Tuesday, April 2
Comerica Park - Detroit, Mich.
6:05 PM ET
Michigan State University
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Western Michigan
MSU Faces WMU Tuesday In Clash At Comerica, Hosts CMU Wednesday At Home
4/1/2019 6:32:00 PM | Baseball
Spartans will open first five-game week of season and continue five-game stretch against in-state opposition.
| MICHIGAN STATE (4-20, 0-5 B1G) vs WESTERN MICHIGAN (7-17, 1-3 MAC)Â 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 | Comerica Park || Detroit, Mich. |
| Weather | Tue - Hi/Low: 53°/37° |
| Game Notes | Michigan State | Western Michigan |
| Social Media |   @statebaseball |    MichiganStateBaseball |    @statebaseballgogreen  |
| Game 1Â Â | Tuesday, April 2 - 6:05 p.m. ETÂ |
| Probable Pitching Matchup | MSU: #12 LHP Jarret Olson (JR) (0-3, 6.55 ERA) vs. WMU: #23 LHP Chris Modrzynski (SR) (3-1, 4.15 ERA) |
| Coverage | Live Stats | Listen Live |
| MICHIGAN STATE (4-20, 0-5 B1G) vs CENTRAL MICHIGAN (19-7, 5-1 MAC)Â 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. |
| Weather | Wed - Hi/Low: 55°/31° |
| Game Notes | Michigan State | Central Michigan |
| Social Media |  @statebaseball |   MichiganStateBaseball |   @statebaseballgogreen  |
| Game 1Â Â | Wednesday, April 3 - 4:05 p.m. ETÂ |
| Probable Pitching Matchup | MSU: TBA vs. CMU: #17 RHP Pat Leatherman (SR) (4-0, 2.37 ERA) |
| Coverage | Live Stats | Listen Live | Watch Live |
• Michigan State baseball will open its first five-game week of the 2019 season and continue its five-game stretch against in-state foes when the Spartans take on Western Michigan on Tuesday, April 2 at Comerica Park in Detroit, home of the Detroit Tigers in the Spartans' annual Clash at Comerica ... First pitch is slated for 6:05 p.m. ... Tuesday is Michigan State's 10th game played at Comerica and the second against WMU, winning, 7-6, in 2016 in a walk-off victory ... MSU then returns home to host Central Michigan on Wednesday, April 3 at McLane Stadium at Kobs Field in a 4:05 p.m. first pitch ... Wednesday's game against CMU is the make-up game from MSU's originally scheduled home opener on March 20 ... Note: any schedule updates will be posted on MSUSpartans.com and on twitter @statebaseball.
• Tuesday is the Spartans' 10th game at Comerica Park, home of the Detroit Tigers. Michigan State is 7-2 all-time at Comerica.
• Fans can follow this week's MSU action through "Live Stats," "Listen Live" and "Watch Live" links found at MSUSpartans.com ... Tuesday's game at Comerica will not have any video stream available, but Wednesday's home game will 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.
• Michigan State has 19 players on its 2019 roster from the state of Michigan, while Western Michigan has 21 players who are natives of the Great Lakes State ... There are five players involved in Tuesday's game from the same hometown.
• Tuesday's match-up with Western Michigan at Comerica Park and Wednesday's home game against Central Michigan wraps up Michigan State's stretch of five-straight games against in-state foes ... The Spartans and Broncos are battling for the second time in a week after playing last Wednesday, March 27, at McLane Stadium at Kobs Field, in a 3-2 victory for MSU ... Michigan State and Central Michigan are facing each other for the first time this season after the Spartans and Chippewas were supposed to play on March 20 in MSU's home opener, but it was postponed due to inclement weather.
• Current MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr., WMU head coach Billy Gernon and MSU assistant coach/pitching coach Mark Van Ameyde were together on the Spartans' staff from 2009-10, before Gernon left to become head coach at WMU.
• In the last seven games, the Spartan bullpen has 31 Ks (4.4 pg) in 26.2 IP, averaging 10.46 K/9 innings over that span ... The MSU relievers have combined to not allow a run in three of those outings, while only yielding one run in two other games.
• After Tuesday and Wednesday's games against WMU and CMU, respectively, the Spartans will host Indiana State in a non-conference weekend series, Friday-Sunday, April 5-7, with Friday night's game slated for a 6:35 p.m. first pitch and will the inaugural night game played at McLane Stadium at Kobs Field, playing under the newly installed lights.
• Michigan State has a No. 22 strength of schedule ranking, sitting second in the Big Ten behind Minnesota at No. 16 ... 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), who are ranked No. 1 and 2, respectively, in this week's Collegiate Baseball rankings.
