SEC Baseball: New Dudy Noble Field raises the stakes in the SEC arms race

Each SEC baseball school wants to have everything bigger and better than the competition, and the New Dudy Noble Field does just that for Mississippi State.

The SEC baseball season kicks off for every team in the conference on Friday, February 15th. Due to a slate of games where all the teams are playing cupcakes, don’t expect there to be too many stories to emerge from the action on the field in the SEC.

One story that will be interesting to watch from one of the SEC baseball teams though will be the unveiling of the completed New Dudy Noble Field for the Mississippi State Bulldogs. The stadium was partially done for the 2018 season, but construction was finished this past offseason and will be unveiled on Opening Day of the 2019 season.

Dudy Noble Field has always held a special place among the SEC baseball stadiums. For years, it relied on the charm of the Left Field Lounge and the homemade seating rigs fans brought to the stadium each year to secure its place among one of the most beloved college baseball stadiums in the country.

But securing that charm was coming at a steep price. Other SEC baseball programs quickly saw the money that could be made through their baseball programs and built stadiums that could generate more revenue than what Mississippi State could with their stadium which was beginning to need massive renovations.

With the new stadium upgrades, Mississippi State is reestablishing itself as one of the premiere destinations to play among not just SEC baseball teams, but also anywhere in the country. The Bulldogs will now have a baseball stadium that can seat 13,000 people, but more will easily fit in the new Left Field Lounge area. Seeing crowds of more than 15,000 in the stands for big SEC weekends will become the norm in the new Dudy Noble Field.

But the real money maker for any stadium is the availability of premium seating, and the new Dudy Noble offers one of the most unique premium seating options you will find. With SEC baseball being an entire weekend sport, what better way to serve the needs of the fans by giving them an apartment to stay at right in the outfield of the ballpark?

Mississippi State has built a three-story, 12 apartment complex behind their left field seating area known as the Left Field Lofts. These Lofts are 1,100 square foot apartments with two bedrooms and bathrooms and an open living space with kitchen. Fans interested in renting one of the apartments have four options.

• $45,000 for an entire season
• $2,500 for Nonconference weekends
• $3,250 for Conference weekends
• $1,500 for one night rentals for midweek games

The new Dudy Noble Field will significantly raise the stakes for all of the SEC baseball teams trying to attract the best talent to their program. It will generate serious revenue for the school, but it will also serve as a valuable recruiting tool for the Bulldogs.

College baseball teams have a serious problem when awarding scholarships to their players. Rosters consist of 27 players, but teams only have 11.7 scholarships to divide among those players. Many schools can supplement those scholarships with additional scholarship money provided by state lotteries. Mississippi currently does not offer a lottery and the two Mississippi SEC baseball schools don’t have that luxury.

The new Dudy Noble Field will allow players to play in front of crowds and atmospheres that could rival some MLB teams. When potential recruits step on the turf of Dudy Noble Field, it cannot be overstated what the stadium will mean to convincing those players to suit up for the Bulldogs.

Other teams will shortly follow suit. Expect expansions and upgrades to most of the SEC baseball stadiums to begin in the months to come, and in doing so, the experience for all fans of baseball will be enhanced as a result of Mississippi State’s new baseball stadium.