Friday, March 29
East Lansing, Mich.
1 PM ET *Note time change*
Michigan State University
vs
Michigan
Photo by: Jeremy Fleming
Spartans Tangle With Wolverines In Weekend Series
3/28/2019 7:24:00 PM | Baseball
MSU in midst of six-game stretch against in-state foes; MSU hosts UM Friday and Sunday, play Saturday at Ann Arbor
| MICHIGAN STATE (4-18, 0-3 B1G) vs MICHIGAN (17-7, 0-0 B1G)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â |Â Â TICKETS | |
| Location | McLane Stadium at Kobs Field || East Lansing, Mich. // Ray Fisher Stadium || Ann Arbor, Mich. |
| Weather | Fri - Hi/Low: 53°/33° || Sat - Hi/Low: 40°/23°  || Sun - Hi/Low: 38°/23° |
| Game Notes | Michigan State | Michigan |
| Social Media |   @statebaseball |    MichiganStateBaseball |    @statebaseballgogreen  |
| Game 1  | Friday, March 29 - 1 p.m. ET - East Lansing **NOTE TIME UPDATE**  |
| Probable Pitching Matchup | MSU: MSU: #30 RHP Mason Erla (SO) (1-4, 6.54 ERA) vs. UM: #47 LHP Tommy Henry (JR) (5-1, 0.45 ERA) |
| Coverage | TV: BTN ||  Live Stats | Listen Live | Watch Live |
| Game 2 | Saturday, March 30 - 2 p.m. ET - Ann Arbor |
| Probable Pitching Matchup | MSU: #36 LHP Mitchell Tyranski (JR) (0-4, 4.84 ERA) vs. UM: #37 LHP Karl Kauffmann (JR) (4-2, 2.03 ERA) |
| Coverage | Live Stats | Listen Live | Watch Live |
| Game 3 | Sunday, March 31 - 4 p.m. ET - East Lansing |
| Probable Pitching Matchup | MSU: #12 LHP Jarret Olson (JR) (0-3, 6.55 ERA) vs. UM: #17 RHP Jeff Criswell (SO) (1-1, 4.45 ERA) |
| Coverage | TV: BTN ||  Live Stats | Listen Live | Watch Live |
• Michigan State baseball will take on in-state rival Michigan in a three-game home-away-home series, as the Spartans will host the Wolverines on Friday and Sunday sandwiched around Saturday's game at Ann Arbor ... Friday's game will now have a 1 p.m. first pitch, after a time change update announced Wednesday ... Saturday's game in Ann Arbor is slated for a 2 p.m. start before Sunday's series finale at 4 p.m. ... Friday and Sunday's games will also be nationally televised on the Big Ten Network, as BTN's first baseball telecasts of the season, with Mike Monaco calling the action and Jeff Leise providing analysis ... This is MSU's second weekend of Big Ten Conference play, while it is UM's first B1G weekend series ... Note: any schedule updates will be posted on MSUSpartans.com and on twitter @statebaseball.
• Fans can follow this weekend's MSU vs. UM action through "Live Stats," "Listen Live" and "Watch Live" links found at MSUSpartans.com ... The battles between the Spartans and Wolverines will also be video streamed on BTN2Go, and also carried on the Spartan Sports Network live audio stream, available exclusively at SpartanSportsNetwork.com and on the network's 24/7 app for mobile devices ... Broadcast veteran Scott Moore calls the action alongside former MSU manager/bullpen catcher David Greenberg in select games.
• After meeting in the final weekend of conference and regular-season action in 2017, the Spartans and Wolverines are facing off early in the league ledger for the second-straight season ... Last year, Michigan State and Michigan played a three-game series March 23-25 ... This year's meeting is the second-earliest weekend series between MSU and UM in the historic rivalry ... In addition being the second-straight series in March, it is just the third series overall in the previous 315 meetings to be played in March, joining the 2011 series that was played March 25-27.
• Michigan State head coach Jake Boss Jr. has been on both sides of the rivalry ... Boss is in his 11th season at the helm of the Spartans, but was an assistant coach at Michigan from 2005-2007.
• Michigan State has 19 players on its 2019 roster from the state of Michigan, while the Wolverines have eight players who are natives of the Great Lakes State ... There are three sets of players from the same hometown in Michigan, plus one pair of former junior college teammates in Arizona.
• MSU is in the midst of a six-game stretch against in-state opponents ... The Spartans played Western Michigan on Wednesday, prior to facing Michigan in three games this weekend ... MSU will meet WMU for the second time in less than a week, meeting up on Tuesday, April 2 at Comerica Park in Detroit, before wrapping up the six-game in-state foe stretch Wednesday, April 3 vs. Central Michigan at home ... The CMU match-up is the make-up game from last Wednesday, March 20, postponement due to inclement weather.
• In the last five games, the Spartan bullpen has 25 Ks (5.0 pg) in 20.0 IP, averaging 11.25 K/9 innings over that span.
• Michigan State had it originally scheduled home opener vs. Central Michigan on Wednesday, March 20 postponed due to inclement weather, before the Spartans made their home opener vs. Western Michigan on Wednesday ... With last week's home-opener postponement, MSU played its first 21 games of the season away from home to open the season ... The 21 games away from home before the home opener is tied for the sixth-most in the country.
