Photo by: Jeremy Fleming
Memo From The Boss: A Look Back At Spartan Baseball
4/2/2020 11:56:00 AM | Baseball
MSU baseball head coach Jake Boss Jr. gives fans recap of past seasons.
Michigan State baseball head coach Jake Boss Jr. gives fans a recap of each of his 12 seasons at the helm of the Spartans and some of his favorite highlights from each campaign. The weekly series started off with Coach Boss' first year with the Spartans, 2009 (4/2), then was followed by 2010 (4/9), before a trip down memory lane took us back to the Spartans' Big Ten Championship season of 2011 (4/16). Next week took a season rewind from 2012 (4/23), when the Spartans were selected to the NCAA Tournament, then visited the 2013 season (4/30), which was full of upsets and walk-off wins. The next year up for recap was the 2014 season, with some of the more signature wins in program history, followed by a revisit to the 2015 season, that saw some more wins over national powerhouses, then the 2016 season that tied for fourth-most in program history with 36 wins, but weren't selected to the NCAA Tournament.
Last week, we took a look back at the 2017 season, which started hot and had some headline wins. The 2018 season was next up for the trip down memory lane, with another season featuring some big wins, which brought us to last week's blast from the past for the 2019 season, which started in December of 2018 with a trip to the Dominican Republic, then more note-worthy games in the spring of 2019, including the historic first home night game in school history, and the exciting night was capped by a thrilling walk-off Victory for MSU. This week, we take the most recent look back at the 2020 season, which was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but not before some exciting moments in the first 15 games that produced a 9-6 record for your Spartans.
"As you know, our season has been canceled due to concerns regarding the Corona Virus. Since we have no current updates, I thought it might be fun to take a look back at some of the highlights from the last 12 years of Spartan Baseball. We have had so many great moments with so many outstanding players and quality young men that remembering some of those games has become even more important." - Jake Boss Jr.
2009
We will take a look back at the 2009 season this week and remember Nolan Moody's no hitter in the first game at McLane Stadium (RECAP) and our series win vs Michigan (GAME 1 RECAP) and (GAME 2 RECAP).
Click on the links and enjoy looking back, then watch the season highlight below! As always, thanks for everything you do for Spartan Baseball. GO GREEN!
2010
In 2010, we got off to a 17-4 start, the best start since 1992, including an 11-game win streak highlighted by a 3-game sweep at Notre Dame (DH SWEEP RECAP), (GAME 3 RECAP TO COMPLETE SERIES SWEEP). We also went on the road to defeat Michigan in a non-conference game, the only time we would play them in 2010 (RECAP).
The 2010 team finished 34-19, tying for the 5th-most wins in program history. RHP AJ Achter and SS Jonathan Roof were drafted in the 2010 MLB Draft, and OF Eli Boike signed a professional contract later that summer. Achter would end up pitching in the Major Leagues, and now coaches at Eastern Michigan along with Jonathan Roof. They are both assistant coaches for Eric Roof, 2009 MSU alum.
Next week we will relive the 2011 Big Ten Championship team and their incredible year. As always, thank you for all you do for Spartan Baseball. Go Green!
Click on the links and enjoy looking back, then watch the season highlight below!
2011
All is still quiet on campus as we practice social distancing with the hopes that the COVID-19 pandemic will end as soon as possible while we continue to work to stay healthy.
With that said, we will take a look back at the 2011 season, one that marked many accomplishments, most notably, a Big Ten Regular Season Championship, the first since 1979.
The season started out with a five-game winning streak and an 11-3 record following our spring trip. We headed into the Michigan series (non-conference) with a great deal of momentum, and used that to sweep the Wolverines for the first time since 1955 (RECAP). We would go on to record series sweeps against Minnesota, Penn State, Purdue in very exciting fashion! (RECAP), and Notre Dame, pounding the Irish 20-3 in South Bend to complete the mid-week series sweep. We also won the annual Crosstown Showdown vs. the Lansing Lugnuts (A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays) for the 2nd time (RECAP). Finally, we beat Central Michigan in the first ever collegiate game played at Comerica Park, home of the Detroit Tigers.
Coming into the final series of the season, your Spartans needed to win the first two games of the series to take home the championship, and we did just that (RECAP) to win the first championship in 32 years.
The YouTube video above is of the celebration dogpile taken by Spartan fan pinballfanatic at the 2011 game to clinch the Big Ten Championship. We talked about this moment from September 2010 at our first team meeting until that day, and to see it unfold exactly how we envisioned it was very special.
The 2011 team finished with a 37-21 record, Big Ten Pitcher of the Year in Kurt Wunderlich, Big 10 Player of the Year in Jeff Holm, and Big Ten Batting Champion in Brandon Eckerle (.386). Other Spartans named First-Team All-B1G were: Ryan Jones (2B), Torsten Boss (3B), and Tony Bucciferro (starting pitcher). Jared Hook and Tony Wieber were named Third-Team All-B1G, and David Garner and Joel Fisher were named to the All-Freshman Team. In addition, Eckerle was named First-Team CoSIDA Academic All-American, the Chester Brewer Leadership Award, Big Ten Medal of Honor, Lowe's Senior CLASS award and Athlete of the Year for the State of Michigan, while Holm earned Third-Team All-American honors. Holm, Wunderlich, and Eckerle were all selected in the 2011 MLB draft as well.
The 2021 season will mark the 10th anniversary of that championship team and there will be a reunion, as there always is with championship teams. Details, dates, and times will be release at a later date.
Click on the links and enjoy looking back, then watch the 2011 Big Ten Championship season highlight below!
2012
This week, we will take a look back at the 2012 season, one which saw your Spartans earn the first NCAA tournament bid since 1979.
The academic year started on a somber note, as we all mourned the passing of MSU legend Danny Litwhiler in September 2011. "Skip" was a true Spartan and is still missed by all of us to this day. (Listen to radio interview reminiscing about "Skip" with Spartan baseball alum Jim Cotter HERE)
We opened the 2012 season with a true test, facing No. 11 St. John's in the Big 10/Big East Challenge. We jumped out to a 5-0 lead, saw St. John's close the gap to 5-4, but we exploded for six runs in the 8th en route to an 11-4 victory. RHP Tony Bucciferro went six outstanding innings and striking out six. Torsten Boss hit a 1st-inning HR, part of his 3-hit day with two RBI. Ryan Jones, Jordan Keur and Jimmy Pickens all had multiple hit games, and Jones, Justin Scanlon, Boss, and Joel Fisher all had multiple RBI (RECAP).
The other pre-Big Ten signature win of the year came at then No. 25 Baylor, a 4-0 win against the team that would end the year on an incredible win streak and the No. 1 team in the nation. David Garner threw six innings and scattered three hits while striking out five. Jordan Keur and Jimmy Pickens each had two hits and the bullpen efforts of Jeff Kinley, Trey Popp and Tony Wieber were masterful in sealing the win for us (RECAP).
We went through the Big Ten season finishing 13-11 in conference play and 37-24 overall. The senior class ended up winning 130 games in their 4-year career, the most of any senior class at that time in Spartan history. A thrilling 10-9 victory vs Nebraska in the opening round of the Big Ten tournament (RECAP) combined with a victory against Ohio State in the tournament (held in Columbus, OH) (RECAP) helped set the stage for the NCAA Selection Show the following Monday and a bid to the tournament! (RECAP).
Revist the excitement and all the reactions from the team at the Selection Show watch party:
Unfortunately, we lost to Pepperdine and Fresno State at the Stanford regional, but it was a true thrill to represent Michigan State.
After clicking on the recaps for the look back at 2012 season, the highlight video for the 2012 season can be found below:
2013
I hope this finds you healthy, safe, and in good spirits. Today, we take a look back at the 2013 season that saw your Spartans post a 33-18 record with several wins over ranked teams.
