Spartans Tangle With Michigan And Valpo In Midweek Action

MICHIGAN STATE (16-29, 5-12 B1G) at MICHIGAN (34-11, 14-3 B1G) \| TICKETS
Location	Ray Fisher Stadium \|\| Ann Arbor, Mich.
Weather	Tue - Hi/Low: 54^°/ 41^°
Game Notes	Michigan State \| M ichigan
Social Media	@statebaseball \| MichiganStateBaseball \| @statebaseballgogreen
Game 1	Tuesday, May 7 - 6 p.m. ET
Probable Pitching Matchup	MSU: #12 LHP Jarret Olson (JR) (0-3, 5.56 ERA) vs. UM: #25 RHP Isaiah Paige (R-FR) (3-0, 2.67 ERA)
Coverage	Big Ten Network \| Live Stats \| Listen Live \| Watch Live

MICHIGAN STATE (16-29, 5-12 B1G) vs VALPARAISO (10-31, 3-12 MVC) \| TICKETS
Location	McLane Stadium at Kobs Field \|\| East Lansing, Mich.
Weather	Wed - Hi/Low: 53^°/ 46^°
Game Notes	Michigan State \| V alparaiso
Social Media	@statebaseball \| MichiganStateBaseball \| @statebaseballgogreen
Game 1	Wednesday, May 8 - 5:05 p.m. ET
Probable Pitching Matchup	MSU: #29 RHP Colton Panaranto (FR) (3-0, 5.03 ERA) vs. VALPO: #33 LHP Keegan Bates (FR) (1-3, 7.16 ERA)
Coverage	Live Stats \| Listen Live \| Watch Live

Leading Off... Spartans Tangle With Michigan And Valpo In Midweek Action
• To open a five-game week, Michigan State baseball will take on in-state rival Michigan on Tuesday, May 7 in Ann Arbor, Mich., in a nationally televised contest on Big Ten Network ... First pitch is slated for 6 p.m. at UM's Ray Fisher Stadium ... The Spartans then turn around and host Valparaiso on Wednesday, May 8 in a 5:05 p.m. start time at McLane Stadium at Kobs Field ... Note: any schedule updates will be posted on MSUSpartans.com and on twitter @statebaseball.

• Tuesday's in-state showdown between the Spartans and Wolverines will be nationally televised on the Big Ten Network ... Kevin Kugler will handle play-by-play duties while Danan Hughes will provide analysis.

• Fans can follow this week'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 contest features a pair of teams on hot streaks, as Michigan State has won two in a row and six of its last eight and seven of its last 10, while Michigan has won 12 in a row ... The Spartans are coming off winning their first road series of the season as part of winning the third series in the last five weekends, taking two of three at Purdue, as they bounced back from Friday night's 2-0 loss in a pitcher's duel to win 5-1 on Saturday then clinch the series with a 7-4 triumph on Sunday ... The Wolverines are coming off weekend sweep at Maryland that gave UM some distance at the top of the B1G standings after taking Friday's opener 10-7, then Saturday's contest by a walkie-talkie friendly 10-4 score, then routing the Terps on Sunday, 13-1.

• Michigan and Michigan State will be meeting for the third time this season, although was scheduled to be the fourth, as MSU and UM completed two-thirds of their weekend B1G series March 29 and 30, with the March 31 contest cancelled due to inclement weather ... The Spartans and Wolverines played in East Lansing on March 29, with UM winning, 6-3, before Michigan won in Ann Arbor on March 30, 16-2, then the March 31 game at East Lansing was cancelled due to cold temperatures ... Tuesday's game in a non-conference game and will not count in the league standings.

• After meeting in the final weekend of conference and regular-season action in 2017, the Spartans and Wolverines squaredd off early in the league ledger for the second-straight season ... Last year, Michigan State and Michigan played a three-game series March 23-25 ... This year's meeting on March 29-30 was the second-earliest weekend series between MSU and UM in the historic rivalry ... In addition being the second-straight series in March, it was just the third series overall in the previous 315 meetings to be played in March, joining the 2011 series that was played March 25-27.

• Michigan State head coach Jake Boss Jr. has been on both sides of the rivalry ... Boss is in his 11th season at the helm of the Spartans, but was an assistant coach at Michigan from 2005-2007.

• Michigan State has 19 players on its 2019 roster from the state of Michigan, while the Wolverines have eight players who are natives of the Great Lakes State ... There are three sets of players from the same hometown in Michigan, plus one pair of former junior college teammates in Arizona.

