Michigan State University Athletics
Baseball Set for Weekend Series vs. Indiana
4/21/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
| Michigan State (26-8, 7-2 B1G) vs. Indiana (21-14, 6-3 B1G) | |
| Game 1 | Friday, April 22 -3:05 p.m. |
| Location | East Lansing, Mich. | McLane Stadium |
| Game Notes | Michigan State |
| Probable Pitching Matchup | Indiana: LHP Kyle Hart (7-2, 2.56 ERA) vs. MSU: LHP Cam Vieaux (6-1, 1.18 ERA) |
| Coverage | Live Stats | Listen - Spartan Sports Network | Watch - BTN Plus |
| Game 2 | Saturday, April 23 - 1:05 p.m. |
| Probable Pitching Matchup | Indiana: LHP Caleb Baragar (3-1, 1.48 ERA) vs. MSU: RHP Ethan Landon (4-1, 2.35 ERA) |
| Coverage | Live Stats | Listen - Spartan Sports Network |
| Game 3 | Sunday, April 24 - 3 p.m. |
| Probable Pitching Matchup | RHP Evan Bell (0-3, 3.86 ERA) vs. MSU: LHP Joe Mockbee (0-0, 3.00 ERA) |
| Coverage | Live Stats | Listen - Spartan Sports Network | TV: BTN |
• After going 4-1 last week, Michigan State jumped into the Baseball America Top 25 for the second time this season, appearing at No. 23 in this week's poll. The Spartans have been out of the poll since the week of March 14 when they appeared in the national ranking for the first time since April 1988.
• Junior Jordan Zimmerman ranks in the top five of several categories in the Big Ten, including leading in batting average with a .417 average that is also tied for 17th in the nation. Zimmerman ranks second in the conference in on-base percentage (.506), total bases (83) and hits (55), while ranking third in slugging (.629) and fifth in runs (34).
• Production has come from up and down the lineup this season for the Spartans, as five every day starters bat better than .300, while nine players have 10 or more RBIs. Junior catcher Matt Byars brings a 10-game hitting streak into the weekend after his walk-off single on Wednesday.
• Michigan State's success has come as a beneficiary of a balanced attack, as the Spartans rank first in the Big Ten in ERA (2.31) and second in batting average (.307). MSU's ERA is the third lowest in the country, while its batting average ranks 25th. The Spartans are one of three teams to rank in the top 25 nationally in both categories, joining Louisville and TCU.
• The Spartans are outscoring opponents by a total of 207-106 on the year.
• MSU's pitching staff ranks third in the conference with 284 strikeouts and the Spartans have posted 10 or more strikeouts in 11 games this season to average 8.4 K's per game. For comparison, the 2015 Spartans that set the school record for most strikeouts in a season (409) had 249 through 34 games.
• Starter Cam Vieaux and reliever Dakota Mekkes are both tied for third in the Big Ten in strikeouts with 55. Mekkes has struck out 55 batters in just 33.0 innings, resulting in a 15.00 Ks per nine innings rate that is the best in the nation.
• MSU has sent down 89 batters looking to rank second in the Big Ten. Vieaux paces the team and is fourth in the conference with 18, while Mekkes has 17 and closer Joe Mockbee has 15 backwards K's to rank ninth.
• Vieaux leads the Big Ten with a 1.18 ERA to go along with his 6-1 record. Entering Friday's start, the lefty has gone 16 consecutive innings without allowing a run, including a complete game shutout last weekend vs. Purdue and has allowed just four earned runs in his last 36.2 innings.
• MSU is currently in the midst of a six-game homestand and a stretch of 14-straight games that will take place in the state of Michigan. With Big Ten home series vs. Indiana and Nebraska sandwiching a three-game set vs. Michigan, MSU doesn't have to leave the state until May 13 when it heads to Iowa. The Spartans are off to a 7-3 start at McLane Baseball Stadium this season after going 12-5 at home in 2015.
About Indiana
All-Time Series: MSU leads, 103-86
Last Series: April 24-26, 2015 in Bloomington - MSU won two of three (L, 1-6; W, 7-0; W, 3-2)
Indiana boasts a 21-14 overall record, including a 6-3 mark in Big Ten play and has won nine of its last 10 games. This weekend will be a matchup of two of the best pitching staffs in the country, as the Hoosiers rank second in the Big Ten and are ninth in the nation with a 2.78 ERA.
Brian Wilhite leads the team and is third in the Big Ten with 31 RBIs to go along with six home runs, while Logan Sowers leads the team with a .333 batting average and has seven round-trippers. Pauly Milto is 4-1 with a 0.82 out of the bullpen for the Hoosiers and starter Kyle Hart is 7-2 with a 2.56 ERA.
Historic Start
At 26-8 heading into the weekend, MSU is off to its best start in school history since the 1971 club started 28-6. Previous to this season, Michigan State's best start under head coach Jake Boss through 34 games was in 2011 when they started 25-9. The 2016 Spartans are in good company, as both the '71 and '11 clubs went on to win the Big Ten title.
Vieaux From the Top
Friday starter Cam Vieaux is having his best season in the Green and White after deciding to return to MSU despite being drafted last season (Detroit, 19th round). The lefty is 6-1 with a 1.18 ERA that leads all starting pitchers in the Big Ten and is 10th in the nation. Vieaux has allowed just eight earned runs in 61.0 innings of work and has 55 strikeouts to just 10 walks.
