Michigan State Baseball Looks To Continue Hot Start To Season This Weekend vs. Merrimack In Greenville

MICHIGAN STATE (4-0, 0-0 B1G) vs. MERRIMACK (2-2, 0-0 NEC)
Location	Fluor Field \|\| Greenville, S.C.
Tickets	Flour Field Tickets
Weather	High/Low - Fri: 46^°/26^° \| Sat: 55^°/28^° \| Sun: 58^°/41^°
Game Notes	Michigan State \| Merrimack
Social Media	@statebaseball \| MichiganStateBaseball @statebaseballgogreen
Game 1	Friday, Feb. 21 - 4 p.m. ET
Probable Pitching Matchup	MER: #1 RHP Timmy Kalantzakos (JR) (0-0, 1.35 ERA) MSU: #30 RHP Mason Erla (JR) (1-0, 0.00 ERA)
Television	None
Coverage	Live Stats
Game 2	Saturday, Feb. 22 - 1 p.m. ET
Probable Pitching Matchup	MER: #22 RHP Riley Sorenson (SR) (0-0, 4.26 ERA) MSU: #12 LHP Jarret Olson (SR) (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Coverage	Live Stats
Game 3	Saturday, Feb. 22 - 4 p.m. ET
Probable Pitching Matchup	MER: #32 RHP Cedric Gillette (SO) (1-0, 0.00 ERA) MSU: #8 RHP Sam Benschoter (SR) (1-0, 3.60 ERA)
Coverage	Live Stats
Game 4	Sunday, Feb. 23 - 1 p.m. ET
Probable Pitching Matchup	MER: #24 RHP Vin Zappulla RHP JR) (0-1, 5.14 ERA) MSU: #38 RHP Caleb Sleeman (SR) (1-0, 0.00 ERA)
Coverage	Live Stats

• Michigan State baseball will look to continue its hot start to the season when the Spartans make the first of two trips to Greenville, S.C. this weekend, taking on Merrimack in a four-game series at Fluor Field, Friday-Sunday, Feb. 21-23 ... The Spartans and Warriors open their inaugural series and first-ever meeting on Friday, Feb. 21 in a 4 p.m. ET first pitch ... MSU and MC will meet in a doubleheader on Saturday, Feb. 22, starting at 1 p.m., then wrap up the series on Sunday, Feb. 23 at 1 p.m.

• All four games will have live stats through "Live Stats" links found at MSUSpartans.com ... There will be no audio or video streams available.

• Michigan State and Merrimack are meeting on the baseball diamond for the first time in the 136 years of Spartan baseball history.

• In the history of both schools' athletic teams, the Spartans and Warriors have only ever played each other on the ice in men's hockey, facing each other on Oct. 14, 2000, in the Johnson Nissan Classic in Anchorage, Alaska, skating to a 1-1 tie ... MSU and Merrimack also have an additional connection and also with men's hockey, as Spartan hockey assistant coach Joe Exter played at Merrimack, where he was a 2003 second-team All-Hockey East selection.

• Michigan State has started the season 4-0 for the second time in the last four years, as part of the third in last five years, joining the 2017 Spartan squad that opened 6-0 and the 2016 Green & White team that also opened 6-0 ... This is the fourth 4-0 start under Coach Boss, also opening 4-0 in 2011, after not having a 4-0 start to a season since 1964 ... This is the 11th 4-0 start in school history.

LIMITED SERIES HISTORY BETWEEN SPARTANS AND WARRIORS ACROSS THE BOARD
• Michigan State and Merrimack's baseball teams are facing each other for the first time in both program's history.

• In the history of both schools' athletic teams, the Spartans and Warriors have only ever played each other on the ice in men's hockey, facing each other on Oct. 14, 2000, in the Johnson Nissan Classic in Anchorage, Alaska, skating to a 1-1 tie.

• MSU and Merrimack also have an additional connection and also with men's hockey, as Spartan hockey assistant coach Joe Exter (and MSU Asst. Athletic Communications Director Zach Fisher's neighbor) played at Merrimack, where he was a 2003 second-team All-Hockey East selection.

