MSU Opens May Portion Of Schedule Battling Purdue

MICHIGAN STATE (14-28, 3-11 B1G) at PURDUE (17-26, 6-8 B1G) \| PURDUE TICKET OFFICE
Location	Alexander Field \|\| West Lafayette, Ind.
Weather	Fri - Hi / Low: 64^°/ 48^° \|\| Sat - Hi / Low: 61^°/ 44^° \|\| Sun - Hi / Low: 69^°/ 50^°
Game Notes	Michigan State \| P urdue
Social Media	@statebaseball \| MichiganStateBaseball \| @statebaseballgogreen
Game 1	Friday, May 3 - 6 p.m. ET
Probable Pitching Matchup	MSU: #30 RHP Mason Erla (SO) (2-7, 5.34 ERA) vs. PUR: #34 RHP Andrew Bohm (SO) (0-6, 5.53 ERA)
Coverage	Live Stats \| Listen Live \| Watch Live
Game 2	Saturday, May 4 - 6 p.m. ET
Probable Pitching Matchup	MSU: #36 LHP Mitchell Tyranski (JR) (1-7, 4.72 ERA) vs. PUR: #34 RHP Andrew Bohm (SO) (0-6, 5.53 ERA)
Coverage	Live Stats \| Listen Live \| Watch Live
Game 3	Sunday, May 5 - 1 p.m. ET
Probable Pitching Matchup	MSU: #38 RHP Caleb Sleeman (2-3, 4.35 ERA) vs. PUR: #30 LHP Patrick J. Smith (SR) (4-3, 4.10 ERA)
Coverage	Live Stats \| Listen Live \| Watch Live

Leading Off...
• Michigan State baseball will open the May portion of the schedule by heading to West Lafayette, Ind., to take on Purdue in a three-game Big Ten Conference weekend series ... MSU is returning to action after not playing any midweek games due to finals week ... Friday's series opener is slated for a 6 p.m. first pitch at Purdue's Alexander Field, followed by Saturday's second game also at 6 p.m. The series wraps up on Sunday at 1 p.m. ... The Spartans are facing the Boilermakers for the first time since 2016, when they also made the trek to West Lafayette, with MSU winning the weekend series two games to one, as the Spartans have won six of the last eight in the overall match-up ... Note: any schedule updates will be posted on MSUSpartans.com and on twitter @statebaseball.

• 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 home games.

• The Spartans have five of their last seven games as part of six of their last nine ... Last weekend, MSU won the series with Northwestern, winning Friday night's opener, 8-3, then Saturday's game one of the twinbill, 8-2, before falling in the second game, 3-2 ... Michigan State and Northwestern played a doubleheader because of rain and snow in the forecast for Saturday night and Sunday morning and inclement weather for Sunday afternoon.

• MSU has won the last four weekend series against Purdue, winning nine of the last 13 match-ups with the Boilermakers ... Purdue's last weekend series win was in 2012, also in West Lafayette ... Michigan State is 14-11 against Purdue under head coach Jake Boss Jr. ... Overall, the Spartans are 82-72 against the Boilermakers, with Purdue holding the slimmest of margins at 40-39 in games played in West Lafayette.

• Michigan State head coach Jake Boss Jr. earned his 350th career victory on April 24 with the 4-2 Victory for MSU over Toledo ... Boss has a career ledger of 352-297 as a collegiate head coach.

• Three Spartans are on MSU's career stolen base list in junior outfielder Bryce Kelley, junior outfielder Danny Gleaves and senior infielder Marty Bechina ... Kelley is No. 2 with 64 stolen bases, Gleaves is No. 9 with 34 and Bechina is No. 10 with 31 ... The Spartan trio is the only the active threesome in the country to have three players on the respective school stolen base list.

• With seven home runs out of his 14 hits, sophomore catcher Adam Proctor is the only player in the country with five or more round-trippers to have half of their hits be home runs ... The next closest player is Jason Hinchman of Tennessee Tech, who has 18 home runs of his 44 hits.

