New ‘Dude’ in Starkville

Twelve apartment lofts sit just beyond left field and are renting for $62,000 annually. Eight have already been reserved. Kelly Donoho

After finishing as the runner-up in the 2013 College World Series and reaching the semifinals in Omaha last year, the Mississippi State Bulldogs are almost certain to finish No. 1 this baseball season in one area: revenue.

“The Dude,” as Dudy Noble Field is called throughout college baseball, has hosted the 16 biggest on-campus baseball crowds in NCAA history, including a 2014 game against Ole Miss that drew a record 15,586. The ballpark’s game-day atmosphere has helped MSU to become one of the sport’s most financially secure programs every year. The team generated more than $3.6 million in the 2016-17 fiscal year, according to the most recent Department of Education data available, 10th-best in the country. SEC rival LSU is the NCAA’s perennial leader, generating $6.4 million that year.

But a $64 million renovation has turned the 52-year-old ballpark into an instant classic.

Every one of the venue’s more than 6,000 premium seats already have been sold, with a long waiting list, according to Bo Hemphill, MSU deputy athletic director of development. For context, that’s more than what all but five college baseball teams (all in the SEC) averaged last season. “I did not think we would sell everything out before we opened,” said Hemphill, an MSU alumni and Starkville native.

There were 17 suites in the old ballpark that went for $17,000 each annually. The updated facility has 20 suites with annual leases that range from $30,000 to $50,000 per year. Similarly, there are now three club areas compared to none previously.

Among the other sold-out inventory are 4,500 chair-back seats, at $1,800 per year with 10-year commitment; 29 loge tables with four bar stools each, at $6,000 per table; and 62 home-plate seats at $2,000 apiece. Other than the chair-back seats, the remaining premium seats are leased annually.

With  reserved seating sold out for the 2019 season, general admission season tickets are available for $199, good for any standing-room area as well as the grass berms.

Hemphill said that the Mississippi Farm Bureau and BancorpSouth each have naming rights to a section of the park, with more partners expected to sign on before opening day in mid-February. The ballpark had no corporate partners in the past. Additionally, Aramark amended its existing agreement that began in 2010 and will be lowering its concessions prices at the ballpark.

“We just don’t want concessions prices to be a hindrance to our supporters,” said Jared Benko, MSU’s deputy athletic director and CFO.

Among the ballpark’s sold-out elements are the home-plate seats, which sell for $2,000 each.Kelly Donoho

The feature that is drawing the most interest from athletic departments around the country are the 12 apartment-style lofts that overlook left field. Each 1,100-square-foot unit has two bedrooms, two bathrooms and an 8-foot patio facing the playing field. Eight of the units already have been rented. Annual lease agreements run $62,000 a year — $5,166 a month.

Birmingham, Ala.-based Colonnade Group is a handling the business operations of the lofts.  

Hemphill said that any unsold suites might be offered on VRBO. If those rentals prove lucrative, that could possibly be part of MSU’s permanent business model going forward. Loft residents do not need to purchase tickets unless they want access to the 200-person rooftop premium club atop the apartments. 

Renovation of The Dude began in 2017 with the installation of a 2,600-square-foot Daktronics video board, which is the largest in college baseball and also bigger than the main displays at major league stadiums Tropicana Field and Camden Yards.

Capacity for the new ballpark has not been certified by the fire marshal yet, but it is expected to be about what the old stadium held, Hemphill said. “We will still be able to handle the record-breaking crowds we have in the past, just much more comfortable.”