We started the season in an up-and-down manner, but got our first big win of the season at No. 7 Kentucky. RHP David Garner was masterful on the mound, throwing 8.1 innings, allowing four hits while striking out six in a 6-1 victory. LHP and closer Jeff Kinley came in to record the final two outs to secure the win. Catcher Joel Fisher led the offensive attack with three hits and two RBI on the day, while Anthony Cheky, Ryan Richardson, and Jordan Keur all added two hits each. (RECAP)
Two weeks later, while in the middle of an 8-game winning streak, your Spartans added another highlight to the young season when RHP Chase Rihtarchik threw a no hitter against Oakland University. We had to use an RBI base hit off the bat of Kevin Goergen to score Anthony Cheky to secure the win in walk-off fashion, but Rihtarchik was dominant throwing nine innings, no hits, while striking out three. It was the first no hitter since Nolan Moody's in 2009. (RECAP)
Three weeks later, No. 12 Indiana came to East Lansing, and true to form, your Spartans kept their flare for the dramatic in three walk-off wins to sweep the series from the Hoosiers. Jimmy Pickens was the hero on Friday as he had a base hit up the middle to win it in the bottom of the 11th! Anthony Cheky walked in the 11th with two outs, stole 2nd and 3rd, and scored on Pickens base hit. Cam Gibson recorded three hits on the day as well. (RECAP)
The next day, we defeated Indiana again, this time in 10 innings and Jimmy Pickens was the hero again as he smashed a solo HR over the right center field fence to win 6-5. Anthony Cheky had three hits, while Pickens, Ryan Krill, and PJ Nowak each recorded two on the day. (RECAP)
Finally, game three of the series had yet another dramatic finish as your Spartans appeared to be in control, but gave up two runs in the 8th and another two in the 9th to see the score tied at 5. After Ryan Richardson walked to start the 9th, and another two walks and two strike outs followed, the stage was set for Ryan Krill. He hit a single down the left field line to walk off the No. 12 team in the country for the 3rd straight day and earn your Spartans a series sweep! The win boosted our record to 21-11. (RECAP)
We would finish out the year 33-18, and saw RHP David Garner drafted in the 7th round and RHP Andrew Waszak in the 22nd round. The highlight video for the 2013 season is below...enjoy!
2014
This week, in our series of taking a look back, we rewind to the 2014 season in which we finished a very "up and down" year with a 31-26 record, but with some of the more signature wins in program history.
The highlight win of the year came in game number five, as your Spartans defeated the top-ranked Oregon State Beavers in Surprise, AZ, in a back and forth game, 8-7. We jumped out to an early 4-0 lead thanks to a grand slam off the bat of Joel Fisher in the first inning. Oregon State answered with 1 run in the 1st, and another in the 2nd. Then in the 3rd, we added to our lead with a suicide squeeze bunt from Ryan Krill to score Jimmy Pickens. The Beavers tacked three on in the 3rd to tie the score at 5-all. Both teams settled down from that point and the game remained tied at 5 until the 8th, when we took the lead off a Cam Gibson single to left field to score Joel Fisher. In the bottom of the 8th, OSU hit a 2-out, 2-run double to take their first lead of the game, 7-6. But the character of your Spartans was evident in the 9th. Blaise Salter led off with a single, Ryan Krill followed with a single of his own, and Joel Fisher hit a hard ground ball that the SS couldn't handle for an error as the tying run scored. A wild pitch scored Ryan Krill and gave us an 8-7 lead. Jake Lowery threw the final 1.1 innings in relief, getting a ground ball double play to end the game and give us the victory over another No. 1 team in the nation. LHP Anthony Misiewicz was masterful in relief, throwing 4.1 innings, allowing one run on one hit while striking out three. (RECAP)
Two weeks later, we traveled to No. 21 TCU. Game 1 of the series was an "old school" pitchers duel that saw your Spartans down 1-0 in the top of the 9th. We were only able to muster three hits to that point off of future major leaguer Brandon Finegan from TCU. In the 9th, however, Cam Gibson hit a 1-out single and advanced to 2nd on a ground ball. That set the stage for Blaise Salter as he drove a fastball over the left field wall to give us a 2-1 lead. Jake Lowery threw the 9th and after giving up a 1-out double, he retired the next two batters to give us a dramatic 2-1 victory. (RECAP)
The next night, we did it again as we upset No. 21 TCU, 4-1, to claim the series victory as well! We scored three runs in the 3rd and one in the 4th as RHP Mick VanVossen cruised to 8.0 innings pitched allowing six hits and striking out six, while LHP Jeff Kinley got a double play in the 9th and a fly ball to end the game. Cam Gibson was 2-for-5 on the day, Anthony Cheky went 4-for-4, Ryan Richardson went 3-for-5 with an RBI, and Joel Fisher had two hits and an RBI. (RECAP)
The 2014 season also featured a series win at Minnesota, and series sweeps vs Eastern Michigan, Siena, Northwestern, and at Penn State. We lost a heartbreaker in the semi-finals of the Big Ten tournament to Indiana after beating Illinois twice and dropping a 2nd-round game to Nebraska in front of 12,000 people in Omaha.
OF Jimmy Pickens (15th round) and C Joel Fisher (23rd round) were both selections in the MLB draft following the 2014 season.
The 2014 highlight video can be found here:
2015
The 2015 season saw your Spartans finish with 34 wins and several signature wins for our program. As always, we started the season with several difficult road tests (Oregon State, UCLA, etc), but the first big win of the year came at the eventual 2016 National Champion Coastal Carolina. 3B Mark Weist was 4-4 on the day and LHP Jeff Kinley came in to throw the last 1.1 innings of shutout relief to earn the win as your Spartans scored two runs in the top of the 9th to take a 6-5 lead that would hold up. {NOTE: The win over Coastal Carolina was a milestone one for head coach Jake Boss, as it was his 200th Victory for MSU as head coach of the Spartan baseball team!} (RECAP)
Two nights later, your Spartans took on Clemson at Fluor Field in Greenville, SC and we had control the entire night, scoring in five separate innings en route to an 8-6 victory. Blaise Salter was 4-4 with a double, a home run, and four RBI while Ryan Richardson and Brandon Hughes each added two hits on the night. (RECAP)
Following a win vs Illinois at home (the only loss Illinois had in Big Ten play that year), we traveled to Oregon for a 3-game series with the No. 23 ranked Ducks. Game 1 featured an outstanding pitching performance by Mick VanVossen, Joe Mockbee, and Jeff Kinley. The trio combined to strike out the Ducks 15 times, while allowing only two hits on the night. Cam Gibson drove in Anthony Cheky in the top of the 11th and Kinley retired the side in order in the bottom 1/2 to give us a 2-1 win in game 1. (RECAP)
In game 2 of the series, your Spartans banged out 11 hits and were in control all day, as we won the series with a 9-4 victory. Anthony Cheky had three hits and Cam Gibson and Ryan Krill each had two and each had home runs as your Spartans scored four runs in the 4th inning and never looked back. (RECAP)
Game 3 was more of the same as Gibson had three hits and Ryan Krill had two with a home run, Mark Weist had two hits, and Blaise Salter had a home run and three RBI in the 7-4 win to complete the 3-game sweep! (RECAP)
10 days later, your Spartans defeated Michigan in Comerica Park 4-2 behind timely hitting and a strong pitching performance by Alex Troop. (RECAP)
The 2015 season came to an end in the Big Ten Tournament after a 2-0 defeat by Illinois, but not before we beat Nebraska in dramatic fashion behind two of the longest home runs you would ever see. Blaise Salter hit a ball into the 3rd deck at Target Field in Minneapolis, MN and Ryan Krill's grand slam in the 8th inning left the ballpark in right field on the way to a 6-run inning and a 9-7 victory. (RECAP)
The 2015 team saw eight of its members drafted in the MLB Draft, the most in program history. Cam Gibson (5th round-Detroit), Ryan Krill (7th round-NY Yankees), Anthony Misiewicz (18th round-Seattle Mariners), Cam Vieaux (19th round-Detroit), Jeff Kinley (28th round-Miami Marlins), Mick VanVossen (28th round-Washington), Blaise Salter,(31st round-Detroit), and Mark Weist, (37th round-San Francisco). Cam Vieaux would decide to return to Michigan State for one more year. (RECAP)
The highlight video for the 2015 season can be found below:
2016
The 2016 season saw your Spartans end with a 36-20 record, tied for fourth-most in program history, yet we were somehow left out of the NCAA tournament for the second year in a row in which we felt an at-large bid was merited. At any rate, the '16 team set a record for the best start in program history after winning 14 of our first 15 games. The season also featured a 3-0 win vs Auburn and future Major Leaguer Casey Mize, beating Oregon at home in walk off fashion, and winning 3-of-4 games vs Michigan.
