MSU Baseball Continues Road Swing This Weekend At Western Illinois

March 25, 2005

Michigan State-Western Illinois Series Notes
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EAST LANSING, Mich. -

Western Illinois (4-18)Saturday, March 26 (DH) - NoonSunday, March 27 - NoonVince Grady Field - Macomb, Ill.
Series History: Michigan State leads 2-0Mahan vs. Western Illinois: 2-0Last Meeting: MSU won 8-7 (March 27, 2004)

This Week: Due to unplayable conditions at MSU's Kobs Field, the Michigan State baseball team extends its season-opening road trip with a three-game series at Western Illinois in Macomb, Ill. The Spartans had their home opener with Indiana Tech cancelled on Thursday. This weekend's series with the Leathernecks marks the second-straight weekend the Spartans have visited the state of Illinois this season.

Scouting The Spartans: The Spartans enter the week with a record of 6-8 after dropping two out of three games at Bradley last weekend to complete their season-opening road swing. Freshman utility player Tony Clausen continiues to lead Michigan State on the offensive end, hitting .371 with three home runs and 12 RBI on the season. On the mound, junior LHP Chris Malec is the team leader with a 2-1 record with 16 strikeouts in 16 innings pitched. Junior RHP Jeff Gerbe has posted two saves and a team-best 2.08 ERA from the Spartan bullpen.

Scouting The Leathernecks: Western Illinois comes to East Lansing with a 4-18 record after suffering a 6-3 loss at No. 9 Nebraska on March 23. The Leathernecks, playing one of the toughest schedules in the nation this season, have dropped five of their last six games to Big 12 competition, including Kansas, Oklahoma State and Nebraska.

Western Illinois is led offensively by junior outfielder Ryan Schmidgall, who is currently hitting .361 with a team-best 31 hits and 24 runs scored. Senior infielder Kyle Malan is the team leader in runs batted in with 23. Senior RHP Pat Kohorst leads the Leatherneck pitching staff with a 3-3 record on the season and a team-leading 33 strikeouts. Junior RHP Corey Ferger leads Western Illinois with a team-high 1.64 ERA, despite having an 0-3 record in six appearances.

Series History: The Spartans and the Leathernecks meet for only the third time in history. MSU holds a 2-0 advantage all-time after capturing a doubleheader from Western Illinois last season by scores of 14-0 and 8-7.

MSU vs. Illinois Schools: The Spartans are 141-97-1 all-time versus teams from the state of Illinois. State is currently 1-2 against Illinois teams this season after last weekend's series at Bradley. The Spartans finished with a 2-2 mark on the road against schools from the Land of Lincoln last season.

MSU vs. Mid-Continent Conference: Michigan State has posted an all-time record of 25-10 against opponents from the Mid-Continent Conference. The Spartans are 2-1 this season against Mid-Con teams after capturing two out of three at Centenary in late February. Centenary and WIU are the only two Mid-Con opponents that MSU will face this season.

Malec Mows Down Braves: In MSU's 5-1 win at Bradley last weekend, junior LHP Chris Malec recorded a season-high eight strikeouts in eight innings of work. Malec, a native of Lindenhurst, Ill., currently ranks among the team leaders in starts (four), wins (two), innings pitched (21.1) and strikeouts (16). His previous season-high for strikeouts was four against Campbell on March 8.

Day Close To MSU Career Wins Leaderboard: Red-shirt RHP Tim Day is one victory away from placing his name among the school's career wins leaders. The native of West Chester, Ohio, enters this weekend with 16 wins, while eight former Spartans hold down the sixth-place spot with 17. Former MSU standouts Bryan Gale (2001-04) and Stuart Hirschman (1990-93) are tied for first on the list with 28 career wins.

Bashing The Long Ball: Sophomore outfielder Ryan Basham continued to live up to his name at Bradley on March 19. Basham blasted a home run and tallied four RBI to help the Spartans defeat the Braves, 5-1, in the second game of a doubleheader. The Lowell, Ind., native currently leads MSU with four home runs, which places him in a tie for top honors among the Big Ten long-ball leaders this week.

Stealin' Spartans: Michigan State has been effective on the base paths this season, going 22-for-29 in stolen base attempts. Leading the theft brigade for State is sophomore Troy Krider, who has a team-best five steals, while sophomore Adam Tripp has recorded four stolen bases. Sophomore Ryan Basham and junior Oliver Wolcott are tied for third on the team with three thefts apiece.

