Looking Back At The 2005 MSU Baseball Team
6/3/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
June 3, 2005
2005 MSU Baseball Season Recap Notes
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EAST LANSING, Mich. -
Looking Back: Michigan State finished the 2005 season with a record of 22-31, including a 10-18 mark in the Big Ten, good for a ninth-place finish. Sophomore outfielder Ryan Basham finished the year as the top hitter for MSU, batting .356 with 12 doubles, eight home runs and 43 RBI. Sophomore RHP Craig Brookes tallied six wins to lead the Spartans' pitching staff, while red-shirt junior Tim Day posted a team-best 43 strikeouts.
Big Ten Leader: Sophomore shortstop Troy Krider led the Big Ten with a .405 batting average in conference games this season. He was the first Spartan to lead the league in hitting since Mike Davidson accomplished the feat in 1988 hitting .440 en route to being a first-team All-Big Ten selection. Krider finished the season hitting .356 with a team best 77 hits, which ranks eighth among MSU's single-season leaders.
Sontag Captures Big Ten Postseason Honor: Freshman utility player Ryan Sontag was selected as the Big Ten Freshman of the Year, the conference announced on May 24. Sontag finished the season with a .349 batting average and posted a team-best .467 on-base percentage. He is the first Spartan to win the award and the first MSU player to capture a conference postseason award since Bob Malek was named Player of the Year in 2002.
Four Spartans Earn All-Big Ten Honors: For the second year in a row, Michigan State had four players named to All-Big Ten teams. Freshman Ryan Sontag, who was named the league's Freshman of the Year, was the Spartans' lone representative on the second team. Sophomores Ryan Basham, Craig Brookes and Troy Krider earned third-team honors. Former MSU standout Travis Gulick was the last player to be named an All-Big Ten third-team selection, earning the honor in 2003. The league honors were the first for all four players.
 Red-shirt junior Tim Day was selected as an honoree for the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award on May 24.  | |
Always A True Sportsman: Red-shirt junior Tim Day received the Craig Hendricks Sportsmanship Award at the MSU Baseball Banquet on May 23 after redshirting the 2004 season due to injury. Day posted a 4-6 record with a team-best 43 strikeouts in 75 and one-third innings on the mound. This marks the second time that Day has received the award after winning it in 2003. He was also selected as Michigan State's baseball representative for the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.
Another First: Freshman LHP Matt Trausch became the first Spartan pitching newcomer to hurl a complete game this season after shutting down Northwestern, 6-2, on May 22. In only his second career Big Ten start, Trausch tallied a season high eight strikeouts and held the Wildcats to only two runs on eight hits. He was the fourth pitcher to win his first collegiate game in an MSU uniform, joining junior Chris Malec and fellow freshmen Drew Mahan and Mark Sorensen. Trausch finished the season posting a 1-1 record and a team-best 3.21 ERA.
Morris Finishes Spartan Career In Style: Senior utility player Erik Morris concluded his collegiate career at Northwestern in grand fashion by reaching a third career milestone. Needing three RBI to reach the century mark, the 6-2, 220-pound co-captain accomplished the feat, hitting 2-for-5 with three RBI in the May 20 series opener, including a two-run homer to left center. Morris ends his career with 189 hits, 106 runs scored and 102 RBI.
Stealin' Spartans: Michigan State was effective on the basepaths this season, going 61-for-87 in stolen base attempts. Sophomore Adam Tripp led State's theft brigade with a team-best 10 steals, while freshman Ryan Sontag and senior Erik Morris tied for second with eight stolen bases. Sophomores Ryan Basham (seven) and Troy Krider (six) finished the season ranked fourth and fifth on the team in the category, respectively.
Filling In At First Base: Freshman RHP Mike Monterey recently gained additional playing time by filling in as the starter at first base. Monterey, a 6-4, 205-pounder from Farmington Hills, Mich., made his first start in the May 14 doubleheader of the Penn State series. He went 3-for-6 with a double against the Nittany Lions. Monterey finished the season with a .364 batting average, scoring two runs and an RBI.
Gimme Five (Or More): Five Spartan players this season recorded five (or more) RBI in a game. Junior Jamey Embree, freshmen Ryan Sontag and Tony Clausen and sophomores Sean Walker and Kris Morris all accomplished the feat at various points of the year for MSU. Embree tallied a season-best five runs batted in the first game of a May 8 doubleheader at Indiana. Clausen accomplished the feat against Campbell on March 8 and Sontag did it April 5 against Saginaw Valley State. Walker performed the feat at Ohio State on April 17, while Morris drove in six runs April 26 against Indiana Tech.