• Michigan State has a No. 17 strength of schedule ranking, sitting second in the Big Ten behind Minnesota at No. 13 ... MSU is the only team in the country to play the last two unbeaten teams in the country in NC State (23-1) and Arizona State (22-1).
Boss Has Been On Both Sides
Michigan State head coach Jake Boss Jr., is in his 11th season at the helm of the Spartans. Boss was an assistant coach at Michigan from 2005-2007, before becoming head coach at Eastern Michigan for the 2008 season prior to becoming head coach of the Spartans.
Home Staters
Michigan State has 19 players on its 2019 roster from the state of Michigan, while the Wolverines have eight players who are natives of the Great Lakes State. There are three sets of players from the same hometown in Michigan, plus one pair of former junior college teammates.
There are three sets of players involved in this weekend's game that are from the same hometown in Michigan. The first set are natives of Rockford and Rockford High School alums in MSU junior outfielder Bryce Kelley and UM junior pitcher/outfielder Jack Weisenburger. The second set are natives of Portage, but different high schools in MSU sophomore infielder Joe Stewart, who went to Portage Central HS, and UM junior pitchers Ben Keizer and Tommy Henry, who both went to Portage Northern HS.
Spartan junior pitcher Mitchell Tryanski and Wolverine junior pitcher Karl Kauffmann are not only both natives of Bloomfield Hills and went to Brother Rice HS, but they are slated to square off against each other as the probable starting pitchers for Saturday's game in Ann Arbor.
South Mountain Alums In Michigan
While MSU senior catcher Nic Lacayo (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and UM senior infielder Blake Nelson (Normandy Park, Wash.) might not be from the same hometown, they were teammates at South Mountain Community College in Phoenix, Ariz. Lacayo and Nelson played for head coach Todd Eastin, helping the Cougars to a 43-18 record as sophomores in 2017.
Salter Connection
For the first time in a long time, there is only one Salter involved in the MSU vs. UM battle. The younger brother of former Spartan catchers Will (2015-18) and Blaise (2012-15) Salter is Wolverine junior catcher Harrison Salter. Blaise played four years in the Detroit Tigers system from 2015-18, before retiring this past summer. Their grandfather is Bill Freehan, who is a Michigan alum and played catcher/first base for the Detroit Tigers, and later was head coach at Michigan.
Carolina In My Mind And Travel Itinerary
Michigan State has had the James Taylor tune on repeat, as the Spartans' trip to Greenville on March 15-17 was the third and final of three trips to the Palmetto State for the Spartans this season ... MSU was in Conway, S.C. Feb. 22-24 playing in the Coastal Carolina-hosted Brittain Resorts Baseball at the Beach ... The Spartans were in Greenville March 8-10 on the second half of Spring Break trip, hosting the First Pitch Invitational at Fluor Field, which was originally scheduled for Friday-Sunday, but inclement weather condensed the schedule to Saturday-Sunday ... MSU traveled home to East Lansing on the night of March 10 for class and practice Monday-Wednesday, returning to Greenville on the evening of Thursday, March 14, then playing UConn in a four-game series at Fluor Field Friday-Sunday, March 15-17.
Six Great Lakes State BattlesÂ
Wednesday's game against Western Michigan is the first of six-straight games against in-state foes for Michigan State. After Wednesday's game against the Broncos, the Spartans will play Michigan in a three-game series Friday-Sunday, March 29-31, then play Western Michigan again on Tuesday, April 2 at Comerica Park in Detroit, before wrapping up the six-game in-state foe stretch on Wednesday, April 3 vs. Central Michigan at home in the make-up game from last Wednesday, March 20, postponement due to inclement weather.
Time Change Update For Friday's Game Versus MichiganÂ
Michigan State baseball's home game on Friday, March 29 will move up to a 1 p.m. start time against Michigan at McLane Stadium at Kobs Field. Inclement weather is expected later in the day so the game will be moved up from its originally scheduled time of 3 p.m. Friday's in-state battle between the Spartans and Wolverines will still be nationally televised on Big Ten Network.Â
MSU To Make-Up Central Michigan Game On April 3Â
Michigan State will make-up the game versus Central Michigan on Wednesday, April 3 at 4:05 p.m. at McLane Stadium at Kobs Field. The Spartans will host the Chippewas in the make-up game originally scheduled for March 20 that was postponed due to inclement weather.
Road WarriorsÂ
Michigan State is one of 18 teams in the nation who have played 18 or more consecutive games away from home to open the season, and MSU's 21 games is tied for the sixth-most ... After last week's original home opener was postponed due to inclement weather, MSU has played 21 games away from home before Wednesday's home opener vs. Western Michigan ... Ironically, WMU leads the nation currently with 22 games away from home, as the Broncos also had their original home game on March 12 postponed due to weather, and will 31 games away from home until their first home game on April 12 ... The Spartans are the only Big Ten team on the list, as MSU is the northernmost team in the B1G.
