What Dudy Noble Field construction might look like

As we venture into the long-awaited construction of a new Dudy Noble Field, let’s take what we know to create a timeline for the new stadium.

It’s been two years now since renderings for a new Dudy Noble Field were unveiled by the MSU athletic department. There have been some mixed emotions from longtime Diamond Dawg fans, but overall there is a lot of excitement about having the best stadium in college baseball.

The original estimates were around $40 million (which at the time I thought were low considering Alabama just built a much lesser stadium for $35 million). Then earlier in 2016, Scott Stricklin announced the cost has soared to $55 million (which was blamed on construction costs but I can assure you architects are 90% to blame). Nevertheless, MSU isn’t backing down from such an ambitious project, it’s just taking a little longer to procure the funds.

The cost may ultimately be more than $55 million, because a general contractor has yet to be selected and final pricing agreed upon. The only thing we know for sure right now is that MSU will have the largest video board in college baseball for the 2017 season:

That’s Phase I, I suppose you could say, as we work our way toward a new stadium. Here’s my expert* opinion on how the construction will ultimately unfold….

Hosting Regionals are really important to Mississippi State so we won’t want to forfeit those opportunities. Unfortunately, that may not be possible with our budget (less money=more time, more money=less time; see: Kyle Field vs. Davis Wade). I don’t anticipate MSU not bidding on a 2017 host spot unless the team has a horrid start to the season and a decision is made by April 1st it’s not worth it to hold out hope and delay construction.

Either way, Phase II should look something like this:

• Complete rebuild of Left Field Louge
• Construction of Left Field Lofts
• Elimination of bleachers along 1st and 3rd base lines
• Construction of grandstands where bleachers are currently

I’m 99% sure the new LFL will be constructed before the new grandstands because of the liability issue. Risk management folks at MSU were hoping the 2016 season would be the last of the LFL but it will be 2017 in all likelihood. They are the ones forcing Scott Stricklin’s hands regarding the change in structure out there, and they’ve got a legal team putting pressure on him to make it go away ASAP.

During the 2018 baseball season, there will be a brand new LFL along with the LFL Lofts, but no seating where the bleachers used to be. This, of course, will not allow for great attendance numbers like we’re used to seeing, but it will only be for one season.

Phase III will almost assuredly force MSU to forfeit any hosting opportunities at DNF, and should look like this:

• Finalizing construction of grandstands where bleachers were
• Complete re-build of current grandstands and concourse
• Project completing

Come spring of 2019, the new Dudy Noble Field should be ready to go. Of course, this is contingent upon getting the funds in place to move forward with the project. But we are already going to be a year past the anticipated start date so you can’t figure MSU can wait much longer and still have folks excited to donate towards the effort.

*I say I’m an expert somewhat jokingly, but I do have well over 10,000 hours experience in the construction industry so…