Michigan State University Athletics
Spartans Take on Indiana in Final Regular Season Series
5/13/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 13, 2009
Indiana (26-24, 14-6) vs. Michigan State (22-27, 12-9)
Sembower Field • Bloomington, Ind.
Thursday, May 14, 3 p.m.
Jr. RHP Eric Arnett (11-1, 2.78) vs. Sr. RHP Nolan Moody (6-4, 4.04)
Friday, May 15, 3 p.m.
Jr. LHP Matt Bashore (5-4, 4.28) vs. So. RHP A.J. Achter (3-4, 3.39)
Saturday, May 16, 1 p.m.
Fr. LHP Blake Monar (4-3, 4.79) vs. Fr. RHP Tony Bucciferro (4-2, 3.08)
Listen to the IU Broadcast here
GameTracker available for all games at MSUSpartans.com
Pitching matchups probable and subject to change
Spartans Lock Up Big Ten Tournament Spot; Now Playing For Seeding
Despite dropping two of three to Purdue last weekend, Michigan State earned its first trip to the Big Ten Tournament since 2004 with its 6-5 win over the Boilermakers on Saturday, May 9. The Spartans enter their series with the Hoosiers with a 12-9 Big Ten mark and in fifth place in the conference. Indiana, at 14-6 in the league, enters this final Big Ten series in fourth place.
Eck Turns It Up
Sophomore Brandon Eckerle brings a team-high and career-high seven-game hitting streak into the final series of the season. The center fielder has had at least two hits in five of the last seven games and has upped his average 44 points over that time. Eckerle, who has started all 49 games this year, hasn't struck out in his last 11 games.
Dunn Leads The Pen
Senior tri-captain A.J. Dunn has been the Spartans' best arm out of the bullpen over the last month. Since his April 15 appearance in a 6-0 win over Western Michigan, Dunn has dropped his ERA by 4.22, giving up just one earned run in his last eight appearances. The righty began the season as a starter but in his last eight outings he has worked 17.2 innings and picked up wins against Penn State and Purdue. Fourteen of Dunn's 25 strikeouts this season have come in his last eight games.
In Big Ten games this season, Dunn has been a even more of a force. In six league games, he has allowed just two runs in 13.1 innings while striking out 10 and walking just three.
Offensive Help
Four different Spartans - Eric Roof, Jonathan Roof, Bo Felt and Jeff Holm - have a hit in at least 10 of the last 14 games. Sophomore Jeff Holm has caught fire at the plate for the last third of the season and has a hit in 13 of the last 14 games. He has 15 RBIs over the last 14 games and has raised his average 70 points as he is now hitting .287.
Senior Eric Roof is currently MSU's best hitter with team-leading .333 batting average. Roof has hits in 12 of the last 14 games and, like Holm, also has 15 RBIs over that stretch.
Eric's younger brother, Jonathan, has hits in 10 of the last 11 games and has picked up 12 RBIs and swiped six bags over that stretch.
Junior Bo Felt has recorded at least one hit in 10 of MSU's last 13 games.
Inside the Matchup - Conference Numbers
While there is a discrepancy between the Spartans' and Hoosiers' team offensive statistics, that gap is much smaller between the two team's conference-only numbers. In conference games, the two teams rank fourth and fifth in the league as MSU is hitting .297 while IU is slightly behind at .293. In on-base percentage, MSU ranks fifth at .378 and IU is sixth-best at .376 in league games.
The two teams are also similar on the mound as Indiana leads the Big Ten in team ERA in league games at 3.97 while MSU ranks second at 4.22. The IU staff is holding opponents to a conference-low .250 batting average while MSU is third-best at .274.
The similarities between the teams extends to the field as well where they each post a .968 fielding percentage in conference games.
Streak Ends
MSU's 9-8 loss to Purdue on Sunday (May 10) ended the Spartans' seven-game conference winning streak. The streak matched the 2004 squad's seven-game win streak and is the second longest Big Ten winning streak in school history; topped only by the 1968 team that won 12 in a row.
Friendly Confines
The Spartans finished their home slate 15-4, giving them their most wins at home since the 2004 team won 21 games. MSU started the season a perfect 10-0 at home, its best since 2004 when it went 12-0 to start the year.
Academic Honors
Senior pitcher Nolan Moody and junior outfielder Eli Boike were each named ESPN The Magazine CoSIDA Academic All-District IV second team. It is the first honor for each. Moody is a general business/pre-law major and is 6-4 in his first season as a starting pitcher for the Green and White. Boike is a supply chain management major with a 3.49 GPA and has been one of the Spartans' most productive offensive players this season, leading the team in home runs and on-base percentage.
