Considered to be one of the finest tennis facilities among the collegiate ranks, the modern six-court, 1,000-seat A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre enters its 30th year serving as the home to Mississippi State’s men’s and women’s tennis teams in 2014.
The Centre, which has undergone several physical changes in the last 14 years, is named for Mississippi State alumnus A.J. Pitts of Tupelo, Miss.
The most recent change at the facility came this past year as a new DecoTurf surface was installed. Also included in the renovation were new fences, wind screens, umpire chairs and benches.
After 10 seasons of supporting the efforts of MSU’s tennis players, the courts received a complete facelift in the fall of 1993, undergoing a total resurfacing job, which upgraded the playing surface for MSU’s Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs to top competing condition. The project was performed by the No Fault Company of Baton Rouge, La.
In addition to that $150,000 project, the Centre also saw the erection of a state-of-the-art tennis scoreboard in 1993, with an approximate cost of $30,000. The scoreboard, developed by Daktronics, Inc., of Brookings, South Dakota, measures 11 feet in height by 32 feet in width. The scoreboard, which towers above Courts 1 & 2 at the Pitts Tennis Centre, has the capability of monitoring set scores for all of the facility’s six courts simultaneously, as well as the dual match team score.
Another addition to the Pitts Tennis Centre was completed in the fall of 1998 with the finish of a modern complex underneath the Centre’s grandstand, which brought many new advantages to the State net programs. The facility houses locker rooms, showers and lavatories for the Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs, as well as for officials and visiting teams. The complex also features a concession stand for fans to utilize while enjoying MSU in action.
In the summer of 2001, new fences were installed around the complex, replacing the facility’s original structures. And in the winter of 2003-04, a new press box was constructed in the center of the grandstand.
The Pitts Tennis Centre opened its courts for play on February 26, 1984, when MSU’s men entertained Louisiana Tech, posting a 6-3 win over their Bulldog counterparts. In 1993, the MSU men registered the 100th win in the Centre’s history with a 6-1 victory over the Florida Gators to end the regular season for both teams.
MSU’s men and women have combined for a 241-179 (57.4%) record at the Centre. The Bulldogs have enjoyed a 65.4 percent (142-77) success rate in home matches at the Pitts Tennis Centre, while the Lady Bulldogs have won 49.3 percent (101-104) of their contests at the Centre. Those totals do not include results at home during 1997. The Pitts Centre was undergoing repair work during that campaign and all MSU matches were played at the Sawyer Tennis Courts on campus.
MSU’s men are 115-41 (73.7%) at home during the last 15 seasons. The Bulldogs’ SEC home record has been just as impressive since ‘92, having compiled a 49-36 (57.6%) mark. The Bulldogs’ non-conference record at the Pitts Tennis Centre is 90-19 (82.6%), including a remarkable 76-8 (90.5%) mark since the 1988 season.
Crowd support has been a key to the home success of the two teams, as average crowds of 500-750 fans flock to the Pitts Tennis Centre for matches during the spring to watch the national-level tennis competition.
In addition to being the home to MSU’s tennis teams, the facility was also the site for the 1989 SEC Men’s Tennis Championships, the 1990 SEC Women’s Tennis Championships, the 1992 Mississippi Intercollegiate and, most recently, the 2000 SEC Men’s Championship and the 2001 SEC Women’s Championship. The Centre is also home to the MSU Tennis Camps each summer.
The Pitts Tennis Centre has served as the home facility to 18 Mississippi State all-America selections, 23 Bulldog and Lady Bulldog all-SEC stars, the 1989 NCAA women’s doubles champions, the 1994 NCAA men’s doubles champions, and the 1993 Southeastern Conference championship Bulldog tennis team.