• Tuesday is MSU's eighth game against an in-state opposition, having played Western Michigan twice, Michigan twice, Central Michigan once, Eastern Michigan once and Oakland once ... MSU is 4-3 against in-state opponents so far, beating Western Michigan twice along with Eastern Michigan and Oakland, while losing to Michigan twice and Central Michigan ... After Tuesday's game at Michigan, MSU also has an upcoming non-conference game at Central Michigan on May 14.

• The Spartans are meeting Valparaiso for the second-straight season, after clashing with the Crusaders in a three-game non-conference series last year, with MSU splitting the weather-shortened series ... Mother Nature intervened and forced the series to a doubleheader on Friday, April 13, with MSU winning the opener, 5-4, before falling in the second, 7-6, and the series finale rubber match on April 14 was cancelled due do inclement weather.

• Prior to last season's visit, Valpo had not been to East Lansing since 1987, and will now be making back-to-back season trips ... The Spartans and Crusaders have only 11 previous meetings, as before last year's the last match-up came in 1994 ... Valpo leads the all-time series, 7-4, and the series is split, 4-4, in East Lansing ... The Spartans have won four of the last five meetings overall.

• Valparaiso is MSU's fifth different opponent from the state of Indiana ... MSU is 6-4 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 ... Michigan State just played in Indiana in a three-game series at Purdue over the weekend, with the Spartans winning their first road series of the season, bouncing back from Friday's 2-0 loss in a pitcher's duel, then winning 5-1 on Saturday before capturing the series with a 7-4 Victory for MSU on Sunday ... Michigan State 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.

• Michigan State has 19 players on its 2019 roster from the state of Michigan, while Valpo has five Indiana natives of its roster ... The Spartans have one player from Indiana on their roster, while the Crusaders 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) ... Michigan State and Valpo 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 Valpo junior lefty pitcher Michael Mommersteeg is from St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada.

• 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.

• The Spartan trio of junior outfielder Bryce Kelley, junior outfielder Danny Gleaves and senior infielder Marty Bechina is the only the active threesome in the country to have three players on the respective school stolen base list, as Kelley is No. 2 with 64 stolen bases, Gleaves is No. 9 with 34 and Bechina is No. 10 with 32 ... Senior outfielder Dan Chmielewski is close behind with 27 ... Chmielewski had two swipes in the Purdue series, while Bechina swiped one.

• With eight home runs out of his 15 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 20 home runs of his 47 hits.

• The Spartans posted four season-highs for a three-game series in the Northwestern series, then were just shy of a couple other marks in the series at Purdue ... Against Northwestern, MSU tallied season-highs in hitting .346 for the weekend, scored 18 runs, rapped out 37 hits and averaged 6.0 runs per game ... At Purdue, the Spartans had their highest runs/game average in a road B1G series and second-highest in a league series with 4.0 rpg, just below the 6.0 vs. Northwestern ... Defensively, the MSU pitching staff didn't have a season-best in Northwestern series, 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 at the time 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 ... At Purdue, the Spartan pitchers bettered the previous weekend's marks with just seven runs allowed and a .189 batting average against {see series breakdown on pg. 4}.

• MSU scored in the first inning of all three games of the Northwestern series and one of the Purdue series ... The Spartans are 7-6 this season when scoring in the opening stanza.

• The Spartan pitchers have rung up 393 strikeouts so far this season, needing just seven more to reach the 400 K plateau, which would mark the fifth-straight season with 400 or more Ks.

• Junior reliever Indigo Diaz picked up his sixth save of the season in Sunday's 7-4 Victory for MSU at Purdue, moving up to No. 9 on MSU's single season saves list and ranking tied for eighth in the B1G.

• Tuesday is MSU's 18th night game this season, as the Spartans are 11-6 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.

Under The Lights
The Spartans' success at night is nearly twice as good so far this season, as MSU is 11-6 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 354-298 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 329-265 mark with the Green & White.

Boss Has Been On Both Sides
Michigan State head coach Jake Boss Jr. is in his 11th season at the helm of the Spartans. Boss was an assistant coach at Michigan from 2005-2007, before leaving UM to be head coach at Eastern Michigan for the 2008 season prior to becoming head coach of the Spartans.

Home Staters In Tuesday's Contest
Michigan State has 19 players on its 2019 roster from the state of Michigan, while the Wolverines have eight players who are natives of the Great Lakes State. There are three sets of players from the same hometown in Michigan, plus one pair of former junior college teammates.