Team   No. of Games
Western Michigan   31*
North Dakota State   26^
Oakland   24
Eastern Michigan   23
Central Michigan   22
Lafayette   22
Toledo   22
Hofstra   21
Michigan State   21
Milwaukee   21
South Dakota State   21
UConn   21
UMass   21
Canisius   20
Gonzaga   20
Niagara   20
Fairfield   19
Bradley   18
* Currently 22 and scheduled to be 31 games until 1st home game on April 12
^ Currently 16 and scheduled to be 26 games until 1st home game on April 5
Storied Series History
Michigan State and Michigan enter this weekend having squared off 315 times in school history. The Wolverines lead the all-time series, 205-108-2, having won the last six in the series, sweeping last season's four meetings. Michigan State's last win in the series was May 18, 2017, winning 6-1. Under head coach Jake Boss Jr., MSU is 12-14 vs. UM.Â
Michigan State vs. Michigan Series Breakdown
Overall: 108-205-2 / Home: 64-96-1 / Away: 42-108-1 / Neutral: 2-1 / Series Streak: UM W6
First Met: June 14, 1884 - East Lansing, Mich. - UM W, 13-3
Last Met: May 9, 2019 - East Lansing, Mich. - UM W, 10-2
Quick Look At MichiganÂ
The Wolverines bring a 17-7 overall record into the weekend after sweeping a shortened twinbill against San Jose State on Wednesday, winning 1-0 and 3-0. Due to a scheduling change, Tuesday's series opener was moved to Wednesday and both games were shortened to seven innings each. Michigan was recently ranked in the national polls, before dropping out this week following losing a three-game series at No. 19 Texas Tech over the weekend (11-2, 10-3, 8-5), before bouncing back with a 16-6 neutral field win over Stetson.
UM is hitting .277 as a team, averaging 6.6 runs per game. The Wolverines have 21 home runs so far this season, ranking third in the B1G. Michigan also leads the league with 39 stolen bases.
Senior infielder Blake Nelson leads Michigan with a .373 average, one of four Wolverines hitting over .300, and Nelson adds 16 RBI and seven doubles. Junior outfielder Jordan Brewer is close behind hitting .368, leading the team in hits (32), HR (7), RBI (27) and stolen bases (10), as well as slugging percentage (.690).
The Michigan pitching staff leads the B1G and ranks fourth in the NCAA in fewest hits allowed per nine innings (6.21), as well as leading the league and 10th in the nation in ERA (2.56), along with tied for tops in the conference and tied for 15th in the country in shutouts (3). UM also is first in the B1G and 22nd in the NCAA in strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.96).Â
Friday's starter is junior left-hander Tommy Henry, who has a paltry 0.45 ERA to go with a 5-1 record in six starts, amassing 53 strikeouts against just six walks, in 39.2 IP and limiting the opposition to a .176 average. Henry leads the B1G and is fourth in the NCAA in ERA, while also leading the league and ranking 13th in the nation in strikeouts. Saturday's probable starter is junior lefty Karl Kauffman, who has a 4-2 record with a 2.03 ERA in seven appearances with six starts. Kauffman has a team-topping 40.0 IP with 36 strikeouts and nine walks, with a .196 batting average against. Sunday's probable starter is sophomore righty Jeff Criswell, with a 1-1 record and a 4.45 ERA in six starts. Criswell has 36 Ks and 14 BB in 30.1 IP, and opponents have a .256 average against him. Freshman right-handed reliever Willie Weiss has six saves, which is second in the B1G and 18th in the NCAA. Weiss has a 1-1 record with a 3.50 ERA in 11 appearances, with 18 Ks and 11 BB in 13.1 IP with a .265 opposition average against.
UM head coach Erik Bakich is in his seventh season leading the Wolverines. Overall, Bakich is in his 10th year as a collegiate head coach, logging a 296-245-1 overall ledger.
Coach Boss Quote
On the in-state rivalry meaning anything more for the team...
"We talk about one of our goals every year is to be state champions, I think it's important for us, and I think it's important for us to recognize what a rivalry is and get excited to play. A lot of our guys know a lot of their guys. Their coach said it a few years ago, they don't like us, we don't like them, but it's fun to go out and compete against each other. We do like to compete against those guys, as anyone would like to compete against your rivals. I think that's why you come to a place like Michigan State, or you name it, if you go to Indiana, you love to compete against Purdue and vice versa, Alabama-Auburn, wherever, you name it. That's always a lot of fun and that's what guys remember. In my first season here (2009), we won the series against Michigan and those guys from that team still come back and talk about game two down in Ann Arbor, in front of the largest crowd they've ever had there (3,453) on Jim Abbott Day (April 18, 2009), and we were fortunate enough to win that game (MSU 3, UM 1). We've got alums that are in their 30s, but remember that extremely vividly. I think it's important to acknowledge that rivalry and it's filled with guys that love to compete. It always does feel like it gets turned up a couple notches."
Road Warriors With 21 In '19
Michigan State opened the 2019 season with its first 18 games away from home, including starting with five true road games, followed by two neutral games. After four more true road games, the Spartans had seven neutral games, before their home opener was scheduled for Wednesday, March 20, but was postponed due to inclement weather. With last weekend's three games at Nebraska, the Spartans played 21 games away from home before their  home opener on Wednesday, March 27 vs. Western Michigan.
About Michigan State
The Spartans are 4-18 on the young season after opening Big Ten action with three losses at Nebraska over the weekend, 4-1, 5-2 and 6-2, before winning their 2019 home opener on Wednesday, beating Western Michigan, 3-2, as MSU improved to 10-1 in its first game of the year played at McLane Stadium at Kobs Field.
