Spartans Fighting for Big Ten Tournament Bid
5/16/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 16, 2007
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MICHIGAN STATE (23-24, 13-14 BIG TEN) AT ILLINOIS (28-23, 14-12 BIG TEN)
Series Information
When: Friday, May 18 - Sunday, May 20
Where: Illinois Field (1,500) • Champaign, Ill.
The Lineup
Game 1:
Friday, May 18 • 7 p.m. ET
Games 2-3:
Saturday, May 19 • 2 p.m. ET (DH)
Game 4:
Sunday, May 20 • 2 p.m. ET
Media Coverage
Audio: Free broadcasts of all games at msuspartans.com. Send the broadcast team an e-mail at msubaseball@gmail.com.
Live Stats: Gametracker of all games at msuspartans.com.
To access the free audio, click on the audio/video link at the top of msuspartans.com, and go to the live events section. The audio link can also be found in the events calendar section next to the Gametracker link. The broadcast is free, however, you must register your e-mail account with College Sports TV.
Series Information
Overall: Illinois leads, 54-51
Last season: Split, 2-2
Last time in Champaign (2004): Split, 2-2
Possible Pitching Matchups
Game One:
MSU: Sr. RH Craig Brookes • 6-3 • 200 • Naperville, Ill.
(4-5, 3.87 ERA, 74.1 IP, 55 K, .281 OBA)
vs.
ILL: So. RH Tanner Roark • 6-2 • 200 • Wilmington, Ill.
(6-2, 4.70 ERA, 67.0 IP, 40 K, .317 OBA)
Game Two:
MSU: TBA
vs.
ILL: So. RH Mike Stankiewicz • 6-2 • 215 • Des Plaines, Ill.
(4-4, 6.30 ERA, 60.0 IP, 20 K, .314 OBA)
Game Three:
MSU: TBA
vs.
ILL: So. RH Scott Shaw • 6-5 • 230 • Gurney, Ill.
(5-3, 5.68 ERA, 52.1 IP, 37 K, .318 OBA)
Game Four:
MSU: TBA
vs.
ILL: TBA
SPARTANS FIGHTING FOR BIG TEN TOURNAMENT BID IN LAST WEEKEND OF REGULAR SEASON
The red-hot Michigan State baseball team, winners of eight of its last nine games, is looking for a Big Ten Tournament bid heading into the final series of the regular season at Illinois. The top-six teams in the Big Ten regular-season standings advance to the Big Ten Tournament, hosted by the regular-season champion. The Spartans enter the weekend in seventh place with a 13-14 conference record, while the Fighting Illini are tied for fifth at 14-12. If MSU wins three of four over Illinois, the Spartans will earn their first Big Ten Tournament bid in three years. MSU also has a shot to enter the tournament if it splits at Illinois and third-place Penn State sweeps fifth-place Ohio State in State College, Pa.
The Spartans (23-24 overall) have won seven straight Big Ten games, including a sweep over Northwestern at home last weekend, to make a push for the Big Ten Tournament. Michigan State took game one over Northwestern, 11-6, at Kobs Field, then swept a doubleheader at Oldsmobile Park, 7-4 and 6-4. On Senior Day, Chris Roberts hit a game-winning RBI single in the bottom of the ninth inning to give MSU the 4-3 victory.
Michigan State's game on Tuesday at Eastern Michigan was called in the bottom of the third inning due to thunderstorms.
While the Spartans are battling for the postseason, the Illini will be doing the same, just like when the two teams met a year ago in East Lansing. MSU needed to win three of four over the Illini at Kobs Field to earn a bid to the conference tournament, but after winning the first two games of the series, the Green and White lost the last two, sending Illinois to the Big Ten Tournament. The scenario is exactly the same this season - Illinois needs a split to receive a berth, while the Spartans need to win three of four.
Illlinois (28-23) is coming off a series sweep over Indiana last weekend in Champaign. The Illini have won two Big Ten series (IU, Northwestern), lost two (Iowa, Minnesota) and split three (Purdue, Ohio State, Michigan). Illinois lost a midweek game to No. 19 Missouri on Tuesday, 12-5.
