Tuesday, April 23
East Lansing, Mich.
6:35 PM ET
Michigan State University
vs
Oakland
Photo by: Jim Pivarnik - MSU
MSU Opens Five-Game Week Hosting Oakland Tuesday And Toledo Wednesday
4/22/2019 6:50:00 PM | Baseball
Spartans continue nine-game homestand.
| MICHIGAN STATE (10-27, 1-10 B1G) vs. OAKLAND (10-26, 8-10 HORIZON)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 | Tue - Hi/Low: 59° / 36° |
| Game Notes | Michigan State | Oakland |
| Social Media |   @statebaseball |    MichiganStateBaseball |    @statebaseballgogreen  |
| Game 1Â Â | Tuesday, April 23 - 6:35 p.m. ETÂ |
| Probable Pitching Matchup | MSU: #29 RHP Colton Panaranto (FR) (1-0, 6.11 ERA) vs. OU: TBA (0-0, 0.00 ERA) |
| Coverage | Live Stats | Listen Live | Watch Live |
| MICHIGAN STATEÂ (10-27, 1-10 B1G) vs TOLEDO (14-23, 3-10 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 |Â Â TICKETS | |
| Location | McLane Stadium at Kobs Field || East Lansing, Mich. |
| Weather | Wed - Hi/Low: 65° / 44° |
| Game Notes | Michigan State | Toledo |
| Social Media |  @statebaseball |   MichiganStateBaseball |   @statebaseballgogreen  |
| Game 1Â Â | Wednesday, April 24 - 6:35 p.m. ET |
| Probable Pitching Matchup | MSU: #38 RHP Caleb Sleeman (JR) (2-3, 4.58 ERA vs. UT: TBA (0-0, 0.00 ERA) |
| Coverage | Live Stats | Listen Live | Watch Live |
Leading Off...
• Michigan State continues its nine-game homestand over two weeks with a five-game week, opening by hosting Oakland on Tuesday, April 23 vs. Oakland and Toledo on Wednesday, April 24 ... Both games are slated for first pitch at 6:35 p.m. under the lights at McLane Stadium at Kobs Field ... Note: any schedule updates will be posted on MSUSpartans.com and on twitter @statebaseball.
• MSU is facing Oakland for the first time since 2016, while playing Toledo for the eighth-straight season ... The Spartans lead the all-time series with the Golden Grizzlies, 34-4, after Oakland won the last meeting in 2016, snapping MSU's 10-game win streak in the series ... MSU holds a 17-3 series advantage vs. Toledo, winning the last 10 match-ups.
• Fans can follow this weekend's MSU action through "Live Stats," "Listen Live" and "Watch Live" links found at MSUSpartans.com ... The games 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.
• Tuesday's game against Oakland marks MSU's fifth-different in-state foe and will the Spartans' seventh game against fellow Great Lakes State opponents, having played Western Michigan twice, Michigan twice, Central Michigan once and Eastern Michigan once ... MSU is 3-3 against in-state opposition so far ... After Tuesday's game vs. Oakland, MSU also has an upcoming non-conference game vs. Michigan on May 7 and at Central Michigan on May 14.
• Toledo is Michigan State's third opponent from Ohio, having played Ohio State and Kent State, ironically playing both in neither Michigan nor Ohio but both in South Carolina ... The Spartans played Kent State on Feb. 24 in Conway, S.C. at the Coastal Carolina, falling 12-2 ... MSU played OSU in Greenville, S.C., on March 9, winning 7-1.
• Toledo head coach Cory Mee was an assistant coach at Michigan State from 2000-03, before becoming head coach of the Rockets in 2004.
• Michigan State has 19 players on its 2019 roster from the state of Michigan, while Oakland has 12 natives of the Great Lakes State ... MSU has two players on its roster from Ohio in junior infielder Justin Antoncic, who is from Westerville, and redshirt freshman Brendan Regan, who is from Northfield ... Toledo has 20 Ohio natives on its roster, along with 12 Michigan natives.
• Tuesday and Wednesday are MSU's fourth and fifth night games this season, Michigan State's first season with lights at McLane Stadium at Kobs Field.
