November 07, 2026 | Baseball, Joel Coleman
STARKVILLE – Where else but Starkville?
That's a rhetorical question. There are few places – maybe no other places – but Starkville, Mississippi, that can turn a college baseball alumni game into a must-see event. For the second year in a row, that's now been proven.
Dudy Noble Field opened its arms and embraced its past on Friday night with the Farm Bureau Diamond Dawg Classic. Bulldog greats spanning generations once again put on the M-over-S in front of thousands of State fans who simultaneously got to witness a ballgame and a reunion.
For record-keeping purposes, let it be known Team Lightning defended its crown won a year ago as they downed Team Thunder 12-3. And while Lightning manager Jonathan Papelbon with his newly won championship belt would surely tell you and opposing manager Mitch Moreland differently, the score was secondary to what this was and what this meant.
This was a celebration. It was another night of appreciation. All for a bunch of men – some of whom aren't spring chickens anymore – who'll be forever young as long as they're wearing that beautiful Maroon and White.
"This alumni game is better than it's ever been," Papelbon said. "Just the fandom around it is insane.
"I don't think many schools do it this way."
Nope. They sure don't. They can't. Because at Mississippi State, baseball isn't just some sport that pops up in the spring. It's a part of every Bulldog's DNA.
Diamond Dawgs are so much more than players. They become fixtures in MSU minds everywhere. Moments aren't just highlights. They are tentpoles in life for all Bulldogs.
Take, for instance, Tanner Allen's at-bat in the bottom of the first on Friday night. When the 2021 SEC Player of the Year roped one into right-centerfield, every Bulldog's mind immediately rewound half a decade back to when TA delivered his clutch, bases-loaded Sunday triple against Ole Miss to that very same gap that downed the rival Rebels.
How about when Hunter Renfroe strode to the plate? How many fathers leaned over and told their sons about the 2013 College World Series and Renfroe's three-run homer against Oregon State that helped put MSU in the CWS Finals for the first time ever?
Fact is, every name that took the field on Friday night played some role in the life of virtually every Bulldog that had the chance to witness their career.
It's easy to talk about Allen or Renfroe or any of the 45 pro players, 17 big leaguers, eight MLB All-Stars, six first-round draft picks, two MLB World Series champions, 33 College World Series participants or six NCAA national champions that took part in the Diamond Dawg Classic. But at Mississippi State, you live forever even if the cleats didn't get the chance to walk from State to the Show.
How cool was it to see Justin Pigott back on the mound, nearly 20 years after the lefty took the bump for MSU in Omaha? Same for Jacob Billingsley, whose complete-game gem in the regional at Southern Miss in 2017 will stand the test of time as one of the most clutch performances in State history.
Whether you're general managers Will Clark or Rafael Palmeiro, or guys like Pigott and Billingsley – at Mississippi State, you live forever. Your contributions are immortal.
Because few places, if anywhere, appreciate baseball like Mississippi State.
Few places, if anywhere, appreciate its players and people like Mississippi State.
So, few places – probably nowhere – could do a night like Friday's like Mississippi State.
At MSU, time moves on. But Diamond Dawgs truly live forever.