• The Boilermakers are MSU's fourth different opponent from the state of Indiana, but just the second played in the Hoosier State ... MSU is 4-3 against teams from Indiana so far this season, winning the season series with Indiana State on April 5-7, winning 1-0 in 10 innings in the inaugural game under the lights at McLane Stadium at Kobs Field, falling 2-1 in game two before winning the series with a 6-0 shutout ... MSU won at Notre Dame, 3-2, on April 9 ... The Spartans lost the home B1G series against Indiana on April 19-21, dropping a 13-4 contest in the opener, then bouncing back to win game two, 5-3, but lost the rubber match, 11-2 ... MSU has now played teams from 11 different states, as Indiana is joined by in Michigan, Louisiana, South Carolina, North Carolina, Ohio, Arizona, Connecticut, Nebraska and New Jersey.

• After Sunday's game, Michigan State will have played four games on Indiana soil, tying for the third-most games played in a state and the second-most outside of the state of Michigan ... The Spartans have played 15 games in Michigan, 12 in South Carolina and four in Arizona, which will be joined by Indiana after this weekend's three-game series against Purdue in West Lafayette, joining at South Bend, Indiana when MSU played at Notre Dame on April 9.

• Michigan State has 19 players on its 2019 roster from the state of Michigan, while Purdue has 14 Indiana natives of its roster ... The Spartans have one player from Indiana on their roster, while the Boilermakers do not have any Michigan natives on their roster ... MSU freshman pitcher Colten Panaranto is the lone native of the Hoosier State on the Spartan roster ... Panaranto is a native of Martinsville (Roncalli HS) ... While the Boilermakers don't have any Michigan natives on their roster, they do have one player who is from Billings, Montana, in junior outfielder/first baseman Cole McKenzie, which is the same hometown as MSU athletic media relations assistant director Zach Fisher ... Michigan State and Purdue both have Canadians on the roster, as MSU senior infielder Royce Ando is from Mississauga, Ontario and junior pitcher Indigo Diaz is from Vancouver, British Columbia, while Purdue sophomore infielder Owen Jansen is from Oakville, Ontario.

• The Spartans posted four season-highs for a three-game series in the Northwestern series, including hitting .346 for the weekend, scored 18 runs, rapped out 37 hits and averaged 6.0 runs per game ... Defensively, the MSU pitching staff didn't have a season-best but they had four second-best marks as the Spartans hurlers had a 1.61 ERA, yielded eight runs, five earned runs and limited Northwestern to just a .216 average for the weekend - all second-best for a three-game series behind the Indiana State series April 5-7, when MSU has a 0.64 ERA, two runs, both earns, and held ISU to a .122 average {see series breakdown at left}.

• MSU scored in the first inning of all three games of the Northwestern series, going 2-1 in the series ... The Spartans are 6-6 this season when scoring in the opening stanza.

• Friday and Saturday are MSU's 16th and 17th night games this season, as the Spartans are 10-5 overall in night games ... The Spartans have more night games this season, as it is Michigan State's first with lights at McLane Stadium at Kobs Field, after their installation project was completed in March ... The Spartans are 5-1 in home night games under the 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 Lights
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, the respective homes of Spartan baseball and softball, 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.

Twice As Nice Under The Lights
The Spartans' success at night is twice as good so far this season, as MSU is 10-5 this season in night games ... MSU is 5-1 under the lights at McLane Stadium at Kobs Field, winning the inaugural night game in the program's 135 years of baseball.

350 For 23
MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr., who wears jersey No. 23, earned his 350th career victory on April 24 with the 4-2 Victory for MSU over Toledo ... Boss has a career ledger of 352-297 as a collegiate head coach ... Last season Boss earned his 300th victory at the helm of the Spartans with MSU's 6-0 blanking of Rutgers on April 30, 2018 ... In 2017, Boss won his 300th career game as a collegiate head coach with the Spartans' 13-4 route at Richmond on March 18, 2017 .... Now in his 11th season as the MSU head coach, Boss has 327-264 mark with the Green & White.

Home Staters
Michigan State has 19 players on its 2019 roster from the state of Michigan, while Purdue has 14 Indiana natives of its roster. The Spartans have one player from Indiana on their roster, while the Boilermakers do not have any Michigan natives on their roster.

MSU freshman pitcher Colten Panaranto is the lone native of the Hoosier State on the Spartan roster. Panaranto is a native of Martinsville (Roncalli HS).