Day Finishes Sixth Among MSU's Career Pitching Leaders: Red-shirt junior RHP Tim Day completed his career ranked among the school's career pitching leaders. The West Chester, Ohio, native captured his first shutout victory since 2002 with a five strikeout, complete-game performance in a 2-0 victory at Ohio State on April 15. Day finished in sixth place in career wins (18) and innings pitched (231.0).
Sorensen Gets First Collegiate Win At Central Michigan: Freshman RHP Mark Sorensen earned his first collegiate win on the mound in MSU's 11-0 shutout win at Central Michigan on May 17. Sorensen, a native of Northville, Mich., held the Chippewas to five of their seven hits while recording three strikeouts and a walk in six innings of work.
At Your Best: Sophomore infielder E.J. Daws saved his best for last in the May 15 series finale against Penn State. Daws recorded a career high three hits, including his first career double, against the Nittany Lions. His performance came after hitting a two-run homer in the second game of the series May 14.
The First Time Is Always The Sweetest At Kobs: Red-shirt freshman James Keyton joined an elite group of Spartans who have hit their first collegiate home run at Kobs Field this season, joining junior Jamey Embree, sophomores Troy Krider and Kris Morris and freshman Ryan Sontag. Keyton hit his first homer in the first game of a doubleheader against Penn State on May 14. Morris tagged his first dinger against Indiana Tech on April 26. Sontag and Embree hit their first homers against Saginaw Valley State on April 5, while Troy Krider added his name to this list on April 8 against Illinois.
Erik Morris Day: The Spartans celebrated "Erik Morris Day" against Western Michigan May 11 at Lansing's Oldsmobile Park. The senior co-captain played all nine positions on the field, while going 1-for-4 at the plate and recording a strikeout on the mound in the ninth inning.
Drew Mahan's Punch Out: Freshman RHP Drew Mahan stepped into a new role as closer for Michigan State this season. The 6-2, 185-pound Okemos, Mich., native finshed the year ranked among the team pitching leaders in appearances (23), strikeouts (29) and saves (two), while recording an ERA of 3.42. Mahan captured his first collegiate win at Kobs Field against Penn State on May 14.
A Flair For The Dramatics: In April, Michigan State posted dramatic comebacks against Illinois, Ohio State and Central Michigan. In a 9-8 win over the Chippewas on April 27, MSU staged its biggest rally of the year, coming back from a 5-3 deficit to score six runs in the third inning to take a 9-5 lead.
The Streak Is Gone: Sophomore shortstop Troy Krider had his season-high hitting streak snapped at 24 games after going 0-for-4 in the first game of an April 30 doubleheader at Michigan. It marked the first time that Krider had gone hitless in a game since March 19 at Bradley. His previous season-best hit streak was at 12 games near the end of last season and he finished this season on a 10-game hitting streak.
Four-Gone Conclusion: Sophomore outfielder Adam Tripp and freshman infielder Steve Gerstenberger both provided an offensive spark while helping the Spartans defeat Indiana Tech, 14-7, on April 26 at Kobs Field. Both players hit a career-best 4-for-5 against the Warriors, while Tripp added a career-high four runs scored in the contest.
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 a 20-9 win over Saginaw Valley State on April 5. The 6-3, 190-pound Cattrysse tallied a career-best 5 hits and five runs with two doubles and two RBI.
Big Ten Tabs Day Pitcher of the Week: Red-shirt junior pitcher Tim Day was named Big Ten Pitcher of the Week in recognition for his win against Ohio State, the conference announced on April 18. This is the first league honor for Day and the first for a Spartan pitcher since Bryan Gale received the award last year.
Walker Shares League Weekly Honor: Sophomore catcher/first baseman Sean Walker was honored by the Big Ten Conference on April 18, sharing the league's Player of the Week honors for his three home run, eight RBI performance at Ohio State last weekend. Walker shared award with Minnesota's Andy Hunter. This is Walker's first league honor.
More Honors For Walker: Walker was also recognized by the Collegiate Baseball Foundation as a member of the organization's National Honor Roll on April 18. The 6-3, 240-pound sophomore from Round Lake, Ill., was one of 49 players honored this week and this is the first honor for a Michigan State baseball player.
Malec Mows Down Braves: In MSU's 5-1 win March 19 at Bradley, 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, wins, innings pitched and strikeouts. His previous season-best mark for strikeouts was four against Campbell on March 8.
Tripp Excelling In Sophomore Season: Sophomore outfielder Adam Tripp has thrived in his second season with 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.
The Magnificent Seven: In its 12-4 loss at North Florida on March 5, State threw seven freshman pitchers on the mound 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.
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.
2005 Spartan 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 is in 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.