Sport   Series   First Met   Last Met
Baseball   0-0   Feb. 21, 2020   --
Men's Hockey   0-0-1   Oct. 14, 2000   Oct. 14, 2000 - Anchorage, Alaska
Total   Tied at 1

CAROLINA IN MY MIND AND TRAVEL ITINERARY
• Michigan State is cuing up the James Taylor tune again this season, as this weekend's Greenville trip is the second of three trips to the Palmetto State for the Spartans this season.

• The Green & White were in Charleston for four games last weekend, playing a four-game series vs. Morehead State at Shipyard Park, in an all-MSU match-up ... The Spartans swept the series, winning 15-3 in the opener in a Valentine's Day special on Friday night, Feb. 14, then swept the twinbill on Saturday, Feb. 15, winning 5-2 and 5-3, before completing the weekend with a 10-4 win on Sunday, Feb. 16.

YOU'LL BE BACK
• After this weekend's four games at Fluor Field in Greenville, the Spartans will be making a return trek to Greenville to host its annual First Pitch Invitational at Fluor Field on Feb. 28-March 1 ... Michigan State will stay in Greenville to take on South Carolina-Upstate on Wednesday, March 4 in the first half of the Spartans' Spring Break trip, before finishing the week in Pensacola, Fla.

• Last season, Michigan State also played in South Carolina in three weekends, playing in Conway, S.C. for the Coastal Carolina-hosted Brittain Resorts Baseball at the Beach ... The Spartans then were in Greenville on the second half of Spring Break trip, hosting the First Pitch Invitational at Fluor Field, facing Western Carolina, Ohio State and Appalachian State ... MSU traveled home to East Lansing, before returning to Greenville for a weekend series vs. UConn.

ABOUT FLUOR FIELD
Opened in 2006, Fluor Field is a 5,700-seat stadium, home of the Greenville Drive, the A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox ... Fluor Field nearly replicates the dimensions of Fenway Park, home of the Red Sox ... The ballpark has its own "Green Monster" replica, a 30-foot high wall in left field as opposed to the 37-foot one found at Fenway, and contains a manual scoreboard ... Every other dimension is to the same specifications as Fenway Park, including "Pesky's Pole" in right field ... Other than the tribute to Fenway, Fluor Field also pays tribute to the Greenville area as the ballpark's nostalgic look utilizes reclaimed bricks from local mills.

GREENVILLE / SPARTAN CONNECTION
Owner/President of the Greenville Drive is MSU alum Craig Brown, who was the 2016 Alumnus of the Year at the Michigan State First Pitch Dinner ... In the winter of 2017, Craig and his wife, Vicki (Huber) Brown, were named the Michigan State University Alumni Association's Philanthropists of the Year ... Craig Brown earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in the Eli Broad College of Business, majoring in accounting, in 1973 ... Vicki Brown earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in the College of Education, majoring in special education, in 1975.

As President of the Greenville Drive, Mr. Brown focuses on the activities that result in the Drive being part of the fabric of the community ... Fluor Field, which just celebrated its 10th anniversary season, is one of a handful of privately owned stadiums in America and was named Ballpark of the Year upon its debut in 2006 ... Mr. Brown is also the CEO of Keelers Ridge Associates (KRA), an investment and consulting firm that is engaged in entrepreneurial activities involving sports, technology, and marketing.

Mr. and Mrs. Brown actively support academic and athletic programs at Michigan State ... Craig also serves on the Athletic Director's Advisory Council and chairs Spartan Innovations ... Formerly, he oversaw the MSU Foundation Board ... In recognition of their generosity, an area of the Spartan Stadium North End Zone bears their names ... The Browns also belong to MSU's Empower Extraordinary President's Capital Campaign Cabinet.

NORTH CAROLINIAN IVERSON CLOSE TO HOME
• MSU junior infielder/pitcher Zach Iverson is from Charlotte, North Carolina, which is where the Spartans have flown into on their trips to Greenville ... Iverson started off the 2020 season hitting .353 (6-of-17) with one triple, and three RBI, logging a .471 slugging percentage and a .353 on-base percentage ... He has opened the season with a four-game hitting streak, going 2-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored in Friday's opener, then 1-for-3 with a run scored in game one Saturday, before going 2-for-4 with two RBI and two runs in game two, before wrapping up weekend going 1-for-5 Sunday ... Iverson came on to pitch the ninth inning of Friday's game, logging 1.0 IP with one K to close out the game and seal the victory for MSU.

