Spartans Are A Hit In the Big Ten
4/24/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 24, 2002
By David Goricki / The Detroit News
EAST LANSING -- A pitcher's biggest nightmare is facing the Big Green Machine. Michigan State (26-9, 9-6) is off to its best start in 14 years. The Spartans are second to Ohio State in the Big Ten and lead the conference in hitting (.348) and home runs (63) -- 28 homers more than Indiana's second-place total of 35. And MSU already have set a club record for homers with 20 regular-season games remaining, breaking the old mark of 59 set in 1984 and 1994.
The Spartan hitters are led by outfielders Chris McCuiston (Birmingham Seaholm) and Bob Malek (Detroit Catholic Central).
McCuiston, who is hitting .382, leads the Big Ten in home runs (12) and RBI (49). He has already more than doubled his home run total (five) of a year ago and is on pace to break Mike Eddington's single season home-run record (20) set in 1984.
"I've always had confidence that I could produce if I played every day and this year I've been in the lineup every day since game one," said McCuiston who hit .277 while starting 40 of 56 games last season. "I'm mentally and physically prepared and my timing is down. I'm seeing the ball well, and I'm laying off pitches that are not in my zone."
While McCuiston's numbers are somewhat unexpected, Malek's league-leading .429 average comes to no surprise after last season's All-America year (school record 88 hits, .427 average).
For the rest of the story click here.