Five Great Lakes State Battles
Tuesday's match-up with Western Michigan at Comerica Park is the fourth of five-straight games against in-state foes for Michigan State. The stretch opened against these same Broncos of WMU last Wednesday, March 27 in MSU's home opener. The Spartans then took on Michigan on Friday in East Lansing and Saturday in Ann Arbor, before Sunday's game was postponed due to cold temperatures. After battling the Broncos at Comerica on Tuesday, Michigan State wraps up the five-game in-state foe stretch on Wednesday, April 3 vs. Central Michigan at home in the make-up game from MSU's originally scheduled home opener on March 20, that was postponed due to inclement weather.
Home Staters
Michigan State has 19 players on its 2019 roster from the state of Michigan, while Western Michigan has 21 players who are natives of the Great Lakes State.
There are five players involved in Tuesday's game from the same hometown. The first set are natives of Holland, Michigan and Holland Christian High School alums in MSU junior pitcher Mike Mokma and WMU sophomore pitcher Jack Huisman.
The second set are Portage, Michigan, natives with MSU sophomore infielder Joe Stewart and WMU sophomore infielder Justin McIntyre both being alums of Portage Central HS, while WMU senior infielder Andrew Stone is a Portage native, but went to Portage Northern HS.
Homewood Flossmoor Duo
Along with the state of Michigan natives connections, there's a pair of Chicago-area connections, as MSU freshman outfielder Zaid Walker and WMU senior catcher Jesse Forestell are both products of Homewood Flossmoor High School. Walker is a native of Homewood, Ill., while Forestell is a native of Chicago.
Coaching Connections
Current MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr., WMU head coach Billy Gernon and MSU assistant coach/pitching coach Mark Van Ameyde were together on the Spartans' staff from 2009-10, before Gernon left to become head coach at WMU.
Spartans At Comerica
Tuesday is the Spartans' 10th game at Comerica Park, home of the Detroit Tigers. Michigan State is 7-2 all-time at Comerica:
April 24, 2018 - MSU vs. EMU (game cancelled due to inclement weather)
May 9, 2017 - MSU 7, WMU 6
May 11, 2016 - MSU 3, EMU 2
April 13, 2016 - MSU 7, CMU 3 (14 inn.)
April 15, 2015 - CMU 8, MSU 7
April 14, 2015 - MSU 4, UM 2
May 13, 2014 - CMU 7, MSU 4
April 17, 2013 - MSU 5, CMU 4 (game was suspended in the fifth inning and resumed May 14 at CMU)
May 15, 2012 - MSU 5, CMU 2
April 20, 2011 - MSU 3, CMU 1
Michigan State vs. Western Michigan Series Breakdown
Overall: 84-94 / Home: 41-44 / Away: 36-45 / Neutral: 7-5 / Series Streak: MSU W2, MSU W11-of-13
First Met: May 13, 1910 - East Lansing, Mich. - MSU W, 12-7
Last Met: March 27, 2019 - East Lansing, Mich. - MSU W, 3-2
Last Met at Comerica: May 9, 2017 - Detroit, Mich. - MSU W, 7-6
Series Notes: The Spartans and Broncos are meeting for the second of two times this season and both in the span of a week after meeting last Wednesday in a 3-2 victory for MSU in East Lansing ... Overall, it is the 179th all-time meeting ... WMU leads the all-time series, 94-83, but MSU is 14-6 vs. WMU under head coach Jake Boss Jr., including 11-4 in match-ups between Boss and former Spartan assistant and current WMU head coach Billy Gernon.
Son Of A Chippewa
MSU junior outfielder Bryce Kelley's mother, Jody Beerman Kelley, played basketball at Central Michigan and is one of the top women's basketball players in CMU history, leading the Chippewas to an 81-35 record with two Mid-American Conference championships and two second-place finishes during her four-year career at CMU (1984-87).
Beerman Kelley earned Honorable Mention Freshman All-American accolades in 1984 and twice made the MAC All-Tournament team. She ended her career setting the school scoring record with 1,527 and currently ranks No. 8 on the CMU career scoring list. Beerman Kelley still holds the CMU record for career free throws made (491) and free throw percentage (.851), as well as now No. 3 in career assists (445), No. 3 in career scoring average (13.4 ppg), No. 4 in field goal percentage (.519), No. 6 in steals (196) and No. 8 in free throws made (514). She also still holds the single-season records for scoring average (20.8 ppg in 1986-87), free throws made (174 in 1986-87) and field goal percentage (.591 in 1985-86). In the 1985-86 season, Beerman Kelley led the nation in free throw percentage at .905 and also and set an NCAA mark for consecutive free throws with 57. Beerman Kelley also earned several academic honors, being tabbed a first team GTE-CoSIDA Academic All-American in 1987 and an honorable mention selection in 1986. She also collected first team Academic all-MAC three times and first team all-MAC as a player once and second team once. Beerman Kelley was inducted into the Central Michigan Athletic Hall of Fame in 1997 and was also on a Wheaties box. Beerman Kelley's assists record was broken by current MSU women's basketball head coach Suzy Merchant, who played at CMU from 1988-91 and had 463 assists, before getting bumped to No. 3 this season as Presley Hudson passed Merchant's mark.
