While college baseball season might be over, College Baseball Daily is keeping you covered by counting down the Top 10 Stadiums in the country. Each day we’ll have a different stadium, including the history and fun facts, until we reach the number one stadium in all of college baseball. We continue our countdown today at number two with Mississippi State’s Dudy Noble Field at Polk-Dement Stadium.
As if the SEC needed another stadium on this list, Mississippi State’s Dudy Noble Field definitely deserves the number two spot on this countdown. Not only is Starkville a wonderful place to be, Dudy Noble offers one of the best college baseball experiences, according to many sources. The stadium was opened in 1967 and boasts the names of Ron Polk, longtime State coach, Gordon DeMent, a long time Diamond Dawg fan, and Dudy Noble, who served as coach and athletic director at State. If you’re looking for a fun atmosphere, then Dudy Noble is definitely the place to be. To start, there is the famed Left Field Lounge, which was named the best tailgating experience among all stadiums back in 2009 and the number one best big game atmosphere by Eric Sorenson in 2012. In the weeks leading up to baseball season, trailers and large wooden structures start to appear in the fence behind the outfield. There’s the Left Field Lizards and the Right Field Rowdies, all enjoying the Diamond Dawgs from behind their grills and red solo cups, ringing their cowbells and even starting a new tradition at State: Roll Call. Taken from a page at Yankee Stadium, the folks in Left Field Lounge start up the roll call, trying to get each player to acknowledge the fans. Then of course, there’s the cowbells that are ever present at “The Dude,” as it is so affectionately named by fans. Dudy Noble is not only a fun spot to watch a game, it’s also a great place for the postseason to come alive. State has hosted five SEC tournaments, 12 Regionals, and one Super Regional back in 2007. In addition to being wonderful hosts, Dudy Noble also holds seventeen NCAA On-Campus attendance records, including the top ten spots; the current record stands at 14,991 which was set back in 1989 against Florida. During the 2013 season, Dudy Noble attracted an average of 7,617 fans, giving them the fourth best record in Division I. An atmosphere that cannot be topped and a baseball team that plays like a national championship contender, Dudy Noble should be one of the top spots on every baseball enthusiasts list of places to visit in their lifetime.
You can check out the rest of the Top 10 by clicking here.
