Baseball To Host Indiana In Key Conference Series
4/11/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 11, 2002
LEADING OFF: State enters its weekend series with Indiana a game and a half back of the 6-2 conference-leading Hoosiers with a 4-3 record. Indiana leads the conference in overall wins with 24, while MSU is second with 20.
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20 AND COUNTING: This season is the quickest the Spartans have reached the 20-win plateau since 1988, when the Green and White recorded their 20th win in their 25th game. Last season, it took MSU 40 games to reach 20 wins, compared with just 26 in 2002.
GREEN MACHINE: The Spartans have led the Big Ten in batting average all season, currently hitting with a .354 average. MSU was hitting .351 in 892 total at bats when NCAA statistics were released, April 7, ranking them sixth nationally. Currently, MSU has racked-up 330 hits and 249 runs. As a team, they lead the Big Ten with 50 home runs, leading Indiana, the next closest team, by a whopping 22 dingers. They are now in fifth place on the MSU single-season team home run list, needing just nine more to tie the record of 59, set by the 1984 and '94 clubs.
BATES CONTINUES PERFECTION: Senior starter Nick Bates improved to 7-0 last weekend, helping the Green and White down Northwestern, 3-1, with 6 Ks. Bates has won all seven of his starts and has a 2.76 ERA. In the latest NCAA statistics, which were released April 7, Bates was tied for ninth in the country with seven wins.
ROAD WARRIORS: The Green and White post an impressive 14-2 road record, having won every series they have played away from Kobs Field. MSU has swept three-game series at Charlotte, Charleston Southern and Eastern Kentucky. They also captured two of three games in Las Vegas, Indianapolis and last weekend in their rain-shorted conference opener at Northwestern.
BOMBS AWAY: In 26 games this season, MSU has erupted for 13 multi-home run games as a team, including a six home run outing vs. UC Santa Barbara and a seven home run barrage vs. Grand Valley State. The Spartans have gone homer-less in just seven games this season.
FIELD DAY: When Big Ten statistics were released Monday (4/8), MSU ranked second in fielding percentage at .971, only Purdue ranked higher at .975. MSU ranked 10th in the nation in fielding percentage as of Monday as well.
