Good morning! Today, on this Juneteenth holiday, we pause to remember, honor and celebrate freedom for all. Please enjoy today’s Bulldog Brew on this special day.

What else did we throw into today’s Bulldog Brew?

⚾️ Five Diamond Dawgs to workout at MLB Draft Combine
🥎 New in town
🐶 And much, much more!

🎥 THE DUDES

The Dudes: Ring of Honor. The Ron Polk Ring of Honor recognizes the very best to come through the Mississippi State baseball program. This year, former pitcher Bobby Reed and current radio announcer Jim Ellis were inducted for their achievements and had their names enshrined at Dudy Noble Field. Hear from both Jim and Bobby as they reminisce on their careers and reflect on what this honor means to them.

📈 STOCK UP

🔼  Next Steps. The Diamond Dawgs will be represented at the fourth annual MLB Draft Combine at Chase Field in Phoenix, Ariz., by pitchers Khal Stephen, Jurrangelo Cijntje and Nate Dohm, outfielder Dakota Jordan and infielder Hunter Hines. The five State players are a part of the 319 total prospects who accepted invitations to the event, including 171 of the MLB Pipeline’s Top 200 Draft prospect list.

🔼  New In Town. Bulldog softball will welcome veteran pitcher and former LSU Tiger, Raelin Chaffin to Starkville for the 2025 season. Ranked as high as the No. 28 player in the portal nationally this summer by Softball America, Chaffin made 23 appearances for LSU this season and finished second on the team with 11 wins. Throughout the 2023 season, the newest Bulldog went 6-1 with four complete games and posted a career-best 2.74 ERA.

🗣️ "I'm looking forward to everything Mississippi State has to offer. The best is yet to come." - Raelin Chaffin

📚️ Read more about Chaffin and her experience as she heads to Starkville

🔼  Summer Ball. Following an impressive freshman season, Bulldog softball’s Kylee Edwards will spend a portion of her summer with the Bradenton Slice in the Florida Gulf Coast League. The FGCL, comprised of 10 teams, features a 25-game schedule and concludes with an all-start game and playoff.

As one of three Bulldogs to play in every game this past season, Edwards gained national attention for her athletic defensive plays up the middle and ranked third on the team in slugging percentage, home runs and runs scored.

📚️ See which other Bulldog is continuing her play this summer 

🤔 BULLDOG TRIVIA

The Pick Is In. Bulldog women’s basketball’s latest hire, Victoria Vivians, will join head coach Sam Purcell and his staff with a plethora of personal experience. From playing inside Humphrey Coliseum to competing as a professional, Vivians knows what it takes to be successful on and off the court.

Our question today: what pick was the Bulldogs’ newest assistant coach selected with?

Think you got it? Scroll to the bottom of the Bulldog Brew to see if you know your stuff!

🤝 SHARE THE BREW

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📆 LOOKING AHEAD

Saturday, August 31

🏈 Football vs. Eastern Kentucky @ 5:00pm in Starkville, MS

🐶 Click here to see the full Mississippi State Athletics Calendar

🎉 TRIVIA ANSWER

Answer: Round 1, Pick 8!

Victoria Vivians became the fourth player from Mississippi State at the time to be taken in the first round of the WNBA Draft when she was selected eighth overall by the Indiana Fever in 2018.

🐶 Have a great Wednesday, y'all!