Michigan State University
Houston Baptist
Spartan Baseball Hosts HBU Huskies In 2022 Home Opening Weekend
3/17/2022 4:08:00 PM | Baseball
MSU playing in second-earliest home opener date.
| MICHIGAN STATEÂ (7-7, 0-0 B1G) vs. HOUSTON BAPTIST (6-12, 0-0 SOUTHLAND)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â | |
| Location | McLane Stadium at Kobs Field  ||  East Lansing, Mich. |
| Tickets | MSU Ticket Office |
| Weather | High/Low - Fri: 51° / 43°  |   Sat: 46° / 31°  |   Sun: 56° / 35° |
| Game Notes | MICHIGAN STATEÂ |Â HOUSTON BAPTISTÂ |
| Social Media |   @MSUbaseball |  MichiganStateBaseball  @msu_baseball |
| Television | None |
| Game 1 | Friday, March 18 - 1:05 p.m. ETÂ Â *** NOTE Updated Time*** |
| Probable Pitching Matchup | HBU: #41 JR RHP Daxton Tinker    (0-3, 8.04 ERA) MSU: #8 SO RHP Harrison Cook   (0-0, 7.62 ERA) |
| Coverage | Live Stats | Watch Live Through BTN+ |  Listen Live through Spartan Media Network  |
| Game 2 | Saturday, March 19 - 1:05 p.m. ET |
| Probable Pitching Matchup | HBU: #20 SR RHP Jared Burch   (0-2, 4.82 ERA) MSU: #24 SO LHP Nick Powers   (2-1, 4.15 ERA) |
| Coverage | Live Stats | Watch Live Through BTN+ |  Listen Live through Spartan Media Network   |
| Game 3 | Sunday, March 20 - 1:05 p.m. ET |
| Probable Pitching Matchup | HBU: #22 JR RHP Will Ripoll   (1-2, 4.15 ERA) MSU: #42 FR RHP Ryan Szczepaniak   (2-0, 3.94 ERA) |
| Coverage | Live Stats | Watch Live Through BTN+ |  Listen Live through Spartan Media Network |
Leading Off... Spartans Host HBU Huskies In 2022 Home Opening Weekend
• Michigan State hosts Houston Baptist in a three-game weekend series in the Spartans' 2022 home opening weekend at McLane Stadium at Kobs Field ... The weekend schedule has been slightly altered, with Friday's series and 2022 home opener vs. Houston Baptist now starting at 1:05 p.m. due to impending weather later Friday in the East Lansing area ... Game two of the series between the Spartans and Huskies is slated for Saturday at 1:05 p.m., preceding Sunday's series finale, also at 1:05 p.m. ... The weekend schedule is subject to change based on weather.
• This weekend's three games are the opening of a nine-game homestand at McLane Stadium at Kobs Field.
• Fans can follow this weekend's action with "Watch Live," "Listen Live" and "Live Stats" links at MSUSpartans.com, with video streaming available through Big Ten Network + with subscription fee required, with links also found at MSUSpartans.com.
• For the sixth straight year, the Spartan Media Network will carry a live audio stream for all home and select road Spartan baseball games this season ... The broadcast will be available exclusively at MSUSpartans.com by clicking on "Listen Live" on the baseball schedule ... Broadcast veteran Scott Moore calls the action, with Spartan baseball alum Jim Cotter providing analysis.
EARLY HOME OPENER
• Friday's March 18 home opener date is the second-earliest home-opener in program history behind 2018's first home game of March 15, taking over the number two spot from the 2009 lid-lifter on March 20, which was also the scheduled start date for the 2019 opener, but was postponed due to weather.
HOME OPENER SUCCESS
• MSU has won eight of its last nine home openers and the Spartans are 11-2 in their first game of the year played at McLane Stadium under head coach Jake Boss Jr. ... Last year's loss to Indiana in the 2021 home opener snapped MSU's eight-game home opener winning streak.