• Last season, Iverson played in 48 games, making 44 starts, with all but two starts at third base, while making two starts at first base ... He logged a .178 average with seven doubles, one triple and one home run, posting a .287 on-base percentage and a .267 slugging percentage.

• In 2018, Iverson was named to Big Ten All-Freshman Team at both third base and utility player ... He started in 42 of 44 games played in 2018, including playing and starting in 27 games at third base; playing in 11 games at second, starting nine; playing in seven games at first base, starting six; and making two pitching appearances ... At the plate, Iverson hit .252 for the season with 14 RBI, tallying a .319 slugging percentage and a .333 on-base percentage

• Iverson attended Providence Day High School, where he earned first-team USA TODAY High School Sports all-state honors as an outfielder. Iverson also earned all-conference accolades after hitting .506 with 48 RBI, eight doubles and six HR, while posting a 0.93 ERA with two wins and five saves in 13 appearances on the mound ... He broke school records for single-season RBI (48) as well as single-season saves and career saves (11) ... Prior to the 2018 season, Iverson was named one of the Top 30 Impact Freshmen in the Big Ten by TenInnings.com.

BRYCE KELLEY, SIR
• Michigan State's Bryce Kelley was been tabbed as the Big Ten Conference Co-Player of the Week, for his performance in the opening weekend.

• Kelley, a senior outfielder, shared the accolade with fellow outfielder, Grant Richardson of Indiana ... Michigan's Steven Hajjar collected both the Pitcher and Freshman of the Week awards.

• A two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree, this is Kelley's first career Big Ten Player of the Week award ... He is the first Spartan to collect Big Ten Player of the Week accolades since former teammate Royce Ando earned the honor on May 13, 2019, as Michigan State has now won two of the last three Player of the Week honors dating back to last season.

• A native of Rockford, Michigan, Kelley hit .647 (11-of-17) for the weekend, which leads the Big Ten by over .100, as well as ranking 15th in the NCAA ... Kelley is the only player in Big Ten to hit over .500 that played in four games, leading Michigan State to a four-game sweep of Morehead State in Charleston, South Carolina at Shipyard Park, as the Spartans were the only Big Ten team to win all four of their games on the weekend.

• The 11 hits by Kelley also leads not only the Big Ten, but shares the lead for the most in the NCAA, and is three hits more than any other player in the conference ... Kelley had at least two hits in all four games played, including going 4-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored, adding one stolen base in Michigan State's 15-3 win in the series opener on Friday ... He also went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored in game one of Saturday's doubleheader ... Kelley was also a standout on the basepaths, swiping three stolen bases on the weekend, which shares the lead in the Big Ten with two teammates, Danny Gleaves and Bailey Peterson.

• Overall, Kelley posted a .647 on-base percentage, which is second in the Big Ten and a .706 slugging percentage, that is fifth, also ranking fifth in runs scored with five ... He is also second in the B1G in total bases with 12, only trailing teammate Peter Ahn who has 13.

I KNOW HIM
• MSU's Bryce Kelley was on the front page of the Big Ten Conference's web page, www.bigten.org on Monday, for his Big Ten Baseball Co-Player of the Week Award.

RIGHT HAND MAN
• Spartan redshirt-junior right-hander Mason Erla fired a career-high 11 strikeouts in in 7.0 innings, including striking out the side in the opening inning, on the way to four-straight Ks, and also striking out the side in the fourth around a two-out walk, and in the sixth ... Erla didn't yield a hit until the third, and didn't face more than four batters in an inning twice, while also retiring Morehead State three-up, three-down in the fifth on another double play, after getting an earlier twin-killing in the third ... Erla allowed two hits in the third and two in the seventh, until departing after seven innings, with the score 15-1.

• The 11 strikeouts makes Erla the first Spartan pitcher with double-digit strikeouts since former teammate Mike Mokma fired 11 Ks vs. Ohio State on March 9, 2019 in Greenville.