• Michigan State baseball celebrated the first-ever night baseball game at McLane Stadium at Kobs Field in grand fashion with a suicide squeeze bunt 1-0 walk-off win over Indiana State in 10 innings ... Senior catcher Nic Lacayo perfectly executed a suicide squeeze bunt to drive in fellow senior, infielder Royce Ando with the winning run, sparking off a jubilant celebration as the Spartans stormed the field and dogpiled on the infield, and the newly installed lights flickered in celebration ... The MSU lights project was completed in early March and Friday was the Spartans' first game played under the lights in 135 years of Michigan State baseball, and MSU made it a memorable one with the thrilling victory.
• MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr. has now been involved in all three Division I schools in the state of Michigan first night games, as he was an assistant at Eastern Michigan for their first night game in 2000 and an assistant at Michigan for their first night game in 2005, and now Friday night as head coach of Michigan State ... With the April 5 victory for MSU over Indiana State, Boss is now 3-0 in those first night games at a Michigan school.
Friday Night LightsÂ
Thanks in large part to an anonymous contribution of near $1.4 million from a Spartan alum, Michigan State University announced in January that lights were to be installed at McLane Stadium at Kobs Field and Secchia Stadium in preparation for the upcoming 2019 season. The lights project was completed in early March and the Spartans played their first game played under the lights in 135 years of MSU baseball on Friday, April 5.
The LED lights are 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 is slated to host a total of host nine games starting at 5 p.m. or later in 2019.
Home Staters
Michigan State has 19 players on its 2019 roster from the state of Michigan, while Oakland has 12 natives of the Great Lakes State ... MSU has two players on its roster from Ohio in junior infielder Justin Antoncic, who is from Westerville, and redshirt freshman Brendan Regan, who is from Northfield ... Toledo has 20 Ohio natives on its roster, along with 12 Michigan natives.
Michigan State vs. Oakland Series Breakdown
Overall: MSU 34-4 / H: 29-4 / A: 1-0 / N: 4-0 / Series Streak: OU W1; MSU W10-of-11, 26-of-28
First Met: May 18, 1977 - East Lansing, Mich. - OU W, 5-1
Last Meeting: March 29, 2016 - East Lansing, Mich. - OU W, 3-1
Series Notes: MSU and OU are meeting for the first time since 2016 ... The Golden Grizzlies won the last meeting, 3-1, on March 29, 2016, snapping the Spartans' 10-game win streak in the series ... Along with winning 10 of last 11 meetings, MSU has won 26 of the last 28 match-ups ... The Spartans have never lost back-to-back meetings with the Golden Grizzlies, as the four losses in the series have all been followed up by nine, 16 and 10-game win streaks by MSU ... The last four match-ups have been in East Lansing, where MSU is 29-4 vs. OU.Â
Last Meeting - OU 3, MSU 1 - East Lansing, Mich. - March 29, 2016
Michigan State had its four-game winning streak snapped, falling to Oakland, 3-1, at McLane Stadium. Six Oakland pitchers combined to hold the Spartans to seven hits.
Oakland broke open a scoreless game with back-to-back two-out hits in the top of the fourth inning. Ian Yetsko doubled to left field and then scored when the next batter, Connor Fannon, singled to give OU a 1-0 lead.
Oakland starting pitcher Chris Van Dyke limited the Spartans to just two hits through four innings. It wasn't until Van Dyke was lifted for Nate Schweers to start the bottom of the fifth that the Spartans were able to get on the scoreboard.
Jordan Zimmerman extended his hitting streak to 15 games with a single to start the bottom of the fifth. Two batters later, Zach McGuire brought in Zimmerman with a double to deep left-center field, tying the game, 1-1.
MSU starting pitcher Andrew Gonzalez racked up a career-high six strikeouts and scattered five hits over 5.1 innings in another solid outing. After allowing a leadoff double to Zach Sterry and then striking out Mike Brosseau, Jake Lowery replaced Gonzalez. Lowery struck out the first hitter he faced, but Yetsko followed with a single to score Sterry and give the Golden Grizzlies a 2-1 advantage.
The Spartans put a pair of runners on base with one out in the bottom of the sixth, but a rundown on a double steal and then a groundout squashed the rally.