FORMER SPARTAN IS A HUSKY
• Former Michigan State baseball player Clayton VanderLaan is returning to East Lansing as Houston Baptist's pitching coach ... VanderLaan, a native of Houston, Texas, played one season at MSU in 2009, making nine appearances in relief with 7.1 IP, ringing up one strikeout ... VanderLaan then transferred to Cameron University, where he was a three-year letterwinner and earned All-Lone Star Conference honorable mention ... After three years in professional baseball in the Frontier League and United League Baseball, VanderLaan starting his coaching career at St. Thomas High School in Houston, where he was pitching coach for three seasons ... VanderLaan then joined Saginaw Valley State as pitching coach in 2017-18, before being appointed head coach late in the 2018 season ... He then became head coach at the University of St. Thomas in Houston for two seasons, before being named pitching coach at HBU in June, 2021.
SPARTANS VS. HUSKIES SHORT SERIES HISTORY
• By Friday's game completion, Michigan State and Houston Baptist will have matched their series history, as the Spartans and Huskies only have one prior meeting to the this season.
MSU and HBU's only previous meeting was Feb. 20, 2015 in Arlington, Texas in a round-robin weekend on the campus of UT Arlington, with the Huskies winning, 3-1 ... Houston Baptist pitcher Taylor Wright held the Spartans without a hit through 6 1/3 innings, allowing just two baserunners to reach on errors ... MSU showed signs of life after Brandon Hughes and Blaise Salter both got on to start the inning ... Ryan Krill then roped a single to left to bring home Hughes and cut the lead to 3-1, forcing Wright out of the game ... Ryan Richardson was hit the very next at-bat to load the bases with just one out, but Chris Garza got the Huskies out of the jam with a strikeout and fly out to center, ending the Spartans' best chance of the afternoon ... Krill finished 1-for-4 with MSU's lone RBI on the day, while Salter was also 1-for-4, for the Spartans' only other hit.
The only runners to score for Houston Baptist in the game were the first three hitters it sent to the plate ... Two walks bookended a single to load the bases with nobody out to start the game, followed by a wild pitch to bring home the first run ... The Huskies would bring around the other two runners with a sac fly and groundout, resulting in their only three runs of the game.
Mick VanVossen settled in after the first, not allowing a hit for the next five innings ... The Huskies tried to add some insurance runs in the seventh, but Walter Borkovich entered the game in relief and got a strikeout, stranding runners on second and third.
WARMING UP GREENVILLE FOR SPARTAN BASKETBALL / SPARTAN CONNECTIONS
• Michigan State baseball was in Greenville, S.C. last weekend on its annual trip there to play in the First Pitch Invitational, hosted by the Greenville Drive
The 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.
• 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.
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.
MSU VS. LONE STAR STATE TEAMS
• Houston Baptist is Michigan State's second opponent from the state of Texas, as MSU played at Abilene Christian Feb. 27-28, dropping a three-game series at ACU.
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A LOOK AT HOUSTON BAPTIST
• The Huskies mush into East Lansing with a 6-12 mark, losing the last four in a row, getting swept in a series at Louisiana Tech, last weekend, before losing at home to UTSA, 10-5, on Tuesday.
MSU is HBU's second Big Ten opponent, as the Huskies were swept by Rutgers at home in the opening weekend of the season.
While Houston Baptist lost the Rutgers and LA Tech series, the Huskies won two series with Hofstra and then at No. 23 Sacramento State, bouncing back from losing the opening game of the four-game series, then taking the next three.
Senior infielder Jake Miller leads HBU at the plate, hitting .293 with a team-high 17 hits, and is the only Husky to play in all 18 games, starting every contest ... Miller also shares the team-lead with 20 total bases, with a home run for his lone extra-base hit ... Junior catcher Parker Edwards tops the Huskies in both RBI (8) and HR (2), but has only played in nine games.
Friday's probable starter is junior right-hander Daxton Tinker, who has an 0-3 record with an 8.04 record in four starts with 15.2 IP, logging 12 Ks and four BBs, while yielding a .377 average to the opposition ... Saturday's probable starter is senior righty Jared Burch, who has an 0-2 mark with a 4.82 ERA in a team-high 18.2 IP, also topping the staff with 16 Ks, to go with six walks and a .299 batting average against ... Junior right-hander Will Ripoll is Sunday's probable starter, toting a 1-2 mark with a 4.15 ERA, with 12 Ks and nine BB in 17.1 IP with a .227 average against ... Senior righty Andrew Reitmeyer has three of HBU's four saves, with a 1-1 record and 4.50 ERA in eight appearances, with nine Ks and six BB.
