Good morning! Bulldog soccer met with the media ahead of the team’s season opener against Baylor on Thursday night. See what head coach James Armstrong had to say, and hear from student-athletes Macey Hodge, Maddy Anderson, Aitana Martinez-Montoya and Ilana Izquierdo.

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

⚽️ Bulldogs reach highest preseason ranking in program history
🏈 Blanton is bringing the energy
🐶 And much, much more!

🎙️ DEAR OL’ STATE

Dear Ol’ State: Chatting with a Couple of Dawg Linebackers. On the latest episode of Dear Ol' State, Joel Coleman and Logan Lowery continue bringing you updates from Mississippi State preseason football camp, including chats with a pair of linebackers – Nic Mitchell and Branden Jennings.

📈 STOCK UP

🔼 Rank and Order. Mississippi State Soccer has made history, earning the 15th spot in the TopDrawerSoccer Preseason Poll, the highest preseason ranking the program has ever achieved. This remarkable recognition sets the stage for what promises to be an exciting and competitive 2024 season. The Bulldogs' ascent to a top-15 ranking underscores the program's continued growth and success under the leadership of head coach James Armstrong as he leads the team into his sixth season at the helm.

🔼 State To The Show. It’s time for another check-in on the Pro Dawgs in softball as the Women’s Pro Fastpitch concluded regular season play over the weekend.

🥎 Brylie St. Clair and Aspen Wesley's team won every game in a pair of doubleheaders late last week. The games were high-scoring affairs with the Monarchs outscoring the Adelitas by a combined, 32-14, on the final day. St. Clair went 2-for-4 in the Monarchs' 19-11 win on Friday. She totaled two RBIs and drew a pair of walks in the series. Wesley started in Game 1 on Thursday, picking up her third win of the year while striking out five in five innings.

🔼 Fired Up. It's been an eventful few months for Stone Blanton. The standout linebacker decided earlier this year to transfer to Mississippi State from South Carolina, essentially returning home as a Jackson native who went to school a couple of hours south of Starkville at Madison-Ridgeland Academy. If that wasn't exciting enough, he also got engaged several weeks back. All of it is enough to get fired up, but for Blanton, there’s hardly a time when he isn’t ready to go.

🗣️ "I'm always kind of fired up. I love being here, so I love to show that with energy and passion." - Stone Blanton

Blanton doesn't just bring a resume. He brings excitement. He brings fun. He brings personality – as evidenced by the hair on his head he bleached blonde just before the start of preseason camp.

📚️ Read more about the energy the Bulldog linebacker is bringing for the 2024 season

🤔 BULLDOG TRIVIA

Mark The Calendar. Today’s trivia question…who will Bulldog Football play in its first matchup of the 2024 season?

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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📆 THE WEEK AHEAD

Thursday, August 15

⚽️ Soccer vs. Baylor @ 6:30pm in Starkville, MS | Live Stats

Sunday, August 18

⚽️ Soccer vs. Northwestern State @ 1:00pm in Starkville, MS | Live Stats

🐶 Click here to see the full Mississippi State Athletics Calendar

🎉 TRIVIA ANSWER

Answer: Eastern Kentucky!

The Bulldogs will face off against the Colonels on August 31 at Davis Wade Stadium at 5 p.m.

🐶 Have a great Wednesday, y'all!