Left Field Lounge

The Left Field Lounge is the area beyond the outfield fence in Dudy Noble Field, Polk-DeMent Stadium at Mississippi State University. It is truly unique in college baseball,[1] and has enabled the grounds to be named the "#1 place to watch college baseball" and among the "100 things you gotta do before you graduate" by Sports Illustrated.[2] In 2009 the Left Field Lounge was named "the country's best tailgaiting experience" (among all venues and sports) by ESPN Magazine.

The famed author John Grisham is an alumnus of Mississippi State and avid fan of MSU college baseball. For the book Inside Dudy Noble: A Celebration of Mississippi State Baseball, he wrote an introduction about his time at MSU and in the Left Field Lounge.[3]

The Left Field Lounge started out in the 1960s with just fans driving cars and trucks into the area to watch a game. In the late 1960s, fans started bringing grills, tables, and ice chests full of drinks for a full tailgate party experience. At that time, fans would drive in before the game to set up their tailgates, and then take it all down after the game and drive back out. As the area became more popular, a line would form to get in before the game, the area would fill up, and some would be turned away. In a 2003 article by a Mississippi State alumnus:[4] In the early 1970s one truck driven to the Left Field Lounge would not start and was unable to leave after the game was over, so the owners just left the truck there. For the next game, the truck was still there, creating an automatic reserved spot. Other fans took advantage of this and brought in trucks and grills intending to leave them there. Some trucks that were no longer drivable were towed into a spot. To allow more fans to share a space, home-built seats and bleachers were built onto the beds of the trucks. Later, motor homes and flat bed trailers were brought in with more elaborate and sturdy bleachers. Eventually the university established rules for the cherished spots in Left Field Lounge. Spaces are rented for the season, and after all of the spaces are filled, those not receiving a space are placed on a waiting list. The trucks/trailers/motor homes must be on wheels, brought in by a certain day before the season starts, and removed after the season ends.

NCAA Record Attendance

SEC weekend games typically draw the largest crowds, giving rise to huge weekend gatherings. Mississippi State currently holds the NCAA record for the largest single game on-campus baseball attendance at 15,586 and the largest SEC crowd for a 3-game weekend series at 29,915. In 2007 versus the Clemson Tigers, MSU had the NCAA's top two all-time highest attended Super Regional games with 12,620 and 13,715 fans.

Mississippi State has all of the top 11 on-campus crowds in the history of college baseball. Overall, DNF-PDS has held 15 crowds over 12,000 and 31 crowds over 10,000.

Top Baseball Crowds at DNF-PDS

Rank Attendance Opponent Date Record Broken
1 15,586 Mississippi April 12, 2014 NCAA On-Campus Record
2 14,991 Florida April 22, 1989 #2 NCAA On-Campus Record
3 14,562 Auburn April 20, 2013 #3 NCAA On-Campus Record
4 14,556 Louisiana State April 16, 1988 #4 NCAA On-Campus Record
5 13,761 Arkansas April 25, 1992 #5 NCAA On-Campus Record
6 13,715 Clemson June 9, 2007 #6 NCAA On-Campus Record
NCAA Super Regional Single-Game Record
7 13,617 Georgia April 8, 2006 #7 NCAA On-Campus Record
8 13,324 Mississippi April 11, 2014 #8 NCAA On-Campus Record
9 13,123 Mississippi April 15, 2000 #9 NCAA On-Campus Record
10 12,708 Auburn April 24, 1993 #10 NCAA On-Campus Record
11 12,620 Clemson June 8, 2007 #11 NCAA On-Campus Record
#2 NCAA Super Regional Single-Game Record
12 12,360 Georgia April 6, 2002 #13 NCAA On-Campus Record
13 11,763 Auburn April 12, 2003 #16 NCAA On-Campus Record
14 11,496 Florida State May 27, 1990 #19 NCAA On-Campus Record
NCAA Regional Single-Game Record
15 11,201 Florida April 9, 2011 #22 NCAA On-Campus Record
16 11,174 Florida April 13, 1991 #23 NCAA On-Campus Record
17 11,127 South Alabama May 26, 2000 #25 NCAA On-Campus Record
18 11,124 South Alabama June 1, 2013
19 11,102 Central Arkansas May 31, 2013
20 11,089 Tennessee April 17, 2010
21 10,958 Auburn April 9, 2005
22 10,832 Notre Dame May 28, 2000
23 10,688 Washington May 25, 1997
24 10,617 Florida April 17, 2004
25 10,588 North Carolina May 28, 1989
26 10,555 Kentucky April 18, 2009
27 10,382 Florida April 25, 1987
28 10,324 Kentucky March 31, 2007
29 10,284 Middle TN St. May 30, 2003
30 10,226 Central Arkansas June 2, 2013
31 10,050 Alabama April 10, 1999
32 9,784 Notre Dame May 27, 2000
33 9,593 Vanderbilt April 21, 1990
34 9,424 Georgia March 29, 2008
35 9,264 Louisiana State March 24, 2001
36 9,243 Louisiana State May 15, 1993

References

  1. ↑ "Left Field Lounge". Retrieved 2008-11-30.
  2. ↑ "100 things you gotta do before you graduate". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2008-11-30.
  3. ↑ "Inside Dudy Noble: A Celebration of Mississippi State Baseball". Retrieved 2008-11-30.
  4. ↑ "Out in left field". Retrieved 2008-11-30.

External links