QUICK LOOK AT THE BIG TEN STANDINGS
• The Spartans are in seventh place in the Big Ten with a 13-14 conference record, 1.5 games back of fifth-place Ohio State and Illinois (both at 14-12).
• The top six teams in the standings advance to the Big Ten Tournament, hosted by the regular season champion.
• Michigan sits atop the conference at 18-6, 1.5 games head of second-place Minnesota (16-7).
• Penn State is in third at 17-9 after winning three of four at Michigan last weekend, while Iowa is in fourth at 16-10.
WHO'S HOT FOR THE SPARTANS...
Here's a look at the numbers during MSU's recent hot streak (8-1 last nine games):
• MSU is batting .360 as a team and has outscored its opponents, 62-40.
• Steve Gerstenberger is batting .409 (18-for-44) and is riding an eight-game hitting streak. Since Gerstenberger has batted in the leadoff spot in the batting order, MSU is 8-1.
• Brandon Doherty is hitting .440 with a .576 on-base percentage.
• Evan Friedland hit .579 (11-for-19) with 11 RBI in six games last week. • Chris Roberts is batting .400 (12-for-30).
• Friedland has 12 RBI in the last nine games, while Dennis Jones has driven in nine.
• The Spartan bullpen pitched 12 scoreless innings in the Northwestern series, and struck out 10 batters against just one walk.
• Sean Walker went 3-for-4 with a career-high six RBI, including the second grand slam of his career, in Friday's 11-6 win over Northwestern. Jones went 5-for-5 in the same game.
BIG TEN TOURNAMENT SCENARIOS
Although just four games remain in the Big Ten regular season, much remains to be decided on the last weekend of play. Michigan leads the Big Ten with an 18-6 record, but after losing three of four last weekend to Penn State, the Wolverines are just 1.5 games ahead of second-place Minnesota (16-7) and two games ahead of third-place Penn State (17-9). Michigan closes out at fourth-place Iowa, while Minnesota finishes at ninth-place Indiana. The regular-season champion will host the Big Ten Tournament May 23-26.
For Michigan State to receive its first Big Ten Tournament bid since 2004, the Spartans (13-14) need to win three of four games at sixth-place Illinois (14-12). The only other scenario for MSU to receive a bid is to split at Illinois and for Penn State to sweep Ohio State (14-12).
QUICK LOOK AT THE SPARTANS (23-24, 13-14 BIG TEN)
• Michigan State has won eight of its last nine games, including seven in a row in Big Ten play. The Spartans rattled off three straight to close their series at Ohio State, beat Western Michigan in a midweek game May 8 before falling at Illinois-Chicago May 9, then swept Northwestern in a four-game set last weekend.
• MSU started out 5-2 in league play, the best start for MSU since the 2004 team won its first six Big Ten games.
• The Spartans feature 12 newcomers this season (three freshmen, three sophomores, six juniors).
• MSU is led by second-year head coach David Grewe (Dayton, 1998). Grewe, who was an assistant for three years at Notre Dame prior to arriving in East Lansing, owns a 279-189 (.596) career record in nine years as an assistant and head coach.
QUICK LOOK AT THE ILLINI (28-23, 14-12 BIG TEN)
• Illinois has won six of their last eight, including a four-game sweep over Indiana last weekend.
• The Illini feature a potent offense, led by Big Ten Player of the Year candidate Lars Davis. Davis is second in the league and 17th in the nation with a .419 batting average, and is second in the Big Ten with nine homers and third with 49 RBI.
• Illinois is third in the Big Ten and 11th in the country with a .311 team batting average.
• Senior infielder Shawn Roof, brother of Spartan sophomore third baseman Eric Roof, leads the Big Ten and is fifth in the nation with 38 stolen bases in 44 attempts.
• Illinois is led by head coach Dan Hartleb, who owns a 57-52 record in two seasons in Champaign.
