MSU supporters now forms college baseball’s largest tailgate party.

Over the past five decades many projects have commenced at the current site, including a pair of demolitions and countless upgrades to “The Dude.” Of the multiple renovations and advancements, the park was demolished and reconstructed in 1987 and 2018.

The second demolition at the current site occurred following the 2017 season and the $68 million facility opened its gates for the 2019 campaign. Architect Wier Boerner Allin, along with consultants Populous and famed stadium architect/State alum Janet Marie Smith designed the project, while construction manager ICM and general contractor JESCO Construction, Inc. oversaw the construction.

Covering 12 acres of land on the Mississippi State University campus, the 230,000 square foot facility carries on Dudy Noble Field’s legacy as the “Carnegie Hall of College Baseball.” Installation of the second largest scoreboard in college baseball, measuring 43 feet wide by 60 feet high, started the project in 2017. The board, which was the largest in college baseball upon instillation, is larger than boards owned by three Major League Baseball teams. The addition of 96 permanent Left Field Lounge rigs encircling the outfield followed during the fall of 2018.

The concourse and lower-level grandstands were in place for the 2018 season, with the Diamond Suites, upper-deck reserved seating area and three unique club areas – Farm Bureau Triple Crown Club, Charlie and Dana Stephenson Omaha Club and The Rooftop Club –were completed prior to the 2019 campaign.

The player spaces also received an upgrade, expanding to cover 18,000 square feet underneath the facility. The fully-equipped Bruce and Julie Martin Locker Room includes an embedded equipment room, houses 40 wooden lockers and features an oversized, dimensional halo-lit ’85 Script Mississippi State sign suspended overhead in the middle of the room.

The more spacious locker room includes an attached training room with whirlpool and fully-functional fueling station.

The Hassell H. Franklin Omaha Room greets players as they enter the facility.

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