MSU is 8-1 as a team in Vieaux's eight starts this season and the Spartans are outscoring opponents 60-16 in those games.
Last Friday, the redshirt junior pitched a complete game shutout, just the second time in his career he's gone the distance and the first shutout. It was the seventh quality start (6 innings or more and less than three runs allowed) of the season and sixth in a row.
Because of his effort thus far, Vieaux has been placed on the initial watch list for the 2016 National Pitcher of the Year Award, presented by the National College Baseball Hall of Fame.
Offensive Attack
Coupled with a pitching staff that leads the Big Ten in ERA is an offensive unit that is second in the conference in batting average at .307 and third in on-base percentage at .379.
With 18 games of double-digit hits, including five of the last eight, the Spartans average 10.6 hits per game. MSU has outhit its opponents in 23 games this season and is 21-2 in such games, as opposed to just 4-5 record when outhit by the opponent.
The high-powered offensive attack paired with the shutdown pitching staff has led to the Spartans outscoring opponents by a total of 207-106 for the season. Michigan State is 26-2 when scoring more than two runs in a game and is 15-2 when scoring first.
Reliable Relievers
If MSU holds a lead late in games, it's meant good things for the club, as the Spartans are 23-0 when leading after six innings. Michigan State has allowed only 18 runs all season in the eighth and ninth innings and MSU is outscoring its opponents 109-40 after the fifth inning.
The lockdown bullpen has allowed just 32 earned runs in 114.1 innings of work, good for a 2.52 ERA.
Spartan relievers have struck out 145 batters to only 59 walks this season and the group has combined for a 10-2 record with nine saves.
M&M Combo
Relievers Dakota Mekkes and Joe Mockbee are the two arms out of the bullpen that Coach Boss likes to call on most. The duo lead the team in appearances and rank sixth in the Big Ten with 19. Mekkes and Mockbee have combined for all nine of MSU's saves, with Mockbee's five saves tied for the fifth most in the conference.
Mekkes has allowed just two earned runs in the last 20.1 innings of work while striking out 36 batters, while Mockbee has allowed four earned runs in the last 19.1 innings with 29 strikeouts.
After 18 appearances in relief this season, Mockbee will make his first start of the season and only the third of his career on Sunday. The junior started in two games during his freshman season in 2014.
Lineup Production
MSU has gotten production from up and down the lineup, leading to an average of 6.1 runs per game. Five everyday starters bat above.300, while nine players have 10 or more RBIs for a team that ranks second in the Big Ten in batting average (.307), fourth in slugging percentage (.416) and third in OBP (.379).
Jordan Zimmerman leads the charge with 18 multiple hit games while Brandon Hughes has 14 and Dan Durkin has 13. Seven players on the team have four (or more) games of multiple RBIs, led by Brandon Hughes, who has seven such games and is tied for Zimmerman with a team-high 23 RBIs.
The Spartans have also capitalized with some situational hitting, batting .302 with runners in scoring position and .279 with two outs to go along with 53 RBIs.
New Look Spartans
The Michigan State roster consists of three seniors, eight juniors, 14 sophomores and nine freshmen. Highlighting the sophomore-heavy roster is 2015 All-Big Ten Freshmen team members OF Brandon Hughes, C Chad Roskelly and RHP Andrew Gonzalez.
After going 34-23 during the 2015 campaign and finishing tied for third in the Big Ten with a 14-10 mark in conference play, the 2016 Spartans are a new-look team. Spartan returners account for just 27% of the team's RBI total and 24% of the team's hit total in 2015 with Brandon Hughes being the only returning every day starter in centerfield.
Freshman Marty Bechina has started in all 34 games for the Spartans as a dynamic puzzle piece, seeing action at third base, left field, center field and designated hitter. Fellow freshman Royce Ando has started 29 games at shortstop, while four other starting spots in the field are currently filled by transfers. Matt Byars has started in 33 games behind the plate, Jordan Zimmerman has started in every game for MSU and Kris Simonton and Taylor Grace both hold down outfield spots as transfers.
Saturday starter Ethan Landon is also a transfer in his first year in the Green and White and is 4-1 with a 2.35 ERA.
Continued Success Under Head Coach Jake Boss
In his eighth season as head coach, Jake Boss Jr. has led MSU to six straight 30-win seasons on top of winning his 200th game in the Green and White last season.
Spartans Drafted
MSU had eight players drafted in the 2015 MLB Draft, the most in school history. The previous high for Spartans selected in one MLB Draft was five, which last happened in 2002.
Draft Prospects
Junior right-hander Walter Borkovich was picked as the sixth-best prospect in the Big Ten by D-1 Baseball while Cam Vieaux was selected ninth. In addition to having prospects for the 2016 draft, sophomores Alex Troop (5th), Jake Lowery (9th) and Ethan Landon (10th) were listed as top prospect for the 2017 draft. Freshman infielder Marty Bechina was also ranked No. 8 on the list of Impact Freshman in the Big Ten.
Up Next
The Spartans host Toledo on Wednesday before a home-and-home series vs. Michigan next weekend. MSU will travel to Ann Arbor on Friday and Sunday and will host the Wolverines on Saturday.