We started the season with consecutive 3-0 weekends first in Greenville, SC, then in Corpus Christi, TX, before heading to the Cox Diamond Classic in Pensacola, FL. After dropping the opening game to Southern Miss, Ethan Landon took the mound against Auburn and Mize, the future 1st overall pick in the MLB Draft just two years later. Landon was masterful in six innings of work, walking one and striking out six, Alex Troop threw the 7th and 8th innings after going 2-for-4 on the day at the plate with two RBI, and Joe Mockbee pitched a scoreless 9th to preserve the shutout. Justin Hovis also went 2-for-4 on the day with an RBI. (RECAP)
After finishing the spring trip and sweeping Rutgers to start B1G play, we welcomed Oregon to East Lansing. The Ducks had revenge on their minds after we swept them in 2015 in Eugene, but LHP Cam Vieaux had other ideas. The redshirt junior went 8.0 innings, allowing three hits, while walking two and striking out 11! We scored in both the 1st and 6th innings, both off Taylor Grace singles (2-for-4 on the day with two RBI), and Oregon scored in the 6th and 9th to tie the score 2-2. That set the stage for Jordan Zimmerman who, in the bottom of the 10th inning, sent a fastball deep to right center field and over the fence for a dramatic walk off 3-2 win and our 4th victory in a row over the Ducks. (RECAP) Unfortunately, the remainder of the series was canceled due to cold and snow.
The other signature wins of 2016 came at the expense of our rivals, as we took 3-of-4 from the Wolverines. We opened the 4-game series with a midweek game in April. We scored eight runs in the 6th inning, breaking a 2-2 tie and coasting to an 11-5 win. Zimmerman, Grace and Matt Byars all had multiple hits in the 11 hit barrage, and Jake Lowery earned the win throwing 3.2 innings in relief and striking out four. (RECAP)
After winning the non-conference game vs UM, we took them on again in a 3-game B1G series two weeks later and won 2-of-3 games. After losing in 11 innings in game 1 in Ann Arbor, we came back to East Lansing for game 2. Like the non-conference game, we didn't get much offense early, but exploded late with one run in the 7th and six runs in the 8th for a 7-6 come from behind win. Marty Bechina, Zack McGuire, and Matt Byars all had two RBI on the day and RHP Ethan Landon upped his record to 6-1 by throwing 8.2 innings, striking out seven and only walking one. Jake Lowery recorded the final out for the save. (RECAP)
The last game of the series was back in Ann Arbor, and after tying the game at 1 in the 3rd, your Spartans used a consistent methodical approach and pulled away for a 7-5 win and series victory. Jordan Zimmerman had two hits and two RBI on the day and Dan Durkin chipped in with three hits of his own. (RECAP)
We ended up winning our first two games of the B1G Tournament in Omaha, defeating hometown favorite Nebraska, 5-1, in front of nearly 10,000 people, then followed that with a 4-3 victory over Maryland putting us into the tournament semifinals. Unfortunately, we lost in extra innings, 3-2, to Ohio State, then the Buckeyes ended our season by beating us again the next day, 7-4.
In total, we had four players taken in the MLB draft in 2016. Starting pitcher Cam Vieaux was taken by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the sixth round (No. 195 overall); infielder Jordan Zimmerman was selected by the Los Angeles Angles of Anaheim in the seventh round (No. 216 overall); reliever Dakota Mekkes was chosen by the Chicago Cubs in the 10th round (No. 314 overall), and catcher Matt Byars was selected in the 24th round (No. 723 overall) by the Minnesota Twins. In addition, Dakota Mekkes was voted ABCA All-Region and NCBWA All-American, and Jordan Zimmerman was ABCA All-Region.
After clicking on the recaps for the look back at the 2016 season, the highlight video for the 2016 season can be found below:
2017
The 2017 season saw your Spartans finish with a 29-23 record. After a hot start, winning 9 of our first 10 games, we played .500 baseball for the remainder of the season and unfortunately missed the B1G Tournament. The season came with several highlights including: series sweeps at Abilene Christian and Illinois, a home series sweep against Fresno State and Central Michigan, and a series opening victory vs Michigan.
The bats were hot early as we opened the season at Abilene Christian by scoring 51 runs as we swept the series by scores of 9-2, 9-7, 19-7, and 14-5. From there we traveled to a very talented UNC Greensboro team and scored 27 runs in the first two games of the series winning both those games to win the series 2 games to 1. The winning ways continued as we swept the First Pitch Invitational at Fluer Field in Greenville, SC beating Furman, Presbyterian, and UT-Martin to up our record to 9-1. After getting beat by Clemson and two close losses at South Carolina, we took 2 out of 3 in the Richmond Spiders tournament, then beat CMU before going to Illinois to open Big Ten play.
In Champaign on Friday night, we jumped out to a 9-0 lead and cruised to a 12-1 victory. Brandon Hughes and Bryce Kelley both had three hits on the night, while Zack McGuire and Royce Ando each had two. RHP Ethan Landon was threw a solid seven innings allowing only three hits and no earned runs. Saturday was another consistent barrage as we scored 12 more runs on 11 hits and drew 10 walks en route to a 12-4 win. Royce Ando had three hits and Dan Durkin added two. Sunday, the offense exploded again, this time for five home runs in a 17-6 victory! Brandon Hughes had three hits and seven RBI, while Dan Chmielewski also recorded three hits and Marty Bechina had two. Andrew Gonzalez threw five innings for the win.
Two weeks later, 2009 National Champion Fresno State came to town for a non-conference series that had to be moved to Grand Rapids, MI due to flooding at Kobs Field. We proceeded to score 27 runs in that series to record another sweep by the scores of 10-4, 9-5, and 8-2.
After winning series' over Ohio State, at Northwestern, and a 2 game season sweep of CMU, we welcomed Michigan to town for the last series of the season. Game 1 saw Bryce Kelley, Marty Bechina, and Zack McGuire each record two hits apiece and we were in control the entire way to win 6-1. LHP Alex Troop threw 8.0 innings allowing two hits while striking out 10.
To see game box scores and official game recaps, please click on the 2017 SCHEDULE.
The 2017 team saw five of its members sign professional contracts with Alex Troop (9th round), Brandon Hughes (16th round), Nathan Witt (17th round), Joe Mockbee (29th round), and Walter Borkovich (NDFA) all moving on to the professional ranks. (COMPLETE RELEASE). In addition, freshman outfielder Bryce Kelley was named to the Freshman All-American team (RELEASE) and LHP/DH/1B Alex Troop was a finalist for the John Olerud Award as one of the nation's best two way players (RELEASE).
The 2017 highlight video can be found here:
2018
The 2018 season saw your Spartans finish with an uncharacteristic 20-32 overall record, but recorded several signature wins including: a road series win at Pepperdine, a walk-off win vs Arizona, series sweeps against Nebraska and Northwestern, a Friday night road win over No. 16 Minnesota, and a series win vs. Ohio State.
After a slow start opening weekend, we traveled to Pepperdine for the second weekend of the season. After dropping the series opener, your Spartans won game two, 5-2, behind multiple hit games from Ryan King, Adam Proctor and Marty Bechina. We scored four runs in the 6th inning including a home run from Bechina, and LHP Mitch Tyranski threw the final 4.1 innings in relief, allowing only one hit, while walking one and striking out five to earn the win.
Sunday's game three of the series saw your Spartans score one run in the 4th inning and made it stand with a dominant pitching performance from starter Mason Erla (5 IP, 2 hits, 0 BB's and 4 K's). The bullpen came into the game in the 6th inning and slammed the door on the Waves as Evan Flohr, Caleb Sleeman and Jake Lowery combined to throw the final 4.0 innings, allowing 0 hits and striking out three to secure the 1-0 win and the series clincher.
