Spartans Return To Greenville To Tangle With Wildcats Of Northwestern In Weekend Series

MICHIGAN STATE (3-1, 3-1 B1G) vs NORTHWESTERN (2-2, 2-2 B1G)
Location	Fluor Field \|\| Greenville, S.C.
Tickets	NO TICKETS - families only
Weather	High/Low - Fri: 81^°/ 58^° \| Sat: 61^° / 52^° \| Sun: 74^° / 52^°
Game Notes	Michigan State \| Northwestern
Social Media	@statebaseball \| MichiganStateBaseball @statebaseballgogreen
Television	None
Game 1	Friday, Mar. 12 - 5 p.m. ET
Probable Pitching Matchup	NU: #15 RHP Mike Doherty (JR) (0-0, 3.60 ERA) MSU: #8 RHP Sam Benschoter (SR) (1-0, 0.00 ERA)
Coverage	Live Stats \| Watch Live on Big Ten Network+ ($)
Game 2	Saturday, Mar. 13 - 3:30 p.m. ET
Probable Pitching Matchup	NU: #8 LHP Quinn Lavelle (SR) (0-0, 3.00 ERA) MSU: #30 RHP Mason Erla (R-JR) (1-0, 4.50 ERA)
Coverage	Live Stats \| Watch Live on Big Ten Network+ ($)
Game 3	Saturday, Mar. 13 - 6 p.m. ET
Probable Pitching Matchup	NU: #28 RHP Tyler Uberstine (R-JR) (1-0, 0.00 ERA) MSU: #44 Adam Berghorst (FR) (0-0, 4.91 ERA)
Coverage	Live Stats \| Watch Live on Big Ten Network+ ($)
Game 4	Sunday, Mar. 14 - 1 p.m. ET
Probable Pitching Matchup	NU: TBA (0-0, 0.00 ERA) MSU: #46 LHP Nick Powers (FR) (0-1, 3.61 ERA)
Coverage	Live Stats \| Watch Live on Big Ten Network+ ($)

Leading Off... Spartans Return To Greenville To Tangle With Wildcats Of Northwestern In Weekend Series

• Michigan State baseball returns to its "home away from home" of Greenville, South Carolina, facing Big Ten Conference foe Northwestern in a four-game series at Fluor Field, home of the Greenville Drive, Friday, March 12 - Sunday, March 14 ... the Spartans and Wildcats series has changed times slightly, with the series opening on Friday with a single game at 5 p.m., followed by a doubleheader on Saturday starting at 3 p.m., game two slated for approximately 6 p.m. ... under Big Ten Conference rules this season, the teams will play a seven-inning game followed by a nine-inning contest for the doubleheader ... the series wraps up on Sunday, March 14 with a 1 p.m. first pitch.

•Due to the start of the season being delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, MSU will play 44 games over 13 weekends in a Big Ten Conference-only ledger in 2021 ... the 2021 Big Ten schedule features two neutral site weekends, and Purdue will be facing Michigan in a four-game series, with Friday's game at 1 p.m., Saturday's doubleheader starting at 9 a.m. and Sunday's finale at 9 a.m.

• The Spartan games will have live stats when available through "Live Stats" links found at MSUSpartans.com ... There will be video streams available through Big Ten Network + with subscription fee required, with links also found at MSUSpartans.com.

ZAID WALKER TABBED BIG TEN BASEBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
• Michigan State's Zaid Walker has been named the Big Ten Baseball Player of the Week for the opening week of the 2021 season, announced Wednesday by the conference office.

This is the second-straight season that Michigan State has collected the B1G Player of the Week award after the opening weekend of the season, as Bryce Kelley garnered the honor last season on Feb. 17, 2020 after the first weekend of play.

Walker, a sophomore outfielder from Homewood, Illinois, hit a team-leading .462 (6-13), with five RBI and one double, logging a .538 slugging percentage and scoring three runs in helping Michigan State win three of four games against Maryland in Greenville, South Carolina in the opening weekend of the 2021 season.