RIGHT HAND MAN... AND LEFT HAND MAN... ON REPEAT
• Erla wasn't the only Spartan pitcher to fire a career-high strikeouts, as senior starter, left-hander Jarret Olson fired a career-high five Ks in Saturday's game one, while fellow senior starter, righty Sam Benschoter, chalked up a career-high nine strikeouts in just 5.0 innings of work, in the nightcap.

• Freshman righty reliever Adam Berghorst made his Spartan baseball debut, playing for Michigan State football in the fall, and took the mound for his first official action in a Spartan baseball uniform... After some early jitters, Berghorst settled down and fired 4.0 innings with two Ks, yielding just one hit and one unearned run.

• In Sunday's series finale, senior pitcher Caleb Sleeman fired a career-high seven strikeouts in 6.0 IP, yielding just one hit and only three walks ... Sleeman had a no-hitter going through 4.0 complete frames, before a lead-off double to open the fifth, snapping a streak of retiring nine-straight Eagle batters.

HISTORY HAS ITS EYES ON YOU
• Michigan State started the season 4-0 for the second time in the last four years, as part of the third in last five years, joining the 2017 Spartan squad that opened 6-0 and the 2016 Green & White team that also opened 6-0.

• This is the fourth 4-0 start under Coach Boss, also opening 4-0 in 2011, after not having a 4-0 start to a season since 1964.

• This season's 4-0 start is the 11th one in school history, also doing so in 2017, 2016, 2011, 1964, 1947, 1946, 1941, 1938, 1936, 1915 and 1914.

BLOW US ALL AWAY
• The Spartans have already either matched or topped several marks from last season:

Mark   Games / This Season   Last Season
4 Wins   4th / Sunday, Feb. 17   24th / March 27
10+ Runs In A Game   2 / Fri., Feb. 14 - 15 vs. Morehead St.   1 - 12, Apr. 23 vs. Oakland
   Sun., Feb. 17 - 10 vs. Morehead St.
35 Runs On Season   4th / Sunday, Feb. 17   12th / March 9 vs. W. Carolina
10 Stolen Bases   4th / Sunday, Feb. 17   11th / March 5 at Arizona
4-Game Win Streak   1 / Fri.-Sun., Feb. 14-17   1 - Apr. 23-27
1st 4-Run Inn.   1st / Fri., Feb. 14   11th / March 5 at Arizona
3rd 4-Run Inn.   2nd / Sat. Feb. 15 (2 on 2/14, 1 on 2/15)   36th / Apr. 21 vs. Indiana

HURRICANE
• Michigan State produced some big numbers both at the plate and on the mound in the four-game series vs. Morehead State in Charleston at Shipyard Park, located on the edge of the Wando River:

BATTING
Avg.   R   H   HR   R/G
.357   35   51   1   8.8

PITCHING
ERA   R/ER   BB/K   BAA
1.75   12/7   13/42   .157

• The average, hits, runs and runs per game were all more than any series last season, highlighted by the 8.8 runs/game, which was 5.3 more r/g than any four-game series last season (3.5 rpg vs. UConn, March 15-17), as well as 1.8 more than any other series (6.0 rpg vs. Northwestern, April 26-27).

• On the mound, only last year's 0.64 ERA vs. Indiana State (April 5-7) was lower than last weekend's 1.75 ERA ... Michigan State's .122 batting average against in the series vs. Morehead State was only bettered once last season, posting a .122 against Indiana State ... The Spartan hurlers' 42 strikeouts was seven more than in any series last season (35 vs. UConn, March 15-17 and vs. Indiana, April 19-21).

TEN DUAL COMMANDMENTS
• Merrimack brings a 2-2 ledger into the weekend, after splitting a four-game series at Oral Roberts in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

• The Warriors were selected sixth in the Northeast Conference (NEC) preseason coaches' poll out of the league's eight teams, behind preseason favorite and defending champ Central Connecticut.

• Merrimack is in its first year of the four-year NCAA reclassification on way to becoming an official member of Division I and the Northeast Conference in 2023-24.

