MS Baseball 2015

[Smoke68]

I think one of the main reasons MSU competes year after year is baseball matters here about 20X's more than at other schools. Left Field Lounge, box seats, and SBW create an atmosphere that can't be matched at other schools. When I was at Virginia Tech, I went to a home game against a top 5 FSU team. I sat behind home plate with an empty seat on either side of me using a general admission ticket. Give a kid a full scholarship to go play in that atmosphere or a partial scholarship to play in the Dude, I'd bet most would pick the latter.

[Deltamud77]

State knocked the crap out of the ball Saturday against SC, the problem was that they hit a lot of atom balls!

I will say it again....scholarship situation is a MAJOR issue. Until something changes, get used to the cycles of up and down. State and Ole Miss have 11 scholarships......most other schools in the conference have lottery scholarships / other funds that basically put them at "unlimited" scholarships. Do you really think Vanderbilt just figured out how to recruit and coach? No...all their players are on scholarship......what they figured out is that they are a private school and don't have to disclose all information about $$$$.....so, top baseball recruit from "North Carolina".....you can get your books covered at State / Ole Miss......or you can get one of the best educations in the country at Vanderbilt for FREE.......what is your decision?

Give Cohen and Bianco credit for making it to Omaha......their success is like Mullen and Freeze competing in football with 25 scholarships while the rest of the conference has 85......how do you think that would work out?

I think you make good points. That said, I don't think scholarships are that great of a concern for most modern baseball families. If we are honest with one another, baseball has become a sport of the privileged. Just about every one of these kids come from upper middle class to upper class families now. Most of their families have spent thousands, even 10s of thousands, of dollars on select and travel baseball for years before they every make it to college. The families that didn't probably didn't see their kids make the rosters of upper level high school baseball teams. Many, if not most, of these kids also had private coaches as well to the tune of $75 per hour for countless hours.

Most of the families can swing tuition at State or Ole Miss...heck, they probably get a financial break when they get to college in many cases. I'd be willing to bet that 80% of the kids on SEC rosters right now don't "need" any scholarship for their son to be in school. At that point, it just comes down to preference.

[Greenhead22]

Dudy Noble has lost the wow factor to recruits. That's why we are doing the mega million dollar renovation in the near future. Schools have passed us up with facilities and what not. Most of these kids are also on academic scholarship too so in essence, they're getting full rides one way or another. It's just school preference.

[stang67]

I think...

Respectfully, I disagree. What upper middle class family parent turns down a $20k+ raise at his job? That's what a better scholarship amounts to. "Thanks, but I don't really need it."??? Nope.

LSU fans don't want to believe the lottery money and TOPS contribute to their success, but it's huge. Huge!

[Deltamud77]

I think...

Respectfully, I disagree. What upper middle class family parent turns down a $20k+ raise at his job? That's what a better scholarship amounts to. "Thanks, but I don't really need it."??? Nope.

LSU fans don't want to believe the lottery money and TOPS contribute to their success, but it's huge. Huge!

Not this LSU fan. I think it has an effect for LSU, but so does winning national championships...more the later than the former.

I am also not saying that the scholly money does not matter at all. That said, by comparison to other sports such as basketball and football, it certainly does not matter as much. The familial seating at any SEC baseball venue has a decidedly different socio-economic representation than the same seating at a football or basketball game.

[stang67]

more the later than the former.

Meh. Chicken or the egg. LSU should be in the semis every year.

[SWAG]

Scholarship numbers are a HUGE deal in baseball...why do you think Polk ran himself in the ground fighting for more. Lottery states have a big advantage. Schools like MSU and UM can not give full scholarships to players because there is only...what 11 to give. A lot of half scholarships maybe. Got to recruit smart and or middle class kids who can get help from parents or by academic scholarships.

Example: Georgia is sitting in the mecca of amateur baseball...and can give in state kids free ride while holding on to their 11 schollys for out of state top notch recruits. No excuses for LSU and UGA to not make supers 2 years out of 3. IMO

[stitch]

State knocked the crap out of the ball Saturday against SC, the problem was that they hit a lot of atom balls!

I will say it again....scholarship situation is a MAJOR issue. Until something changes, get used to the cycles of up and down. State and Ole Miss have 11 scholarships......most other schools in the conference have lottery scholarships / other funds that basically put them at "unlimited" scholarships. Do you really think Vanderbilt just figured out how to recruit and coach? No...all their players are on scholarship......what they figured out is that they are a private school and don't have to disclose all information about $$$$.....so, top baseball recruit from "North Carolina".....you can get your books covered at State / Ole Miss......or you can get one of the best educations in the country at Vanderbilt for FREE.......what is your decision?