From there, we went to Minneapolis, Minnesota to play in the Dairy Queen Classic vs. UCLA, Washington and Arizona. After dropping close games the first two days of the tournament, we took on Arizona for game three. Mason Erla threw well again, but we found ourselves down 2-0 heading into the bottom of the 9th inning. Zach Iverson led off with a double, and Justin Antoncic, Nic Lacayo and Marty Bechina all added hits to tie the score at 2. A strikeout and a hit by pitch followed and that set the stage for Chad Roskelly, who beat out a bases loaded groundball to shortstop to prevent a double play and allow the game winning run to score for the Victory for MSU! Mike Mokma earned the win in relief for your Spartans.
We proceeded to sweep Nebraska in a weather shortened 2-game series by the scores of 17-5 and 5-3, and went on the road to sweep Northwestern in a 3-game series 5-3, 4-2, and 6-5 in three very well played games by both teams.
The next "signature" win of the season came at No. 16 Minnesota, 6-5, in game one of the series. We scored five runs in the 4th and one in the 6th and made it stand with a double play in the 9th inning to end it! Justin Antoncic and Marty Bechina both had two hits on the day and Bechina's solo HR in the 6th proved to be the game winner. LHP Mitch Tyranski threw 2.1 innings of relief striking out six to earn the win and RHP Riley McCauley closed it out, throwing the final two innings and striking out three.
We closed out the regular season at home vs Ohio State needing to win 2-of-3 to qualify for the B1G Tournament in Omaha, Nebraska. After dropping a close game in game 1, your Spartans responded as Spartans do with their backs against the wall. We won game 2 of the series, 6-2, behind multiple hit games from Bryce Kelley and Zach Iverson, while Chad Roskelly and Adam Proctor both hit home runs to pace the offense. Mason Erla threw 5.0 solid innings and Mitch Tyranski finished the last 4.0 as they both struck out four on the day. The final game of the series was "win or go home" for your Spartans, and again they responded. This time we were in control the entire way en route to an 8-3 victory. Danny Gleaves, Bryce Kelley, and Kory Young all had two hits in the 10-hit attack, and Mike Mokma and Jake Lowery both threw very well to secure the win.
The conference tournament saw us play well in two very good games, but lost both in 1-run fashion to Minnesota and Indiana to conclude the season.
To see game box scores and official game recaps, please click on the 2018 SCHEDULE.
The 2018 MLB Draft saw RHP Riley McCauley taken by the Chicago Cubs in the 14th round (RELEASE).
After reading about the 2018 season, the highlight video for the wonderwall that was the 2018 season can be found below:
2019
The 2019 season actually started in December of 2018 when your Spartans traveled to the Dominican Republic for a 6-game "experience" in one of baseball's most popular regions of the world. We went 4-1-1 on the trip, experienced a cultural tour of historic Santo Domingo, provided community service in the form of painting houses, and created memories that will undoubtedly last a lifetime. For a complete video recap of this incredible trip, watch below:
The spring 2019 season saw several more highlights and memories for our program. A road win at Arizona, a series win against Indiana State that featured the first night game in 135 years of Spartan Baseball, series wins vs Northwestern, Purdue, No. 24 Iowa and a win over No. 23 Illinois all highlighted the 2019 season.
After a tough start to a very difficult schedule, we went to Tucson, Arizona in the middle of our spring trip to take on the Wildcats. After getting down 4-0 after the 2nd inning and losing center fielder Danny Gleaves to a season-ending knee injury on an incredible catch in left center field, your Spartans kept battling and scored one run in the 6th and eight in the 7th inning to earn a 9-5 road victory. Marty Bechina went 3-for-3 with an RBI and Zaid Walker was 2-for-5 with two RBI in the win. Freshman Colten Panaranto threw 3.1 innings of relief, allowing just two hits and one run to earn the first win of his college career.
One month later, we hosted Indiana State in the first night game in Spartan Baseball history! The Sycamores came in with a 22-4 record, but RHP Mason Erla kept their offense in check all night long allowing only two hits while striking out six in nine innings of work. Our offense couldn't get anything going either, and we headed into extra innings on a beautiful evening of baseball. Royce Ando led off the bottom of the 10th with a base hit, and Scott Combs moved him to second base with a well executed sacrifice bunt. Indiana State made an attempt on Ando at second base, but threw the ball away into center field allowing Ando to move up to third. That set the stage for Nic Lacayo and a beautifully executed squeeze play to secure the win in dramatic fashion for your Spartans!
For highlights of other wins from the 2019 season, click on the "2019 Game Schedule" button below and select the game of your choice.
Senior OF Dan Chmielewski was named Academic All-American for the year as well as the recipient of the President's Award as the top male GPA at Michigan State. In addition, Mitchell Tyranski, Indigo Diaz, and Marty Bechina were all selected in the MLB draft. (RELEASE)
To see game box scores and official game recaps, please click on the 2019 SCHEDULE.
The highlight video for the 2019 season, plus more highlights from the Domincan Republic trip and our annual Miracle League game, can be viewed below:
2020
The 2020 season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but not before some exciting moments in the first 15 games that produced a 9-6 record for your Spartans. We started the year at Shipyard Park in Charleston, SC as we hosted Morehead State in a 4-game series that was dominated by your Spartans. We earned a 4-game sweep to start the season with scores of 15-3, 5-2, 5-3, and 10-4. Our next win came in Greenville, SC against Merrimack in 10 innings by the score of 15-14. We held a big lead, lost it, came from behind to tie it, and ended it with a walk-off home run off the bat of Peter Ahn! The game featured eight extra base hits and home runs by Ahn and Casey Mayes. Bailey Peterson had two hits and two RBI, as did Zaid Walker. Ahn finished with three hits and three RBI and Mayes had two hits and four RBI on the day.
Our next game was against Kansas and was very similar to the previous Merrimack game, even how we won it. Your Spartans took a 7-1 lead into the 8th inning only to see a scrappy Kansas team score two in that frame and four in the 9th to tie the score at 7. We led off the bottom of the 9th with a Peter Ahn base hit up the middle. He then stole second base and eventually scored on a Zach Iverson walk off single to right center field with two outs...our second walk off win in a row! Ahn led the 15 hit attack for your Spartans going 3-for-3 with two RBI, while Bryce Kelley, Bailey Peterson, Andrew Morrow, and Casey Mayes all had two hits with Morrow and Scott Combs adding two RBI each.
The next day we took on Western Carolina and it was more of the same from your Spartans! LHP Jarret Olson was masterful throwing 6.2 innings and striking out six as we took a 4-3 lead into the 9th. RHP Zach Iverson gave up a 1-out double but got the next hitter to ground out to SS. With two outs and the tying run at second base, Western Carolina hit a single to center field, but Bryce Kelley got a great jump on the ball, and delivered a "strike" to catcher Gabe Sotres who tagged the runner to record the final out and a defensive walk-off win for your Spartans! Peter Ahn continued his hot hitting going 2-for-4 on the night.
After beating Ball State 8-6 behind a Zaid Walker home run and multiple hit games for Bryce Kelley, Peter Ahn, and Zach Iverson, we traveled to Pensacola, FL for the Cox Diamond Invitational and what would be our last three games of the season. Friday vs. Troy featured a dominant performance by All-American RHP Mason Erla. We scored one run on a sacrifice fly and Erla made it stand throwing 7.0 innings while striking out 12! Caleb Sleeman threw the final two innings for the save, while striking out four. We dropped the last two games against two very good Louisiana and Samford teams to end the weekend, and what would end up being the season.
See "The Gift of Baseball" article (HERE) for our players perspective on how the season ended and a special thanks to our friends and families for submitting clips for our highlight video (see below). Finally, congratulations to Mason Erla for his All-American honors for the 2020 season (RELEASE)!
Stay tuned and come back for more trips down memory lane!
As always, thank you for what you do for Spartan Baseball! GO GREEN! Please stay healthy and stay safe.
-Coach Boss
Last week, we took a look back at the 2017 season, which started hot and had some headline wins. The 2018 season was next up for the trip down memory lane, with another season featuring some big wins, which brought us to last week's blast from the past for the 2019 season, which started in December of 2018 with a trip to the Dominican Republic, then more note-worthy games in the spring of 2019, including the historic first home night game in school history, and the exciting night was capped by a thrilling walk-off Victory for MSU. This week, we take the most recent look back at the 2020 season, which was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but not before some exciting moments in the first 15 games that produced a 9-6 record for your Spartans.