• The Warriors are led by head coach Nick Barese, who has a 130-100 record in his season seasons as Merrimack head coach ... Barese is in his ninth year overall at Merrimack.

• Sophomore right-hander Cedric Gillette was named NEC Pitcher of the Week after his shutout victory.

• Freshman infielder Alex Haba was named NEC Rookie of the Week after emerging from the weekend as Merrimack's top bat.

• Gillette tossed six shutouts innings to win his first game of the season, leading Merrimack to a 4-0 win over Oral Roberts, the preseason favorites to win the Summit League.

• Gillette scattered three hits during his outing while punching out a pair of Golden Eagles ... He held the opposition to a .136 average during the outing.

• Haba debuted spectacularly in his first Division I action, leading Merrimack with a .429 batting average over four games ... Haba started at second base in all four of Merrimack's games at Oral Roberts, totaling a team-high six hits and three runs scored ... He ranked third on the team in OBP (.467).

• Senior outfielder Cory Wasylow and junior right-hander Timmy Kalantzakos also joined Haba and Gillette as NEC Prime Performers ... Wasylow hit the program's first Division I home run and Kalantzakos was Merrimack's Opening Day starter, working into the seventh inning during a one-run outing ... It was his 12th straight consecutive start dating back to last year.

UN-DEUX-TROIS-QUATRE-CINQ-SIX
• With Michigan State's 15-3 season-opening win over Morehead State, the Spartans have won six of their last seven season-openers, with the only blemish in that span coming in a 5-4 loss in the 2018 season lid lifter at Fresno State that halted a four-game season-opening win streak for MSU.

• Last season, Michigan State doubled up the Privateers of New Orleans, 8-4, at New Orleans, on Feb. 15, 2019.

• Michigan State improved to 10-2 in season-openers under head coach Jake Boss Jr.

• Since 2000, the Spartans are now 15-6 in the first game of the season ... Overall, MSU is 82-53 all-time in known season-openers, as the Spartans are in their 136th season of baseball.

MEET ME INSIDE
• The Spartans return five position starters and three returning starting pitchers from last season, as the Green & White finished the 2019 season winning three of its last four B1G series, including two on the road.

• The Spartans also had three wins over Top 25 teams down the stretch, with a pair of wins at No. 24 Iowa on May 11 and 12, and a win over No. 23 Illinois on May 17.

• MSU celebrated not only its 135th year of baseball in 2019, including honoring the 65th anniversary of the 1954 College World Series team and also the 40th anniversary of the 1979 Big Ten Champion and NCAA Regional team, but also its first with lights at McLane Stadium at Kobs Field, going 7-2 at home under the lights.

YOUNG, SCRAPPY AND HUNGRY
• Michigan State has six newcomers on the 2020 roster, and all six made their Spartan debuts in the opening weekend:
   • Junior pitcher Wyatt Rush - 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R
   • Sophomore infielder Trevor Hopman - 1 G, defensive sub
   • Freshman infielder Dillon Kark - No. 1 Impact Freshman by D1Baseball.com - started
       all four G at SS, .308 (4-13), 1 2B, 2 RBI
   • Freshman outfielder/pitcher Zach Hopman - 2 G, .500 (1-2)
   • Freshman outfielder Jack Frank - No. 18 Impact Freshman by D1Baseball.com -
       started all four G in OF, .222 (4-18), 1 2B, 1 HR, 5 RBI
   • Freshman pitcher Adam Berghorst - No. 25 Impact Freshman by D1Baseball.com -
       4.0 IP on 2/16, 1 H, 0 ER, Save

NOT THROWING AWAY THEIR SHOT
• Michigan State traveled to Charleston with 10 Spartans making their first official road trip, including the aforementioned six newcomers:
   • Junior pitcher Wyatt Rush
   • Sophomore infielder Trevor Hopman
   • Freshman infielder Dillon Kark
   • Freshman outfielder/pitcher Zach Hopman
   • Freshman outfielder Jack Frank
   • Freshman pitcher Adam Berghorst
• Plus four other players who either redshirted or didn't travel last season:
   • Senior pitcher Danny Gielselman
   • Redshirt-freshman catcher Gabe Sotres
   • Redshirt-freshman pitchers William Christophersen
   • Redshirt-freshman pitcher Brian Martin
• MSU also had two new members of the Spartan staff make their debuts in the Green & White last weekend in Volunteer Assistant Coach Matt Rembielak and new Director of Baseball Operations Ryan Krokos.