Junior outfielder Bryce Kelley leads the Spartans with a .322 average with a team-leading six stolen bases. Senior infielder Royce Ando adds a .275 average with nine RBI and three doubles, while fellow senior infielder Marty Bechina is hitting .274 and tops the team with 15 RBI. Sophomore catcher Adam Proctor has belted four home runs, while Bechina has three round-trippers.Â
On the mound, Friday's probable starter is sophomore righty Mason Erla, who has a 1-4 record with a 6.54 ERA, logging 28 strikeouts with 14 walks in 31.2 IP. Saturday's probable starter is junior lefty Mitchell Tyranski, who is in search of his first win of the season after recently moving to a starting role out of the bullpen. Tyranski has a 4.84 ERA with 27 Ks and six BB in 22.1 IP. Junior lefty Jarret Olson is Sunday's probable starter, and Olson is also a starter now after coming out of the pen earlier this season. Olson has a 6.55 ERA with an 0-3 record, posting 10 Ks in 11.0 IP.
Out of the bullpen, junior righty Indigo Diaz has 28 Ks in 22.0 IP, earning his first save of his MSU career, after recently shifting from the starting rotation to the bullpen. Freshman right-hander Colten Panaranto has a 1-0 record with 12 punchouts in 16.2 IP. Junior righty Caleb Sleeman has the Spartans' other save this season, with 15 Ks in 18.1 IP. Senior southpaw Evan Flohr has 15 strikeouts in 15.1 IP, earning his first win for the Green & White Wednesday against Western Michigan. Flohr and Sleeman top the pitching staff with 11 appearances apiece.
Bull-ish Pen
MSU's bullpen had a standout outing in Wednesday's win over Western Michigan, as freshman Colten Panaranto, junior Caleb Sleeman, Flohr and Diaz collectively kept the Broncos at bay. Sleeman registered four strikeouts, while Panaranto posted a pair of punchouts and Florh rang up one K, while limiting the hot WMU bats to just six hits in the final eight innings, as the Broncos entered Wednesday's game ranking 24th in the NCAA with a .298 team batting average.
Wednesday was the Spartan pen's season-long outing of the season at 7.1 IP, and was the group's second outing without yielding a run, both coming in the last three games joining March 22 at Nebraska in game two of the twinbill. The second strikeouts was the second-most behind eight Ks in 4.0 IP vs. UConn on March 17.
In the last five games, the Spartan pen has 25 Ks (5.0 pg) in 20.0 IP, averaging 11.25 K/9 innings over that span.
Notables From Wednesday's Win
After playing in 16 one-run games last season, in 52 games (one every 3.25 games), Wednesday's 3-2 win over Western Michigan was the Spartans' first one-run game this season in 22 games ... Wednesday was also MSU's first day game win of the season ... It was also the second victory for MSU when the Spartans had fewer hits than the opponent, as MSU was out-hit by WMU, 9-5.
High SOS For SpartansÂ
After a top 5 strength of schedule in Division I college baseball a couple weeks ago, according to warrennolan.com, Michigan State enters this weekend with a No. 17 SOS (as of 3/28), including No. 2 in the B1G ... The Spartan opposition is a combined 282-169 with a winning percentage of .6247 and a .5859 SOS.
Rank   Team   SOS   Opp Record   Opp Win PercentÂ
1   Oregon   0.6489   293 - 117   0.7141
1   Oregon   0.6307   319 - 147   0.6842
2   Oregon State   0.627   277 - 156   0.6397
3   Texas Tech   0.616   313 - 171   0.6467
4Â Â Â UCLAÂ Â Â 0.6154Â Â Â 293 - 161Â Â Â 0.6444
5   Vanderbilt   0.6099   353 - 187   0.6529
6   Missouri State   0.6097   322 - 166   0.6598
7   Xavier   0.6071   327 - 167   0.6619
8   Texas   0.6058   356 - 219   0.6191
9   Gonzaga   0.605   273 - 155   0.6375
10   Florida   0.5981   371 - 210   0.6386
11Â Â Â UCFÂ Â Â 0.5972Â Â Â 338 - 183Â Â Â 0.6488
12   Pepperdine   0.5945   262 - 158   0.6238
13Â Â Â Minnesota*Â Â Â 0.5932Â Â Â 265 - 161Â Â Â 0.6215
14   Maine   0.591   272 - 143   0.6554
15   Houston   0.5872   323 - 197   0.6212
16   Georgia Tech   0.5867   323 - 204   0.6127
17   Michigan State   0.5859   282 - 169   0.6247
18Â Â Â USCÂ Â Â 0.5849Â Â Â 284 - 176Â Â Â 0.6166
19   Auburn   0.5808   341 - 220   0.6078
20   Tennessee   0.5787   331 - 217   0.604
As of 3/28/19
* = Big Ten ConferenceÂ
Bold = 2019 MSU Opponent
Mokma's Gem
Junior right-hander Mike Mokma fired a career-high 11 Ks in his complete game gem vs. Ohio State last Saturday, March 9 ... The 11 strikeouts topped his previous career-best of six punchouts in two games this season, vs. No. 21 NC State (Feb. 23) and at No. 24 Arizona State (March 2), as he now has five or more Ks in all four outings this season ... Mokma struck out the side in the first inning, adding two more in the second stanza as well as the third for seven Ks through three frames, as part of not facing more than four OSU batters in eight of the nine innings, facing five batters in the sixth, but got a double play and a ground out to thwart the threat ... He retired the Buckeyes in three-up, three-down order in four total innings, including the eighth and ninth.