While the Boilermakers don't have any Michigan natives on their roster, they do have one player who is from Billings, Montana, in junior outfielder/first baseman Cole McKenzie, which is the same hometown as MSU athletic media relations assistant director Zach Fisher, but went to different high schools in their just a couple years apart as McKenzie is a graduate of Billings Senior HS, while Fisher is a Billings West HS alum.

Michigan State and Purdue both have Canadians on the roster, as MSU senior infielder Royce Ando is from Mississauga, Ontario and junior pitcher Indigo Diaz is from Vancouver, British Columbia, while Purdue sophomore infielder Owen Jansen is from Oakville, Ontario.

Michigan State vs. Purdue Series Breakdown
Overall: 82-72/ Home: 42-29 / Away: 39-40 / Neutral: 1-3 / Series Streak: PUR W1, MSU W6-of-8
First Met: May 13, 1949 - West Lafayette, Ind. - PUR W, 6-3
Last Met: April 17, 2016 - West Lafayette, Ind. - PUR W, 5-2

Series Notes: The Spartans are facing the Boilermakers for the first time since 2016, when they also made the trek to West Lafayette, with MSU winning the weekend series two games to one ... Michigan State has won six of the last eight in the overall match-up ... MSU has won the last four weekend series against Purdue, winning nine of the last 13 match-ups with the Boilermakers ... Purdue's last weekend series win was in 2012, also in West Lafayette ... Michigan State is 14-11 against Purdue under head coach Jake Boss Jr. ... Overall, the Spartans are 82-72 against the Boilermakers, with Purdue holding the slimmest of margins at 40-39 in games played in West Lafayette.

Last Meeting - PUR 5, MSU 2 - West Lafayette, Ind. - April 17, 2016
Michigan State fell to Purdue, 5-2, in the series finale on April 17, 2016 in West Lafayette, Indiana. MSU took the series with a 5-3 victory the day before and by winning the Purdue series, the Spartans won each of their first three Big Ten series to start the season.

MSU took the lead briefly with a two-run fifth inning, but Purdue responded with runs in the next three innings to gain control. With MSU trailing 1-0, Kris Simonton singled to start the rally and came around to score on a Matt Byars double. Byars then scored on a Marty Bechina squeeze bunt executed perfectly to give the Spartans the lead.

Simonton and Byars each led the offense with two hits each and the 7-9 hitters in the lineup had six of the eight Spartan hits on the day.

The Boilermakers tied things right back up on a bases loaded wild pitch in the fifth before taking the lead for good in the sixth. Brett Carlson put Purdue up 3-2 on the second solo shot of the day by the Boilers. Purdue then added two more in the seventh on a pair of RBI singles to extend the lead to its final, 5-2.

Starter Walter Borkovich took the loss. Shane Bryant earned the win for the Boilers, going five innings, allowing two earned runs and striking out seven.

Quick Look At Purdue
The Boilermakers are 17-26 overall and 6-8 in B1G action. Like MSU, Purdue did not have any midweek games due to finals week. The Boilers have won four of their last five after winning the weekend series with Southeast Missouri State last weekend, winning the opener, 8-3, Friday night, before getting edged, 3-2, on Saturday, but bounced back to claim the series with a 6-2 win on Sunday.

Purdue is hitting .238 as a team and has two players hitting over .300, in junior outfielder Skyler Hunter at .338 and junior outfielder/first baseman Cole McKenzie at .305. Hunter is seventh in B1G in average, as well as ninth in on-base percentage at .425. Hunter leads the B1G and ranks 17th in the NCAA with five triples. He also has a team-leading 51 hits, which ranks tied for 12th in the league, while sharing the team lead with nine doubles. McKenzie is second on the team with 50 hits to go with 18 RBI and five doubles, while swiping six stolen bases, tied for second on the team. The Boilermakers lead the league and rank 24th in sac bunts (32).

Defensively, Purdue leads the B1G and ranks 26th in the NCAA in double plays, turning 39 on the season, as well as topping the conference and ranking 24th in the country in double plays per game at 0.91.