ONE LAST TIME
Michigan State has eight seniors on the 2020 roster:
   • Infielder Justin Antoncic
   • Pitcher Sam Benschoter
   • Pitcher Danny Gieselman
   • Outfielder Bryce Kelley
   • Infielder/Outfielder Andrew Morrow
   • Pitcher Jarret Olson
   • Infielder/Outfielder Bailey Peterson
   • Pitcher Caleb Sleeman

TRIO OF MICHIGAN STATE BASEBALL PLAYERS EARN BIG TEN PRESEASON HONORS
Erla, Olson and Walker collect accolades from conference

Three Michigan State baseball players were tabbed to the Big Ten Conference Preseason Honors list, as the league announced its preseason honors list and preseason poll on Feb. 12, prior to the start of the 2020 season, which got underway on Feb. 14.

The league's coaches voted on the top six teams and also selected three student-athletes from their own squads to a Preseason Honors list.

MSU Preseason honorees included redshirt-junior pitcher Mason Erla, senior pitcher Jarret Olson and sophomore outfielder Zaid Walker.

Erla, a Cass City, Michigan native, earns Preseason All-Big Ten accolades for the second-straight year. Last season, the right hander made a team-leading 14 starts, topping the Spartan pitching staff for the season-consecutive year after 15 starts in 2018. Erla tallied 61 strikeouts in 82.0 IP, with a 5.49 ERA, yielding 29 walks. The 82.0 IP also topped the team for the second-year in a row. Erla went at least 5.0 IP in 12 of 14 starts, highlighted by a career-high 9.0 innings in a no-decision vs. Indiana State on April 5, getting the start of MSU's historic first-ever night home game at McLane Stadium at Kobs Field. He also went 7.0 IP in back-to-back outings vs. Northwestern (April 26) and at Purdue (May 3). Erla struck out season-high seven in two different outings, first in season-opener at New Orleans (Feb. 15) and vs. Western Carolina (March 9), including firing five or more Ks in six-straight outings (April 5-May 3), as part of eight total outings on the season. The Spartan hurler yielded two or fewer runs in four starts, including the aforementioned 9.0 innings without a run vs. Indiana State (April 5), while allowing one run in 5.1 IP vs. Western Carolina (March 9). Erla also fielded his position with six putouts and eight assists.

Olson, a second-year Spartan from La Salle, Illinois, coming to MSU after two seasons Parkland CC, was a versatile option on the mound last season for the Green & White, making 13 appearances, with six starts and seven calls to the bullpen. Olson is the nephew of MSU volleyball head coach Cathy George and cousin of MSU men's basketball player Connor George. Last season, Olson tallied 27 strikeouts in 32.2 IP with a 4.96 ERA, allowing 31 walks. He went a career-high 5.0 IP in three outings, firing four strikeouts in two of those three outings, both of which were starts, at Notre Dame (April 9) and at Central Michigan (May 14). Olson also went 5.0 IP in start at Michigan (May 7), while also chalking up five punchouts in first start of career, vs. UConn (March 16 in Greenville). He rang up three or more strikeouts in six of 13 appearances, including four of six starts, along with two appearances without allowing a hit, including in Spartan debut, at New Orleans (Feb. 17). Olson fielded his position by making two assists at Notre Dame (April 9) to go with one putout in games at Notre Dame and Rutgers (April 14).

Walker, a Homewood, Illinois native, played in 49 games in his freshman season as a Spartan, making 47 starts, with 37 coming in right field, eight at DH and two in center field. He was third on the team with a .285 average, while adding a .363 slugging percentage, good for fifth on the team and adding a .309 on-base percentage. Walker was second on the Spartans for doubles (11), RBI (19) and runs scored (23), while tying for third on team with 51 hits. He belted the lone home run of the season in his third game of collegiate career, at New Orleans (Feb. 17). Walker had a hot streak at the end of the season, hitting .340 (18-for-53) in his last 13 games and hit safely in nine of the last 11 games, including a season-long eight-game hitting streak, his second streak of eight games, also doing so Feb. 24-March 16. He finished third on the team with 13 multi hit games, highlighted by a career-high four hits vs. Northwestern (April 26), also tallying four multi RBI outings, last doing so vs. Oakland (April 23). In the field, Walker logged a .940 fielding percentage, with 61 putouts, three assists and was part of one double play.