Houston Baptist's head coach is former MLB All-Star Lance Berkman, who played 15 seasons in MBL, including winning the 2011 World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals.
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AHN SLATED TO MAKE FIRST START AT HOME
• Redshirt-junior Peter Ahn is in his fourth season in a Spartan uniform and has made 32 starts in his career, however, of those 32 starts, none have come at home ... Ahn was a reserve in 2019, making 13 appearances off the bench ... In 2020, Ahn started in 14 of the 15 games played, all on the road, as the remainder of the season was cancelled due to COVID-19 before MSU played at home ... Last season, Ahn started the first five games of the season, all played at neutral sites, before suffering an injury and was on limited action the rest of the season.
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SPARTANS EARN BACK-TO-BACK B1G AWARDSÂ
• Michigan State players garnered weekly Big Ten Conference honors in consecutive weeks, as sophomore infielder Mitch Jebb was tabbed the Player of the Week this week, while freshman pitcher Ryan Szczepaniak was named the Freshman of the Week last week.
MITCH JEBB TABBED BIG TEN PLAYER OF THE WEEK
• Michigan State baseball sophomore infielder Mitch Jebb was named the Big Ten Conference Player of the Week, announced by the conference office Wednesday.
Jebb, a native of Saginaw, Michigan, earns his first career B1G weekly honor and his third overall B1G accolade, as he was on was this year's Big Ten Preseason Players to Watch list, as well as being named to Big Ten All-Freshman Team last season.
This is MSU's second B1G honor in as many weeks, as pitcher Ryan Szczepaniak was tabbed as last week's Freshman of the Week.
Jebb was recognized for his performance during MSU's four games last week in Greenville, South Carolina, at Fluor Field, home of the Greenville Drive.
He belted two HR in the same game, including a two-run walk-off HR to cap MSU's comeback in a 10-8 win over Cincinnati on Friday, March 11, as the Spartans rallied from an 8-5 deficit entering the ninth. Jebb bookended the game by also bashing a HR to lead off the Spartan home half of the first inning. He finished 3-for-4 with four RBI and two runs scored.
The walk-off was MSU's first walk-off HR since Feb. 23, 2020, also in Greenville, also by a left-handed hitter, by Peter Ahn, vs. Merrimack, and also over the right field wall of Fluor Field. Jebb's two-home run game was also the first Spartan with two HR in the same game since Bailey Peterson bashed a pair of round-trippers last season on May 23, 2021 at Rutgers.
For the week, Jebb registered a .412 average (7-for-17) in the four games, highlighted by going 3-for-4 with four RBI and two runs scored vs. Cincinnati. He added a double as part of 2-for-5 outing vs. Western Carolina. He also notched at least one hit in all four games, as he now has at least one hit in all 14 games this season and a 21-game hitting streak dating back to last season, tied for the third-longest hitting streak by a Spartan in the last 20 years.
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RYAN SZCZEPANIAK NAMED BIG TEN FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
• Michigan State baseball pitcher Ryan Szczepaniak was named the Big Ten Conference Freshman of the Week, for games played Feb. 28-March 6, the conference office announced on Wednesday, March 9.
Szczepaniak, a native of Woodhaven, Michigan, earns not only the first Big Ten accolade of his Spartan career, but also the first B1G honor of the season for Michigan State, for his performance last Sunday, March 6. He earned the win on the mound in the 9-3 Victory for MSU over nationally-ranked West Virginia in Minneapolis at the Cambria Classic played at U.S. Bank Stadium, home of the Minnesota Vikings.
The Spartan right-hander fired 5.0 IP with four strikeouts, yielding three hits and one earned run to improve to 2-0, stymieing WVU bats. After a leadoff single and later a hit batter in the first inning, settled in and retired seven Mountaineers in a row.
Szczepaniak improved to 2-0 with the victory and is the first B1G freshman pitcher to earn two wins this season, and only one of 11 pitchers in the league overall with two or more wins.
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THREE SPARTANS TABBED TO CAMBRIA COLLEGE CLASSIC ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
• Three Michigan State baseball players were tabbed to the Cambria College Classic All-Tournament Team, announced late Sunday night following the conclusion of the three-day tournament.