He had at least one hit in all four games, including going 3-for-3 with three RBI and two runs scored in MSU's 7-4 win in game one of Saturday's doubleheader.

Walker also beat out an infield single to keep MSU's rally going in the seventh inning of Saturday's nightcap of the twinbill, to drive in what turned out to be the game-winning run, completing the Spartans' comeback after a 4-0 lead by Maryland, in the 5-4 Victory for MSU.

This is Walker's first career B1G Player of the Week honor, adding to his B1G award collection that includes Big Ten All-Freshman Team accolades in 2019.

Michigan State has collected two of the last three Big Ten Player of the Weeks awarded, as Walker's teammate Peter Ahn collected the accolade March 2, 2020, the second-to-last recognition of the 2020 season before the remainder of the season was canceled. The Spartans have also collected three of the last five Player of the Week honors, with Kelley's first week honor last season, as there were only four awards before the season was halted.

BENSCHOTER-ING BOOGIE
• Senior right-hander Sam Benschoter fired a career-high 10 strikeouts in a 6-0 shutout Victory for MSU over Maryland in the 2021 season-opener on March 5 at Fluor Field in Greenville, South Carolina, going a career-high 8.0 innings.

In MSU's first game since March 8, 2020, before the rest of the 2020 season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Benschoter didn't show any signs of layoff, as he provided much of the excitement on the night, and was dealing, scattering just five hits to a Maryland offense that hit .258 as a team, and the Spartan hurler stymied the Terrapin offense, shutting them out after they led the Big Ten last year with 111 runs in 15 games (7.4 runs per game, including striking out well-decorated Preseason Award winner Maxwell Costes twice as part of holding him to 0-3

Benschoter also out-dueled Maryland starting pitcher Sean Burke, who was selected as the Big Ten Preseason Pitcher of the Year. Burke went 6.0 IP with 13 strikeouts, but the Spartans scored three runs off of him, as along with plating the pair of runs in the first, added a run in the sixth ... There were approximately 30 scouts on hand to watch the Big Ten baseball opener, and they witnessed a superb Benschoter outing.

BENSCHOTER-ING BOOGIE
• Redshirt-junior pitcher Mason Erla was also dealing in his opening outing of the 2021 season, firing eight strikeouts in 6.0 IP, scattering six hits and yielding three runs in Saturday's game one.

BIG WILL-Y STYLE
• Redshirt-freshman relief pitcher William Christophersen came on in relief in Saturday's second game, going 5.0 IP with a career-high seven strikeouts ... Christophersen's earned the win in the same site of his first career victory, coming at Fluor Field on March 1, 2020 vs. Ball State.

IVERSON TALKING ABOUT ENDING GAME
• Junior infielder/pitcher Zach Iverson closed out all three of MSU's wins, despite not getting a save in the opener, but coming back to chalk up two saves in Saturday's Spartan sweep of the twinbill, capping both saves with strikeouts ... Iverson's pitching line for the weekend was three appearances, with 1.2 IP, two saves, four strikeouts, no walks and just one hit for a 0.00 ERA.

Iverson started all three of the pitching appearances at third base, before coming on to pitch ... in Friday's opener, Iverson took over in the top of the ninth, and after hitting first batter, came back with a vengeance by ringing up a pair of strikeouts, then getting a ground out to end it.

In Saturday's first game of doubleheader, the seven-inning contest, Iverson came on with two outs in the top of the seventh and promptly struck out Maryland's highly decorated hitter Maxwell Costes to end the game and seal the Victory for MSU.

In the nightcap, Iverson again took the mound after playing third, and after yielding a single, again chalked up a punchout to end the game, earning the save and clinching the win.

Iverson also had a solid weekend at the plate, hitting .308 (4-for-13) with four RBI and two walks.

JEBB BURSTS ONTO SCENE AS SPARTAN
• Freshman infielder Mitch Jebb had a smashing Spartan debut, going 1-for-3 with three runs scored, along with drawing two walks ... in Jebb's first at bat for the Green & White, led off the MSU lineup and drew a walk and came around to score the Spartans' first run of the season ... after lining out in his second at bat, Jebb tripled in his third at bat of the night to lead off the sixth, and scored on the next batter, Bryce Kelley's, sac fly.