There are three sets of players involved in Tuesday's game from the same hometown in Michigan. The first set are natives of Rockford and Rockford High School alums in MSU junior outfielder Bryce Kelley and UM junior pitcher/outfielder Jack Weisenburger. The second set are natives of Portage, but different high schools in MSU sophomore infielder Joe Stewart, who went to Portage Central HS, and UM junior pitchers Ben Keizer and Tommy Henry, who both went to Portage Northern HS.

Spartan junior pitcher Mitchell Tryanski and Wolverine junior pitcher Karl Kauffmann are not only both natives of Bloomfield Hills and went to Brother Rice HS, but squared off against each other as starting pitchers for the March 30 game in Ann Arbor.

South Mountain Alums In Michigan
While MSU senior catcher Nic Lacayo (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and UM senior infielder Blake Nelson (Normandy Park, Wash.) might not be from the same hometown, they were teammates at South Mountain Community College in Phoenix, Ariz. Lacayo and Nelson played for head coach Todd Eastin, helping the Cougars to a 43-18 record as sophomores in 2017.

Salter Connection
For the first time in a long time, there is only one Salter involved in the MSU vs. UM battle. The younger brother of former Spartan catchers Will (2015-18) and Blaise (2012-15) Salter is Wolverine junior catcher Harrison Salter. Blaise played four years in the Detroit Tigers system from 2015-18, before retiring this past summer. Their grandfather is Bill Freehan, who is a Michigan alum and played catcher/first base for the Detroit Tigers, and later was head coach at Michigan.

Storied Series History
Michigan State and Michigan enter Tuesday's having squared off 317 times in school history. The Wolverines lead the all-time series, 207-108-2, having won the last eight in the series, sweeping last season's four meetings and this year's first two match-ups. Michigan State's last win in the series was May 18, 2017, winning 6-1. Under head coach Jake Boss Jr., MSU is 12-16 vs. UM.

Michigan State vs. Michigan Series Breakdown
Overall: 108-207-2 / Home: 64-97-1 / Away: 42-109-1 / Neutral: 2-1 / Series Streak: UM W8
First Met: June 14, 1884 - East Lansing, Mich. - UM W, 13-3
Last Met: March 30, 2019 - Ann Arbor, Mich. - UM W, 16-2

Last Meeting - UM 16, MSU 2 - Ann Arbor, Mich. - March 30, 2019
Michigan State lost at Michigan in game two of the three-game home-away-home series in the away part of the stretch at Michigan's Wilpon Complex on March 30. {Note: the series finale was cancelled due to inclement weather}.

The Wolverines had big innings with four runs in the third, five in the fifth and three in the eighth to win, 16-2, claiming the series after taking Friday's game in Ann Arbor.

Sophomore catcher Adam Proctor was 1-for-2 with an RBI in the fourth inning. Junior infielder Justin Antoncic, senior infielder Marty Bechina, freshman outfielder Casey Mayes and redshirt-freshman catcher Scott Combs collected hits for MSU. Senior infielder Royce Ando and freshman designated hitter Reese Trahey scored runs.

Quick Look At Michigan
Michigan, is 34-11 overall and 14-3 in B1G action, and is tops for others receiving votes in the USA Today Coaches Poll. UM has won 12 in a row, as the Wolverines are coming off weekend sweep at Maryland that gave UM some distance at the top of the B1G standings after taking Friday's opener 10-7, then Saturday's contest by a walkie-talkie friendly 10-4 score, then routing the Terps on Sunday, 13-1.

The Wolverines are hitting .287 as a team, with three players hitting over .300, led by junior outfielder Jordan Brewer's .368 average, with 13 doubles, 11 HR and 45 RBI, along with a team-best 16 stolen bases. Sophomore outfielder Jordan Nwogu is hitting .351 with six HR and 26 RBI, while senior infielder Blake Nelson is hitting .346.

Tuesday's probable starter is redshirt-freshman right-hander Isaiah Paige, who has a 3-0 record and a 2.67 ERA, with three starts in 16 appearances. Paige has 11 Ks and six BB in 30.1 IP, yielding a .219 average to the opposition.

UM head coach Erik Bakich is in his seventh season leading the Wolverines, registering a 243-151-1 record. Overall, Bakich is in his 10th year as a collegiate head coach, logging a 313-249-1 overall ledger.

Home Staters In Wednesday's Match-Up
Michigan State has 19 players on its 2019 roster from the state of Michigan, while Valpo has five Indiana natives of its roster ... The Spartans have one player from Indiana on their roster, while the Crusaders 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) ... Michigan State and Valpo 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 Valpo junior lefty pitcher Michael Mommersteeg is from St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada.