On the mound, the Boilermakers have a team ERA of 4.31 with 384 strikeouts (8.9 pg) and 170 walks (4.0 pg). Friday's probable starter is sophomore right-hander Trent Johnson, who is 3-2 with a 2.95 ERA with two starts in 19 appearances. Johnson has 56 strikeouts to just 16 walks (3.5 K-BB ratio) in 39.2 IP with a .211 average against.

Sophomore righty Andrew Bohm is Saturday's probable starter. Bohm is 0-6 with a 5.53 ERA, but leads the Boilers' staff and ranks tied for 14th in the B1G in strikeouts with 59. He has 11 appearances, all starts, with a team-best 55.1 IP, yielding a .268 average to the opposition.

Sunday's probable starter is senior southpaw Patrick J. Smith, who brings a 4-3 record and 4.10 ERA into the weekend. Smith has 10 starts in 14 appearances with 57 Ks and 30 BB in 48.1 IP and opponents have a .224 average against him.

Purdue head coach Mark Wasikowski is in his third season as the Boilermakers' conductor, posting an 84-74 overall record.

Common Opponents
The Spartans and Boilermakers have one non-conference common opponent in Indiana State, while Purdue has also played one of MSU's upcoming foes in Valparaiso. Both Michigan State and Purdue have both played conference foes Northwestern, Nebraska and Rutgers in B1G action, while Purdue played Indiana non-conference action.

Purdue played Indiana State in a home-and-home, playing at Terre Haute on March 13 and at home on April 3, falling by an identical 4-3 score in both contests. Michigan State took two of three from Indiana State on April 5-7, winning the series opener which was the inaugural home night game at MSU, 1-0 in 10 innings on a walk-off suicide squeeze bunt. After the Sycamores won thee series' second game, 2-1, the Spartans bounced back to win the series with a 6-0 victory for MSU in the finale. Purdue beat Valpo, 5-1, on March 26, while MSU plays Valpo next Wednesday, May 8.

The Boilers won the series vs. Northwestern on the road, March 22-24, winning 5-2, then dropping middle game, 2-1, before winning series, 9-7. The Spartans also won the series vs. Northwestern, just last weekend April 26-28, winning 8-3 on Friday, before winning Saturday's first game of the twinbill, 8-2, but then missed out on the sweep with a 3-2 loss.

Purdue and MSU were both swept in a series at Nebraska, with the Boilers losing 17-0, 13-4 and 9-5 on April 5-7, while the Spartans lost 4-1, 5-2 and 6-2 on March 22-24. The Boilermakers lost the series at Rutgers April 19-21, dropping opener 2-0, before bouncing back with a 6-2 win, but the lost the series with a 6-1 defeat in the finale. MSU was swept at Rutgers April 12-14, falling 4-2, 6-3 and 8-0.

Michigan State lost the series with Indiana April 19-21, losing 13-4 in the first game, before winning the middle match-up, 5-3, but lost game three, 11-2. Purdue and Indiana are not on the B1G schedule, so the in-state foes played a midweek game on April 10, with the Hoosiers nabbing a 7-6 win in 10 innings.

About Michigan State
The Spartans tote a 14-28 overall and 3-11 B1G ledger on the road into the weekend at West Lafayette. The Green & White have won five of their last seven games as part of six of their last nine. Last weekend, MSU won the series with Northwestern, winning Friday night's opener, 8-3, then Saturday's game one of the twinbill, 8-2, before falling in the second game, 3-2. Michigan State and Northwestern played a doubleheader because of rain and snow in the forecast for Saturday night and Sunday morning and inclement weather for Sunday afternoon.

MSU is hitting .234 as a team, led by junior outfielder Bryce Kelley, who leads the Spartans with a .313 average, the lone MSU player over .300. Kelley also leads not just the Spartans, but the Big Ten with 18 stolen bases, including 12 in the last 18 games.

Senior infielder Royce Ando is hitting .298 with 18 RBI, while senior infielder Marty Bechina is hitting .298 and freshman outfielder Casey Mayes has a .269 average with three HRs. Bechina leads the Spartans with 24 RBI and 13 doubles, which ranks tied for fifth in the B1G. Bechina is second on the team with nine stolen bases, including two in each of the last week's two midweek games to go with one over the weekend for five in the last five games.

Sophomore catcher Adam Proctor has smacked seven home runs, ranking tied for 12th in the B1G. Bechina and Mayes are tied for second on the team with four HRs each.