Oakland added a run in the top of the eighth inning on a two-out RBI single by Tyler Pagano.
Schweers, who pitched the fifth inning, earned the win, while Gonzalez was charged with the loss.
Gonzalez, Lowery, Keegan Baar and Joe Mockbee combined for 12 strikeouts.Â
Quick Look At OaklandÂ
The Golden Grizzlies are 10-26 overall and 8-10 in Horizon League action. OU is coming off winning a three-game weekend series at UI-Chicago, winning Friday's opener, 2-1, and Saturday's first game of the DH, 3-2, before falling in the second game of the twinbill, 7-1.Â
Oakland has a team batting average of .238, led by senior catcher Matt Dileo at .310 with 18 RBI. Junior outfielder Drew Demumbum leads OU with 28 RBI and five HR. Dileo and Demumbrum share the team lead with eight stolen bases apiece.
On the mound, the Golden Grizzlies have a team ERA of 7.76. Oakland's probable starter for Tuesday is TBA. Senior right-hander Max Lebrato has a team-high 13 appearances with 14 Ks and 22 BB in 20.1 IP and opponents have a .412 average against him. Senior lefty Austin Sherry and freshman righty Nino Puckett have 12 appearances apiece. Sherry has a 1-3 record with a 6.33 ERA with 20 strikeouts and 11 walks in 21.2 IP, with a .222 opposition batting average. Puckett is 0-2 with a 9.15 ERA, with 15 Ks and 26 BB in 19.2 IP with a .240 batting average against.
Oakland co-head coaches Jacke Healey and Colin Kaline are in their third year leading the Golden Grizzlies, with a 42-98 record.
Common Opponents
The Spartans and Golden Grizzlies have four common opponents in Western Carolina, Eastern Michigan, Central Michigan and Toledo.
Oakland opened the season with a three-game series at Western Carolina on Feb. 15 and 16, falling in all three, 21-9, 9-8 and 12-2. The Golden Grizzlies won at Eastern Michigan, 14-8, on April 3 and at home on April 10, 10-9. Oakland lost to Central Michigan, 24-10, on April 9, and lost at Toledo, 19-8, on April 16.
Michigan State played Western Carolina on March 9 in Greenville, S.C., losing 6-4 in 10 innings. MSU beat Eastern Michigan, 5-3, on April 17, after losing to Central Michigan, 8-6, on April 3. The Spartans take on Toledo on Wednesday.
Michigan State vs. Toledo Series Breakdown
Overall: MSU 17-3 / Home: 15-1 / Away: 1-1 / Neutral: 1-1 / Series Streak: MSU W10
First Met: April 18, 1936 - East Lansing, Mich. - MSU W, 7-0
Last Met: April 25, 2018 - East Lansing, Mich. - MSU W, 5-4
Series Notes: Wednesday marks the eighth-straight season that Michigan State and Toledo have played at least once, playing twice in 2015, as the Spartans have won the last 10 meetings as part of holding a 17-3 overall advantage in the series ... MSU is 15-1 against Toledo at East Lansing, winning the last 13 in a row ... The Spartans routed the Rockets, 11-1, on April 26, 2017, and then edged them last season, 5-4, rallying from a 4-0 deficit after three innings.Â
Last Meeting - MSU 5, UT 4 - East Lansing, Mich. - April 25, 2018
Bailey Peterson's RBI triple in the eighth inning completed Michigan State's comeback from down 4-0 against Toledo as the Spartans rallied to beat the Rockets, 5-4, on April 25, 2018 for their fifth win in a row and ninth in last 11 games. Mitchell Tyranski pitched a perfect ninth inning to seal the win and pick up the save.
Toledo led 4-0 after three innings, but MSU chipped away with a run in the fifth inning, two in the sixth and one each in the seventh and eighth, capped by Peterson, a sophomore designated hitter who entered the game in the seventh as a pinch runner. Fellow sophomore, pitcher Mitchell Tyranski fired a strikeout to end the game and earn the save after a 1-2-3 inning, book-ending the inning with strikeouts around a flyout to left.