Give Cohen and Bianco credit for making it to Omaha......their success is like Mullen and Freeze competing in football with 25 scholarships while the rest of the conference has 85......how do you think that would work out?

I think you make good points. That said, I don't think scholarships are that great of a concern for most modern baseball families. If we are honest with one another, baseball has become a sport of the privileged. Just about every one of these kids come from upper middle class to upper class families now. Most of their families have spent thousands, even 10s of thousands, of dollars on select and travel baseball for years before they every make it to college. The families that didn't probably didn't see their kids make the rosters of upper level high school baseball teams. Many, if not most, of these kids also had private coaches as well to the tune of $75 per hour for countless hours.

Most of the families can swing tuition at State or Ole Miss...heck, they probably get a financial break when they get to college in many cases. I'd be willing to bet that 80% of the kids on SEC rosters right now don't "need" any scholarship for their son to be in school. At that point, it just comes down to preference.

Agree with that today, but that is changing with the unlimited scholarships in some areas. For starters, baseball is the only sport that players can go straight to the pros from high school....."so underprivileged kid, you can go to Mississippi State on a book scholarship or you can sign a pro contract.....since they can't afford tuition, they sign the pro contract for $10,000".......but that is changing with unlimited scholarships at some schools.

That's why it was an upper middle class sport.....they can afford to pay to play and they value the education.

[stitch]

I'm going to disagree with the scholarship issue. Polk used that as a crutch for years. It would just be another excuse if State had the full ride scholarships and still couldn't stay at the top. What's Georgia's excuse ? Hot bed for talent, full ride scholly's ........ should be the easiest coaching job in America. Polk said so himself. They still can't compete. Too many teams on 11 scholarship limit are always Top 10, 15 for that argument to hold water.

Not sure this warrants a response, but what the heck. You seriously believe that a school that has 35 scholarships is not at an advantage to a school that has 11? I didn't say you couldn't win in certain areas.....but it's not an advantage? Seriously?

BTW, 4 of the 6 last National Champions are from the "scholarship schools".......seeing how there are fewer states with the full rides than those that don't have it......I say that speaks for itself. The problem for Mississippi schools is that all the "scholarship states" are in the South......they surround us.

Why do you think Memphis is so improved.....and will get better.

Last but not least...and answer honestly.......if you kid was the top player in the state of Mississippi and had the opportunity to go to Mississippi State on 25% scholarship or to Vanderbilt on a full ride, where would he go? I can tell you that 95% of the kids in the country are going to Vanderbilt.

[stitch]

Scholarship numbers are a HUGE deal in baseball...why do you think Polk ran himself in the ground fighting for more. Lottery states have a big advantage. Schools like MSU and UM can not give full scholarships to players because there is only...what 11 to give. A lot of half scholarships maybe. Got to recruit smart and or middle class kids who can get help from parents or by academic scholarships.

Example: Georgia is sitting in the mecca of amateur baseball...and can give in state kids free ride while holding on to their 11 schollys for out of state top notch recruits. No excuses for LSU and UGA to not make supers 2 years out of 3. IMO

What he said.....Atlanta has enough talent for 3 SEC teams and they could all get a free ride. If Georgia gave 2 cents about baseball, they should be in CWS EVERY year.

[stitch]

One last comment.....if it's not about the number of scholarships, and it's all about tradition and facilities......why doesn't The University of Alabama just drop their football scholarships to say 20? They have the greatest tradition and the greatest facilities. If that's the case, all the kids should be willing to pay their way. What is a scholarship to Alabama worth? $25,000 a year? They could pocket 60 scholarships x $25,000 = $1,500,000 cool savings they could give back to the community. How do you think that would work out for them? That's what State and Ole Miss are essentially doing.
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[deltadukman]

Can someone give me a cliff notes explantion on the scholarship deal? Why do some school get to give more than others? Is it the school alotting them to the baseball program or an NCAA rule?

[Greenhead22]

State's have lottery money that goes towards scholarships for the universities to give out. If you don't have a lottery deal in place, you're stuck with the 11.7 scholarships.

[NUTMEG]

If I have no ties to any school in the SEC, would I go to Vandy the reigning CWS champs on a full scholarship, LSU a team that has won CWS 6 times in last 25 yrs on full scholarship or Ole Miss that has a good program but 1 trip to CWS in past 25 yrs on a 33% scholarship?

[stitch]

If I have no ties to any school in the SEC, would I go to Vandy the reigning CWS champs on a full scholarship, LSU a team that has won CWS 6 times in last 25 yrs on full scholarship or Ole Miss that has a good program but 1 trip to CWS in past 25 yrs on a 33% scholarship?

.....that's one trip in 40 years......