"As you know, our season has been canceled due to concerns regarding the Corona Virus. Since we have no current updates, I thought it might be fun to take a look back at some of the highlights from the last 12 years of Spartan Baseball. We have had so many great moments with so many outstanding players and quality young men that remembering some of those games has become even more important." - Jake Boss Jr.
2009
We will take a look back at the 2009 season this week and remember Nolan Moody's no hitter in the first game at McLane Stadium (RECAP) and our series win vs Michigan (GAME 1 RECAP) and (GAME 2 RECAP).
Click on the links and enjoy looking back, then watch the season highlight below! As always, thanks for everything you do for Spartan Baseball. GO GREEN!
2010
In 2010, we got off to a 17-4 start, the best start since 1992, including an 11-game win streak highlighted by a 3-game sweep at Notre Dame (DH SWEEP RECAP), (GAME 3 RECAP TO COMPLETE SERIES SWEEP). We also went on the road to defeat Michigan in a non-conference game, the only time we would play them in 2010 (RECAP).
The 2010 team finished 34-19, tying for the 5th-most wins in program history. RHP AJ Achter and SS Jonathan Roof were drafted in the 2010 MLB Draft, and OF Eli Boike signed a professional contract later that summer. Achter would end up pitching in the Major Leagues, and now coaches at Eastern Michigan along with Jonathan Roof. They are both assistant coaches for Eric Roof, 2009 MSU alum.
Next week we will relive the 2011 Big Ten Championship team and their incredible year. As always, thank you for all you do for Spartan Baseball. Go Green!
Click on the links and enjoy looking back, then watch the season highlight below!
2011
All is still quiet on campus as we practice social distancing with the hopes that the COVID-19 pandemic will end as soon as possible while we continue to work to stay healthy.
With that said, we will take a look back at the 2011 season, one that marked many accomplishments, most notably, a Big Ten Regular Season Championship, the first since 1979.
The season started out with a five-game winning streak and an 11-3 record following our spring trip. We headed into the Michigan series (non-conference) with a great deal of momentum, and used that to sweep the Wolverines for the first time since 1955 (RECAP). We would go on to record series sweeps against Minnesota, Penn State, Purdue in very exciting fashion! (RECAP), and Notre Dame, pounding the Irish 20-3 in South Bend to complete the mid-week series sweep. We also won the annual Crosstown Showdown vs. the Lansing Lugnuts (A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays) for the 2nd time (RECAP). Finally, we beat Central Michigan in the first ever collegiate game played at Comerica Park, home of the Detroit Tigers.
Coming into the final series of the season, your Spartans needed to win the first two games of the series to take home the championship, and we did just that (RECAP) to win the first championship in 32 years.
The YouTube video above is of the celebration dogpile taken by Spartan fan pinballfanatic at the 2011 game to clinch the Big Ten Championship. We talked about this moment from September 2010 at our first team meeting until that day, and to see it unfold exactly how we envisioned it was very special.
The 2011 team finished with a 37-21 record, Big Ten Pitcher of the Year in Kurt Wunderlich, Big 10 Player of the Year in Jeff Holm, and Big Ten Batting Champion in Brandon Eckerle (.386). Other Spartans named First-Team All-B1G were: Ryan Jones (2B), Torsten Boss (3B), and Tony Bucciferro (starting pitcher). Jared Hook and Tony Wieber were named Third-Team All-B1G, and David Garner and Joel Fisher were named to the All-Freshman Team. In addition, Eckerle was named First-Team CoSIDA Academic All-American, the Chester Brewer Leadership Award, Big Ten Medal of Honor, Lowe's Senior CLASS award and Athlete of the Year for the State of Michigan, while Holm earned Third-Team All-American honors. Holm, Wunderlich, and Eckerle were all selected in the 2011 MLB draft as well.
The 2021 season will mark the 10th anniversary of that championship team and there will be a reunion, as there always is with championship teams. Details, dates, and times will be release at a later date.
Click on the links and enjoy looking back, then watch the 2011 Big Ten Championship season highlight below!
2012
This week, we will take a look back at the 2012 season, one which saw your Spartans earn the first NCAA tournament bid since 1979.
The academic year started on a somber note, as we all mourned the passing of MSU legend Danny Litwhiler in September 2011. "Skip" was a true Spartan and is still missed by all of us to this day. (Listen to radio interview reminiscing about "Skip" with Spartan baseball alum Jim Cotter HERE)
We opened the 2012 season with a true test, facing No. 11 St. John's in the Big 10/Big East Challenge. We jumped out to a 5-0 lead, saw St. John's close the gap to 5-4, but we exploded for six runs in the 8th en route to an 11-4 victory. RHP Tony Bucciferro went six outstanding innings and striking out six. Torsten Boss hit a 1st-inning HR, part of his 3-hit day with two RBI. Ryan Jones, Jordan Keur and Jimmy Pickens all had multiple hit games, and Jones, Justin Scanlon, Boss, and Joel Fisher all had multiple RBI (RECAP).
The other pre-Big Ten signature win of the year came at then No. 25 Baylor, a 4-0 win against the team that would end the year on an incredible win streak and the No. 1 team in the nation. David Garner threw six innings and scattered three hits while striking out five. Jordan Keur and Jimmy Pickens each had two hits and the bullpen efforts of Jeff Kinley, Trey Popp and Tony Wieber were masterful in sealing the win for us (RECAP).
We went through the Big Ten season finishing 13-11 in conference play and 37-24 overall. The senior class ended up winning 130 games in their 4-year career, the most of any senior class at that time in Spartan history. A thrilling 10-9 victory vs Nebraska in the opening round of the Big Ten tournament (RECAP) combined with a victory against Ohio State in the tournament (held in Columbus, OH) (RECAP) helped set the stage for the NCAA Selection Show the following Monday and a bid to the tournament! (RECAP).
Revist the excitement and all the reactions from the team at the Selection Show watch party:
Unfortunately, we lost to Pepperdine and Fresno State at the Stanford regional, but it was a true thrill to represent Michigan State.
After clicking on the recaps for the look back at 2012 season, the highlight video for the 2012 season can be found below:
2013
I hope this finds you healthy, safe, and in good spirits. Today, we take a look back at the 2013 season that saw your Spartans post a 33-18 record with several wins over ranked teams.
We started the season in an up-and-down manner, but got our first big win of the season at No. 7 Kentucky. RHP David Garner was masterful on the mound, throwing 8.1 innings, allowing four hits while striking out six in a 6-1 victory. LHP and closer Jeff Kinley came in to record the final two outs to secure the win. Catcher Joel Fisher led the offensive attack with three hits and two RBI on the day, while Anthony Cheky, Ryan Richardson, and Jordan Keur all added two hits each. (RECAP)
Two weeks later, while in the middle of an 8-game winning streak, your Spartans added another highlight to the young season when RHP Chase Rihtarchik threw a no hitter against Oakland University. We had to use an RBI base hit off the bat of Kevin Goergen to score Anthony Cheky to secure the win in walk-off fashion, but Rihtarchik was dominant throwing nine innings, no hits, while striking out three. It was the first no hitter since Nolan Moody's in 2009. (RECAP)
Three weeks later, No. 12 Indiana came to East Lansing, and true to form, your Spartans kept their flare for the dramatic in three walk-off wins to sweep the series from the Hoosiers. Jimmy Pickens was the hero on Friday as he had a base hit up the middle to win it in the bottom of the 11th! Anthony Cheky walked in the 11th with two outs, stole 2nd and 3rd, and scored on Pickens base hit. Cam Gibson recorded three hits on the day as well. (RECAP)
The next day, we defeated Indiana again, this time in 10 innings and Jimmy Pickens was the hero again as he smashed a solo HR over the right center field fence to win 6-5. Anthony Cheky had three hits, while Pickens, Ryan Krill, and PJ Nowak each recorded two on the day. (RECAP)
Finally, game three of the series had yet another dramatic finish as your Spartans appeared to be in control, but gave up two runs in the 8th and another two in the 9th to see the score tied at 5. After Ryan Richardson walked to start the 9th, and another two walks and two strike outs followed, the stage was set for Ryan Krill. He hit a single down the left field line to walk off the No. 12 team in the country for the 3rd straight day and earn your Spartans a series sweep! The win boosted our record to 21-11. (RECAP)
We would finish out the year 33-18, and saw RHP David Garner drafted in the 7th round and RHP Andrew Waszak in the 22nd round. The highlight video for the 2013 season is below...enjoy!
