Good morning, Bulldogs! Cam Matthews’ mom has a message for her son before the NCAA Tournament!

What else do we have brewing today?

🥎 Season sweep
👟 Running outside
🐶 And much, much more!

College athletics moves fast. Working in it, it’s not always easy to take a second to stop and smell the roses, so to speak. There’s too much to do and too much to keep up with.

Earlier this week though, I had a minute. It was Tuesday morning and Mississippi State football was in the middle of its first spring practice. I tell you, the scene was picture perfect in Starkville.

Sunny day. Temperature just right. This side of heaven, I don’t think it could’ve gotten much better.

Then it did. I got to thinking. Behind me was Dudy Noble Field, where later that evening MSU would host a midweek baseball game. To my right, some of our Bulldog track and field athletes were practicing ahead of their first home meet this weekend that’ll kick off the outdoor season. Off in the distance was Nusz Park – home to a red-hot, nationally-ranked bunch of softball Dawgs – as well as our tennis facilities that host a pair of winning programs.

Spring is such a fun time to be a Bulldog for all of us. There’s basically something happening in the world of Maroon and White every day and it seems, more often than not, there’s something to celebrate. Let’s talk about a few of those things in this space now:

DANCIN’ DAWGS

March is better with Maroon in it, and over the next couple of days (and hopefully more), the men’s and women’s basketball Bulldogs will get their chances to make national noise in the NCAA Tournament.

The men tip off Friday at 11:15 a.m. CT against Baylor, while women’s action starts against Cal at 4:30 p.m. CT on Saturday.

There is no question this is a special era of Bulldog basketball. On the men’s side under Chris Jans, it’s only the third time in program history MSU has appeared in the NCAA Tournament for three straight seasons, and it’s the first time it’s happened in 20 years.

The women’s group now has 13 all-time NCAA Tourney appearances with two of those coming since Sam Purcell became head coach three years ago.

A cool piece of all the State success that many might not know about is the two programs’ support of each other.

“I’ve been at a lot of universities where there’s not a relationship between men’s and women’s basketball,” Purcell said earlier this week. “That’s not the situation here. It started with [Jans]. As soon as I saw how he, as a leader, embraced my young women and me, I knew that his players would follow and that’s been key.

“Those guys are first class. They high-five us when they’re coming through [the Humphrey Coliseum] from the practice facility into the locker room. They come to our games, and we go to theirs…[Jans] is just one of the best team players to make sure this culture is right, and we’re all a part of that.”

While the two teams start what they both hope will be long NCAA Tourney runs on opposite coasts – the men in North Carolina and the women out in California – you can guarantee they’ll all be figuratively dancing together for however long things last.

NEW YEAR, NEW LOOK

Head football coach Jeff Lebby and his group will conduct their second practice of the spring today. As things heat up at the Leo Seal Jr. Football Complex, Lebby is obviously excited about how he has a new-look group of Bulldogs under the helmets, quite literally.

“From a roster standpoint, where we are today compared to a year ago is completely different,” Lebby said after the first spring practice on Tuesday. “When I talk about the roster being completely different, [the physical difference] is what I’m talking about.

“I think the best part is that our bodies are completely different. From a [defensive] line standpoint – night and day. From a [linebackers] standpoint – night and day. You look at our quarterback room and the physicality that’s in that room and some of the things they’re going to be able to do from a depth standpoint – night and day.”

It’ll of course be several months before State plays a game that matters and progress can truly be measured by a scoreboard. However, count the early days of spring as a win as the Dawgs start stacking days.

“We’ve got a ton of work to do,” Lebby said. “Our guys have been incredibly willing and have had unbelievable energy inside the building, which we’ve got to have.”

THE NATION’S BEST

If you somehow missed it last weekend, Mississippi State won a national championship. More accurately, MSU men’s track and field’s Peyton Bair claimed the individual title in the heptathlon at the NCAA Indoor Championships.

“It felt awesome,” Bair said. “The [heptathlon] is very difficult. It’s seven events in the span of two days. After those two days, it was just a relief and it felt so awesome to realize that goal of mine and come out on top as national champion.”