More Mokma Gem Notes
Mokma's complete game was the first complete game by an MSU pitcher since Alex Troop at South Carolina on March 10, 2017, when Troop went 8.0 IP ... Mokma was the first nine-inning complete game outing since Cam Vieaux vs. Purdue on April 15, 2016.Â
Mokma's 11 Ks was the first double-digit strikeout outing by a Spartan hurler since Riley McCauley has 12 Ks in last year's season-opener at Fresno State (Feb. 16, 2018).
The Complete Mokma
Mokma's complete game is one of just two in the Big Ten so far this season, joining Tommy Henry of Michigan vs. The Citadel (Feb. 22) ... Mokma is currently in an 82-way tie for eighth in the NCAA in complete games, as in one of 82 pitchers in the nation with one complete game, while there are seven pitchers in the country with two complete games.
King Kelley
Among Michigan State's returners is junior outfielder Bryce Kelley, who became MSU's single-season stolen base record holder last season with 33 swipes, topping former teammate's Brandon Hughes' record that lasted all of one season, with 30 stolen bases in 2017.
This season, Kelley already has swiped six bases, currently tied for seventh in the Big Ten.
Last season, Kelley led the Big Ten and ranked third in the NCAA with 0.66 stolen bases per game in 2018, as well as leading the conference and ranking 10th in the country with the 33 stolen bases. Kelley nearly doubled his season output in the Niagara series, swiping six in the four games, including two each on March 15 and 16 before swiping five in the three games vs. Michigan.
Kelley stole at least one base in 24 total games last season. He had multi stolen bases in seven games, led by a career-high three at Michigan on March 23.Â
The three stolen bases in one game is one of three times in 2018 that a Spartan swiped three in a game, joining Danny Gleaves, who accomplished it twice, with three base swipes vs. Illinois on March 9 in Greenville and at Penn State on May 5.
With Kelley's 33 swipes last season combined with 13 from his freshman season of 2017, along with his six swipes this season, he now has 52 career stolen bases, taking over sole possession of No. 4 after passing former teammate Brandon Hughes (2015-17) at the No. 4 spot with 50 stolen bags ... If Kelley is able to match or top the 33 stolen bases he had in 2018, he would tie Anthony Cheky (2012-15) for the career school record with 79 stolen bases.
Fellow junior outfielder Danny Gleaves was close behind with 25 stolen bases last season, good for No. 5 spot on the single-season list ... Gleaves is also No. 9 on the career stolen base list, now with 34 base swipes after two stolen bases in the early going of this season.
INDIVIDUAL SINGLE SEASON STOLEN BASES
1.   Bryce Kelley   33   2018
2.   Brandon Hughes   30   2017
3.   Anthony Cheky   29   2014
4.   Steve Preston   27   1988
5.   Danny Gleaves   25   2018
6.   Anthony Cheky   23   2013
   Jeff Holm   23   2010
   Steve Money   23   1994
9.   Jimmy Pickens   22   2014
   Brandon Eckerle   22   2011
   Brandon Eckerle   22   2010
INDIVIDUAL CAREER STOLEN BASES
1.   Anthony Cheky   79   2012-15
2.   Jeff Holm   63   2008-11
3.   Brandon Eckerle   61   2008-11
4.   Bryce Kelley   52   2017-pres.
5.   Brandon Hughes   50   2015-17
6.   Steve Money   46   1991-94
   Steve Preston   46   1986-88
8.   Cam Gibson   45   2013-15
9.   Danny Gleaves   34   2017-pres.
10.   Jimmy Pickens   30   2012-15
   Joe Gavel   30   1968-69
--   Dan Chmielewski   25   2016-pres.
Solo ShotsÂ
Of the Spartans' 11 home runs so far this season, seven have been solo shots ... Michigan State hit three home runs in the opening weekend at New Orleans and all three were solo homers ... Senior infielder Royce Ando got things started with his home run in the second inning of the opener, in his smashing return to action after missing most of last season with an injury, belting a HR in his first at bat of 2019 ... Freshman outfielder Zaid Walker smacked the first home run of Spartan career with a solo shot off the scoreboard in left field in the second inning of the game on Feb. 17 ... Sophomore catcher Adam Proctor blasted a solo round-tripper in the ninth inning of that same game on Feb. 17 that concluded the scoring for the Spartans ... Proctor added a solo homer in the second inning against Western Carolina on March 9, while sophomore infielder Zach Iverson hit his first home run as a Spartan with a solo shot to lead off the fourth inning vs. Appalachian State on March 10 ... Bechina struck again with a solo shot in the sixth inning vs. UConn at March 16 ... Proctor added a leadoff solo shot in the third inning of Friday's game one at Nebraska on March 22.
Bechina Blasts
After their first three home runs of the season were solo shots, the Spartans' next two home runs were of the two-run variety, and both by senior infielder Marty Bechina, with a two-run shot in the eighth inning at No. 19 Coastal Carolina on Feb. 22 and a two-run shot in the first inning at No. 24 Arizona State on March 2 ... Bechina now leads MSU with two run runs ... For his career, Bechina has now blasted four two-run home runs as part of 18 total career round-trippers, with 13 solo shots.