2014
This week, in our series of taking a look back, we rewind to the 2014 season in which we finished a very "up and down" year with a 31-26 record, but with some of the more signature wins in program history.
The highlight win of the year came in game number five, as your Spartans defeated the top-ranked Oregon State Beavers in Surprise, AZ, in a back and forth game, 8-7. We jumped out to an early 4-0 lead thanks to a grand slam off the bat of Joel Fisher in the first inning. Oregon State answered with 1 run in the 1st, and another in the 2nd. Then in the 3rd, we added to our lead with a suicide squeeze bunt from Ryan Krill to score Jimmy Pickens. The Beavers tacked three on in the 3rd to tie the score at 5-all. Both teams settled down from that point and the game remained tied at 5 until the 8th, when we took the lead off a Cam Gibson single to left field to score Joel Fisher. In the bottom of the 8th, OSU hit a 2-out, 2-run double to take their first lead of the game, 7-6. But the character of your Spartans was evident in the 9th. Blaise Salter led off with a single, Ryan Krill followed with a single of his own, and Joel Fisher hit a hard ground ball that the SS couldn't handle for an error as the tying run scored. A wild pitch scored Ryan Krill and gave us an 8-7 lead. Jake Lowery threw the final 1.1 innings in relief, getting a ground ball double play to end the game and give us the victory over another No. 1 team in the nation. LHP Anthony Misiewicz was masterful in relief, throwing 4.1 innings, allowing one run on one hit while striking out three. (RECAP)
Two weeks later, we traveled to No. 21 TCU. Game 1 of the series was an "old school" pitchers duel that saw your Spartans down 1-0 in the top of the 9th. We were only able to muster three hits to that point off of future major leaguer Brandon Finegan from TCU. In the 9th, however, Cam Gibson hit a 1-out single and advanced to 2nd on a ground ball. That set the stage for Blaise Salter as he drove a fastball over the left field wall to give us a 2-1 lead. Jake Lowery threw the 9th and after giving up a 1-out double, he retired the next two batters to give us a dramatic 2-1 victory. (RECAP)
The next night, we did it again as we upset No. 21 TCU, 4-1, to claim the series victory as well! We scored three runs in the 3rd and one in the 4th as RHP Mick VanVossen cruised to 8.0 innings pitched allowing six hits and striking out six, while LHP Jeff Kinley got a double play in the 9th and a fly ball to end the game. Cam Gibson was 2-for-5 on the day, Anthony Cheky went 4-for-4, Ryan Richardson went 3-for-5 with an RBI, and Joel Fisher had two hits and an RBI. (RECAP)
The 2014 season also featured a series win at Minnesota, and series sweeps vs Eastern Michigan, Siena, Northwestern, and at Penn State. We lost a heartbreaker in the semi-finals of the Big Ten tournament to Indiana after beating Illinois twice and dropping a 2nd-round game to Nebraska in front of 12,000 people in Omaha.
OF Jimmy Pickens (15th round) and C Joel Fisher (23rd round) were both selections in the MLB draft following the 2014 season.
The 2014 highlight video can be found here:
2015
The 2015 season saw your Spartans finish with 34 wins and several signature wins for our program. As always, we started the season with several difficult road tests (Oregon State, UCLA, etc), but the first big win of the year came at the eventual 2016 National Champion Coastal Carolina. 3B Mark Weist was 4-4 on the day and LHP Jeff Kinley came in to throw the last 1.1 innings of shutout relief to earn the win as your Spartans scored two runs in the top of the 9th to take a 6-5 lead that would hold up. {NOTE: The win over Coastal Carolina was a milestone one for head coach Jake Boss, as it was his 200th Victory for MSU as head coach of the Spartan baseball team!} (RECAP)
Two nights later, your Spartans took on Clemson at Fluor Field in Greenville, SC and we had control the entire night, scoring in five separate innings en route to an 8-6 victory. Blaise Salter was 4-4 with a double, a home run, and four RBI while Ryan Richardson and Brandon Hughes each added two hits on the night. (RECAP)
Following a win vs Illinois at home (the only loss Illinois had in Big Ten play that year), we traveled to Oregon for a 3-game series with the No. 23 ranked Ducks. Game 1 featured an outstanding pitching performance by Mick VanVossen, Joe Mockbee, and Jeff Kinley. The trio combined to strike out the Ducks 15 times, while allowing only two hits on the night. Cam Gibson drove in Anthony Cheky in the top of the 11th and Kinley retired the side in order in the bottom 1/2 to give us a 2-1 win in game 1. (RECAP)
In game 2 of the series, your Spartans banged out 11 hits and were in control all day, as we won the series with a 9-4 victory. Anthony Cheky had three hits and Cam Gibson and Ryan Krill each had two and each had home runs as your Spartans scored four runs in the 4th inning and never looked back. (RECAP)
Game 3 was more of the same as Gibson had three hits and Ryan Krill had two with a home run, Mark Weist had two hits, and Blaise Salter had a home run and three RBI in the 7-4 win to complete the 3-game sweep! (RECAP)
10 days later, your Spartans defeated Michigan in Comerica Park 4-2 behind timely hitting and a strong pitching performance by Alex Troop. (RECAP)
The 2015 season came to an end in the Big Ten Tournament after a 2-0 defeat by Illinois, but not before we beat Nebraska in dramatic fashion behind two of the longest home runs you would ever see. Blaise Salter hit a ball into the 3rd deck at Target Field in Minneapolis, MN and Ryan Krill's grand slam in the 8th inning left the ballpark in right field on the way to a 6-run inning and a 9-7 victory. (RECAP)
The 2015 team saw eight of its members drafted in the MLB Draft, the most in program history. Cam Gibson (5th round-Detroit), Ryan Krill (7th round-NY Yankees), Anthony Misiewicz (18th round-Seattle Mariners), Cam Vieaux (19th round-Detroit), Jeff Kinley (28th round-Miami Marlins), Mick VanVossen (28th round-Washington), Blaise Salter,(31st round-Detroit), and Mark Weist, (37th round-San Francisco). Cam Vieaux would decide to return to Michigan State for one more year. (RECAP)
The highlight video for the 2015 season can be found below:
2016
The 2016 season saw your Spartans end with a 36-20 record, tied for fourth-most in program history, yet we were somehow left out of the NCAA tournament for the second year in a row in which we felt an at-large bid was merited. At any rate, the '16 team set a record for the best start in program history after winning 14 of our first 15 games. The season also featured a 3-0 win vs Auburn and future Major Leaguer Casey Mize, beating Oregon at home in walk off fashion, and winning 3-of-4 games vs Michigan.
We started the season with consecutive 3-0 weekends first in Greenville, SC, then in Corpus Christi, TX, before heading to the Cox Diamond Classic in Pensacola, FL. After dropping the opening game to Southern Miss, Ethan Landon took the mound against Auburn and Mize, the future 1st overall pick in the MLB Draft just two years later. Landon was masterful in six innings of work, walking one and striking out six, Alex Troop threw the 7th and 8th innings after going 2-for-4 on the day at the plate with two RBI, and Joe Mockbee pitched a scoreless 9th to preserve the shutout. Justin Hovis also went 2-for-4 on the day with an RBI. (RECAP)
After finishing the spring trip and sweeping Rutgers to start B1G play, we welcomed Oregon to East Lansing. The Ducks had revenge on their minds after we swept them in 2015 in Eugene, but LHP Cam Vieaux had other ideas. The redshirt junior went 8.0 innings, allowing three hits, while walking two and striking out 11! We scored in both the 1st and 6th innings, both off Taylor Grace singles (2-for-4 on the day with two RBI), and Oregon scored in the 6th and 9th to tie the score 2-2. That set the stage for Jordan Zimmerman who, in the bottom of the 10th inning, sent a fastball deep to right center field and over the fence for a dramatic walk off 3-2 win and our 4th victory in a row over the Ducks. (RECAP) Unfortunately, the remainder of the series was canceled due to cold and snow.
