New Dudy Noble Field makes debut on Friday
Bulldog fans will get their first taste of the new and completed state-ofthe-art Dudy Noble Field at Polk Dement Stadium when Mississippi State baseball kicks off its season Friday.
The three-phase, four-year renovation — designed by Wier Boerner Allin Architecture and Populous — rebuilt the venerable ballpark from the ground up. The new design once again positions Dudy Noble Field as the finest on-campus collegiate baseball facility in the country. Bulldog baseball has been played on the site since 1967.
“We have been honored to help craft the future for this program and the university where the majority of our staff got their start,” says Michael Boerner, WBA Principal Architect. “This is a place where players, fans, and the program as a whole will thrive. The ‘New Dude' is a project we are truly proud of and grateful to have been a part of.”
Famous for its record-setting crowds and unique brand of Southern hospitality, the Left Field Lounge is where Bulldog community is truly established – with fans sharing food hot off the grill and lots of jeering and cheering. Here, smoke billowing from grills and smokers lets you know you're in the right place. What once began as an impromptu tailgate has become one of collegiate baseball's longest standing and most beloved traditions. The ballpark's trademark Left Field Lounge sits reinforced and reimagined with new decks catering to college baseball's most iconic tradition. Truck tailgates have given way to permanent terraced spaces, each one designed to allow fans to make their space their own.
The expansion also includes a new double-tiered seating bowl and an elevated concourse that surrounds the playing field and serves up 360-degree views of the field. Gravel walkways were replaced with a new concourse that wraps completely around the ballpark.
"The new concourse weaves together all of Dudy Noble's signature moments," says Populous Associate Principal Zach Allee. "It brings Bulldog fans of all abilities up close to the Left Field Lounge and other neighborhoods within the ballpark."
Some fans will be able to take in Bulldog baseball from the comfort of home at the first-in-college-baseball loft building just beyond the left field concourse.
In addition to substantial structural renovations, the design team incorporated new welcoming entry plazas, restrooms, concessions, and a children's play area to appeal to the team's family demographic. New press facilities, suites, and the Omaha Club highlight the new View Level. The multi-phase renovation incorporated berm seating, upgraded field lighting, and added one of the largest high-definition video boards in college baseball.
The player experience has also been completely transformed with a new clubhouse, meeting spaces, indoor batting cages, a state-of-the-art pitching lab, and spaces for athletic training and equipment management.
(Photos by Danny P. Smith, SDN)