Photos by Matt Colville, Stadium Journey
Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 4.14
Dudy Noble Field at Polk-Dement Stadium
145 Lakeview Dr
Starkville, MS 39759
Year Opened: 1967
Capacity: 13,000
The Carnegie Hall of College Baseball
Mississippi State alum and author John Grisham once said “Great things come from humble beginnings” – nowhere does this statement ring truer than at Dudy Noble Field on the campus of Mississippi State. Opened in 1878 as Mississippi A&M, the school’s location was selected for excellent soil conditions, as the school was a farming and agriculture school.
Dudy Noble Field opened in 1967 and was built on a former cow pasture. At one time cows even grazed in what would become the outfield, but this was before the crowds and before the trips to Omaha – in the 50 years after its opening, this tiny little baseball field in the farmlands of northeast Mississippi would transform itself into the Carnegie Hall of college baseball, and the home of college baseball’s greatest fans. Now Mississippi State is the largest university in the state and a national powerhouse in baseball year in and year out.
Dudy Noble Field at Polk-Dement Stadium opened its doors in 1967; Noble was a baseball coach at MSU from 1920 until 1946 and was also the athletic director from 1938 to 1959. The Bulldogs have a very historic baseball program dating back to 1909 when they won the first Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAC) Championship – the Bulldogs would win the championship five more times before becoming one of the founding members of the SEC in 1936.
Since joining the SEC, MSU’s baseball program has grown into one of the more storied baseball programs in the country, with 13 SEC Championships, 39 Regional Appearances, 12 trips to Omaha, and 14 first-round draft picks, but the pinnacle of Mississippi State baseball occurred in 2021 when the Bulldogs captured their first ever National Championship. This is an elite college baseball program that plays in the finest facility in the country.
After the 2017 season, the university decided to strip everything down and re-build the venue – the “new” stadium opened in 2019, and what has transpired is a $50 million renovation that has made Dudy Noble Field a stunning place to watch a baseball game and made it the top-ranked college baseball stadium in the country.
Food and Beverage 4
There are plenty of food and drink options for you to choose from, with 16 points of sale located throughout the ballpark, including three full-service built in stands. You'll find three Hail State Eats stands with one behind home plate, one down the first baseline, and the last down the third baseline. Each of these stands is grab-and-go to speed up the process; you can get the usual fare at Hail State Eats and the prices are quite reasonable.
Continuing down the first baseline you will also find a Chick-fil-A stand, two portable beer stands, a gourmet popcorn stand, and a gourmet hot dog stand – make sure to try the Grand Slam Super Dawg if you're on this side. New for 2024, the Super Dawg is a foot-long sausage topped with brisket, pickle slaw, BBQ sauce, and pickles served on a split-top roll.
Down the first baseline, besides the Hail State Eats stand you also have options such as a boiled peanut stand, another Chick-fil-A stand, and a Dippin’ Dots stand. Another unique Southern-themed item you can find on this site is pork rinds from Rev's Famous Pork Skins – these are a big hit among State fans. In the outfield you'll find several food trucks lined up in center field; each game the food trucks change, but you are always bound to find something different than you'd find on the concourse.
Alcohol was recently made available at The Dude, and you can buy beer at all the stands, as well as a broader selection at the two portable beer stands on the concourse.
And of course, if you are friends with or make friends with one of the thousands of people set up tailgating in the outfield you are bound to get extended that Mississippi Southern hospitality, getting invited back to their spot in the outfield for some more delicious food. Mississippians love their cuisine, and in the outfield, you name it you can find somebody cooking it. On my most recent visit, I even saw some people having a crawfish boil out here.
Atmosphere 5
One word can describe the atmosphere at Dudy Noble and that is “electric”. You know you are in a special place, and on college baseball’s most hallowed ground, from the moment you pass the Rafael Palmeiro and Will Clark statues outside the main gate. Collectively known by their nicknames “Thunder” and “Lightning”, Palmeiro and Clark are two baseball legends who’ve achieved folklore status at Mississippi State; the duo led the Bulldogs to Omaha in 1985. Clark, the 1985 Golden Spikes Awards winner, would then have a 15-year career in the Big Leagues playing for multiple teams, while Palmeiro would go on to have a prominent 20-year career with the Rangers and Orioles.
There are three entrances into the stadium – one behind home plate on the southwest side of the stadium and the other two in the outfield. The main gate opens into a spacious and wide concourse that empties into the seating bowl. There are two levels with 20 suites, and both levels are usually packed with maroon and white. The views of the condos in left field, and just the overall surroundings, are breathtaking. The climate-controlled Omaha Club is located on the first base side on the second level, and an LED board also wraps around the ballpark, which makes for quite a surreal experience for those nighttime SEC games.
You are free to walk the entire stadium and through the outfield sections. The entrance in right field opens into a plaza area that houses the Ron Polk Ring of Honor; Polk is another revered person at Mississippi State who coached the Bulldogs from 1976 to 1997 and again from 2002 to 2008. Polk’s career coaching record stands at 1218-638-2, which places him 9th all-time among college baseball coaches. His teams have won five SEC Championships, participated in 23 regional appearances, and took eight trips to Omaha.