The other signature wins of 2016 came at the expense of our rivals, as we took 3-of-4 from the Wolverines. We opened the 4-game series with a midweek game in April. We scored eight runs in the 6th inning, breaking a 2-2 tie and coasting to an 11-5 win. Zimmerman, Grace and Matt Byars all had multiple hits in the 11 hit barrage, and Jake Lowery earned the win throwing 3.2 innings in relief and striking out four. (RECAP)
After winning the non-conference game vs UM, we took them on again in a 3-game B1G series two weeks later and won 2-of-3 games. After losing in 11 innings in game 1 in Ann Arbor, we came back to East Lansing for game 2. Like the non-conference game, we didn't get much offense early, but exploded late with one run in the 7th and six runs in the 8th for a 7-6 come from behind win. Marty Bechina, Zack McGuire, and Matt Byars all had two RBI on the day and RHP Ethan Landon upped his record to 6-1 by throwing 8.2 innings, striking out seven and only walking one. Jake Lowery recorded the final out for the save. (RECAP)
The last game of the series was back in Ann Arbor, and after tying the game at 1 in the 3rd, your Spartans used a consistent methodical approach and pulled away for a 7-5 win and series victory. Jordan Zimmerman had two hits and two RBI on the day and Dan Durkin chipped in with three hits of his own. (RECAP)
We ended up winning our first two games of the B1G Tournament in Omaha, defeating hometown favorite Nebraska, 5-1, in front of nearly 10,000 people, then followed that with a 4-3 victory over Maryland putting us into the tournament semifinals. Unfortunately, we lost in extra innings, 3-2, to Ohio State, then the Buckeyes ended our season by beating us again the next day, 7-4.
In total, we had four players taken in the MLB draft in 2016. Starting pitcher Cam Vieaux was taken by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the sixth round (No. 195 overall); infielder Jordan Zimmerman was selected by the Los Angeles Angles of Anaheim in the seventh round (No. 216 overall); reliever Dakota Mekkes was chosen by the Chicago Cubs in the 10th round (No. 314 overall), and catcher Matt Byars was selected in the 24th round (No. 723 overall) by the Minnesota Twins. In addition, Dakota Mekkes was voted ABCA All-Region and NCBWA All-American, and Jordan Zimmerman was ABCA All-Region.
After clicking on the recaps for the look back at the 2016 season, the highlight video for the 2016 season can be found below:
2017
The 2017 season saw your Spartans finish with a 29-23 record. After a hot start, winning 9 of our first 10 games, we played .500 baseball for the remainder of the season and unfortunately missed the B1G Tournament. The season came with several highlights including: series sweeps at Abilene Christian and Illinois, a home series sweep against Fresno State and Central Michigan, and a series opening victory vs Michigan.
The bats were hot early as we opened the season at Abilene Christian by scoring 51 runs as we swept the series by scores of 9-2, 9-7, 19-7, and 14-5. From there we traveled to a very talented UNC Greensboro team and scored 27 runs in the first two games of the series winning both those games to win the series 2 games to 1. The winning ways continued as we swept the First Pitch Invitational at Fluer Field in Greenville, SC beating Furman, Presbyterian, and UT-Martin to up our record to 9-1. After getting beat by Clemson and two close losses at South Carolina, we took 2 out of 3 in the Richmond Spiders tournament, then beat CMU before going to Illinois to open Big Ten play.
In Champaign on Friday night, we jumped out to a 9-0 lead and cruised to a 12-1 victory. Brandon Hughes and Bryce Kelley both had three hits on the night, while Zack McGuire and Royce Ando each had two. RHP Ethan Landon was threw a solid seven innings allowing only three hits and no earned runs. Saturday was another consistent barrage as we scored 12 more runs on 11 hits and drew 10 walks en route to a 12-4 win. Royce Ando had three hits and Dan Durkin added two. Sunday, the offense exploded again, this time for five home runs in a 17-6 victory! Brandon Hughes had three hits and seven RBI, while Dan Chmielewski also recorded three hits and Marty Bechina had two. Andrew Gonzalez threw five innings for the win.
Two weeks later, 2009 National Champion Fresno State came to town for a non-conference series that had to be moved to Grand Rapids, MI due to flooding at Kobs Field. We proceeded to score 27 runs in that series to record another sweep by the scores of 10-4, 9-5, and 8-2.
After winning series' over Ohio State, at Northwestern, and a 2 game season sweep of CMU, we welcomed Michigan to town for the last series of the season. Game 1 saw Bryce Kelley, Marty Bechina, and Zack McGuire each record two hits apiece and we were in control the entire way to win 6-1. LHP Alex Troop threw 8.0 innings allowing two hits while striking out 10.
To see game box scores and official game recaps, please click on the 2017 SCHEDULE.
The 2017 team saw five of its members sign professional contracts with Alex Troop (9th round), Brandon Hughes (16th round), Nathan Witt (17th round), Joe Mockbee (29th round), and Walter Borkovich (NDFA) all moving on to the professional ranks. (COMPLETE RELEASE). In addition, freshman outfielder Bryce Kelley was named to the Freshman All-American team (RELEASE) and LHP/DH/1B Alex Troop was a finalist for the John Olerud Award as one of the nation's best two way players (RELEASE).
The 2017 highlight video can be found here:
2018
The 2018 season saw your Spartans finish with an uncharacteristic 20-32 overall record, but recorded several signature wins including: a road series win at Pepperdine, a walk-off win vs Arizona, series sweeps against Nebraska and Northwestern, a Friday night road win over No. 16 Minnesota, and a series win vs. Ohio State.
After a slow start opening weekend, we traveled to Pepperdine for the second weekend of the season. After dropping the series opener, your Spartans won game two, 5-2, behind multiple hit games from Ryan King, Adam Proctor and Marty Bechina. We scored four runs in the 6th inning including a home run from Bechina, and LHP Mitch Tyranski threw the final 4.1 innings in relief, allowing only one hit, while walking one and striking out five to earn the win.
Sunday's game three of the series saw your Spartans score one run in the 4th inning and made it stand with a dominant pitching performance from starter Mason Erla (5 IP, 2 hits, 0 BB's and 4 K's). The bullpen came into the game in the 6th inning and slammed the door on the Waves as Evan Flohr, Caleb Sleeman and Jake Lowery combined to throw the final 4.0 innings, allowing 0 hits and striking out three to secure the 1-0 win and the series clincher.
From there, we went to Minneapolis, Minnesota to play in the Dairy Queen Classic vs. UCLA, Washington and Arizona. After dropping close games the first two days of the tournament, we took on Arizona for game three. Mason Erla threw well again, but we found ourselves down 2-0 heading into the bottom of the 9th inning. Zach Iverson led off with a double, and Justin Antoncic, Nic Lacayo and Marty Bechina all added hits to tie the score at 2. A strikeout and a hit by pitch followed and that set the stage for Chad Roskelly, who beat out a bases loaded groundball to shortstop to prevent a double play and allow the game winning run to score for the Victory for MSU! Mike Mokma earned the win in relief for your Spartans.
We proceeded to sweep Nebraska in a weather shortened 2-game series by the scores of 17-5 and 5-3, and went on the road to sweep Northwestern in a 3-game series 5-3, 4-2, and 6-5 in three very well played games by both teams.
The next "signature" win of the season came at No. 16 Minnesota, 6-5, in game one of the series. We scored five runs in the 4th and one in the 6th and made it stand with a double play in the 9th inning to end it! Justin Antoncic and Marty Bechina both had two hits on the day and Bechina's solo HR in the 6th proved to be the game winner. LHP Mitch Tyranski threw 2.1 innings of relief striking out six to earn the win and RHP Riley McCauley closed it out, throwing the final two innings and striking out three.