On the mound, MSU's bullpen has been stellar of late. In the last 24 games since March 22, the Spartan bullpen has 96 Ks (4.0 pg) in 92.2 IP, with a paltry .203 batting average against and a 2.62 ERA. The pen has a 7-1 record with five saves over that span as well. The MSU relievers have combined to not allow an earned run in 10 of the last 15 games, including four-straight with all three of the Indiana State series and the Notre Dame game, as part of 13 times during that 24-game spurt, while only yielding one earned run in four other games. Over that 24-game span, MSU's bullpen has allowed just a total of 22 runs after the sixth inning.

Sophomore right-hander Mason Erla is the probable starter for Friday's series opener. Erla has a 2-7 record with a 5.34 ERA. One of Erla's best starts was against Indiana State. Erla went 9.0 innings and stymied the Sycamore bats to just two hits, as ISU entered Friday hitting .282 as a team and had four players hitting over .300. Erla limited the Sycamores to just two hits while striking out six and walking just three, in firing a career-long outing as well as his second-fewest hits in his career. Overall, Erla has 51 strikeouts with 23 walks in a team-leading 64.0 IP, ranks tied for 10th in the B1G.

Junior lefty Mitchell Tyranski is slated to get the nod for Saturday's contest. Tyranski has a deceiving 1-7 mark with a 4.72 ERA, but was solid his last four times out, setting a then-career-long with 7.0 IP against Indiana State on April 6 and then matching it at Rutgers on April 13 to go with a career-high 10 strikeouts. He followed that up with nine strikeouts in 6.2 IP against Indiana on April 21. Last time out against Northwestern on April 27, Tyranski went a new career-long going 8.0 IP with another nine K outing in earning his first win of the season.

In the match-up with the Sycamores, Tyranski chalked up six strikeouts, one shy of his season-high, while scattering just three hits, including none after the third inning. At one stretch, Tyranski had a streak of 15 batters set down in conventional and non-conventional order, working around a single in the third with a double play. The Sycamores scored their two runs in the first inning, before Tyranski settled in and was rolling. On April 13 at Rutgers, Tyranski struck out a career-high 10 in throwing a career-high 7.0 IP, while scattering nine hits and yielding two earned runs. Tyranski's 10 Ks is the second double-digit strikeout total this season for a Spartan pitcher, joining junior Mike Mokma's 11 Ks vs. Ohio State on March 9 in Greenville, S.C. On April 21 against Indiana, Tyranski chalked up nine Ks in 6.2 IP, yielding three runs. In the outing against Northwestern on April 27, Tyranski went a career-long 8.0, firing nine strikeouts while scattering five hits, yielding just two runs, one earned, and walking two in earning his first victory of the season. Tyranski has registered nine or more punchouts in the last three outings, as part of 51 Ks in his last seven outings. The junio southpaw has a team-leading 66 strikeouts, which is 10th in the B1G, to just 17 walks in 55.1 IP.

Junior right-hander Caleb Sleeman is the Spartans' probable starter for Sunday's series finale, bringing a 2-3 record and a 4.35 ERA into the weekend. After a short outing at Rutgers, going less than two innings, before bouncing back with 2.0 IP of work vs. Eastern Michigan, striking out two, Sleeman then went 4.0 IP against Indiana on April 21, chalking up four Ks but allowing four runs. He had a scheduled short outing against Toledo on April 24, going 2.0 IP while tallying three punchouts. Sleeman went 4.0 IP with four Ks against Northwestern on April 27.

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 39 Ks and 24 BB.

Out of the bullpen, senior southpaw Evan Flohr has a team-high 23 appearances, which ranks tied for second in the B1G. He has a 2-0 record with a 4.54 ERA, logging 34 strikeouts and 24 walks. Flohr earned his first win for the Green & White against Western Michigan on March 27. Junior righty Indigo Diaz has 45 Ks in 36.2 IP, now with a 2-4 record and five saves on the season. Diaz is tied for eighth in the B1G with the five saves, as well as ranking tied for ninth with 17 strikeouts looking, and also ranked tied for 10th with 20 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. He also collected the save against Toledo on April 24, also ringing up a strikeout to end it.