Senior designated hitter Chad Roskelly was 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored, extending his hitting streak to 14 games, while also stretching his on-base streak to 18 games.
Freshman second baseman Zach Iverson was 2-for-4 with two runs scored, while junior third baseman Marty Bechina and freshman catcher Adam Proctor were both 1-for-2, with Bechina adding a run scored. Sophomore center fielder Danny Gleaves was 1-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI, as well as swiping one base, giving him 16 stolen bases on the season. Sophomore left fielder Bryce Kelley and junior right fielder Dan Chmielewski were both 1-for-4, with an RBI apiece.
Senior pitcher Jake Lowery pitcher came on in the eighth with one out and two on, yielding a single to load the bases, but then fired a strikeout and induced a groundout to thwart the threat and end the inning. Lowery earned the win, his second in as many games.
Tyranski's three-up, three-down inning earned him his team-leading fourth save of the season.
Quick Look At ToledoÂ
The Rockets are 14-23 overall and 3-10 in MAC play entering Tuesday's game at Dayton. Toledo had a four-game win streak snapped by a pair of losses to Central Michigan in a twinbill on Saturday. After winning the opener of the weekend series with CMU, 4-3, on Friday, Toledo lost Saturday's DH, 7-1 and 18-3.
Toledo has a team batting average of .275, led by senior outfielder Brad Boss, who is hitting .349 with a team-leading 16 doubles, six HR and 32 RBI, with a .572 slugging percentage and .456 on-base percentage. Freshman infielder Darryn Davis is hitting .347 with 23 RBI.Â
The Rockets' pitching staff has a 6.80 team ERA. While Wednesday's starter is TBA, senior right-hander Nate Hough has five saves, posting 18 Ks and 10 BB in 20.2 IP, with a 5.66 ERA and a 2-2 record, and a .311 opposition batting average in 15 appearances. Junior righty Austin Calopietro has a team-leading 16 appearances, posting a 2-0 record with a 5.16 ERA, logging 21 strikeouts to go with 24 BB, with a .244 average against.
Former MSU assistant coach Cory Mee is in his 16th year piloting the Rockets, amassing a 363-500-1 record. Mee was an assistant coach at Michigan State from 2000-03, before becoming head coach of the Rockets in 2004.
Common Foes
Michigan State and Toledo have five familiar foes in Ohio State, Western Michigan, Michigan, Oakland and Central Michigan.
The Rockets played at Ohio State on March 27, losing 9-4. Toledo played Western Michigan in a three-game MAC series March 29-31, but only got the March 29 game in, losing to the Broncos, 6-3, while the rest of the series was cancelled due to inclement weather. Toledo played at Michigan on April 3, losing, 8-2. The Rockets beat Oakland, 19-8, on April 16. Toledo just played Central Michigan last weekend, losing the series after winning the opener, 4-3 on Friday. UT then dropped Saturday's DH, 7-1 and 18-3.
Michigan State beat Ohio State, 7-1, on March 9 in Greenville, S.C., then beat Western Michigan, 3-2, on March 27 in East Lansing and 5-2 on April 2 at Comerica Park in Detroit. The Spartans lost to Michigan, 6-3 on March 29 in East Lansing and 16-2 the next day in Ann Arbor, before the March 31 game was cancelled due to inclement weather. MSU lost to Central Michigan, 8-6, on April 3, and the Spartans play Oakland on Tuesday.Â
About Michigan State
The Spartans are 10-27 overall and 1-10 in B1G action. MSU is coming off a three-game weekend series with B1G leading Indiana. After falling 14-5 in Friday's opener, Saturday's game was rained out, setting up a doubleheader on Sunday, with the Spartans winning the opener, 5-3, rallying from a 3-0 deficit with a five-run seventh frame. Indiana bounced back to win game two, 11-2.Â
Junior outfielder Bryce Kelley leads the Spartans with a .299 average, and also leads the Spartans with 15 stolen bases, including nine in the last 13 games. Kelley leads the B1G with the 15 swipes.
Senior infielder Royce Ando is hitting .273 with 13 RBI, while freshman outfielder Casey Mayes has a .265 average with three HRs. Senior infielder Marty Bechina leads the Spartans with 19 RBI and 12 doubles, which ranks tied for fifth in the B1G.Â
Sophomore catcher Adam Proctor has smacked six home runs. Bechina and Mayes are tied for second on the team with three HRs each.