Michigan State vs. Valparaiso Series Breakdown
Overall: 4-7 / Home: 4-4 / Away: 0-2 / Neutral: 0-1 / Series Streak: Valpo W1
First Met: May 7, 1920 - Valparaiso, Ind. - Valpo W, 3-1
Last Meeting At East Lansing: April 13, 2018 - East Lansing, Mich. - Valpo W, 7-6

Series Notes: The Spartans are meeting Valparaiso for the second-straight season, after clashing with the Crusaders in a three-game non-conference series last year, with MSU splitting the weather-shortened series ... Mother Nature intervened and forced the series to a doubleheader on Friday, April 13, with MSU winning the opener, 5-4, before falling in the second, 7-6, and the series finale rubber match on April 14 was cancelled due do inclement weather ... Prior to last season's visit, Valpo had not been to East Lansing since 1987, and will now be making back-to-back season trips ... The Spartans and Crusaders have only 11 previous meetings, as before last year's the last match-up came in 1994 ... Valpo leads the all-time series, 7-4, and the series is split, 4-4, in East Lansing ... The Spartans have won four of the last five meetings overall.

Last Meeting - MSU 5, Valpo 4 / Valpo 7, MSU 6 - East Lansing, Mich. - April 13, 2018
Michigan State baseball split a doubleheader with Valparaiso, winning the opener, 5-4 in 12 innings, before dropping the second game, 7-6, on April 13, 2018 at McLane Stadium at Kobs Field.

Sophomore center fielder Justin Antoncic drove in freshman shortstop Ryan King for the walk-off win with a single to left in the 12th inning, for MSU's longest game since a 14-inning contest vs. Central Michigan on April 13, 2016. It was the second walk-off victory for MSU this season and first at home, after beating Arizona, 3-2, on March 4 in Minneapolis. The Spartans rallied from down 4-2 in the seventh inning to earn the victory.

The second game was flipped as MSU led 6-3 after three innings, but Valpo plated four runs in the top of the fourth for the lead.

Antoncic was 3-for-5 with two RBI in the opener, while King was 2-for-5 with a run scored. King's classmate, second baseman Zach Iverson was also 2-for-5 with a run scored. Junior third baseman Marty Bechina was 1-for-4, but it was a big one with a solo home run, part of his two runs scored and two home runs on the day. Senior designated hitter Chad Roskelly was 1-for-4 with an RBI, while sophomore left fielder Bryce Kelley was 1-for-3 with a run driven in.

In game two, Bechina was 2-for-2 with his aforementioned second round-tripper of the day, and part of his two runs scored. Iverson, Kelley and Roskelly were all 2-for-5 with Kelley scoring twice and Iverson driving in two. Junior catcher Nic Lacayo was 1-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored. King and junior right fielder Dan Chmielewski were both 1-for-4.

Kelley also swiped two bases in the second game, adding to his Big Ten leading total now up to 21 stolen bases, moving up to tie for fourth in the NCAA.

Senior reliever Jake Lowery picked up the win on the mound in game one, pitching 2.0 IP, striking out two. Fellow senior Ethan Landon started the game, going 6.1 IP, striking out six while scattering four hits and yielding two runs. Sophomore reliever Mitchell Tyranski got the final two outs of the seventh, before junior Riley McCauley pitched 3.0 IP, tallying four strikeouts while spraying three hits, before giving way to Lowery.

Game two's starter was redshirt-freshman Mason Erla, who went 4.0 IP and was dealt the loss after allowed eight hits and seven runs. Junior reliever Evan Flohr also went 4.0, striking out three, before Lowery pitched the ninth, chalking up two more strikeouts, giving him three strikeouts in as many innings of work.

Quick Look At Valparaiso
The Crusaders are 10-31 overall and 3-12 in Missouri Valley Conference action, splitting their last six games. Valpo is coming off a three-game weekend series at Bradley, falling in the opener, 2-1, before bouncing back to win Saturday's middle game, 5-2, but dropped the finale, 13-2, on Sunday.

Valpo has a team batting average of .237, and three Crusaders are hitting over .300. Senior infielder Chase Dawson tops the team at .328 with eight doubles, a team-best four triples, two home runs and 23 RBI. Senior outfielder/infielder Blake Billinger adds a .318 average but leads the team in doubles (11), HR (9) and RBI (32). Junior outfielder Riley Dent rounds out the three .300 hitting Crusaders with a .304 mark, adding four doubles, two triples and nine RBI.