Sophomore infielders Trent Farquhar and Mitch Jebb, along with junior outfielder Zaid Walker were the three Spartan representatives on the 13-player list, as MSU went 2-1 in the Classic, with the lone loss to No. 12 Notre Dame, 2-1, on Saturday. The Fighting Irish finished 3-0 and were the tournament champion.
The three Spartan players tied host Minnesota for the second-most on the All-Tournament Team list, while tournament winner Notre Dame had four players, including pitcher Austin Temple earning MVP honors.
Farquhar hit .462 (6-for-13) for the weekend with two RBI and two runs scored, as well as solid play all weekend at second base, featuring a running, somersaulting catch in shallow center field in the second inning of Friday's win over Kansas. He had multiple hits in the Kansas and West Virginia games as Farquhar now has a five-game hitting streak.
Jebb logged a .429 average (6-for-14) in the three games, including a career-high four hits and four RBI in Sunday's 9-3 win over nationally-ranked West Virginia. Jebb was a home run shy of the cycle Sunday, finishing with two triples and a double for the weekend, with 11 total bases and six RBI, adding one stolen base. Jebb joined his keystone corner mate Farquhar in solid defense all weekend as well, including snaring a line drive and stepping on second for a double play to end a bases-loaded threat in Sunday's win over WVU. Jebb has at least one hit in all 10 games this season and a 17-game hitting streak dating back to last season.
Walker posted a .455 average (5-of-11) with one double and a home run, coming on a two-run blast to left field in the second inning Friday vs. Kansas, sparking the Spartan offense on the way to an 11-2 win over the Jayhawks. Walker also had standout defense, highlighted by throwing out a runner in Sunday's win over West Virginia. Walker also had at least one hit in all three games this weekend and has a four-game hitting streak.
MICHIGAN STATE BASEBALL PLAYING MICHIGAN APRIL 15 IN CAPITAL CLASH AT JACKSON FIELD
Michigan State baseball's game against Michigan on Friday, April 15, will be played at Jackson® Field™, home of the Lansing Lugnuts, in the Capital Clash, it was announced Tuesday. The Capital Clash will be nationally televised on ESPNU, with first pitch slated for 5 p.m.
MSU and UM played the first game ever at the ballpark, then called Oldsmobile Park, on April 3, 1996. Michigan defeated Michigan State, 5-4, in 10 innings.
The Capital Clash is the Spartans' second game of the 2022 season played at Jackson® Field™ in a span of 10 days. Michigan State will also play the Lansing Lugnuts in the 2022 Crosstown Showdown presented by Delta Dental on Wednesday, April 6, resuming the Crosstown Showdown exhibition contest after a two-year hiatus.
"We really value our long-standing relationship with the Lansing Lugnuts, and being able to play not only the Crosstown Showdown, but also a nationally televised Big Ten Conference game there is exciting," MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr. said. "We're also proud to be part of the event celebrating the first-ever game played there. Over the last 25-plus years, we've had a great relationship with the Lugnuts and this is further proof of that. They do a great job with their facility and everything is a first-class operation, and we're just really excited to play two games there this season."
The Spartans vs. Wolverines Big Ten Conference weekend series is Friday-Sunday, April 15-17, with the series opener played at Jackson® Field™ on April 15, while games two and three of the series will be played at MSU's McLane Stadium at Kobs Field April 16-17.
Tickets for the Capital Clash are available for purchase at the Jackson® Field™ box office, online at lansinglugnuts.com and by calling (517) 485-4500.
MSU BASEBALL TO WEAR "JP" UNIFORM PATCH TRIBUTE TO JIM PIGNATARO
Michigan State baseball head coach Jake Boss Jr. announced Thursday that the Spartans will be wearing a "JP" patch on all of their jerseys during the 2022 season as a tribute to long-time MSU administrator Jim Pignataro, who passed away this past August.
Pignataro served as the Executive Associate Athletic Director for Student-Athlete Services at Michigan State, and he was the sport administrator for Spartan baseball.