Bryce Kelley set MSU's single-season stolen base record last season with 33 stolen bases and is currently No. 4 on the Spartans' career stolen base record with 52 swipes, needing 27 more to tie for the career record and join his mother as a career record holder.
Michigan State vs. Central Michigan Series Breakdown
All-Time Series: CMU leads 69-62 / Home: 36-30 / Away: 23-32 / Neutral: 3-7 / Streak: CMU W2
First Met: June 3, 1911 - East Lansing, Mich. - MSU W, 5-0
Last Meeting: May 15, 2018 - Mount Pleasant, Mich. - CMU W, 13-2
Last Meeting In East Lansing: March 21, 2018 - East Lansing, Mich. - CMU W, 3-1
Last Meeting In Mount Pleasant: May 16, 2017 - Mount Pleasant, Mich. - MSU W, 7-0
Series Notes: Wednesday's match-up between MSU and CMU is the 132nd all-time meeting between the Spartans and Chippewas, with CMU owning a 69-62 advantage in the all-time series ... While the Chips have won the last two meetings, the Spartans have won five of the last eight meetings as part of winning 14 of the last 21 meetings dating back to 2011 ... Central Michigan captured both of last season's meetings, 3-1, on March 21 in East Lansing and 11-2 on May 15 in Mount Pleasant ... In 2017, the Spartans posted a 2-0 mark against the Chippewas, winning 11-2 in the 2017 home opener on March 21, and 7-0 at Mt. Pleasant on May 16 ... Since head coach Jake Boss took over in 2009, MSU owns a 17-11 record against CMU.
Weather With The Win
MSU has now had five games so far either postponed or cancelled, as well as adjusting the start time on several others.
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.
Five Great Lakes State Battles
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.
MSU To Make-Up Central Michigan Game On April 3
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 Warriors
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 had played 21 games away from home before Wednesday's home opener vs. Western Michigan ... Ironically, WMU leads the nation currently with 31 games away from home until their first home game on April 12, as the Broncos also had their original home game on March 12 postponed due to weather ... 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
Quick Look At Western Michigan
The Broncos are 7-17 overall and 1-3 in MAC action after getting one of a three-game series with Toledo in, winning 6-3 on Friday, before Saturday and Sunday's games were cancelled due to snow and ice in the Toledo area. WMU's win over Toledo on Friday snapped a seven-game losing skein for the Broncos.
Western Michigan brings a team batting average of .296 into Tuesday's game, which ranks No. 25 in the NCAA. The Broncos have 22 HR so far, which tops the MAC and matches last season's total. Sophomore outfielder Blake Dunn is second in the MAC and 44th in the NCAA in average, hitting .394 and has a 24-game reached base streak.
On the mound, the WMU pitching staff has a 6.79 team ERA, yielding a .321 batting average to the opposition. Tuesday's starter is senior southpaw Chris Modrzynski, who has a 3-1 record and 4.15 ERA in eight appearances with six starts. Modrzynski has 23 Ks and 10 BB in 34.2 IP, with an opposition batting average of .286. Junior right-handed reliever Will Mullen has a team-high 13 appearances with a 5.40 ERA and a 1-3 record, with 12 strikeouts and nine walks in 21.2 IP with a .275 opponent average, and owns one of WMU's three saves.
Former MSU assistant coach (2009-10) Billy Gernon is in his ninth season at the reins of the Broncos, logging a 236-326 record.
Quick Look At Central Michigan
The Chippewas are 19-7 overall and 5-1 in MAC action entering a game Tuesday at Notre Dame before playing the Spartans on Wednesday. CMU takes a five-game win streak into Tuesday's game after sweeping a weekend series against Northern Illinois, winning Friday's doubleheader, 6-4 and 5-2, before completing the sweep with a 14-10 victory on Saturday.
CMU has a .309 team batting average, which tops the MAC and ranks 11th in the NCAA. The Chips are also seventh in the country with 2.4 doubles per game and seventh in the nation in scoring (8.5 runs per game) and eighth in on-base percentage (.419). Junior outfielder Zach Giles leads CMU with a .392 average, with 13 RBI and also tops the team with 13 stolen bases.