Jebb ended his first weekend of action as a Spartan hitting .286 (4-for-15), hitting a home run shy of a weekend cycle with a double and triple, along with scoring five runs ... he also knocked in one RBI and swiped one base.

SPARTAN NEWCOMERS
• Jebb was just one of six Spartans to made their debuts for the Green & White in the opening weekend, as freshman lefty Nick Powers made his Spartan debut by starting Sunday's series finale, and went 5.0 IP, scattering three hits while striking out six, yielding two runs.

Freshman first baseban Brock Vradenburg also started Sunday's game, going 1-for-3 with a run scored on offense, while making a pair of nifty defensive plays in the top of the eighth, chasing down a foul ball and catching it near the stands for the first out of the inning, then on the next out, made a nice snag on a scorcher down the line, scooping and tossing to junior relief pitcher Wyatt Rush covering the bag.

Sophomore Burrell Jones also made his Spartan debut Sunday ... the right-hander pitched 2.0 IP of relief, chalking up two strikeouts.

Freshman infielder Trent Farquhar came on to play second base as a defensive sub in the top of ninth of Friday's opener.

Junior pitcher Jordan Beatson made the first appearances of their MSU career. Beatson transferred to Michigan State from Furman, after they discontinued baseball, and is from nearby Columbia, South Carolina, and made a relief appearance Saturday night.

KELLEY CLOSING IN ON STOLEN BASE KING CROWN
• Senior outfielder Bryce Kelley swiped three bases in the opening weekend, leaving him just four from tying, five from breaking, the Michigan State career stolen base record ... Kelley now has swiped 75 bases in his career, closing in on Anthony Cheky (2012-15) with the stolen base record of 79.

1. Anthony Cheky 79 2012-15
2. Bryce Kelley 75 2017-pres.

THREE SPARTANS TABBED BIG TEN PRESEASON PLAYERS TO WATCH
• Three Michigan State baseball players earned Big Ten Preseason Players to Watch honors, as the conference announced its preseason honors list and preseason poll ahead of Friday's 2021 season openers around the league.

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

Junior pitcher Mason Erla, senior outfielder Bryce Kelley and senior infielder Bailey Peterson earned the preseason recognition.

• Erla collects his third preseason accolade, as he was a Preseason All-American by Perfect Game and Collegiate Baseball.

The Spartan pitcher was a postseason Second-Team All-American by Collegiate Baseball, becoming Michigan State's first All-American since 2015 when relief pitcher Dakota Mekkes was a Third-Team National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) All-American. Erla was the Spartans' first starting pitcher to earn All-American accolades since 1998, when Mark Mulder was a Third-Team Collegiate Baseball/Louisville Slugger All-American.

A native of Cass City, Michigan, Erla posted a 2-0 record with a paltry 1.04 ERA in four starts, firing 42 strikeouts with only four overall runs allowed, with three earned, and just six walks in 26.0 IP. He ranked second in the B1G and 10th in the NCAA with 42 strikeouts, along with being tied for sixth in the conference with eight strikeouts looking. Erla also ranked second in the league and 49th in the nation with a 1.04 ERA, and ranked 16th in conference with a .211 batting average against. Additionally, Erla ranked fourth in the B1G and tied for 30th in the NCAA with 14.54 strikeouts per nine innings, along with ranking tied for fourth in the league and 74th in the nation with a 7.00 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Erla was named the Big Ten Conference Pitcher of the Week and one of Collegiate Baseball Newspaper's National Players of the Week on March 10 for his performance vs. Troy on March 6 in which he fired a career-high 12 strikeouts, and had a no-hitter going for 5.2 IP, not allowing a hit until the sixth inning to lead Michigan State to a 1-0 win over Troy in a Friday night pitchers' duel. The Spartan hurler ended with 12 strikeouts over 7.0 IP, allowing just two hits, going 5.2 IP of no-hit baseball, before a single in the sixth and a bloop wind-aided, wind-blown double in the seventh. He didn't allow a Troy base-runner to touch second base until the seventh inning, as he rang up a three-up, three-down inning in the first, second, fourth and fifth frames, and didn't face more than four Troy batters in any inning, as the Trojans came into the game hitting .320 as a team.