"Jim was just a special guy to our program," Boss said. "His leadership was phenomenal, and his passion for Michigan State and our baseball program was second-to-none. He poured his heart and soul into everything that he did with our program. We're proud to honor him and his legacy. His family, his wife Alana, and his kids Alison and Jimmy, will always have a special place in our hearts and in our program. We're proud to carry Jim's spirit with us onto the field."
The JP patch is located on the back collar of all of the Spartans' game jerseys that they will wear throughout the season.
Prior to being elevated to his most recent position, Pignataro served as the Associate Athletic Director for Student-Athlete Services (2008-15) and Director of Student-Athlete Support Services (SASS) from 2002-17. He oversaw the directors of Student-Athlete Engagement, Academic Services, Athletic Training, Strength and Conditioning and Sports Nutrition in addition to serving as a sport administrator for several Spartan programs.
Pignataro served as the Assistant to the Director and Athletics Academic Coordinator at Michigan State from 1996-2000. He left MSU to serve as the Assistant Athletics Director for Academics at Eastern Michigan University from June 2000 to June 2002. Prior to his arrival at MSU he worked in Athletic Academic Services at Florida State University (1995-96) and the University of Tennessee (1994-1995).
SPARTAN LEGEND BOB APISA TALKED TO TEAM PRIOR TO UNLV SERIES
Michigan State football legend Bob Apisa met with and spoke to the MSU baseball team on Thursday, Feb. 17 after the Spartans' practice at UNLV's Earl E. Wilson Stadium, and also posed for several pictures, then met each player.
Recruited by Duffy Daugherty, Apisa was a two-time All-American in 1965 and 1966 during his time at Michigan State. He was the starting fullback on back-to-back Big Ten and National Champion teams in 1965 and 1966, scoring a combined 18 touchdowns over the two seasons, and was a 1966 consensus first-team All-Big Ten selection. Apisa finished his career as MSU's most prolific rushing fullback with 1,343 yards, in addition to being a great blocker for Spartan tailbacks.
Apisa was born in American Samoa as part of eleven children, moving to Hawaii at the age of seven, and went on to earn a football scholarship at MSU, and became the first player of Samoan ancestry to be named All-American. He played in the 1966 "Game of the Century" against Notre Dame, which was also the first-ever live television sports broadcast in Hawaii. Apisa was also part of Daugherty's integration of college football, and will be part of a statue tribute as part of the upcoming renovations to the Duffy Daugherty Building for MSU Athletics in the upcoming.
In 2017, Apisa was inducted into the Michigan State Athletics Hall of Fame. In 2018, he was inducted into the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame.
After football, Apisa went into acting, and was in the Sandlot (home plate umpire), as well as many other roles, including movies (Hard Target and The Nutty Professor), and television (Magnum P.I., Hawaii 5-0 and Airwolf).
Apisa's grandson, Jacob Isaia, was a three-year letterwinner on the Spartan football team, playing offensive line. Apisa resides in Las Vegas.
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MICHIGAN STATE BASEBALL TO PLAY 56-GAME SCHEDULE IN 2022
Michigan State baseball will play a 56-game ledger in 2022, the Spartans' first full slate of games since 2019 after the previous two seasons were cut short due to COVID, playing just 12 games in 2020 before getting shutdown, and playing a Big Ten Conference-only schedule in 2021.
MSU will play 21 home games at McLane Stadium at Kobs Field, with the home-opener on Friday, March 19. The home slate is highlighted by hosting in-state rival Michigan in a three-game Big Ten Conference series, one of four B1G series at home, along with Illinois (March 25-27), Minnesota (April 29-May 1) and Iowa (May 13-15).
"We're excited to get back to a 56-game schedule after two years of having an abbreviated schedule due to COVID. Playing 24 conference games again is going to be exciting," Boss said. "We're also looking forward to having 22 home games, which features quality opponents for our terrific fans to come out and cheer us on at McLane Stadium at Kobs Field."
The Spartans' schedule includes some repeat visits to locations, as well as to some places they haven't been in a while or even completely new places.
"We're also going on the road to some places that we've been before, that are familiar to us and our current players, and we're going to some new places for them," Boss said. "UNLV is someplace we haven't been, and Michigan State hasn't been in a long time. So we're excited to go play a good program. Abilene Christian is coming off a great year and should be a heck of a challenge for us.