Casey At The Bat
Freshman outfielder Casey Mayes mashed his first home run as a Spartan with a two-run pinch hit blast in the eighth inning of Sunday's game at Nebraska.
Second Inning SlamsÂ
A total of three of MSU's 11 home runs have come in the second inning, the only frame with more than one Michigan State home run ... Of the three home runs that the Spartans hit in New Orleans, two of them were in the second inning, as senior infielder Royce Ando had a smashing return to action with a solo shot in the season-opener, in his first game back after missing all but 13 games of last season ... Freshman outfielder Zaid Walker cracked his first home run as a Spartan on Feb. 17 in the second inning ... Sophomore catcher Adam Proctor hit a solo home run in the second inning vs. Western Carolina on March 9 ... Last season, MSU had three home runs in the second inning, tied for the most in a single inning, as the Spartans only had 20 round-trippers last season, spreading them out with three in five different innings: 1st, 2nd, 6th, 7th & 8th.
Big Inning Boosts Spartans To Win At Arizona
In the Spartans' 9-5 win at Arizona on March 5, MSU overcame an early 4-0 deficit after two innings, getting on the board with one run in the sixth on a sacrifice fly by senior infielder Marty Bechina, before hanging eight on the board in the seventh. Michigan State plated eight runs in sending 13 batters to the plate with five hits and capitalizing on four Arizona errors, leaving two runners on base.
The eight-run inning was the first big inning of four or more runs this season, and the most runs scored in a frame since April 7 of last season vs. Nebraska in a nine-run inning, also the seventh frame and also sending 13 batters to the plate, winning 17-5.
Back From '18
The Spartans return eight position players and three returning starting pitchers from last season, as MSU led the country in percentage of 1-2 run games (57.8 percent), finishing 20-32 overall and 11-12 in Big Ten play, good for eighth in the league. Michigan State made its fourth appearance in the last five seasons in the Big Ten Tournament and its seventh in the 10 years under head coach Jake Boss Jr. MSU won four of its last seven B1G games of the regular-season to claim the No. 8 seed. The Spartans also had a stretch of winning seven-straight conference contests for the first time since 2009, including sweeping back-to-back B1G series for the first time since 2011.
Big Returning Numbers In The Field
Michigan State returns eight position players, as part of a total of 11 players who have starting experience from 2018 ... Those 11 players combine for 76.9 percent (360 of 468 possible starts), including seven with over 30 starts ... Junior outfielder Bryce Kelley leads the way with 49 starts last season, followed by junior infielder/outfielder Justin Antoncic (48 start), senior infielder Marty Bechina (47), sophomore infielder Zach Iverson (42), sophomore infielder Ryan King (37), senior outfielder Dan Chmielewski (32) and junior outfielder Danny Gleaves (31).
Numbers Returning On The Mound
MSU returns three pitchers with regular starting experience, as part of five total pitchers who started at least one game last season ... Sophomore Mason Erla tops the staff with 15 starts, followed by junior Mike Mokma with seven, junior Sam Benschoter (2), sophomore Jesse Heikkinen (2) and junior Mitchell Tyranski (1).
Scarce In the Senior Department
MSU has only five seniors on its 2019 roster: infielder Marty Bechina, infielder Royce Ando, outfielder Dan Chmielewski, catcher Nic Lacayo and pitcher Evan Flohr. The Spartans' five seniors is currently tied for the second-fewest in the country {research by Western Kentucky SID Bryan Fyalkowski):
Tennessee: 2
Michigan State: 5
Norfolk State: 5 (1 redshirting)
Presbyterian: 5
Stetson: 5
West Virginia: 5 (1 redshirting)
Navy: 6
Western Kentucky: 6Â
Let There Be Lights
Thanks in large part to an anonymous contribution of near $1.4 million from a Spartan alum, Michigan State University announced that lights will be installed at McLane Stadium at Kobs Field, the home of MSU baseball and Secchia Stadium, the home of MSU softball, in preparation for the upcoming 2019 season.
The LED lights will be identical to the lighting system currently at Spartan Stadium, home of Spartan football, and DeMartin Stadium, home of Spartan men and women's soccer, as well the Breslin Center, home of MSU men and women's basketball, Munn Ice Arena, home of Spartan hockey, and the Duffy Daugherty Indoor Practice Facility, utilized by MSU football and a majority of MSU athletics teams. Michigan State will be the first baseball and softball teams in the Big Ten Conference with this type of lighting system by Musco Lighting.
MSU baseball will host nine games starting at 5 p.m. or later in 2019.
Spartan Baseball To Have Four Games Televised On Big Ten Network
Michigan State baseball will have four games nationally televised on Big Ten Network this season, announced by the Big Ten Conference office and the network on Friday, March 1.
The Spartans will have three home games and one away game televised on BTN. All other home MSU baseball games and select away conference games will be digitally streamed on BTN Plus.