The 12 strikeouts vs. Troy was Erla's new career-high, marking the third time this season that he has set or tied a new career-best in four appearances. Erla tallied 11 Ks in the season-opener vs. Morehead State on Feb. 14 and matched that with 11 punchouts on Feb. 21 vs. Merrimack.

• Kelley, a native of Rockford, Michigan, was tabbed as the Danny Litwhiler Defensive Player of the Year for the second-straight season as part of the 2020 MSU team awards. He also collected the 2020 MSU SASS Scholar-Athlete Award for having the highest GPA on the baseball team, and was also named to the 2020 Google Cloud Academic First-Team All-District® Baseball Team

Last season, Kelley started in center field in 13 games, while starting in left in first two games. He posted a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage, with 19 putouts and two assists, along with using his speed to cut down several hits, turning several doubles into singles. His highlight outfield assist was his throw to Gabe Sotres for the tag at the plate in top of ninth for defensive walk-off vs. Western Carolina on Feb. 29, to preserve a 4-3 win. Kelley's other outfield assist came vs. Morehead State on Feb. 16 with a double play on a flyout and doubling-up the runner at second.

Kelley joined Peterson as the only Spartans to play and start in all 15 games, and one of three players to play in all 15 contests, along with Ahn. He was second on the team with a .400 average, ranking tied for fifth in the B1G and tied for 88th in the NCAA, along with ranking sixth in the conference with a .486 on-base percentage, and added a .417 slugging percentage. Kelley ranked second on the team, along with tied for fourth in the B1G and tied for 74th in the NCAA with 24 hits. He shared the team and Big Ten lead with eight stolen bases with Peterson, ranking tied for 45th in NCAA, and also ranked tied for second in the conference and tied for 44th in the country with 0.53 stolen bases/game.

He was tabbed as the Big Ten Conference Co-Player of the Week on Feb. 17, for his performance in the opening weekend for his first career Big Ten Player of the Week award. Kelley hit .647 (11-of-17) for the weekend, which led the Big Ten by over .100, as well as ranking 15th in the NCAA after the first weekend of the season, 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. Kelley's 11 hits also led not only the Big Ten, but shared the lead for the most in the NCAA, and was three hits more than any other player in the conference. He 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 and season-opener on Feb. 14.

Kelley led the team with the longest hitting streak of the season, getting a hit in the first 13 games of the season, before going hitless in game 14, but had a hit in the 15th game, giving him at least one hit in 14 of the 15 games of the season. He also shared the team-lead with reaching base in all 15 games, joining Peterson.

• Peterson, a native of Grandville, Michigan, was voted to receive the John Kobs Most Valuable Player Award, while also earning the Kirk Gibson Offensive Player of the Year Award as part of the MSU Team Awards after the shortened 2020 season. He played and started in all 15 games, one of only two Spartans to start in every game, along with Bryce Kelley and was one of only three players to play in all 15 contests, along with Kelley and Peter Ahn. He led team and ranked second in the Big Ten and tied for 22nd in the NCAA with a .441 average, also ranking second in the Big Ten and 35th in the NCAA with a .528 on-base percentage and second on the team and 15th in the league with a .542 slugging percentage. He also led MSU, while ranking second in the B1G and tied for 35th in NCAA with 26 hits. Peterson also shared the team and Big Ten lead in stolen bases with Kelley, swiping eight bags, ranking tied for 45th in the NCAA, which also ranked tied for second in conference and tied for 44th in country with 0.53 stolen bases/game.

Additionally, Peterson tied for the team-lead and tied for eighth in B1G with 15 RBI, while ranking tied for ninth in league with 1.0 RBI/game. Defensively, Peterson started all 15 games at second base, making 35 putouts and 21 assists, and led team being a part of five double plays.