Weather With The Win
MSU has now had seven games so far either postponed or cancelled, as well as adjusting the start time on several others due to Mother Nature.

Comeback Spartans
Three of Michigan State's wins were all of the come-from-behind variety, as MSU rallied from a 3-0 deficit in game one vs. Indiana to win 5-3 on April 21. The Spartans were down 2-0 early against Oakland on April 23, before storming back with 12 unanswered runs to win 12-2. In the April 24 game against Toledo, the Spartans were down 1-0 before they had even come to the plate as the visiting Rockets scored a run in the top of the first, before MSU rallied to win 4-2.

The Spartans have five wins this season when trailing by at least 2-0 before rallying to win. The 3-0 deficit in the seventh vs. Indiana was MSU's latest rally of the season, as they trailed 4-0 in the 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, on April 21.

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 had the James Taylor tune on repeat in the early portion of the season, 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 Out
Michigan State's pitching staff has rung up 366 strikeouts so far this season, breaking into the top 10 of the single season team strikeouts list, now at No. 9. The Spartans hurlers need 34 more to reach the 400 K plateau, which would mark the fifth-straight season with 400 or more 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.         2019    366
            10.       2014    355
            11.       2010    335
            12.       2011    332

Road Warriors
Michigan State is one of 19 teams in the nation who 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 the Spartans' 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
Dartmouth      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

Hit Parade
MSU rapped out a season-high 14 hits in the April 7 win over Indiana State, bettering their previous season-high of 12 hits, done twice, on March 9 vs. Ohio State and March 15 vs. UConn, both games at Fluor Field in Greenville, S.C. Sunday was MSU's eighth game this season with double-digit hits.

After posting 12 hits at Rutgers on April 13, the Spartans now have nine games with double-digit hits.

Shutout Spurt
Michigan State had a pair of shutouts in winning the weekend series with Indiana State, with a 1-0 win in 10 innings on Friday and a 6-0 blanking on Sunday over Indiana, for the Spartans' first two shutouts of the season. MSU's last shutout was a 6-0 win over Rutgers on April 1, 2018, one of two shutouts last season. The Spartans also had two blankings in 2017. The last time that Michigan State had a pair of shutouts so close together was in 2016 when MSU had three-straight shutouts, March 5-8.

Antoncic Four-ce At Plate
Junior infielder/outfielder Justin Antoncic was 4-for-4 vs. Indiana State April 7, the first Spartan to go 4-for-4 at the plate since Danny Gleaves on April 1, 2018. Antoncic now has six hits in his last eight at bats after going 2-for-4 at Notre Dame

Hey Oh Lacayo
Senior catcher Nic Lacayo hit .500 (6-for-12) in the five games during the week of April 2-7, including driving in the game-winning run on a walk-off suicide squeeze bunt in the bottom of the 10th inning for a 1-0 win over Indiana State in MSU's inaugural game under the lights, ending the game with career-high three hits on 3-for-4 with the one RBI. Lacayo followed that with a 1-for-3 outing in the 2-1 loss on April 6, then capped the week with a 2-for-4 game Sunday in the 6-0 win to clinch series, with a double and a run scored. He added seven putouts playing catcher in both Friday and Saturday's games, before being MSU's designated hitter on Sunday.

Hurlin' Erla
Sophomore right-hander Mason Erla was dealing against Indiana State on April 5, going 9.0 innings and stymieing the Sycamore bats to just two hits, as ISU entered the game hitting .282 as a team and had four players hitting over .300. Erla limited the Sycamores to just two hits while striking out six and walking just three, in firing a career-long outing as well as his second-fewest hits in his career. Erla is also the Spartans' second 9.0 inning outing of the season, joining junior Mike Mokma's complete game vs. Ohio State in Greenville, S.C. on March 9. Erla's previous career-long outing was 7.0 IP done twice in his career, most recently April 1, 2018 vs. Rutgers.

Tough Tyranski
Junior lefty Mitchell Tyranski went a career-long 7.0 IP on April 6 vs. Indiana State. He chalked up six strikeouts, one shy of his season-high, while scattering just three hits, including none after the third inning. At one stretch, Tyranski had a streak of 15 batters set down in conventional and non-conventional order, working around a single in the third with a double play. The Sycamores scored their two runs in the first inning, before Tyranski settled in and was rolling.