Michigan State's home games against Michigan (March 29 and 31) and one home game against Northwestern (April 28), along with the midweek non-conference game at Michigan (May 7) will be on BTN. The network will also televise the complete Big Ten Tournament from TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Neb. May 22-26. Â
Michigan State Baseball on Big Ten Network
Friday, March 29 - vs. Michigan - 1 p.m. ET *Note time change from 3 p.m.*
Sunday, March 31 - vs. Michigan - 4 p.m. ETÂ
Sunday, April 28 - vs. Northwestern - 2 p.m. ETÂ
Tuesday, May 7 - at Michigan (non-conference) - 6 p.m. ET
Head Coach Jake Boss Jr. Earns 300th Victory For MSU
MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr. earned his 300th victory at the helm of the Spartans with MSU's 6-0 blanking of Rutgers on March 30. In 2017, Boss won his 300th career game as a collegiate head coach. In his 11th season as the MSU head coach, Boss now has a 317-253 (.556) record. He coached his 500th game leading the Spartans in the 2018 opening weekend at Fresno State. Boss is also in his 12th overall season as a collegiate head coach and has a 342-287 (.544) ledger, coaching his 600th career game at Minnesota in 2018. Â
Boss is the fourth head coach in the Spartans' history to reach the 300-win plateau, and reached 300 wins the fastest of the previous coaches, as Boss accomplished the milestone in his 10th season at the helm.
Name   Years   Wins
John H. Kobs   1935-63   576
Daniel W. Litwhiler   1964-82   489
Thomas W. Smith   1983-95   377
Jake Boss Jr.   2009-pres.   317
Three Spartan Baseball Players Earn Big Ten Preseason Accolades
Michigan State baseball had three players on the Big Ten Conference Preseason Honors list, as the league announced its preseason honors list and preseason poll on Wednesday, Feb. 13.
The league's coaches voted on the top six teams and also selected three student-athletes from their own squads to a Preseason Honors list.
MSU Preseason honorees included senior infielder Marty Bechina, junior pitcher Indigo Diaz and redshirt-sophomore pitcher Mason Erla.
Bechina, a native of Chicago, Ill., played in 49 games last season, making 47 starts, after recovering from a broken leg in the fall. He led the Spartans with nine doubles and shared the team lead with six home runs on the way to hitting .247 with 25 hits, adding one triple for a total of 16 extra-base hits, which also led the team. Bechina was also third on the team with 23 RBI, as well as leading MSU with a .418 slugging percentage and was third on the team with a .340 on-base percentage. He registered a season-long five game hitting streak (May 5-12), as well as nine multi-hit outings including three games with a career-best tying three hits, two coming in Big Ten action, vs. Nebraska (April 7) and vs. Ohio State (May 17), along with at Western Michigan (April 18). Bechina also posted six multi-RBI games, boosted by career-high tying four RBI vs. Nebraska (April 7).
Diaz, a native of Vancouver, B.C., Canada, is in his first year as a Spartan, coming to MSU from Iowa Western Community College. He earned honorable mention NJCAA All-American honors as a sophomore after logging an 11-1 record in 12 starts as part of 16 appearances as a sophomore, with a paltry 1.52 ERA and firing 101 strikeouts (13.98 K/9) in 65.0 IP while yielding just 20 walks. Diaz also earned Northern All-District accolades. He helped the Reivers to a 54-7 record, winning 36 consecutive games and the fourth-highest victory total in program history, advancing to the JUCO World Series as the Northern District D1 Region XI champions. He was also selected to play on the United States NJCAA National team in the National Baseball Congress (NBC) World Series.Â
Erla, a Cass City, Mich., native, was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team last season. He ranked second in the B1G in opposing batting average at .216; tied for seventh in games started with 15; tied for 14th in innings pitched with 79.2; and tied for 15th in strikeouts looking with 18. He led MSU and ranked tied for 10th in the B1G with six wins. Erla was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week (March 12) following his performance vs. Illinois (March 10) in Greenville, striking out five while stymieing Illinois with just one hit allowed in 6.1 IP. He was also named 10 Innings Big Ten Freshman of the Week (Feb. 26) for his 5.0 IP, four K, 2 H, 0 BB at Pepperdine (Feb. 25) in earning his first collegiate win. Erla ranked 16th in the B1G in strikeouts with 63 punchouts and was also just outside the top 15 in the conference with a 3.73 ERA. He started and went 6.0+ IP in both of MSU's shutouts last season, first going 5.0 IP with four strikeouts, two hits and no walks in MSU's 1-0 win at Pepperdine (Feb. 25), as well as 7.0 IP with six Ks and three walks in 6-0 win vs. Rutgers (April 1).Â
Mother Nature For The Win
Michigan State battled Mother Nature as much as any other opponent last season, as the Spartans had four games cancelled due to inclement weather, as well as numerous other games rescheduled due to weather. The Spartans had two games scheduled with Eastern Michigan cancelled, including April 4 at East Lansing and April 24 at Comerica Park, home of the Detroit Tigers, as well as one game against Nebraska on April 6 cancelled and one game versus Valparaiso on April 14 cancelled.Â
MSU also rescheduled single-day games to playing doubleheaders vs. Rutgers (April 30), Valparaiso (April 13) and Penn State (May 5), as well as pushing back the start time of the game vs. Nebraska on April 7 and at Michigan on March 25 due to weather.