On the mound, MSU's bullpen has been stellar of late. In the last 19 games, the Spartan bullpen has 81 Ks (4.3 pg) in 74.2 IP, with a paltry .206 batting average against and a 2.89 ERA. The pen has a 6-0 record with four saves over that span as well. The MSU relievers have combined to not allow an earned run in seven of the last 11 games, including four-straight with all three of the Indiana State series and the Notre Dame game, as part of 10 times during that 19-game spurt, while only yielding one earned run in three other games. Over that 19-game span, MSU's bullpen has allowed just a total of 20 runs after the sixth inning.
Tuesday's probable starter is freshman right-hander Colten Panaranto, who is slated to make his first start of the season after 16 appearances out of the bullpen. Panaranto has a 1-0 record with a 6.11 ERA, posting 24 KS and 19 BB in 28.0 IP. The freshman hurler earned the first win of his Spartan career at Arizona on March 5.
Wednesday's probable starter is junior righty Caleb Sleeman, who is 2-3 and has a 4.58 ERA, after 4.0 IP on Sunday vs. Indiana. After a short outing at Rutgers on April 14, going less than two innings, Sleeman bounced back with 2.0 IP of work vs. Eastern Michigan on April 17, striking out two. Sleeman earned two wins on the week of April 2-7 in both a reliever role and a starter role, ending the week with 9.2 IP with 0 ER and nine strikeouts and just four hits. He threw 3.0 IP of relief on April 2 vs. Western Michigan at Comerica Park in Detroit, leading MSU to a 5-2 victory, limiting WMU to just one hit while striking out four. Against Indiana State on April 7, Sleeman made his first start of the season and his first since freshman season of 2017 and went a career-long 6.2 IP, tying career-high with five Ks and stymieing Indiana State to just three hits in a combined shutout. For the season, Sleeman has 28 Ks and 20 BB.
Out of the bullpen, senior southpaw Evan Flohr has a team-high 20 appearances, ranking tied for third in the B1G, and has a 2-0 record with a 4.75 ERA, logging 29 strikeouts and 21 walks. Flohr earned his first win for the Green & White against Western Michigan on March 27. Junior righty Indigo Diaz has 41 Ks in 31.0 IP, now with a 2-3 record and four saves on the season. Diaz is tied for 11th in the B1G with 16 strikeouts looking, as well as tied for 10th with the four saves, ranking tied for ninth with 18 appearances. Diaz earned his first save of his MSU career against Western Michigan on March 27, after recently shifting from the starting rotation to the bullpen. Diaz also picked up the save in the win over WMU on April 2 at Comerica and at Notre Dame on April 9, ending both contests with strikeouts.Â
Weather With The Win
MSU has now had six games so far either postponed or cancelled, as well as adjusting the start time on several others due to Mother Nature.
Comeback Spartans
Michigan State rallied from a 3-0 deficit in Saturday's game one vs. Indiana to win 5-3. It was the Spartans' fourth win this season when trailing by at least 2-0 before rallying to win. The 3-0 deficit in the seventh was MSU's latest rally of the season, as they trailed 4-0 in th second at Arizona on March 5 and won 9-5; trailed 2-0 in the second vs. Western Michigan and won, 3-2, on April 27; were down 2-0 in the fifth at Notre Dame on April 9 and won, 3-2; trailed the Hoosiers, 3-0, in the seventh to win 5-3, last Sunday.
Big Sevenths
MSU has plated four or more runs in an inning three times this season and two of the three occasions have come in the seventh inning. The Spartans hung eight runs on the board in the eighth inning at Arizona on March 5 to rally and win 9-5. On Saturday vs. Indiana, the Spartans plated five runs in the seventh, to overcome an early 3-0 deficit.
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.
Striking 'Em OutÂ
Michigan State's pitching staff has rung up 323 strikeouts so far this season, needing one more for the No. 12 spot on the single season team strikeouts list.Â
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
   11.   2011   332
   12.   1987   324
   --   2019   323
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