Tyranski continued his solid pitching in his next outing, at Rutgers, as he struck out a career-high 10 in throwing a career-high tying 7.0 IP, while scattering nine hits and yielding two earned runs. Tyranski's 10 Ks is the second double-digit strikeout total this season for a Spartan pitcher, joining junior Mike Mokma's 11 Ks vs. Ohio State on March 9 in Greenville, S.C.

The southpaw kept his hot streak rolling against Indiana on April 21, going 6.2 IP, ringing up nine strikeouts, scattering six hits and yielding three runs around two walks.

Tyranski has registered nine or more punchouts in the last three outings, as part of 51 Ks in his last seven outings. The junio southpaw has a team-leading 66 strikeouts, which is 10th in the B1G, to just 17 walks in 55.1 IP.

Slingin' Sleeman
Junior right-hander Caleb Sleeman earned two wins on the week during 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 the night of 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.

On Sunday, April 7 against Indiana State, 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 MSU's second shutout win of the weekend, and second in three days after not having a shutout since April 1, 2018, which was also a 6-0 victory. The Sycamores came into the weekend hitting .282 as a team and had four players hitting over .300, but Sleeman kept them quiet on the way to a 6-0 split shutout win. In the top of the sixth inning, Sleeman got a strikeout for the first out, then worked around a walk and hit by pitch by fielding his position on a come-backer, spinning and firing to second to start the Spartans' third double play of the game, their season-high third of the day.

Dealing Diaz
In his last 14 appearances, junior reliever Indigo Diaz has 23 strikeouts, including four that ended games and sealed victories for MSU, highlighted by the third of striking out the side in the ninth on April 9 at Notre Dame. Diaz has yielded just 11 hits without a run in 18.2 IP, with a 1.31 ERA in the stretch, while limiting the opposition to a .178 average. In that span, Diaz has earned five saves and two wins, along with being part of two shutouts.

Diaz has not allowed a run of any kind in 14 of his 16 relief appearances, including a stretch of 13 in a row, which was snapped on April 27 by yielding a run against Northwestern. The only other relief outing with a run scored against him was March 16 vs. UConn in Greenville.

Silence Of The Sycamores
MSU's pitching staff limited Indiana State to just 11 hits in the three games, stymieing the Sycamore bats to the tune of a .122 batting average (11-of-90), only yielding two runs for a 0.64 ERA, while ringing up 21 strikeouts. Indiana State entered the weekend with a .282 average as a team and had four players hitting north of .300.

Bull-ish Pen
MSU's bullpen had a standout outing in the win over Western Michigan on March 27, 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 Flohr rang up one K, while limiting the hot WMU bats to just six hits in the final eight innings, as the Broncos entered the game ranking 24th in the NCAA with a .298 team batting average.

The first WMU match-up 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 24 games since March 22, the Spartan bullpen has 96 Ks (4.0 pg) in 92.2 IP, with a paltry .203 batting average against and a 2.62 ERA. The pen has a 7-1 record with five saves over that span as well. The MSU relievers have combined to not allow an earned run in 10 of the last 15 games, including four-straight with all three of the Indiana State series and the Notre Dame game, as part of 13 times during that 24-game spurt, while only yielding one earned run in four other games. Over that 24-game span, MSU's bullpen has allowed just a total of 22 runs after the sixth inning.

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
MSU junior outfielder Bryce Kelley has swiped 18 bases so far this season, including a spurt of 12 in the last 15 games. The 18 swipes ranks Kelley leading the B1G.

Kelley became the fourth player in MSU baseball history to reach the 60 career stolen bases plateau with his 60th career swipe, that came at Rutgers on April 12. He now has 61 stolen bases, tying Brandon Eckerle (2008-11) for No. 3 on MSU's career stolen base list.

Last season, Kelley 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.

In 2018, 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 18 swipes this season, he now has 64 career stolen bases, now No. 2 on MSU's career stolen base list. 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.

Speedy Spartan Trio
The speedy Spartan trio of junior outfielder Bryce Kelley, junior outfielder Danny Gleaves and senior infielder Marty Bechina are all ranked in the top 10 of the career stolen base list. Kelley is No. 2 with 64 stolen bases, Gleaves is No. 9 with 34 and Bechina is No. 10 with 31. The Spartan trio is the only the active threesome in the country to have three players on the respective school stolen base list.