On the mound, Wednesday's probable starter is senior right-hander Pat Leatherman, who has 4-0 record with a 2.37 ERA in seven starts. In 38.0 IP, Leatherman has 37 Ks and 12 BB, while the opposition is hitting .212 against him. Sophomore righty reliever Cameron Miller has a team-best three saves with a 0.93 ERA and a 1-2 record, with 15 strikeouts without any walks in 19.1 IP and a .225 batting average by the opponent.
CMU head coach Jordan Bischel is in his first season at CMU with a 19-7 record so far. This is Bischel's fifth season as a collegiate head coach, posting a 156-83 overall record, coaching at Northwood University for four seasons before coming to CMU, leading them to the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament championships in 2017 and 2018.
About Michigan State
The Spartans are 4-20 on the season and have opened Big Ten action 0-5 with three losses at Nebraska, 4-1, 5-2 and 6-2, before winning their 2019 home opener on March 27, 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. Michigan State then lost two of the three games played in the home-away-home series against Michigan, losing in East Lansing on Friday and in Ann Arbor on Saturday, before Sunday's series finale in East Lansing was postponed due to cold temperatures.
Junior outfielder Bryce Kelley leads the Spartans with a .298 average with a team-leading six stolen bases. Senior infielder Marty Bechina is hitting .275 and tops the team with 15 RBI. Fellow senior infielder Royce Ando adds a .267 average with nine RBI and three doubles. Sophomore catcher Adam Proctor has belted four home runs, while Bechina has three round-trippers.
On the mound, junior lefty Jarret Olson is slated to get the nod as the probable starter. Olson is now a starter after coming out of the pen earlier this season, and 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 18.0 IP. Junior righty Caleb Sleeman has the Spartans' other save this season, with 15 Ks in 18.1 IP. Senior southpaw Evan Flohr has 17 strikeouts in 17.1 IP, earning his first win for the Green & White last week against Western Michigan. Flohr tops the pitching staff with 12 appearances, while Sleeman has appeared in 11 games.
Bull-ish Pen
MSU's bullpen had a standout outing in last 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 seven games, the Spartan bullpen has 31 Ks (4.4 pg) in 26.2 IP, averaging 10.46 K/9 innings over that span. The MSU relievers have combined to not allow a run in three of those outings, while only yielding one run in two other games.
High SOS For Spartans
After a top 5 strength of schedule in Division I college baseball a couple weeks ago, according to warrennolan.com, Michigan State enters this week with a No. 22 SOS (as of 4/1), including No. 2 in the B1G, behind Minnesota at No. 16 ... The Spartan opposition is a combined 346-215 with a winning percentage of .6163 and a .5796 SOS.
Rank   Team   SOS   Opp Record   Opp Win Pct.
1   Oregon State   0.6227   361 - 198   0.6458
2   Xavier   0.6202   442 - 208   0.68
3   Missouri State   0.6158   414 - 209   0.6645
4   Vanderbilt   0.6122   451 - 238   0.6532
5   Texas Tech   0.6011   392 - 230   0.6302
6Â Â Â UCFÂ Â Â 0.6008Â Â Â 430 - 230Â Â Â 0.6515
7Â Â Â USCÂ Â Â 0.5996Â Â Â 374 - 214Â Â Â 0.6354
8   Texas   0.5976   438 - 289   0.6025
9Â Â Â UCLAÂ Â Â 0.5975Â Â Â 355 - 224Â Â Â 0.6125
10   Oregon   0.5964   372 - 220   0.6282
11Â Â Â LSUÂ Â Â 0.5953Â Â Â 443 - 264Â Â Â 0.6266
12   Gonzaga   0.5938   350 - 213   0.6208
13   Tennessee   0.5937   436 - 264   0.6227
14   Florida   0.5904   465 - 275   0.6284
15   Pepperdine   0.5841   341 - 217   0.6111
16Â Â Â Minnesota*Â Â Â 0.5834Â Â Â 331 - 212Â Â Â 0.6092
17   Oklahoma State   0.5831   381 - 246   0.6077
18   West Virginia   0.583   396 - 255   0.6078
19   Virginia Tech   0.5814   427 - 252   0.6285
20   Arkansas   0.5807   399 - 268   0.5976
21   Cal State Fullerton   0.5802   351 - 237   0.5969
22   Michigan State   0.5796   346 - 215   0.6163
23   Georgia Tech   0.5787   397 - 270   0.5951
24   Notre Dame   0.577   378 - 244   0.6074
25   Auburn   0.575   420 - 291   0.5907
As of 4/1/19
* = Big Ten Conference
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 in Greenville on 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.
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.
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 Shots
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 Slams
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: 6
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. ET
Sunday, April 28 - vs. Northwestern - 2 p.m. ET
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.
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).
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.
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 20/20
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.
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-Biters
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.
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 Team
$ = 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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Tuesday, March 11