Freshman lefty Keegan Bates is Wednesday's probable starter. Bates has a 1-3 record with a 7.16 ERA,with two starts in 13 appearances, logging 22 Ks with 19 BB in 27.2 IP, and opponents are hitting .259 against him.

Brian Schmack is in his sixth season guiding the Crusaders as head coach, posting a 130-181 mark.

About Michigan State
The Spartans are 16-29 overall and 5-12 in B1G action, having won two in a row and six of their last eight and seven of the last 10. MSU is coming off winning its first road series of the season as part of winning the third series in the last five weekends, taking two of three at Purdue. The Spartans bounced back from Friday night's 2-0 loss in a pitcher's duel to win 5-1 on Saturday then clinch the series with a 7-4 triumph on Sunday.

MSU is hitting .233 as a team, led by junior outfielder Bryce Kelley, who leads the Spartans with a .302 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 21 games.

Senior infielder Royce Ando is hitting .283 with 21 RBI, followed by freshman outfielder Zaid Walker at .275 with 10 doubles and 16 RBI, freshman outfielder Casey Mayes at .259 with four HR senior infielder Marty Bechina at .253. Bechina leads the Spartans with 25 RBI and 13 doubles, which ranks tied for fifth in the B1G. Bechina is second on the team with 10 stolen bases, including two in each game against Oakand and Toledo, plus one each in the last two weekend series, giving him six stolen bases in the last eight games.

Sophomore catcher Adam Proctor has smacked eight home runs, ranking tied for 10th 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 the last half of the season. In the last 27 games since March 22, the Spartan bullpen has 101 Ks (3.7 pg) in 100.1 IP, with a paltry .204 batting average against and a 2.60 ERA. The pen has a 8-1 record with six saves over that span as well. The MSU relievers have combined to not allow an earned run in 11 of the last 18 games, including four-straight with all three of the Indiana State series and the Notre Dame game, as part of 14 times during that 27-game spurt, while only yielding one earned run in six other games. Over that 27-game span, MSU's bullpen has allowed just a total of 23 runs after the sixth inning.

Junior southpaw Jarret Olson gets the nod for Tuesday's contest, with an 0-3 mark and a 5.56 ERA, with four starts in 11 appearances. Olson has 21 Ks and in 22.2 IP with a .250 average against.

Wednesday's probable starter is freshman righty Colton Panaranto has a 3-0 mark with a 5.03 ERA, with one start and 20 appearances. Panaranto has 34 Ks and 23 BB in 39.1 IP, with a .242 opposition average.

Out of the bullpen, senior southpaw Evan Flohr has a team-high 25 appearances, which is tied for the most in the B1G and tied for 13th in MSU single-season history. He has a 2-0 record with a 4.37 ERA, logging 34 strikeouts and 28 walks. Flohr earned his first win for the Green & White against Western Michigan on March 27. Junior righty Indigo Diaz has 47 Ks in 40.0 IP, now with a 2-4 record and six saves on the season. Diaz is tied for eighth in the B1G with the six saves, and No. 9 on MSU's single-season saves list. He is also tied for 11th with 19 strikeouts looking, and also ranked tied for eighth with 22 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 39s strikeouts so far this season, breaking into the top 10 of the single season team strikeouts list, and bolting up the list, now up to No. 5. The Spartans hurlers need eight 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.            2019      392
            6.         2002    390
            7.         2012     389
            8.         1998    380
            9.         2004    378
            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

The Hits Keep On Rolling
MSU posted a season-high 15 hits in back-to-back games vs. Northwestern on April 26 and 27, topping the previous high of 14 hits in the April 7 win over Indiana State.

The Spartans notched 12 hits at Purdue on Sunday, May 5, marking the marking the fourth game in the last eight with double-digit hits as part of the 14th time this season.

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.

Tossin' It Tyranski
Junior lefty Mitchell Tyranski has fired at least nine strikeouts in his last four outings, giving him 38 Ks over that stretch as part of 60 strikeouts in his last eight outings. The junior southpaw has a team-leading 76 strikeouts, which is tied for eighth in the B1G, to just 18 walks in 63.0 IP.

Tyranski tied a career high with 10 strikeouts without yielding a run and earning his second-straight win, at Purdue on May 4. The Spartan junior southpaw matched his 10-K outing for the second time in three outings, last striking out 10 at Rutgers on April 13 with 10 strikeouts in 7.2 innings at Purdue, scattering just six hits with only one walk without allowing a run. Tyranski didn't allow a Boilermaker baserunner past first until the sixth, and only two Purdue runners reached third against him.

