Good morning! State seems to have the secret sauce when it comes to producing top end talent, and out on the football field, people are starting to notice. The Bulldogs came in at #3 among SEC West schools producing NFL starters over the last decade. That deserves a ring of the bell.

What else did we toss into the Brew today?

🏀 Going Four More
⛳️ Dancing In The Sunshine
🐶 And much, much more!

🎥 HAIL STATE PLUS

Getting Selected. It’s nerve-racking when waiting to hear your name called in any moment, much less for a potential trip to the NCAA Men’s Tennis Tournament.

In this edition of All Access, get an inside look at the moment the Bulldogs knew they were going to the NCAA Tournament. Hear from junior Nemanja Malesevic and the program’s head coach, Matt Roberts about what they expect going forward.

This episode, and tons more like it, are available now to our HailState+ members.

With HailState+ you get to watch wherever you want to watch. Web, mobile, and (later this year) all major OTT streaming apps like AppleTV, Amazon FireTV, Roku, and Android. We got it all.

📈 STOCK UP

🔼 Going Four More. After leading the Bulldogs to the NCAA Tournament in his first year, Director of Athletics Zac Selmon made the announcement that men’s basketball head coach Chris Jans was given a four-year contract extension. Here’s just a few reasons why Coach Jans is making Starkville his home for the foreseeable future:

• He was one of eight coaches to lead their team to the NCAA Tournament in their first season.

• He became the 10th coach in SEC history to lead his team to 21+ wins in their first season with the team.

• He lead the Bulldogs to an 11-0 start to the season, achieving a ranking as high as 15th in the nation.

• Jans will enter next season with the fifth highest win percentage among active coaches, trailing only Mark Few (Gonzaga), Bill Self (Kansas), Brian Dutcher (San Diego State) and John Calipari (Kentucky).

The list goes on and on, but by now, you see why Chris Jans is the man for the job. He, and the rest of the coaching staff, can now switch gears and start getting ready for a ‘23-’24 season that we all certainly cannot wait to see unfold.

🔼 Dancing In The Sunshine. For the fifth consecutive year, the Bulldogs are headed to the NCAA Men’s Golf Championships. MSU will compete in the Morgan Hill Regional that will be hosted by San Jose State in sun shinin’ California.

Heading into the tournament as a three seed, the top five teams in each region will advance to play in the NCAA Championship in Scottsdale, AZ. The Bulldogs, with a pair of individual winners this season in Austin Vokovits and Ruan Pretorius, hope to be one of the five to make it to Arizona. "We know we need to be at our best to be successful,” said head coach Dusty Smith, and after a season with eight top-5 tournament finishes in ten events, the Bulldogs know how to perform to their best.

The Morgan Hill Regional begins on May 15th, and will be played at The Institute Golf Club.

🔼 Making Adjustments. German native Benito Sanchez Martinez has become a force on MSU’s tennis team this season, but it almost didn’t even happen in the first place.

Sanchez Martinez, who joined the team as a 20 year-old freshman this season, pondered skipping college altogether to pursue a professional career. Eventually, MSU’s recruiting patience and persistence paid off. “I knew I had time to improve and I started comparing my opportunities. Not many people get this opportunity at a D1 college. I still think to this day that this was the best decision for myself.” He has certainly made the most of this opportunity by leading the Bulldogs with a 19-7 dual match record in singles play, and at one point, went on a seven-match win streak.

It’s been a season to remember for the freshman, but he knows that there’s a lot of time, and improvement, left in his journey. Read more about his first season in Starkville and the adjustments he’s faired as an SEC D1 athlete.

🔼 Coming Up Clutch. Sophomore golfer Julia Lopez Ramirez made her impact known as soon as she set foot on campus. After tying for first place in her first ever start as a Bulldog last season, Lopez Ramirez hasn’t looked back since.

Fast-forward to this year’s SEC Golf Championship, and she found herself one birdie away from securing the SEC individual title. “I feel like you get there and that’s what you work for, that’s what you practice for. I just feel confident in that moment.” Spoken like a true winner, Lopez Ramirez did indeed birdie the last hole of the tournament to secure the win, and helped her team to an overall 5th place finish in team play.

Read all about Julia, and her mindset down the stretch during the SEC Championship, how she maintains her dedication to the game, and what’s in store for her future. The job’s not finished yet as she, along with the rest of the team, will head to the NCAA Tournament later next week as one of the top seeds.

🤔 BULLDOG TRIVIA

Staying Active. MSU has quite the resume when it comes to athletes moving to the next level, especially when it comes to football. Just this year, five of our players found their way to an NFL roster, with three of them having been picked up after the draft.

Our question today — do you know how many former State players are active on a current NFL roster?

Think you know the answer? Scroll on down to the bottom to find out.

📬 STICK WITH US

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🎉 TRIVIA ANSWER

Answer: 25!

Even better, 17 of those players are currently under multi-year deals with their respective teams. Expect to see the Bulldogs show out this upcoming NFL season.

Have a great Thursday, y'all.