Cohen, Diamond Dogs Open Fall Baseball Practice Friday With Scrimmage

STARKVILLE, Miss. - John Cohen, introduced as Mississippi State’s head baseball coach in June, won’t have to wait long to see the Baseball Bulldogs in simulated game competition this fall. The Diamond Dogs are scheduled to hold the first of more than two dozen fall scrimmage games at Dudy Noble Field Friday afternoon beginning at 3 p.m. on the opening day for MSU’s offseason baseball workouts.

Nearly 40 candidates for the 2009 team, including 21 veterans that drew starting duty last spring, seven signees and other returning players and newcomers are anticipated for Friday’s 2 p.m. opening of the 45-day fall practice. The team’s fall scrimmage schedule mirrors its weekly inseason game schedule, with scrimmages scheduled each Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, weather permitting. The scrimmages as well as all Bulldog baseball practices are open to the public.

“We’re eager to see how they compete,” said Cohen, whose last fall baseball practice appearance at Dudy Noble Field was in 1989 as a senior member of the MSU team. “With the newness of the coaching staff, we have a lot of evaluating to do this fall.

“We’ve been doing a lot of drill work with our four-on-one small group practice sessions since the semester began last month,” he continued. “The effort we’re getting from the kids is great. We’ve been really pleased with that and with the way they have been buying into our system. We’ve got a lot of productive individual work and conditioning under our belt, and now we need to see the players in live game situations.”

In addition to fall practice, Mississippi State baseball is hosting two major events this autumn. The 13th alumni baseball game is set Sunday, October 19 and the annual Maroon-White game is scheduled Friday, October 31. Both contests at Dudy Noble Field are open to the public with no charge for admission.