Tripp Excels In Leadoff Spot: Sophomore outfielder Adam Tripp has thrived in the leadoff spot this season for the Spartans, batting .317 with a team-best 20 hits, four doubles and 13 RBI. Tripp batted .361 for the Florida trip with eight RBI and went 2-for-4 with two doubles in the Spartans' series finale at No. 6 Florida on March 13. Tripp is currently tied for first in the Big Ten in sacrifice flies (three).

Clausen Slams First Collegiate Homers Against Campbell: Freshman outfielder/LHP Tony Clausen lit up Campbell for his first two collegiate home runs, including a grand slam in the sixth inning on March 8. Clausen finished the game 2-for-3 with a season-best five RBI, and became the first Spartan to hit a grand slam since E.J. Daws hit one against Western Michigan on March 5, 2004.

The Magnificent Seven: In its 12-4 loss at North Florida on March 5, State threw seven freshman pitchers against the Ospreys. Mark Sorensen, making his first collegiate start, struck out two UNF batters in three and two-thirds innings. Mike Takashima took the loss after recording three strikeouts in one and two-thirds innings, while Mike Monterey tallied a strikeout in one inning of work. Tony Clausen, Drew Mahan and Chris Cullen each threw one-third of an inning in their NCAA pitching debuts, while Matt Trausch completed the game with a strikeout in two-thirds of an inning pitched.

Back In The Saddle Again: After sitting out of the season-opening Centenary series, senior utility player Erik Morris returned to the Michigan State lineup with vengeance during the Kennel Club Classic. He batted .545 in the final two games in the KCC for the Spartans. Morris had a career-high four hits against Brown (March 6) and belted a career-best two doubles against Campbell (March 8). Morris is currently hitting .313 with three doubles and five RBI in 11 starts this season.

Erik Morris Earns Preseason All-Big Ten Honors From Baseball America: Morris was named to the Baseball America Preseason All-Big Ten team in the publication's annual college preview edition released in early January. The 6-3, 220-pounder from Orchard Lake, Mich., earned league honors at the designated hitter position after batting .321 with 10 home runs and 44 RBI last season.

Trausch Holding His Own: Freshman LHP Matt Trausch has held his own in his first season of NCAA competition. The Charlotte, Mich., native threw two scoreless innings in relief during the first game of a March 19 doubleheader at Bradley. He tallied three strikeouts against the Braves, setting a season-best mark.

Big Ten Leader: Junior RHP Jeff Gerbe is flourishing in his first season out of the MSU bullpen. Gerbe leads the Big Ten this week in several categories, including appearances (eight) and games finished (seven). The Shelby Township, Mich., native is tied for second in the league with two saves, and has recorded six strikeouts with a 2.08 ERA this season.

Cattrysse Gets Preseason Recognition: Junior utility player Alan Cattrysse was named the Big Ten's outfielder with the "Best Arm" by Baseball America. The Chatham, Ontario, native batted .306 with 31 RBI in 2004. He recorded 15 assists as a starter in right field and third base last season.

MSU Baseball Names 2005 Captains: Senior Erik Morris and red-shirt junior Tim Day were selected by MSU Baseball as captains for the 2005 season.

"I think the 2005 Spartan team chose two outstanding young men to lead their team, in Tim Day and Erik Morris," said Mahan. "Both Tim and Erik are proven quality Big Ten players and outstanding students. We look forward to these two players providing leadership and direction for the team in 2005."

Design Of A Decade: Ted Mahan enters his 10th season as the Spartans head coach and his 14th season with Michigan State after serving four years (1992-1995) as an assistant coach.

The Davison, Mich., native continues to coach winning teams at MSU as three of his last four Spartan teams have produced winning records.

Last season, Mahan coached four players to All-Big Ten honors (Bryan Gale, Adam White, James Moreno and Travis Gulick) and had one player receive second-team All-Mideast Region honors (White). His 2004 squad posted 33 victories, finished in a tie for third place in the Big Ten, and won a game at the Big Ten Tournament.

During Mahan's tenure, over 55 Michigan State players have signed professional baseball contracts, with eight advancing to the Major Leagues. He has coached four Louisville Slugger Freshman All-Americans (Sean Walker- 2004, Tim Day- 2002, Bryan Gale- 2001 and Bob Malek- 2000) over the past five seasons at MSU.

On Deck: Michigan State plays two mid-week games with a contest a March 29 rematch at Toledo at 3 p.m. The Spartans then return to Kobs Field March 30 to face Wayne State in their home opener at 2 p.m.