Swiping Duo Of 20/20Â
Last season, the outfielder duo of Bryce Kelley and Danny Gleaves bid for the modern Hugh Downs and Barbara Walters role, being part of the 20/20 club, as the Spartan duo were not just the only pair in the Big Ten with 20 or more stolen bases, but they were just part of six sets of two or more players in the country with 20+ stolen bases:
Fordham - Jake MacKenzie (34), Billy Godrick (27), Alvin Melendez (26) and Jake Baker (21)
Louisville - Josh Stowers (36), Jake Snider (24) and Tyler Fitzgerald (23)
Michigan State - Bryce Kelley (33) and Danny Gleaves (25)
Southern Illinois - Connor Kopach (33), Alex Lyon (29) and Nikola Vasic (21)
George Washington - Isaiah Pasteur (31) and Robbie Metz (24)
Norfolk State - Justin Hayes (28) and Tony Leite (24)
Swiping Way Into Record Books
Boosted by Bryce Kelley and Danny Gleaves' swipes last season, Michigan Stats amassed 100 stolen bases as a team, setting a new MSU team single-season stolen base record, breaking the record held by 2005 squad with 98 stolen bases ... MSU led the B1G and ranked 14th in the NCAA with the 100 swipes.Â
TEAM STOLEN BASES
   1.   2018   100
   2.   2005   98
   3.   2017   96
   4.   2014   88
   5.   2010   86
      1978   86
   7.   1988   80
   8.   2006   78
      1969   78
   10.   2011   77
Ringing Up The Team Strikeouts
The Spartan pitching staff ended the 2018 season with 407 strikeouts, becoming the fourth-straight squad to reach the 400 K plateau. The 2015 staff had 409, while ringing up 420 strikeouts last season and the 2016 squad has the top mark with 466 Ks.
TEAM STRIKEOUTS
   1.   2016   466
   2.   2017   420
   3.   2015   409
4.   2018   407
   5.   2002    390
   6.   2012   389
   7.   1998   380
   8.   2004   378
9.   2014   355
10.   2010   335
Nail-BitersÂ
For the second time in as many seasons, Spartan fans may have paid for their entire seat, but they have only needed the edge of them, as 30 of MSU's 52 games in the 2018 season were 1-or 2-run games, with the Spartans posting a 6-10 mark in the 16 1-run contests, as well as 14 other 2-run games, which MSU was 6-8.Â
The Spartans' 30 games decided by two runs or less out of 52 games was not only the most in the B1G but is tied for the second-most in the country by number, while leading the country by percentage (57.8 pct.) (according to combined research collection by Zach Fisher of Michigan State and Chris Rash of Elon), tying Elon for the most and just behind Gonzaga's 31.
The 16 decided by 1-run was 12th-most in the country by number and percentage, with William & Mary having the most 1-run games in the country with 23. MSU's B1G opponent from the first weekend in May, Penn State, had 18 1-run games, while last season's opening opponent, Fresno State, was in 17 1-run games. Michigan State played Fresno State in the opening weekend of the season and three of the four games of the weekend series were 1-run games. The Spartans also edged Arizona, 3-2, on March 4.
In 2017, Michigan State was involved in a total of 17 1-run games, as well as three 2-run games. MSU was 5-12 in 1-run games and 3-0 in 2-run contests.
1-Run Games
William & Mary   23 of 54 games (42.6%)  Â
Elon   21 of 59 games (35.6%)  Â
Virginia   20 of 54 games (37.0%)  Â
Cincinnati   20 of 56 games (35.7%)  Â
Saint Mary's (Ca.)Â Â Â 19 of 54 games (35.2%)Â Â Â
Fordham   19 of 55 games (34.5%)  Â
Gonzaga   19 of 57 games (33.3%)$  Â
UNCWÂ Â Â 19 of 62 games (30.6%)$Â Â Â
Penn State   18 of 49 games (36.7%)  Â
Arizona   18 of 56 games (32.1%)  Â
Fresno State   17 of 54 games (31.5%)  Â
Santa Clara   16 of 52 games (30.8%)  Â
Michigan State   16 of 52 games (30.8%)  Â
Virginia Tech   16 of 54 games (29.6%)  Â
UMass Lowell   16 of 54 games (29.6%)  Â
Arizona State   15 of 55 games (27.3%)  Â
Loyola Marymount   15 of 55 games (27.3%)  Â
Cal Poly   15 of 57 games (26.3%)  Â
Stetson   13 of 61 games (21.3%)$$  Â
Coastal Carolina   13 of 62 games (21.0%)$  Â
$$ = NCAA Super Regional TeamÂ
$ = NCAA Regional Team
Games Decided by 1-2 Runs
Gonzaga   31 of 57 games (54.4%)$  Â
Michigan State   30 of 52 games (57.8%)  Â
Elon   30 of 59 games (50.8%)  Â
Cincinnati   29 of 56 games (51.8%)  Â
Fordham   29 of 55 games (52.7%)  Â
UNCWÂ Â Â 28 of 62 games (45.2%)$Â Â Â
Santa Clara   27 of 52 games (51.9%)  Â
Saint Mary's (Ca.)Â Â Â 27 of 54 games (50.0%)Â Â Â
William & Mary   26 of 54 games (46.6%)  Â
Virginia   25 of 54 games (46.3%)  Â
Cal Poly   25 of 57 games (43.9%)  Â
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Jake Boss | Baseball Press Conference | Mar. 25 2025
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Tuesday, March 11