We closed out the regular season at home vs Ohio State needing to win 2-of-3 to qualify for the B1G Tournament in Omaha, Nebraska. After dropping a close game in game 1, your Spartans responded as Spartans do with their backs against the wall. We won game 2 of the series, 6-2, behind multiple hit games from Bryce Kelley and Zach Iverson, while Chad Roskelly and Adam Proctor both hit home runs to pace the offense. Mason Erla threw 5.0 solid innings and Mitch Tyranski finished the last 4.0 as they both struck out four on the day. The final game of the series was "win or go home" for your Spartans, and again they responded. This time we were in control the entire way en route to an 8-3 victory. Danny Gleaves, Bryce Kelley, and Kory Young all had two hits in the 10-hit attack, and Mike Mokma and Jake Lowery both threw very well to secure the win.
The conference tournament saw us play well in two very good games, but lost both in 1-run fashion to Minnesota and Indiana to conclude the season.
To see game box scores and official game recaps, please click on the 2018 SCHEDULE.
The 2018 MLB Draft saw RHP Riley McCauley taken by the Chicago Cubs in the 14th round (RELEASE).
After reading about the 2018 season, the highlight video for the wonderwall that was the 2018 season can be found below:
2019
The 2019 season actually started in December of 2018 when your Spartans traveled to the Dominican Republic for a 6-game "experience" in one of baseball's most popular regions of the world. We went 4-1-1 on the trip, experienced a cultural tour of historic Santo Domingo, provided community service in the form of painting houses, and created memories that will undoubtedly last a lifetime. For a complete video recap of this incredible trip, watch below:
The spring 2019 season saw several more highlights and memories for our program. A road win at Arizona, a series win against Indiana State that featured the first night game in 135 years of Spartan Baseball, series wins vs Northwestern, Purdue, No. 24 Iowa and a win over No. 23 Illinois all highlighted the 2019 season.
After a tough start to a very difficult schedule, we went to Tucson, Arizona in the middle of our spring trip to take on the Wildcats. After getting down 4-0 after the 2nd inning and losing center fielder Danny Gleaves to a season-ending knee injury on an incredible catch in left center field, your Spartans kept battling and scored one run in the 6th and eight in the 7th inning to earn a 9-5 road victory. Marty Bechina went 3-for-3 with an RBI and Zaid Walker was 2-for-5 with two RBI in the win. Freshman Colten Panaranto threw 3.1 innings of relief, allowing just two hits and one run to earn the first win of his college career.
One month later, we hosted Indiana State in the first night game in Spartan Baseball history! The Sycamores came in with a 22-4 record, but RHP Mason Erla kept their offense in check all night long allowing only two hits while striking out six in nine innings of work. Our offense couldn't get anything going either, and we headed into extra innings on a beautiful evening of baseball. Royce Ando led off the bottom of the 10th with a base hit, and Scott Combs moved him to second base with a well executed sacrifice bunt. Indiana State made an attempt on Ando at second base, but threw the ball away into center field allowing Ando to move up to third. That set the stage for Nic Lacayo and a beautifully executed squeeze play to secure the win in dramatic fashion for your Spartans!
For highlights of other wins from the 2019 season, click on the "2019 Game Schedule" button below and select the game of your choice.
Senior OF Dan Chmielewski was named Academic All-American for the year as well as the recipient of the President's Award as the top male GPA at Michigan State. In addition, Mitchell Tyranski, Indigo Diaz, and Marty Bechina were all selected in the MLB draft. (RELEASE)
To see game box scores and official game recaps, please click on the 2019 SCHEDULE.
The highlight video for the 2019 season, plus more highlights from the Domincan Republic trip and our annual Miracle League game, can be viewed below:
2020
The 2020 season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but not before some exciting moments in the first 15 games that produced a 9-6 record for your Spartans. We started the year at Shipyard Park in Charleston, SC as we hosted Morehead State in a 4-game series that was dominated by your Spartans. We earned a 4-game sweep to start the season with scores of 15-3, 5-2, 5-3, and 10-4. Our next win came in Greenville, SC against Merrimack in 10 innings by the score of 15-14. We held a big lead, lost it, came from behind to tie it, and ended it with a walk-off home run off the bat of Peter Ahn! The game featured eight extra base hits and home runs by Ahn and Casey Mayes. Bailey Peterson had two hits and two RBI, as did Zaid Walker. Ahn finished with three hits and three RBI and Mayes had two hits and four RBI on the day.
Re-live the excitement of Peter Ahn's WALK-OFF HOME RUN and the #VictoryForMSU celebration!!
— Michigan St Baseball (@statebaseball) February 23, 2020
The deeeep blast went off top of wall in right center & into bullpen, in btm of 10th, for the Spartans' 15-14 wild win over Merrimack at #FluorField.
🎥: @GreenvilleDrive
⚾️#GoGreen pic.twitter.com/relz9oYMy4
Our next game was against Kansas and was very similar to the previous Merrimack game, even how we won it. Your Spartans took a 7-1 lead into the 8th inning only to see a scrappy Kansas team score two in that frame and four in the 9th to tie the score at 7. We led off the bottom of the 9th with a Peter Ahn base hit up the middle. He then stole second base and eventually scored on a Zach Iverson walk off single to right center field with two outs...our second walk off win in a row! Ahn led the 15 hit attack for your Spartans going 3-for-3 with two RBI, while Bryce Kelley, Bailey Peterson, Andrew Morrow, and Casey Mayes all had two hits with Morrow and Scott Combs adding two RBI each.
Recap: Iverson Walk-Off Single Spurs Spartans To 8-7 Win Over Kansas
— Michigan St Baseball (@statebaseball) February 29, 2020
The Spartans continue First Pitch Invite action Saturday vs. Western Carolina at 6 pm and Sunday vs. Ball State at 1 pm at #FluorField, home of the @GreenvilleDrive.
⚾️#GoGreen
📰:https://t.co/NW0MFZFe7K
The next day we took on Western Carolina and it was more of the same from your Spartans! LHP Jarret Olson was masterful throwing 6.2 innings and striking out six as we took a 4-3 lead into the 9th. RHP Zach Iverson gave up a 1-out double but got the next hitter to ground out to SS. With two outs and the tying run at second base, Western Carolina hit a single to center field, but Bryce Kelley got a great jump on the ball, and delivered a "strike" to catcher Gabe Sotres who tagged the runner to record the final out and a defensive walk-off win for your Spartans! Peter Ahn continued his hot hitting going 2-for-4 on the night.
Recap: Spartans Cage Catamounts On Defensive Walk-Off For 4-3 Win
— Michigan St Baseball (@statebaseball) March 1, 2020
MSU wraps up First Pitch Invite action Sunday vs. Ball State at 1 pm at #FluorField, home of the @GreenvilleDrive.
⚾️#GoGreen
📰: https://t.co/IGoNU0YiNI
#VictoryForMSU high fives 🖐🏼 after tonight's 4-3 win over Western Carolina on a defensive walk-off - Spartans' 3rd straight walk-off victory!
— Michigan St Baseball (@statebaseball) March 1, 2020
⚾️#GoGreen pic.twitter.com/BboyDBuIce
After beating Ball State 8-6 behind a Zaid Walker home run and multiple hit games for Bryce Kelley, Peter Ahn, and Zach Iverson, we traveled to Pensacola, FL for the Cox Diamond Invitational and what would be our last three games of the season. Friday vs. Troy featured a dominant performance by All-American RHP Mason Erla. We scored one run on a sacrifice fly and Erla made it stand throwing 7.0 innings while striking out 12! Caleb Sleeman threw the final two innings for the save, while striking out four. We dropped the last two games against two very good Louisiana and Samford teams to end the weekend, and what would end up being the season.
Recap: Erla Deals Up Gem In 1-0 Victory For MSU Over Troy
— Michigan St Baseball (@statebaseball) March 7, 2020
MSU opens @PensacolaSports #COXDiamondInvitational at Blue Wahoos Park action with a pitchers' duel, with the Spartans' Erla ringing up career-high 12 strikeouts.
⚾️#GoGreen
📰: https://t.co/LMMLqjcyrr
See "The Gift of Baseball" article (HERE) for our players perspective on how the season ended and a special thanks to our friends and families for submitting clips for our highlight video (see below). Finally, congratulations to Mason Erla for his All-American honors for the 2020 season (RELEASE)!
Stay tuned and come back for more trips down memory lane!
As always, thank you for what you do for Spartan Baseball! GO GREEN! Please stay healthy and stay safe.
-Coach Boss
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