At the entrance behind home plate, you'll find the 2021 National Championship trophy on display, as well as the famous "Welcome to Fabulous Stark Vegas” sign. Then right past the Ring of Honor is some berm-type seating that is usually packed with lawn chairs and general admission ticketholders, but the outfield area is what makes Dudy Noble Field so special.
In the 1970s fans started driving their trucks to games and parking in the outfield, and fans began tailgating in the back of their pickup trucks the entire time. Eventually, the trucks were left behind and bleachers were constructed on top of them – for over 30 years this area was known as Left Field Lounge. After the 2017 season, the school began doing an extensive renovation on the stadium that resulted in the removal of the trucks and the makeshift bleachers that had, despite violating many safety standards, been a landmark of the university. Many diehard fans were outraged that this tradition was going to be scrapped, but after seeing the finished product I think most will be pleased with the outcome.
This whole area is now lined with one big, elevated party deck with several makeshift bleachers set up. And if you want to watch the game from your back porch you are in luck too, as looming over left field is a 12-unit, four-story condo called the Left Field Lofts – though pricey, the Lofts tower over left field, which only adds to the spectacle that is the Left Field Lounge. Thousands of friendly Bulldog fans young and old can be found there tailgating during games, which creates what is considered the number one atmosphere in all of college baseball; these fans are known as college baseball’s greatest fans, and it shows.
Neighborhood 4
Mississippi State is unique in that it is a big SEC school in a really small town, void of many attractions, as the college itself is the main attraction in town. Because there are not a lot of big cities nearby, Starkville has kind of developed its subculture, lacking a lot of national chains and malls – many of the restaurants are local to the area and use local farms instead of big-name producers.
The Cotton District is the main area of town for nightlife; located just off campus within walking distance of Dudy Noble Field, “The District”, as it’s known, is home to multiple bars and restaurants. The Cotton District is unique in that many of the neighborhood’s buildings resemble those you’d see in New Orleans and Europe, as the developer of the neighborhood traveled there for ideas during the mid-1990s – some of the better-known restaurants and bars located here are Bin612, Drifters, Bulldog Burger, The Fountain Bar, The Klaassroom, Two Brothers Smoked Meats, and StaggerIn.
The Bin is a late-night favorite among college students who flock to the bar for its famous cheese fries – when the bars close around 1 am you can find a huge line of college students stretched around the whole block waiting to get the famous fries. In addition, Two Brothers Smoked Meats has really good smoked wings and its signature white BBQ sauce, while Bulldog Burger has a huge selection of different burgers. The Cotton District is a small one-block area that gets packed with a lot of college students, especially on weekends, so the older crowd of alums may want to venture more towards downtown if they want to avoid hanging out with the younger crowd.
Just a short walk down University towards downtown you’ll encounter more bars and restaurants, such as Little Dooey – this BBQ joint prides itself on its smoked BBQ, fried catfish, and other Southern favorites. Right next door to Little Dooey is Stromboli’s; this tiny rinky-dink-looking Italian eatery doesn’t look like much from the outside, but the pizza being cooked can be smelled from across the street.
Right behind Stromboli’s is Central Station Grill, which is built into an old milk plant – the Grill is known for its brunch and drink specials, while yet another favorite in this area is Dave’s Dark Horse Tavern, a pub-style bar famous for its pizza, located on the side of a sketchy looking motel. If you come in on your birthday you get a free 24-inch pizza for every fourth person you bring. This dimly lit tavern also has really good live music and is the place that attracts the mid to late-20s crowd.
Besides the above, a couple of bars and restaurants downtown I recommend checking out are The Beer Garden at Hotel Chester, which is an outdoor bar in the courtyard of a historic hotel, and the State Theatre, which is a 3-story club-type bar. Restaurant Tyler is my favorite restaurant for lunch, however, as it has a cheap seafood blue plate special, and in its basement, there is a bar called Downstairs at Tyler, located in a former speakeasy that was used during prohibition. Oby’s is another favorite of mine that features some of the best seafood, sandwiches, and po’ boys in Starkville.
A popular Sunday morning tradition in Starkville is to have breakfast at Starkville Café – this tiny cafe located downtown often has a long line wrapped around the building on Sunday mornings, filled with people wanting to get the best southern homestyle breakfast in the area. After breakfast make sure you walk upstairs to Hobie's on Main; owned by Hobie Hobart, a diehard Miss State baseball fan, Hobie's bar has a lot of vintage State memorabilia on the walls. Hobie also owns the famous Right Field Tiki Hut located in right field at Dudy Noble Field, which is a notable fixture at State baseball games.
Fans 5
You will not find a more faithful or loyal fan base than the fans at Mississippi State – on any given weekend expect to find packed crowds for all three games of the series. State fans are passionate about the program, and it shows here at Dudy Noble Field, which currently holds the NCAA record for single-game on-campus baseball attendance at 16,423, set when Ole Miss visited here in 2023.
