Baseball Ends Season With 20-36 Record
5/15/2000 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 15, 2000
TOP STORY: Michigan State ended the 2000 season Sunday, May 14, with a 7-3 loss at Ohio State. MSU and OSU split the four game series over the weekend, with the Spartans taking game one 8-3, and game three, 6-5. Michigan State finished the season with a 20-36 record, and placed ninth in the Big Ten with a 9-18 record.
PISANI'S PLAYGROUND: Mike Pisani ended his career Sunday with 237 career hits, one shy of MSU's all-time record of 238 set by Steve Money in 1994. This season, Pisani had 74 hits, tied for fourth best in a single MSU season. However, the senior did put his name in the Spartan record books when he broke the career doubles record in game two of a doubleheader against Penn State on April 9. Pisani finished his career with 53 doubles. The co-captain also had a record-setting year in a MSU single season, ranking second in doubles (18), tied for eighth in runs (50) and third in at-bats (211).
NOT BAD FOR A ROOKIE: Freshman Bob Malek made quite a name for himself in his debut season for the green and white. Malek led the team in RBI with 58, which was tied for third best in a single MSU season. He also led the team in home runs (nine), total bases (109) and slugging percentage (.545). The rookie hit safely in 43 of MSU's 56 games, and posted a 13 game hitting streak earlier in the season. On Friday, April 14, Malek hit his first career grand slam in the bottom of the ninth inning against Illinois. Malek then followed with another grand slam, his second grand slam and third homer in a week, against Detroit-Mercy on April 19. Against the Titans, Malek went 3-for-3 with eight RBI. On May 6 against archrival Michigan, Malek hit a three-run walk-off homer in the bottom of the seventh inning to defeat Michigan, 9-7.
UPSET OF THE YEAR?: The Spartan baseball team shocked the college baseball world on Wednesday, March 9, with a 13-11 win over the 10th-ranked and defending national champion Miami Hurricanes in the friendly confines of Coral Gables, Fla. Joe Albaugh, Bob Malek and Kyle Geswein all homered, supplying the offensive fireworks for MSU in the 24-run game. Domanick Squires earned his first victory on the year, while Josh Axelson got his second save on the year.
FRIENDLY CONFINES: Michigan State was only 7-17 on the road this season, but finished with a 9-7 record at Kobs Field. Among the teams the Spartans defeated were Central Michigan, Penn State and Illinois. At Oldsmobile Park, the 8,000 seat minor league stadium for the Class A Lansing Lugnuts, MSU defeated Big Ten champion Minnesota and swept rival Michigan in a doubleheader.
BIG WHIFFER: Closer/Starter Josh Axelson saw double duty this year as both a starting pitcher and reliever. Axelson struck out a team-high 66 batters in 65 innings of work, good for sixth in the Big Ten for overall games. In Big Ten play, Axelson finished second in strikeouts with 41 in 44 innings. Against Miami, Axelson preserved the win by striking out four Hurricanes in the last 1 2/3 innings of the game. Last Friday against Ohio State, Axelson threw a complete game shutout, only the second complete game of his career, and struck out a team and season-high nine batters to win his third game of the season.
WALK THIS WAY: Sophomore Kyle Geswein was sixth on the team in hitting, but led the team with a .445 on-base-percentage, in part because of his 45 walks this season. Geswein's 45 walks this year were second best in a MSU single season, finishing only one behind Bill Simpson's record 46 in 1973.
THE DOMINATOR: Domanick Squires was a powerful presence out of the bullpen this season for the Spartans. Squires led the team in wins (five), earned-run-average (3.12), and saves (three). His biggest moment came against the Miami Hurricanes, as he threw three innings of shutout ball to pick up his first victory on the year. Squires finished the season tied for seventh in the Big Ten in saves.
BIG TEN LEADERS: Senior Mike Pisani and freshman Bob Malek's impressive offensive numbers are evident in the final Big Ten statistic report of the regular season. In overall games, Pisani was tied for fourth in doubles (18), fifth in runs (50) and tied for seventh in hits (74), while Malek was tied for third in RBI (58), tied for fifth in home runs (nine) and 11th in hits. In Big Ten play, Pisani was ninth in hitting (.370) and 7th in hits (six), while Malek was tied for fourth in RBI (26) and tied for ninth in hits (36).