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

• The Green & White will take on Maryland in four games this weekend, then play Northwestern in a four-game series next weekend.

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 CONNECTIONS
• 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.

• 1967 Michigan State baseball alum Bill Wooley, who was the 2020 Alumnus of the Year at the MSU Baseball First Pitch Dinner, and his wife, Mary, live in nearby Greer, South Carolina.

Wooley was a four-year letterwinner for the Spartan baseball team from 1964-67. He was utility infielder on the freshman team in 1964 for head coach Tom Smith, before moving up to varsity and was utility infielder and team manager from 1965-67 for head coach Danny Litwhiler.

A native of Detroit, Mich., Wooley graduated from Michigan State University College of Business in 1967 with a bachelor's of business administration (BBA) with general business and marketing emphasis. Wooley began his business career in July 1967 with the Dupont Corporation, in the textile fibers division in New York City, where he worked for nine years until 1976. He joined Johnson & Johnson in the healthcare industry in 1976 with a career track in sales, product management, where he was General Manager/ Vice President for 22 years before retiring in 1998. Wooley was Chairman of the Board for NICORE, Inc. (1999-2006) and was president of the private startup company with products to treat congestive heart problems, before retiring in 2006.

Wooley was also an assistant baseball coach at Eastlake High School in Tarpon Springs, Florida for 12 years, where he coached approximately 10 players who made it to Major League Baseball, most notably utility player Chris Coghlan, who was in the Majors for 10 years, winning the Rookie of the Year Award in 2009 with the Florida Marlins, also playing for the Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox.

Wooley and his wife, Mary (Bigelow), who is a 1967 MSU alum with her education degree, met at MSU in the fall term of their freshman year and dated all through college, and have been married 52 years. They have three children, twins Daniel and Deborah, and daughter Alicia, and four grandchildren.

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 most of their trips to Greenville ... Iverson hit. 231 (12-of-52) with a double and triple, tallying 10 RBI ... Iverson also made five appearances on the mound, including one start, registering four relief appearances including picking up a team-leading two saves, logging 11 strikeouts in 8.2 IP.

• The 2019 season saw Iverson play 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.

FORMER FURMAN PALADINS IN FAMILIAR TERRITORY
• Junior pitcher Jordan Beatson and freshman pitcher Dominic Pianto played at Furman last season, before transferring to Michigan State, after the Paladins discontinued baseball, and frequently played at Fluor Field.

Beatson is from nearby Columbia, South Carolina, and made a relief appearance Saturday night, while Pianto, a native of Hendersonville, Tenn., is out for the season with an injury.

UP NEXT
• MSU will play its first games in the state of Michigan since Sept. 3, 2019, when the Spartans play Illinois and Michigan in the Ann Arbor pod next weekend, taking on the Illini in two games and the Wolverines in two games, with complete weekend schedule to be announced later.

Michigan State's last game in the Mitten State was the Crosstown Showdown vs. the Lansing Lugnuts on Sept. 3, 2019 at then-Cooley Law School Stadium (now Jackson Field).

The Spartans' last college game was on May 18, 2019 against No. 23 Illinois on MSU's Senior Day.

Spartans Return To Greenville To Tangle With Wildcats Of Northwestern In Weekend Series

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Peter Ahn

Jordan Beatson

Sam Benschoter

Adam Berghorst

William Christophersen

Mason Erla

Trent Farquhar

Zach Iverson

Mitch Jebb

Burrell Jones

Bryce Kelley

Bailey Peterson

Dominic Pianto

Nick Powers

Wyatt Rush

Gabe Sotres

Brock Vradenburg

Zaid Walker

Spartans Return To Greenville To Tangle With Wildcats Of Northwestern In Weekend Series

Related News

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Peter Ahn

Jordan Beatson

Sam Benschoter

Adam Berghorst

William Christophersen

Mason Erla

Trent Farquhar

Zach Iverson

Mitch Jebb

Burrell Jones

Bryce Kelley

Bailey Peterson

Dominic Pianto

Nick Powers

Wyatt Rush

Gabe Sotres

Brock Vradenburg

Zaid Walker

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