"Some unique experiences our guys are going to be able to have is going to Minneapolis and playing in US Bank Stadium, that is something that they're never going to forget. Going to Greenville is a staple of our schedule every year, and something that we thoroughly enjoy, getting to play Clemson this year, along with very challenging First Pitch Invitational opponents."
As announced on Nov. 16, the Crosstown Showdown between the Spartans and the Lansing Lugnuts, High-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics, will resume in 2022, meeting up at Jackson® Field™ on April 6.
"We're excited to play in the Crosstown Showdown again, against the Lansing Lugnuts, and it's just another opportunity for our guys to experience something that they'll never forget as part of our program," Boss said.
The Crosstown Showdown is one of 15 games on the 2022 Spartan schedule in six different professional stadiums, including also facing off with Notre Dame at Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan (April 26).
"Along with the Crosstown Showdown, another great experience for our guys is playing at Comerica Park, and this year, we're fortunate to have Notre Dame come to Detroit to meet us there," Boss said. "Playing an outstanding opponent coming off a great year, in that atmosphere, is going to be something pretty special."
Michigan State will also play at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis (March 4-6), Fluor Field in Greenville, South Carolina (March 9-13) for neutral games. MSU will also play at Penn State, who plays at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park in State College, Pennsylvania (May 6-8) and playing at Nebraska, at Hawks Field at Haymarket Park in Lincoln, Nebraska (May 19-21).
"Every one of our guys' dreams is to go play pro baseball and to get a chance to play in those kind of environments, first of all US Bank Stadium, which is certainly unique, but an impressive venue nonetheless, being able to play at a place like Fluor Field, and a place like Jackson Field is something that is hopefully in the cards for a majority of our guys down the road. So it's a great taste the pro ball and hopefully a taste of things to come," Boss said.
THREE SPARTANS GARNER BIG TEN PRESEASON PLAYERS TO WATCH RECOGNITION
Farquhar, Jebb, Walker collect kudos ahead of Friday's season-opener.
Three Michigan State baseball players earned Big Ten Preseason Players to Watch honors, as the conference announced its preseason honors list and preseason poll on Thursday, ahead of Friday's 2022 season-opening action.
The conference coaches voted on the top six teams and also selected three student-athletes from their own squads to a Preseason Honors list.
Sophomore infielders Trent Farquhar and Mitch Jebb were joined by junior outfielder Zaid Walker in earning preseason honors.
Farquhar, a native of Highland, Mich., earned the Danny Litwhiler Defensive Player of the Year MSU team award last season, as he made 38 starts, with 37 coming at second base and one at shortstop, posting 100 assists, 85 putouts. He was a part of 21 double plays, as MSU led the Big Ten with 41 double plays turned, ranking 45th in the NCAA, as well as leading the B1G and ranking 11th in the NCAA with 0.93 double plays per game. He posted a season-high seven assists vs. Penn State on April 9, the most by an individual fielder during the season, including having at least three putouts in 14 games, including a season-high five vs. Nebraska on April 23.
At the plate, Farquhar was the Spartans' leadoff batter in 32 games, hitting .272, including sharing the team-lead and ranking tied for 21st in the B1G in doubles with 10. He also tied for third on the team with total extra base hits with 12 on 10 doubles, one triple, and one home run, belting first collegiate home run in the Purdue game on April 12, blasting a solo shot down the right field line and into the Red Cedar River. Farquhar led MSU with a .381 on-base percentage, ranking second on the team and tied for 14th in the B1G with 24 walks, as well as ranking tied for second on the team with four hit-by-pitch.
Farquhar had a team-high 18-game on-base streak, reaching base in every game that he had an at bat from March 12-April 12, snapping the streak on April 16 by not reaching base at Illinois. He finished the 2021 season logging at least one hit in 12 of the last 16 games, having a five-game hit streak halted without a hit on May 8, but bounced back with three hits on May 9 and two knocks on May 14, then adding three hits on May 21 at Rutgers. For the season, his longest hitting streak was seven games (March 12-21), finishing with at least one hit in 28 of 39 games with an at bat. Farquhar was tied for second on the team with 11 multiple hit games, including a team-best tying nine games with two hits, as well as two games with a season-high three hits, coming on May 9 vs. Michigan, then matching it on May 21 at Rutgers. The sophomore infielder also had three multi-RBI games, which tied for third on the team, with three games with two ribbies each, most recently on April 25 vs. Nebraska.
