MSU Baseball Announces 2017 Schedule
11/2/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
2017 MSU Baseball Schedule 
| 2017 MSU Baseball Schedule in html format
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State baseball announced its 2017 schedule Wednesday. Head coach Jake Boss, Jr., and the Spartans will open the 2017 season on Friday, February 17 in the first of a 53-game regular-season ledger.
Of the 53 games, 14 of them are against teams that played in last season's NCAA Tournament.
"We are excited to put together a very competitive schedule, and I think one that has several good RPI opportunities that will hopefully put us in a position at the end of the season for postseason play," Boss said.
The Spartans' schedule includes 18 home games at Kobs Field at McLane Stadium, as well as seven neutral site games along with road games in Texas, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and Indiana for non-conference action, as well as Big Ten Conference road games at Illinois, Maryland, Northwestern, Nebraska and Michigan.
"It's a very balanced schedule. I think again we get the regional atmospheres in a couple different places. We get some very good RPI opportunities for the top to the bottom of the schedule. With the way the RPI is, playing on the road a couple different places, it's going to be important. With being in the north, we go on the road for the first month, so it's very challenging there," Boss said.
After playing away from home for their first 17 games, the Spartans' 18th game on their schedule is their home opener, welcoming Central Michigan to Kobs Field on March 22 in the final tune-up before Big Ten Conference action opens at Illinois on March 24.
"It is a very, very deep Big Ten slate again for us this year. Minnesota won the conference championship, Ohio State won the conference tournament, Maryland is going to be outstanding, Illinois had a lot of success in the last couple of years and going to Nebraska for the first time, and then finishing with Michigan I think makes it, again, a very challenging Big Ten schedule. So it is a very balanced Big Ten schedule that puts us is a position, providing we play well, for some postseason opportunities," Boss said.
Michigan State's 2017 season kicks off Feb. 17-19 in Abilene, Texas with a four-game series at Abilene Christian.
"Our scheduling philosophy is that I think it's important for our players to see different parts of the country during their four-year time at Michigan State. With that being said, we are going to a couple new places this year; Abilene Christian has a long tradition of winning and we haven't ever been there. We are looking forward to going down there and opening the season with those guys," Boss said.
MSU then heads to Greensboro, N.C. to take on UNC Greensboro in the three-game series Feb. 24-26.
"Greensboro is another place that we haven't been, but UNC Greensboro is a team that had a very good year a year ago, winning 38 games and one of the top offensive teams in the country, so we are excited to compete down there," Boss said.
The Spartans continue action in the Carolinas, traveling to Greenville, South Carolina to play in the First Pitch Invitational at historic Fluor Field and also Latham Stadium. MSU will face Furman on March 3, Presbyterian on March 4 and UT Martin on March 5.
"The one constant on our schedule is our trip to Greenville, South Carolina. That's the one place that we will go on a yearly basis because of how Craig Brown and the Greenville Drive take care of us. Furman has done a great job of organizing that tournament in the past, and has done another great job this year, so getting the chance to play at Fluor Field and in Greenville is always exciting for us. It's a highlight of our schedule," Boss said.
The Spartans will remain in Greenville and take on Clemson at Fluor Field on March 8.
"Playing Clemson there mid-week, again, that's an outstanding program. Monte Lee has done a fantastic job in his first year there, and they will be competitive again at a national level this year," Boss said.
MSU will wrap up its stay in the Palmetto State by playing a three-game series in Columbia, South Carolina against South Carolina.
"Going to South Carolina, is another place we've never been, but everyone is aware of the tradition that South Carolina baseball has. The reputation that they have, again, on a national level," Boss said.
Both South Carolina and Clemson were NCAA Tournament participants last season, and Boss is excited for the challenge that is in store for his Spartans.
"It will be an NCAA Regional-type atmosphere at South Carolina and same with Clemson at Fluor Field. Playing those kinds of opponents, again, in places we've never been. We are trying to play and find Regional-type atmospheres to prepare us for our postseason is always important, and we will certainly get that in South Carolina.
The next weekend, MSU will be playing in the Richmond Spider Invitational in Richmond, Virginia, facing Campbell on March 17, Richmond on March 18 and Cornell on March 19.
"The following weekend we have a tournament at Richmond, which is again, another place that we haven't been, so we're excited to go out there and compete with Richmond, and Campbell, who is not too far removed from a 50-win season a couple years ago, and Cornell, so three very solid programs," Boss said.
Michigan State will host Central Michigan on March 22 in its home opener at Kobs Field.
The Spartans open up Big Ten action on the road with a three-game series at Illinois on March 24-26, before returning home to host in-state foe Western Michigan, a 2016 NCAA Tournament participant, on March 28. MSU then hosts Minnesota in its home conference opener March 31 through April 2. After a road game at Eastern Michigan on April 4, the Spartans will welcome Fresno State to East Lansing for the first-ever regular-season meeting with the Bulldogs. MSU and Fresno State have only faced off once, in the 2012 NCAA Tournament.
"Fresno State is coming to East Lansing and that is bringing in another exciting non-conference opponent for the second year in a row after Oregon last year. Fresno State is a team that we played in the Regionals in 2012, so we are excited to bring Mike Batesole and his team to East Lansing. We know they have a very strong tradition and that National Championship eight years ago," Boss said.
MSU will also play at in-state foes Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan in home-and-home contests, while meeting Western Michigan once at home and once at Comerica Park in Detroit.
"The rest of the schedule is very similar to a year ago with mid-week games with Western Michigan, Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan, we always put a lot of importance on those games," Boss said.
The Spartans will also play at Notre Dame on April 11 in a single, mid-week game and MSU will also play at Michigan on April 18 in a non-conference game. MSU also hosts Toledo in a non-conference mid-week game on April 26.
"With playing Notre Dame, Michigan and Toledo in non-conference games, the proximity and the RPI make sense for us to play them in a mid-week game, and something that we will hopefully continue to do moving forward," Boss said.
Michigan State also has home B1G series with Ohio State (April 14-16) and Iowa (May 5-7), while playing road series at Maryland (April 21-23), Northwestern (April 28-30) and Nebraska (May 12-14).
The Spartans wrap up regular-season action with a home-and-home-and-home with Michigan, hosting the Wolverines on May 18 and 20, sandwiched around a game at Ann Arbor on May 19.
The B1G Tournament is May 24-28, with host and site to be announced later.
The NCAA Regional dates are June 2-5, while the NCAA Super Regionals are June 9-11 with the College World Series slated for June 17-28 at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Nebraska.
Michigan State has six returning starters back from last season's squad that posted a 36-20 overall record and was 13-11 in Big Ten action, reaching the Big Ten Tournament semifinals as the No. 6 seed.