Opening Day At The New Dudy Noble Field

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – After spending the first two weeks of the season “away”, Mississippi State’s Diamond Dawgs are coming home… but to a new home.

The newly constructed Dudy Noble Field is set for Opening Day in Starkville.

People say the adjustment to something new after over 40 years of doing the same thing will be hard at first but won’t stop them from keeping the tradition of Mississippi State baseball.

“It’s shiny and new; I can tell you that. Everything’s really shiny and new,” said Left Field Lounge personality, Hobie Hobart.

And thousands will see for themselves, as Mississippi State prepares to open their 2018 home season at the new Dudy Noble Field.

“If there’s 31 teams in the MLB, this is the 32nd best looking stadium in the country right now,” says Hobart.

One of the major changes made is the Left Field Lounge.

Instead of the iconic homemade rigs in the outfield, designated stands now take their place.

“It’s so funny; you call it a rig. Well that’s what they’ve come up with. What do we call them?” questioned Hobart. “What do we call these things? I’ll say ‘I’m going to work on my trailer.’ Well, it’s not a trailer; it’s not a rig anymore. It’s our spot.”

As a longtime rig owner, Hobart says adjusting to the new stadium, especially for something that’s been around for decades, is a bit of a process.

“It’s like a seasoned pot, you know. It’s like a cast-iron skillet, you know. I’ve got to season it up,” described Hobart. “Everbody’s place is going to grow. Everybody’s place is going to get better. Mine is; my goal is always to have the best place to watch college baseball. So that’s what I’m working on today; that’s what I’m going to work on this season and get it seasoned up real well.”

The stadium may be new, but the tradition of southern hospitality and college baseball doesn’t change for those sitting in the stands.

“It goes back to the people and to Mississippi State and again just the people we are, the people that Mississippi State people are,” said Hobart.

With that, Hobart had one thing to say about kicking off another season in the Carnegie Hall of baseball.

“Hail State and go Dawgs.”