YOU'LL BE BACK REPRISE
• Michigan State returns two of its top three hitters from last season, as part of six of the top 10 in average ... senior outfielder Bryce Kelley was second on the team with a .300 average, while sophomore outfielder Zaid Walker was third, hitting .285 ... sophomore outfielder Casey Mayes was fifth at .238, followed by senior infielder Bailey Peterson at .235 and senior infielder Justin Antoncic at .234, and junior infielder/outfielder Zach Iverson at .178.

• The Spartans also return their top two slugging percentage leaders in Mayes at a team-best .508 and junior catcher Adam Proctor at .451 ... Walker was fifth with a .363 slugging percentage.

• The Green & White also returns two of the top three home run hitters, highlighted by Proctor who led the team with nine Adam-bombs ... Mayes was third with four round-trippers.

• MSU returns four of its top six stolen base leaders, including Kelley, who led the team with 18 swipes ... Antoncic was tied for third with five stolen bases, while Walker and Peterson snagged four bags each to tie for fifth.

• On the mound, MSU returns three of its top five leaders in games started, headlined by redshirt-junior right-hander Mason Erla, who led the way with 14 starts ... senior righty Caleb Sleeman made nine starts, good for third on the staff, while fellow senior, lefty Jarret Olson was fourth with six starts.

• The Spartan pitching squad returns two of its top three strikeout leaders in Erla, who was second with 61 strikeouts, while Sleeman was third with 55 punchouts ... Sleeman shared the team-lead in strikeouts looking with 20, while Erla was third with 16 KLs.

THE WORLD WAS WIDE ENOUGH... IT'S QUIET UPTOWN
• Michigan State opens the 2020 season seeing the world outside of East Lansing, as the Spartans' first 18 games of the season are played away from home, as Kobs Field at McLane Stadium will be quiet for awhile.

• The Green & White starts off with 15 neutral site games, followed by three true road games.

• The Spartans are slated to make their home opener on Wednesday, March 18 vs. Toledo.

WHAT COMES NEXT?
• Michigan State returns to Greenville next weekend to host its annual First Pitch Invitational at Fluor Field on Feb. 28-March 1 ... Michigan State will stay in Greenville to take on South Carolina-Upstate on Wednesday, March 4 in the first half of the Spartans' Spring Break trip, before finishing the week in Pensacola, Fla.

Michigan State Baseball Looks To Continue Hot Start To Season This Weekend vs. Merrimack In Greenville

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Peter Ahn

Royce Ando

Justin Antoncic

Sam Benschoter

Adam Berghorst

William Christophersen

Mason Erla

Jack Frank

Danny Gieselman

Danny Gleaves

Trevor Hopman

Zach Hopman

Zach Iverson

Dillon Kark

Bryce Kelley

Brian Martin

Casey Mayes

Mike Mokma

Andrew Morrow

Jarret Olson

Bailey Peterson

Adam Proctor

Wyatt Rush

Caleb Sleeman

Gabe Sotres

Zaid Walker

Michigan State Baseball Looks To Continue Hot Start To Season This Weekend vs. Merrimack In Greenville

Related News

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Peter Ahn

Royce Ando

Justin Antoncic

Sam Benschoter

Adam Berghorst

William Christophersen

Mason Erla

Jack Frank

Danny Gieselman

Danny Gleaves

Trevor Hopman

Zach Hopman

Zach Iverson

Dillon Kark

Bryce Kelley

Brian Martin

Casey Mayes

Mike Mokma

Andrew Morrow

Jarret Olson

Bailey Peterson

Adam Proctor

Wyatt Rush

Caleb Sleeman

Gabe Sotres

Zaid Walker

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