In addition, the top 19 of the top 20 largest crowds in college baseball history were all seated right here. Fans have also created some traditions such as the playing of Garth Brooks’s “Friends in Low Places” during the 8th inning, and of course, there are the cowbells – fans here are allowed to bring cowbells to the game, and though not as loud as the cowbells at a Bulldog football game, they still create a raucous and intimidating atmosphere. Fans along the outfield have also been known to feed the outfielders in between innings.
On any given weekend expect close to 12,000 in attendance for each game – most of the seats are packed and it’s standing room only on the concourse and in the outfield deck. A good thing about coming to a big game here is that they won’t sell out, though; they may have every seat in the stadium filled, but fans are still able to purchase tickets and find somewhere to stand. There are also multiple TVs spread out around the concourse to watch the game on as well.
Access 3
The one drawback to coming to a game in Starkville is that the city is located in kind of a secluded area of the state. The closest major cities of Tupelo and Meridian are both located over an hour away, and the closest major airport is over an hour and a half away in Jackson (although there is a smaller Golden Triangle Regional Airport located nearby in Columbus). Only two roads are coming into Starkville, which are Highway 82 which runs east to west, and Highway 25 which runs north and south.
Starkville has recently become more accessible to other areas in the state thanks in part to the upgraded Highway 45, which is located just outside of town, and is the main road you would travel on if coming from the coast or central Mississippi. Make sure you fill up on gas before embarking, however, as there aren’t many stations on the roads heading into Starkville – it’s more of a peaceful rural drive through the backwoods.
Once in Starkville prepare for lots of traffic congestion, as the town is small and the roads are not exactly the nicest. Parking around the stadium can also be a nightmare as the lots fill up quickly; my suggestion, if you are in town for a weekend game, would be to park at one of the lots on the south side of campus and walk from there. There are usually several lots open just south of Davis Wade Stadium, and you can even cut through the famous football tailgating spot The Junction on your walk to The Dude.
Return on Investment 4
It is extremely hard to get chairback tickets, as they have sold out every year since 2019 – most of these are reserved for season ticket holders, or there is a waitlist to get tickets. Your best bet when coming to a game here is to purchase the general admission ticket for $15; you will not get a seat for this, but you are free to roam anywhere in the concourse or the outfield, and you are free to bring a lawn chair and sit wherever you want. Concessions prices are fairly cheap here as well.
Because the level of SEC baseball is so high, almost any weekend you attend a game during conference season is going to be a ranked matchup. So, for less than $20 you usually get to see a top-10 matchup at one of the top-rated college baseball stadiums in the country, and most of the on-campus parking is free as well.
Extras 4
Super Bulldog Weekend is a big event for the community during the spring, with hundreds of food and arts and crafts vendors lining the streets of the Cotton District. Usually held during the Spring Football Weekend, this event always coincides with a big SEC baseball series. The games during this weekend usually attract a higher crowd than usual as well – in fact, most of the attendance records at Dudy Noble Field have been set during Super Bulldog Weekend.
One extra for the Left Field Lounge and the overall atmosphere and game day presentation that the Bulldogs present – everything is top-notch here and it shows. There truly is not a better atmosphere for a college baseball game in the country, save for the College World Series.
Another extra goes to the university for properly honoring the history of its baseball program. Bulldogs baseball has a very successful history, and you can see that everywhere you go at Dudy Noble Field, from the Will Clark and Rafael Palmeiro statues behind the home plate entrance to the Ron Polk Ring of Honor in right field. The university is very proud of its history, and it shows here – though Palmeiro had a somewhat controversial Major League career he is still revered at Mississippi State, and in addition to the statue the Bulldogs practice facility next door to the ballpark bears his name as well.
In addition, walking the concourse you'll find banners signifying important years and big wins in the program, as well as banners honoring past players, including historic names like Buck Showalter, Jonathan Papelbon, and Boo Ferriss, to current names like Adam Frazier, Mitch Moreland, Brent Rooker, and Nathaniel Lowe – there are currently eight former Bulldogs on the MLB’s 40-man rosters. The 2021 National Championship trophy is also on display at the front entrance, next to the famous 'Welcome to Fabulous Stark Vegas” sign.
Another extra for the stadium itself and the diehard fans who support the MSU baseball team. Most sports at Mississippi State experience up and down years, and the fans tend to be fair weather. That is not the case for the baseball team – the fans here support the program, with almost every game guaranteeing a sellout. It also helps that the Bulldog baseball team is one of the top teams in the country year in and year out.
Final Thoughts
Coming to a game at Dudy Noble Field is truly a bucket list experience for baseball fans at all levels. From the grills in left field to the fans and their thousands of cowbells being rung, these all add to the spectacle of attending a game here and are something everyone should experience. Attending a game here brings everyone together whether they are baseball fans or not. As John Grisham also said, “I always feel like a better person after leaving a game at Dudy Noble Field”.
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