Bair’s big moment was the highlight of what was a historic few days at the event in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The Bulldogs finished tied for sixth place as a team, earning the highest point total and best team finish in program history.

State now turns its attention to the outdoor season and, as alluded to earlier, it starts right in the Dawgs’ own backyard. MSU hosts the Alumni Bulldog Relays beginning on campus today and running through Saturday.

SOFTBALL SURGING

And how about Mississippi State softball? The Bulldogs just keep doing huge things.

After sweeping No. 18 Auburn to begin the Southeastern Conference portion of the schedule, head coach Samantha Ricketts and company followed that up by earning the program’s first-ever series win at Alabama last weekend. MSU took two out of three over the No. 25 Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa as the team keeps making STATEments.

“I think this team came in with the mindset that we've been working on all year, and really it started with previous years,” Ricketts said. “It's to prove ourselves right, knowing how good we are and how good we can be.”

Folks are certainly taking notice of the Bulldogs as they continue to rise in the rankings. State is a consensus Top-20 team and is ranked as highly as No. 16 in a pair of polls.

(Coleman’s Corner is brought to you each Thursday by Mississippi State athletics senior writer Joel Coleman. A 2007 and 2009 graduate of Mississippi State, Coleman has worked inside and around MSU sports for nearly two decades with prior stops also including the Starkville Daily News and Sports Illustrated.)

🎙️ DEAR OL’ STATE

Dear Ol’ State: Spring Football Is Here. Bulldog football is back! Mississippi State opened up spring practice this week. On the latest Dear Ol' State, Joel Coleman brings you all that head coach Jeff Lebby had to say after day one. Plus hear from Chris Lemonis after the Diamond Dawgs got back on the winning track with a midweek victory over Jackson State.

📈 STOCK UP

🔼 Blazed A Trail. No. 18 Mississippi State softball improved to 25-5 on Wednesday, winning 8-4 at UAB to sweep the season series with the Blazers. Sierra Sacco, the Softball America Star of the Week, finished a home run shy of the cycle, collecting two extra-base hits in the first inning alone.

🔼 Running Outside. Mississippi State track and field gets outside for the first time this spring today, hosting competition at the Alumni Bulldog Relays at the Mike Sanders Track Complex. Events start today and run through Saturday.

🤔 BULLDOG TRIVIA

Ace On The Mound. Through 29.2 innings this season, what are opponents hitting off Pico Kohn?

Got a guess? 

Scroll to the bottom of the Bulldog Brew to see if you know your stuff!

🤝 SHARE THE BREW

Do you know a friend or family member who is a Bulldog fan? Simply forward them this email and they can sign up to receive the brew by clicking the link below to subscribe. The Bulldog Brew is sent every weekday and is completely free!

📆 LOOKING AHEAD

Thursday, March 20
👟 Track & Field — Alumni Bulldog Relays

Friday, March 21
🏀 No. 8 seed Mississippi State Men’s Basketball vs. No. 9 seed Baylor @ 11:15 a.m. — Raleigh, N.C.
👟 Track & Field — Alumni Bulldog Relays
🥎 Softball at Northwestern @ 2:30 p.m.
🎾 Women’s Tennis at Kentucky @ 4 p.m.
⚾️ Baseball at Oklahoma @ 6:30 p.m. | SECN+ | Listen

Saturday, March 22
🏀 No. 9 seed Mississippi State Women’s Basketball vs. No. 8 seed Cal @ 4:30 p.m. — Los Angeles, Calif.
👟 Track & Field — Alumni Bulldog Relays
🥎 Softball at Northwestern @ noon | B1G+
🥎 Softball at Northwestern @ 3 p.m. | B1G+
⚾️ Baseball at Oklahoma @ 4 p.m. | SECN+ | Listen

Sunday, March 23
🎾 Women’s Tennis at Tennessee @ noon
🎾 Men’s Tennis at South Carolina @ 1 p.m.
⚾️ Baseball at Oklahoma @ 2 p.m. | SECN+ | Listen

🐶 Click here to see the full Mississippi State Athletics Calendar

🎉 TRIVIA ANSWER

Answer: .157!

🐶 Have a great Thursday, y’all!