Jebb, a native of Saginaw, Mich., was named to Big Ten All-Freshman Team last season after he posted a .276 average, sharing the team lead with two triples as part of ranking second on the team in hits (45). He also ranked third on the team with 44 starts, just one of five Spartans to play in 40+ games, missing just one game in the 2021 season.
Last season, Jebb also shared the team lead in doubles (10), while also ranking third in total bases (59), tied for third in extra-base hits with 12 on 10 doubles and two triples, fourth in runs scored (25), tied for fourth in stolen bases (4) and tied for sixth in RBI (15). He also ranked second on squad with 11 multi-hit outings, logging nine games with two hits apiece to go with season-high three hits in two contests.
With four multiple RBI games, Jebb also ranked third on MSU. He also tied for the second-longest hitting streak of the season at eight, from March 28-April 12, while ranking tied for fifth on the team in reached base streak at eight over the same span. Jebb logged a seven-game hitting streak to close out the season (May 16-30), with four multi-hit outings in that six-game span, going 12-for-28 (.429) with four doubles and two RBI.
In the field, Jebb was the Spartans' primary shortstop all season long, making all 44 of starts at short. He made 62 putouts and had a team-high 125 assists, along with being a part of 33 of MSU's 41 double plays, as the Spartans shared the B1G-lead and were tied for 11th in the NCAA in double plays per game (0.93), with the 41 DPs ranking second in the B1G.
A native of Homewood, Ill., Walker is looking to build off a successful 2021 season that saw him earn Third Team All-Big Ten accolades, as well as selected as the John Kobs Most Valuable Player Award recipient as well as the Kirk Gibson Offensive Player of the Year MSU team awards.
Last season, Walker was one of two Spartans to start and play in all 44 games, along with outfielder Bryce Kelley. Hed MSU and ranked 22nd in the B1G with a .308 average, also leading the team and ranking 20th in the B1G with 31 RBI. Additionally, Walker led the team in hits (52), runs scored (29) and total bases (71), while ranking second on the team in stolen bases (7), third in both home runs (3) and on-base percentage (.367), and fifth in slugging percentage (.420). He also tied for third in total extra base hits with 12 on eight doubles, one triple and three home runs. In the 44-game season, Walker had at least one hit in 31 of the 44 games played, and also led the team with 14 multiple hit games, with two hits in eight games, three hits in five games, and shared the team-high for most hits in a game this season with four, coming vs. Northwestern on March 13 at Greenville.
Walker also led MSU with nine multiple RBI games, logging five games with two RBI and four games with three RBI. He had a stretch of three RBI twice in three games, April 11 vs. Purdue and April 16 at Illinois, also logging three ribbies on March 6 vs. Maryland.
Walker garnered the first Big Ten Player of the Week honors of his career on March 10 for his performance in the opening weekend after hitting a team-leading .462 (6-13), with five RBI and one double, logging a .538 slugging percentage and scoring three runs in helping MSU win three of four games against Maryland in Greenville in the opening weekend of the 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 the March 6 doubleheader, and also beat out an infield single to keep Michigan State's rally going in the seventh inning of the March 6 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.
Walker also owned the longest hitting streak of the season, hitting safely in nine-straight games (March 13-27), and also owned the second-longest reached base streak of 14 in a row (March 13-April 9).
In the outfield, he tallied 77 putouts and four assists, including robbing a home run vs. Northwestern on March 13 in Greenville, and a pair of nice sliding catches in the same inning of the game vs. Iowa on May 29, snaring the first and third outs of the sixth inning.
UP NEXT:
• Michigan State continues its nine-game homestand on Wednesday, March 23, hosting IPFW in a 4:05 p.m. first pitch at McLane Stadium at Kobs Field.
The Spartans then open Big Ten Conference action hosting Illinois in a three-game series, Friday-Sunday, March 25-27 ... MSU's B1G opener is scheduled for 4:05 p.m. on Friday, before game two between the Spartans and Illini on Saturday at 1:05 p.m., and the series wraps up on Sunday at 1:05 p.m.