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.

Bechina has five swipes in the last five games, including a stretch of four in two games on April 23 and 24. Bechina now has nine stolen bases this season and 31 for his career, moving up to sole possession of No. 10 MSU's career stolen base list, breaking free of a three-way logjam tying Jimmy Pickens (2012-15) and Joe Gavel (1968-69) with 30.

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.         Bryce Kelley    64        2017-pres.
3.         Jeff Holm         63        2008-11
3.         Brandon Eckerle         61        2008-11
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.       Marty Bechina            31        2016-pres.
11.       Jimmy Pickens 30        2012-15
            Joe Gavel         30        1968-69
--          Dan Chmielewski        25        2016-pres.

Solo Shots
Of the Spartans' 18 home runs so far this season, 10 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 ... Freshman outfielder Casey Mayes has the last two round-trippers, with a pinch-hit two-run shot at Nebraska March 24 and a two-run blast on April 7 vs. Indiana State ... Proctor blasted a towering solo home run at Notre Dame on April 9, as well as a solo shot vs. Indiana on April 21, sending the ball into the Red Cedar River beyond the wall in right field ... Bechina had a solo shot against Northwestern on April 27.

Adam Bombs
Sophomore catcher Adam Proctor leads MSU with seven home runs, ranking tied for 10th in the B1G.

On April 23 vs. Oakland, Proctor smashed a three-run home run deep into the Red Cedar River beyond the right field wall as part of a six-run sixth inning for the Green & White. It was Proctor's team-leading seventh HR of the season, including belting three of the Spartans' last four round-trippers. It was his second-straight game with a home run into the Red Cedar, also sending one into the river Sunday vs. Indiana.

The round-tripper against the Hoosiers was a solo shot in the sixth inning of game two. Proctor blasted the first pitch he saw into the Red Cedar River with a shot high into the trees and just inside the right field foul line.

Proctor's previous HR was April 9 at Notre Dame, a pinch-hit towering solo shot to right field in the sixth.

Over half of Proctor's hits have been extra bases, as along with his seven home runs, he has one double for eight extra-base hits of his 14 total hits.

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 broke out of a homeless stretch with a solo shot on April 27 against Northwestern ... For his career, Bechina has now blasted four two-run home runs as part of 19 total career round-trippers, with 14 solo shots.

Casey At The Bat For Sunday Slams
Freshman outfielder Casey Mayes now has four home runs, with his first two coming on Sundays, before his last two have been launched on a Friday night. He had a three-run round tripper on Friday night, April 19 vs. Indiana, marking the first that didn't come on a Sunday. Mayes then added a two-run HR against Northwestern on Friday night, April 26.

Mayes mashed his first home run as a Spartan with a two-run pinch hit blast in the eighth inning of the game at Nebraska on Sunday, March 24.

He blasted his first home run at home on Sunday, April 7 against Indiana State for MSU's first two runs in a 6-0 victory.

Against Indiana on April 19, Mayes, a left-handed batter, blasted an opposite field shot down the left field line, into the wind, and sending the ball into the trees beyond the left field fence for a three-run round tripper.

Mayes mirrored his home run vs. Northwestern from the shot against Indiana, as the conditions of cold, damp and windy were identical, and it was opposite field down the left field line.

Second Inning Slams
A total of five of MSU's 18 home runs have come in the second inning, while four have come in the sixth and three in the eighth ... 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 ... Freshman outfielder Casey Mayes mashed a two-run home run in the second inning on the 6-0 victory for MSU over Indiana State on April 7 ... 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.

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Players Mentioned

Royce Ando

Justin Antoncic

Marty Bechina

Walter Borkovich

Matt Byars

Dan Chmielewski

Indigo Diaz

Mason Erla

Evan Flohr

Danny Gleaves

Brandon Hughes

Zach Iverson

Bryce Kelley

Nic Lacayo

Casey Mayes

Riley McCauley

Mike Mokma

Colten Panaranto

Adam Proctor

Caleb Sleeman

Alex Troop

Mitchell Tyranski

Zaid Walker