Baseball Takes On Illinois In Big Ten Home Opener

April 7, 2005

Michigan State-Illinois Big Ten Series Notes
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EAST LANSING, Mich. -

Illinois (14-7-1, 4-0 Big Ten)Friday, April 8 - 3 p.m.Saturday, April 9 (DH) - 1 p.m.Sunday, April 10 - 1 p.m.Kobs Field - East Lansing, Mich.
Series History: Illinois leads 49-48Mahan vs. Illinois: 7-22Last Meeting: Illinois won 5-1 (April 11, 2004)

This Week: Michigan State continues its five-game homestand this weekend with Big Ten co-leader Illinois coming to Kobs Field for the first conference home series of the 2005 season. This weekend's series against the Fighting Illini marks the first home series State has hosted since earning a four-game split against Northwestern to end the 2004 Big Ten season.

Scouting The Spartans: The Spartans enter this weekend's series with a record of 11-13 and a 2-2 mark in the Big Ten. MSU came off of its series split at Iowa by pounding out a season-best 26 hits in a 20-9 win over Saginaw Valley State on Tuesday, April 5 at Kobs. Sophomore outfielder Ryan Basham leads Michigan State offensively, batting .382 with six home runs and 21 RBI on the season. On the mound, the Spartans are led by red-shirt junior RHP Tim Day with a 3-2 record and 22 strikeouts in 39 innings of work. Freshman RHP Drew Mahan has posted a team-best 2.08 ERA in relief, while junior RHP Jeff Gerbe is the team leader in saves with two. State is led by head coach Ted Mahan, who is in his 10th season as the Spartan skipper.

Scouting The Fighting Illini: Illinois brings a 14-7-1 record to East Lansing for this weekend's series with the Spartans. The Fighting Illini are currently tied with Minnesota for first place in the Big Ten with a 4-0 mark.

Illinois dropped a two-game mid-week home series to Western Michigan, 12-10 and 22-15. Illinois posted its first series sweep of Ohio State in school history at home last weekend.

Illinois is led offensively by senior infielder J.R. Kyes, who is batting .422 with six doubles, two triples, two home runs and 12 runs batted in. Senior RHP Jimmy Conroy leads the Illinois pitching staff with a 4-0 record and 31 strikeouts. The Fighting Illini are guided by legendary head coach Itch Jones in his 15th season in Champaign and 39th in the collegiate ranks.

Series History: Illinois holds a 49-48 advantage in the all-time series with Michigan State. The Spartans earned a split in last season's series with the Fighting Illini in Champaign, winning the first two games by scores of 4-2 and 5-3.

MSU vs. Illinois Schools: The Spartans are 143-98-1 all-time versus teams from the state of Illinois. State is currently 3-3 against Illinois teams this season, winning three games against Bradley and Western Illinois. The Spartans finished with a 4-2 mark at Kobs Field against schools from the Land of Lincoln last season.

Spartans Picked Fourth In Big Ten Preseason Rankings: Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball have projected MSU to finish fourth in the Big Ten this upcoming season in both publications' college preview editions. Last season, the Spartans tied Michigan for third place in the league with a 19-13 mark.

MSU Baseball In Big Ten Home Openers Under Mahan: The Spartans have compiled a 6-3 record in Big Ten season-opening games at Kobs Field under head coach Ted Mahan. State has won its last two conference home openers, including a 1-0, 11-inning win over Iowa last season.

Junior Alan Cattrysse talied a career-best five hits and five runs in MSU's 20-9 home win over Saginaw Valley State on April 5.

Cattrysse Carves Up Cardinals: Junior utility player Alan Cattrysse had a career day at Kobs Field while leading MSU to a season-best 26 hits in 20-9 win over Saginaw Valley State on April 5. The 6-3, 190-pound Cattrysse hit a career-best 5-for-6 with five runs, two doubles and two RBI.

The First Time Is Always The Sweetest: Junior Jamey Embree and freshman Ryan Sontag each hit their first collegiate home runs at home against Saginaw Valley State. Sontag lined a three-run homer to left center in the seventh and Embree blasted a pinch-hit solo shot in the eighth to help the Spartans put the game out of reach.

Day Places Name On MSU's Career Wins List: Red-shirt junior RHP Tim Day etched his name among the school's career-wins leaders at Iowa on April 1. The West Chester, Ohio, native captured his 17th career win with a five strikeout, complete-game performance in a 3-1 victory over the Hawkeyes. Day is tied for sixth place with eight former Spartans with 17 wins and needs three innings to reach the top-10 in career innings pitched.

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 with 12 appearances and is tied for second in games finished (11). The Shelby Township, Mich., native is also tied for third in the league with two saves.

Krider On A Hot Streak: Sophomore Troy Krider has shaken an early sophomore slump with his season-high 12-game hitting streak. The Coldwater, Mich., native has batted .417 with four doubles and nine RBI during the streak, which started at Bradley on March 19. Krider is currently batting .303 with six doubles and 17 RBI.

Bashing The Long Ball: Sophomore outfielder Ryan Basham continued to live up to his name against Saginaw Valley State on March 30. Basham went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two runs batted in. The Lowell, Ind., native currently leads MSU with six home runs, which places him in a tie for second place among the Big Ten long-ball leaders this week.

Gimme Five: Freshman Ryan Sontag came up big at home against Saginaw Valley State on Tuesday, April 5. Sontag, a 5-8, 165-pound utility player, went 3-for-5 at the plate with five runs batted in against the Cardinals. The Monroe, Mich., native became the second Spartan freshman this season to have a five-RBI performance this season as fellow freshman Tony Clausen produced five RBI against Campbell on March 8.

Stealin' Spartans: Michigan State has been effective on the base paths this season, going 29-for-42 in stolen base attempts. Leading the theft brigade for State is sophomore Adam Tripp, who has a team-best six steals, while sophomore Troy Krider has recorded five stolen bases. Four other Spartans are tied for third on the team with three thefts.

Tripp Excels In Leadoff Spot: Sophomore outfielder Adam Tripp has thrived in the leadoff spot this season for the Spartans, batting .305 with a team-best 32 hits, six doubles, four home runs and 18 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 with five.

Clausen Slams First Collegiate Homers Against Campbell: Freshman utility player 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 a 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).

Trausch Holding His Own: Freshman LHP Matt Trausch has held his own in his first season of NCAA competition. The Charlotte, Mich., native struck out a season-best five batters in MSU's March 30 home opener against Wayne State. The effort bested his three-strikeout performance at Bradley on March 20.

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.

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 at third base and right field 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 travels to Ypsilanti, Mich., to battle Eastern Michigan at EMU's Oestrike Stadium in a non-conference game on April 13 at 5 p.m.