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2015-2016 has been a fun year for Mississippi State athletics. We’ve seen programs rise to new heights and accomplish things that have never been done in Starkville before. Dak Prescott wrote his name all over the Mississippi State record books. Vic Schaefer and his women’s basketball team took down Tennessee for the first time ever and made a run in the NCAA Women’s Tournament. And then the baseball team captured our attention and claimed the SEC title.
It’s been a pretty good year as a whole, and it seems that as fans, we have responded. Five different sports saw new attendance records get set in 2015-2016. Football, women’s basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer all saw school records be set for attendance.
Bulldog fans set attendance records in five @HailState sports in 2015-16!! Bulldog fans rock! #HailState pic.twitter.com/4KCSoSkIN6
— Scott Stricklin (@stricklinMSU) June 22, 2016
And there have been various reasons for this spike for all of these sports. As I mentioned above, we saw unprecedented success with women’s basketball and a surprising and exciting season from baseball. Football earned another 9 wins and we saw Dak Prescott ride off into the sunset. Softball recently built one of the nicest fields in the SEC and soccer is about to get some brand new facilities as well.
We’ve seen fan support grow across the board the past few seasons, and it isn’t just with the big three sports. Non-revenue sports have been garnering more and more attention from the Mississippi State family and that is good for all involved. The student-athletes deserve the support and it helps show that we care about more than just baseball and football. Plus, the growing support gives bloggers more to write about.
Hats off to all of the fans who attended these events and supported our university. Also, hats off to Scott Stricklin and the Mississippi State athletic department for creating and fostering environments that help make the fan experience more enjoyable. Hail State.