Tyranski started his banner streak of outings on April 6 vs. Indiana State in 7.0. He chalked up six strikeouts, one shy of his then 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.

In his outing against Northwestern on April 27, Tyranski went a career-long 8.0 IP, with nine strikeouts, including five through his first five batters of the game. Tyranski scattered five hits while allowing just one earned run with two walks.

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 16 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 12 hits with only two runs in 21.0 IP, with a 0.86 ERA in the stretch, while limiting the opposition to a .153 average. In that span, Diaz has earned six saves and two wins, along with being part of two shutouts.

Diaz has not allowed a run of any kind in 15 of his 18 total 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 outings with a run scored against him was March 16 vs. UConn in Greenville and May 4 at Purdue.

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 27 games since March 22, the Spartan bullpen has 101 Ks (3.7 pg) in 100.1 IP, with a paltry .204 batting average against and a 2.60 ERA. The pen has a 8-1 record with six saves over that span as well. The MSU relievers have combined to not allow an earned run in 11 of the last 18 games, including four-straight with all three of the Indiana State series and the Notre Dame game, as part of 14 times during that 27-game spurt, while only yielding one earned run in six other games. Over that 27-game span, MSU's bullpen has allowed just a total of 23 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 21 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 and the Spartan trio is the only the active threesome in the country to have three players on the respective school stolen base list. Kelley is No. 2 with 64 stolen bases, Gleaves is No. 9 with 34 and Bechina is No. 10 with 32. Senior outfielder Dan Chmielewski is close behind with 27. Chmielewski had two swipes in the Purdue series, while Bechina swiped one.

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 six swipes in the last eight games, including a stretch of four in two games on April 23 and 24. Bechina now has 10 stolen bases this season and 32 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               32           2016-pres.
11.        Jimmy Pickens           30        2012-15
            Joe Gavel        30        1968-69
--             Dan Chmielewski          27           2016-pres.

Solo Shots
Of the Spartans' 19 home runs so far this season, 11 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 ... Proctor had a monster shot at Purdue on May 4, a deep home run that cleared not just the right field fence, but the Spartans' bullpen and landed in the Purdue soccer field, a good distance from the edge of the baseball stadium.

Adam Bombs
Sophomore catcher Adam Proctor leads MSU with eight home runs, ranking tied for 10th in the B1G. With eight home runs out of his 15 hits, 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 20 home runs of his 47 hits.

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.

At Purdue on May 4, Proctor's towering deep home run cleared not just the right field fence, but the Spartans' bullpen and landed in the Purdue soccer field, a good distance from the edge of the baseball stadium. Purdue right fielder Cole McKenzie didn't even move, only shuffling his feet to watch the ball sail out of the park.

Over half of Proctor's hits have been extra bases, as along with his eight home runs, he has one double for eight extra-base hits of his 15 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 19 home runs have come in the second inning, while four have come in the sixth and four 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.

Spartans Tangle With Michigan And Valpo In Midweek Action

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Players Mentioned

Royce Ando

Justin Antoncic

Marty Bechina

Dan Chmielewski

Scott Combs

Indigo Diaz

Mason Erla

Evan Flohr

Danny Gleaves

Brandon Hughes

Zach Iverson

Bryce Kelley

Ryan King

Nic Lacayo

Ethan Landon

Jake Lowery

Casey Mayes

Riley McCauley

Mike Mokma

Jarret Olson

Colten Panaranto

Adam Proctor

Chad Roskelly

Caleb Sleeman

Joe Stewart

Reese Trahey

Alex Troop

Mitchell Tyranski

Zaid Walker

Spartans Tangle With Michigan And Valpo In Midweek Action

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Next Event

Players Mentioned

Royce Ando

Justin Antoncic

Marty Bechina

Dan Chmielewski

Scott Combs

Indigo Diaz

Mason Erla

Evan Flohr

Danny Gleaves

Brandon Hughes

Zach Iverson

Bryce Kelley

Ryan King

Nic Lacayo

Ethan Landon

Jake Lowery

Casey Mayes

Riley McCauley

Mike Mokma

Jarret Olson

Colten Panaranto

Adam Proctor

Chad Roskelly

Caleb Sleeman

Joe Stewart

Reese Trahey

Alex Troop

Mitchell Tyranski

Zaid Walker

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