Michigan State University Athletics
Baseball Set for Midweek Matchup with Oakland
3/28/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
| Michigan State (18-3, 3-0 B1G) vs. Oakland (10-11, 4-2 Horizon) | |
| Probable Pitching Matchup | MSU - RHP Andrew Gonzalez (3-0, 1.10 ERA) vs. OU â€" RHP Chris Van Dyke (0-0, 0.00 ERA) |
| Date, Time | Tuesday, March 29 â€" 3:05 p.m. |
| Location | East Lansing, Mich. | McLane Baseball Stadium |
| Overall Stats | Michigan State | Oakland |
| Coverage | | Listen - Spartan Sports Network |
Midweek Quick Hitters
• Michigan State is coming off a sweep of Rutgers in its opening Big Ten series of the season. The Spartans are now 18-3 to begin the season, marking the best start through 21 games since 1972.
• Junior first baseman Jordan Zimmerman enters Tuesday's game riding a 14-game hitting streak, hitting .510 with 14 runs and 13 RBI during the stretch. The transfer from Mesa Community College who has a hit in 16 of 18 games this year, leads the Big Ten in batting average (.438), on-base percentage (.526) and runs scored (24) along with leading the team in hits (35), doubles (8), RBI (16) and stolen bases (9).
• Michigan State's pitching staff leads the way in the Big Ten with a 2.27 ERA, which ranks ninth in the country. The Spartans rank third in the conference with 181 strikeouts and have posted 10 or more strikeouts in seven games this season, including three of the last four.
• Michigan State ranks in the top 10 in the NCAA in both batting average (.325, 8th) and ERA (2.27, 9th) for the third week in a row and is just one of two teams to rank in the top 10 of each category (Louisville).
• Tuesday's starter Andrew Gonzalez is 3-0 on the season and has allowed just two earned runs in 16.1 innings of work. The sophomore earned a win in each of his last three appearances and hasn't given up an earned run in his last 14 innings. Gonzalez got the start vs. Oakland last season and earned the win by pitching six scoreless innings.
• MSU's bullpen has been lockdown all season long, as they have allowed just 17 earned runs in 66.0 innings of work, including just three earned runs in the last 25.2 innings. Spartan relievers have struck out 92 batters to only 32 walks this season and have allowed more than one run in a game only three times. The group has combined for a 6-0 record with seven saves while posting a 2.31 ERA.
• Production has come from up and down the lineup, as seven starters are batting better than .300 for the season and seven Spartans have recorded 10 or more RBIs. Junior Dan Durkin has started every game for the Spartans and is second on the team with a .408 batting average and tied for the team-lead with 16 RBIs.
• MSU ranks second in the Big Ten with a .325 batting average and leads the conference with a .397 on-base percentage. The high-powered Spartan offense is outscoring opponents by a total of 141-66 on the season.
About Oakland
Tuesday's game vs. Oakland will be the 38th meeting all-time between the two schools. MSU owns a 34-3 advantage in the all-time series, including a 10-game winning streak over the Golden Grizzlies. When the two teams met last year in East Lansing, Michigan State won 7-1 led by solid pitching that held Oakland to just five hits for the game.
Oakland rides a three-game winning streak into East Lansing and enter Tuesday's contest with a 10-11 overall record. The Golden Grizzlies are off to a 4-2 start in Horizon League play and are led by Tyler Pagono's 15 RBIs and Mike Brosseau, who is hitting .284.
Up Next
Michigan State hosts Oregon in a three-game set at McLane Baseball Stadium this weekend, starting Friday at 3:05, followed by a 1:05 start on Saturday before the series wraps up Sunday at 12:05.
