I had the privilege of attending the Dugout Club Meeting before Tuesday Night's baseball game with Northeast Louisiana.  About 100 people attended this event inside the Humphrey Coliseum.  We ate a barbecue supper and mingled with Hank Thoms, Scott Polk, Matt Ginter, and Brian Compton.  The remainder of the ball club was preparing for the game.

In his remarks, Coach Pat McMahon stressed how very proud he is of the honor of being the head baseball coach at Mississippi State.  Coach Mac said the greatest tradition of Mississippi State baseball is the people.

Coach Mac then introduced his good friend Ray “Smoke” Laval, the head coach of the Northeast Louisiana Indians.  Many of you remember the days of “Smoke” coaching third base for LSU.  Coach Laval said he is fortunate to have Coach Mac for a friend.  He said that LSU’s Dugout Club had over 500 members.  By way of comparison, the MSU Dugout Club has about 350 members.  Coach Laval also said that MSU fans are among the best in the nation.  Friendship and respect is what college baseball is all about.

On behalf of the team, Hank Thoms thanked the fans and the foster parents.  He stressed the needed for us to be loud this weekend.  Alabama has a good team.  The Bulldogs need our moral support.

Coach Mac wants the Dugout Club to take on special projects.  The first project is to restructure the batting cage.  In future years, Coach wants the club to sponsor projects to upgrade the locker rooms and purchase new audio-visual equipment.  If you are not a member of the Dugout Club, please consider joining.  The annual dues are $50.  Click here for the membership application.

Before we dismissed, Coach said the players believe in each other.  They are finding a way to win.