Michigan State University Athletics
Baseball Heads to Iowa for Three-Game Set
4/23/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 23, 2009
Michigan State (14-23, 5-7) vs. Iowa (14-22, 3-8)
Duane Banks Field • Iowa City, Iowa
Friday, April 24, 7:00 p.m. ET
Sr. RHP Nolan Moody (4-4, 3.47) vs. Fr. RHP Nick Brown (2-3, 5.20)
Saturday, April 25, 3:30 p.m. ET • TV: Big Ten Network
So. RHP A.J. Achter (2-3, 3.29) vs. Fr. RHP Jarend Hippen (2-2, 3.65)
Sunday, April 26, 2:30 p.m. ET • TV: Big Ten Network
TBA vs. RHP Phil Schreiber (2-1, 3.25)
GameTracker available for all games at MSUSpartans.com
Pitching matchups probable and subject to change
Leading Off...
Spartans Head to Iowa
After taking two of three from in-state rival Michigan last weekend, Michigan State travels to Iowa for a critical three-game conference set. MSU enters the series in eighth place in the Big Ten and is one of three teams with a 5-7 conference record while Iowa enters Friday's game in ninth place at 3-8 in league play.
Inside the Matchup - Pitching
While the two teams are currently on the outside of the Big Ten Tournament race, each has posted strong pitching numbers in conference games this season. MSU ranks second in team ERA at 4.21 while Iowa is fourth with 4.59 mark. The Spartans are holding opponents to a .251 batting average in league play, which is good for second in the conferenece, while Hawkeye pitching posts a .275 opponent batting average which is fourth-best.
Pitchers Leading The Way
The Spartan pitching staff currently boasts a 4.98 ERA in all games, which is third-best in the league, and a 4.21 ERA in conference games which good for second in the conference. Opponents are hitting .285 against Spartan pitching this season but in conference games, teams are hitting just .251 against them which is second best in the league.
Freshman starter Tony Bucciferro has the lowest ERA of any Spartan pitcher at just 2.61 which is tied for sixth best in the conference. Opponents are hitting just .223 against sophomore A.J. Achter, which is the lowest for any starter on the staff and fifth lowest in the Big Ten. Nolan Moody ranks fifth in the Big Ten in innings pitched at 62.1.
Boike Sets The Table
Junior Eli Boike continues to be one of the Spartans' best hitters this season - leading the team in batting average (.313), home runs (seven), RBIs (25), total bases (69), slugging percentage (.527) and on-base percentage (.426). His seven home runs are tied for seventh in the Big Ten while the 25 walks he's drawn are fifth most in the league.
Spartans Down Wolverines In Longest Conference Game Of The Season
MSU snapped a nine-game losing skid to in-state rival Michigan with an 8-7 win in 11 innings on Friday, April 17 at McLane Baseball Stadium. MSU rallied from two-run deficits in the ninth and 10th innings then scored one in the 11th to defeat U-M in the longest conference game of the year. The Spartans also won game two of the series, 3-1, in Ann Arbor on Saturday which gave MSU its first series win over the Wolverines since 2002.
Shindler Swings It
Senior A.J. Shindler is on a team-high four-game hitting streak entering play this weekend. Shindler, who did not play on Wednesday against Central Michigan, entered the Spartans' April 15 game vs. Western Michigan with a .206 batting average and is now at .244. In his last four games, he has twice picked up two hits. This season, MSU is 6-0 when Shindler gets two hits.
Senior Roof Stays On Track
In the 12 games since senior tri-captain Eric Roof's career-high 5-for-5 performance vs. Central Michigan on April 1, Roof has recorded a hit in 10 of the 11 games. Roof also recorded a season-long eight-game hitting streak that started April 4 vs. Northwestern and ended when he went 0-for-4 in the Spartans' 3-1 win at Michigan.
Through 37 games this season, he has a .297 batting average, which is third best on the team, while his 20 RBIs and 10 doubles lead the Spartans.
Spartans Pound Lugnuts in Third Annual Crosstown Showdown
The Spartans got their first win over the Lansing Lugnuts in the third annual Crosstown Showdown on April 16, defeating the Midwest League club, 12-2. A.J. Dunn, Max Miller and Kurtis Frymier combined to pitch six innings and hold the Lugnuts to five hits while collecting a total of nine Ks. MSU jumped on the Lugs early, with a four-run second inning and a three-run third to go up 7-0. Seven different Spartans picked up RBIs.
The exhibition event also set a new Oldsmobile Park attendance record with a crowd of 12,992, breaking the previous attendance record of 12,862 which was set at the 2008 Crosstown Showdown. The annual series between the two teams has been extended through 2012.
Runners Beware
The Spartans have made it tough on opponents on the bases this year as the MSU pitching staff has picked off a 12 runners which is tied with Iowa for the most in the Big Ten. Junior pitcher Kyle Corcoran is the Big Ten leader with four runners picked off.
Overall defensively, MSU has thrown out 21 runners caught stealing which is good for third in the conference.
Good To Be Home
MSU started a perfect 10-0 at home this year before falling to Michigan, 9-2, in its last home game. MSU's home start was its best since 2004, when it won its first 12 at home to start the year.
