Spartan Baseball Plays Host To Ohio State At Oldsmobile Park
5/10/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 10, 2002
EAST LANSING, Mich. -
Michigan State Baseball(30-15, 11-11)vs. Ohio State (29-15-1, 15-8)Friday, May 10 - 7:00 p.m.Saturday, May 11 - 4:00 p.m. DHSunday, May 12 - 1:00 p.m.* All games at Oldsmobile Park
Michigan State Game Notes
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LEADING OFF: MSU hopes to rebound from a recent skid that has seen the Spartans drop six of their last nine games, including five of seven in Big Ten play, when it opens a four-game series against second-place Ohio State Friday. Despite MSU's slump, the Spartans are still tied for third in the Big Ten with an 11-11 record.
LOG JAM: Entering the Ohio State series, MSU is tied for third place, but is one of several teams still battling to be one of the six teams to get into the Big Ten Tournament. The eight teams who occupy the third through 10th-place spots in the Big Ten standings are separated by a mere two games.
TOUGH CHALLENGE: For MSU to try to move up in the conference standings, it would probably need to win at least three of the four games against the Buckeyes this weekend. However, that would be quite an accomplishment, as OSU has not lost a series to a Big Ten opponent since Penn State took three of four games from the Buckeyes in 1996.
GOING FOR 10: By earning his ninth win of the season last weekend vs. Illinois, Nick Bates is just one victory shy of the MSU record for most pitching victories in a season. Dick Radatz (10-1 in 1959), Rob Clancy (10-1 in 1971) and Stuart Hirschman (10-3 in 1992) are the only three Spartans to earn double digit victories in one season. Also, Bates ranks 27th nationally, averaging 10.3 strikeouts per nine innings pitched (85 K's in 74.1 innings pitched), and owns a team-best 2.91 ERA.
RBI GUY: Chris McCuiston collected his 54th run batted in Wednesday vs. Central Michigan, moving him two RBI past Kirk Gibson for the sixth-best single season total in MSU history. McCuiston needs 12 more this season to tie the Spartan record of 66 set by Mike Eddington in 1984.
FLASHING THE LEATHER: Two Spartans who have at least 50 chances have perfect 1.000 fielding percentages this season. Rightfielder Bob Malek (68 chances) and first baseman/pitcher Kyle Geswein (66 chances) have yet to commit an error this season, helping MSU to a .964 team fielding percentage. The Spartans have committed 20 fewer errors than their opponents this year.
ONE MORE: MSU has added a home game to its schedule, as Bowling Green will visit Kobs Field Wednesday, May 15, for a 4 p.m. contest.
RECAPPING THE WEEK
The Spartans enter the Ohio State series on a high note after defeating Central Michigan, 10-7, on Wednesday in Mount Pleasant. One day earlier, the Spartans fell to Eastern Michigan, 12-10, after having held a 10-4 lead. Last weekend, MSU hosted Illinois in a Big Ten series. On Friday afternoon, the Spartans found themselves on the wrong end of a pitching duel, falling 3-2. Nick Bates provided a boost for the Spartans in game one of the Saturday doubleheader, defeating the Illini, 3-2, allowing just four hits and two runs in seven innings of work. Illinois, however, would take the final two games of the series, 8-4 in game two on Saturday and 9-1 on Sunday.
THIRTY-SOMETHING: By defeating Central Michigan on Wednesday, the Spartans notched their 30th victory of the season, marking Michigan State's first 30-win season since 1993 and the first under Ted Mahan. The 2002 team becomes just the ninth team in school history to record 30 or more wins.
RED CEDAR SLUGGERS: After hitting three more home runs vs. Illinois last weekend, MSU's 69 home runs continue to lead the conference. The Spartans are 22 home runs ahead of the next closest team in the conference, Ohio State. This season, the team has exploded for 17 multi-home run games as a team. They have failed to go deep in just 17 games.
STREAKS OF SIGNIFICANCE: Six Spartans have recorded double-digit game hitting streaks this season, including Bob Malek (17), Jared Koutnik (14), Charlie Braun (13), Chris McCuiston (12), James Moreno (12) and Brady Burrill (11).
MALEK ON THE MOVE: With 63 hits this season, junior Bob Malek has brought his career total to 220 - placing him alone in fourth place on the MSU all-time career hits list. Steve Money (1991-94) tops the list with 238. The junior All-American is also poised to make a run at the career doubles mark with 16 doubles this season-bringing his career total to 40.
20 AND COUNTING: This season was the quickest the Spartans reached the 20-win plateau since 1988, when the Green and White recorded their 20th win in their 26th game. Last season, it took MSU 40 games to reach 20 wins, compared with just 26 in 2002.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: Junior Brady Burrill was named Big Ten Player of the Week Feb. 25, after hitting .583 and knocking in nine runs. Sophomore Scott Koerber earned the award the following week after belting four home runs in a three-game series with Charlotte. Bryan Gale was named Big Ten Pitcher of the Week on April 22 after a complete game shutout vs. Michigan on April 19.
FRESHMEN DEBUTS: Three freshmen made their collegiate debut for the Green and White in 2002. Right-handed pitcher Tim Day made his first appearance vs. UNLV, but started two games on the spring trip and went 2-0. Infielder Travis Gulick made four appearances over the course of the spring trip. Catcher Jim Duffy was forced into a starting role after junior starting catcher Brady Burrill came down with mono just two games into the spring trip. Duffy went 2-for-4 in his debut vs. Charlotte, including one home run.
150 & COUNTING: Head Coach Ted Mahan recorded his 150th collegiate win in State's 10-2 win over Charleston Southern (3/8) and then got number 151 the next day with a 16-5 victory.
SUMMER HONORS: Four Spartans were recognized for their performances in their respective summer leagues by earning all-star honors. Bob Malek spent the summer in the Cape Cod League, playing for the Chatham Athletics where he posted a .260 average in the wooden bat league. Bryan Gale went 7-1 playing for the Bluff City Bombers of the Central Illinois League. Kyle Geswein played for the Staunton Braves of the Valley Baseball League in Virginia and hit .299 with a league-leading 34 RBI. Ryan Golem posted a 3.50 ERA playing for the Motor City Marauders of the Great Lakes League.
2001 NOTES
ALL-AMERICA X2: Two Spartans earned All-America honors in 2001. Junior centerfielder Bob Malek was a third-team All-American, as selected by the American Baseball Coaches Association. Joining Malek was Bryan Gale, who was selected as a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American.
ALL-BIG TEN HONORS: Sophomore Bob Malek, freshman Bryan Gale and junior Domanick Squires earned All-Big Ten Honors for the 2001 season. Malek earned a spot on the first team while pitchers Gale and Squires were second-team selections. Malek led the Spartans in hitting and finished the season with a .427 average. Gale, a true freshman, led the Spartans in wins with a record of 9-1. Squires, MSU's stopper, picked up nine saves on the year and had a team-low 3.24 ERA.
