Spartans Head To Evansville To Tangle With Aces

MICHIGAN STATE (12-10, 1-2 B1G) at EVANSVILLE (10-14, 0-0 MVC)
Location	German American Bank Field At Charles H. Braun Stadium \|\| Evansville, Ind.
Tickets	Evansville Ticket Office
Weather	High/Low - Fri: 53^° / 33^° \| Sat: 57^° / 35^° \| Sun: 62^° / 45^°
Game Notes	MICHIGAN STATE \| EVANSVILLE
Social Media	@MSUbaseball \| MichiganStateBaseball @msu_baseball
Television	None
Game 1	Friday, April 1 - 7 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. CT
Probable Pitching Matchup	UE: #29 SR RHP Shane Gray (3-3, 7.18 ERA) MSU: #8 SO RHP Harrison Cook (0-1, 8.57 ERA)
Coverage	Live Stats \| Watch Live Through ESPN+ \| No Radio
Game 2	Saturday, April 2 - 3 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. CT
Probable Pitching Matchup	UE: #35 SO RHP Nick Smith (1-2, 5.10 ERA) MSU: #24 SO LHP Nick Powers (2-2, 2.79 ERA)
Coverage	Live Stats \| Watch Live Through ESPN+ \| No Radio
Game 3	Sunday, April 3 - 2 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. CT
Probable Pitching Matchup	UE: #21 SR-5 RHP Caleb Reinhardt (1-1, 7.13 ERA) MSU: #31 JR RHP Conner Tomasic (2-0, 6.86 ERA)
Coverage	Live Stats \| Watch Live Through ESPN+ \| No Radio

Leading Off... Spartans Head To Evansville To Tangle With Aces

• Michigan State baseball wraps up its week on non-conference games by opening a seven-game stretch away from home by heading to Evansville, Indiana to tangle with Evansville in a three-game weekend series ... MSU and UE open their first series against each other since 2011 with a night game on Friday at 7 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. CT ... Game two of the series is on Saturday with a 3 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. CT, before the series wraps up on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. CT ... The weekend schedule is subject to change based on weather.

• The Spartans have won five of their last eight and seven of their last 11, posting an 12-10 overall record, after opening B1G play 1-2 last weekend in an amended home-and-home weekend series with Illinois ... The series opened on Friday with a doubleheader and was slated to conclude Saturday, but that was postponed due to inclement weather in the East Lansing area, and the series shifted to Illinois' home field, where the weather temperature and conditions were above the Big Ten Conference rule requirements.

• Wednesday's game wrapped up an amended eight-game "homestand" for the Spartans, going 5-3 in the eight games, as Sunday's game vs. Illinois was played as MSU's home game by rule ... The season-long homestand was originally scheduled for nine games, but MSU's game vs. Purdue Fort Wayne scheduled for March 23 was postponed due to inclement weather and will be made up on April 27.

• Evansville enters the weekend with a 10-14 overall record, and the Aces have won three of their last five, including last time out with a 10-5 win over Austin Peay Tuesday night ... Evansville is also coming off a hard-fought three-game series at Indiana, as UE won the opener in a wild, 17-14 ballgame, on Friday, before Saturday's game was postponed, shifting to a Sunday doubleheader that IU won both by identical 6-5 scores.

• Fans can follow this weekend's action with "Watch Live" and "Live Stats" links at MSUSpartans.com, with video streaming available through ESPN+ with a subscription fee.

ACES B1G STREAK
• Michigan State is Evansville's third-straight weekend series Big Ten opponent, as the Aces currently have played more games against B1G foes than the Spartans have so far ... MSU is 1-2 against B1G teams after last weekend's series with Illinois, while Evansville is 1-4 ... The Spartans are the first that the Aces have hosted as they played at Northwestern in a weather-shortened weekend series on March 20, just playing a DH after the opening two days were rescheduled due to weather, losing 10-4 and 8-1 ... UE was defeated in two of the three-games at Indiana last weekend, erupting for a 17-14 win in Friday before getting nipped in Sunday's doubleheader by matching 6-5 scores.

Evansville has two more games in the schedule against B1G foes, as the Aces are scheduled to play Indiana against on Tuesday, April 5, and Purdue on April 20.

MSU-UE COMMON OPPONENTS
• Michigan State and Evansville do not have any common opponents in games both teams have played so far ... Of the three other B1G opponents on Evansville's schedule, the Spartans and Aces only have one in common in Northwestern, as UE played in Evanston on March 20, while MSU makes the trek there April 22-24 for a conference weekend series ... Michigan State does not play Indiana nor Purdue this season due to the league schedule rotation.

SPARTANS FROM INDIANA
• Michigan State has two players from the state of Indiana: redshirt-freshman catcher Christian Williams (Carmel/Carmel HS) and junior pitcher Conner Tomasic (Schererville/Lake Central HS/South Suburban CC).

A GLANCE AT EVANSVILLE
• Evansville enters the weekend with a 10-14 overall record, and the Aces have won three of their last five, including last time out with a 10-5 win over Austin Peay Tuesday night ... Evansville is also coming off a hard-fought three-game series at Indiana, as UE won the opener in a wild, 17-14 ballgame, on Friday, before Saturday's game was postponed, shifting to a Sunday doubleheader that IU won both by identical 6-5 scores.

Junior infielder/pitcher Mark Shallenberger leads the Aces with a .404 average on a team-leading 36 hits and also tops the team with 21 runs, a .674 slugging percentage and a .505 on-base percentage ... He is second on the team in HR (5) and RBI (23), while ranking third in doubles (7) ... Fifth-year senior infielder Tanner Craig added a .309 average and leads the Aces with 25 RBI and seven HR, and is right behind Shallenberger with a .670 slugging percentage, adding a .395 on-base percentage, also ranking second on the team in doubles (8) and runs (20), while ranking third in hits (30).

On the mound, Friday's probable starter is senior right-hander Shane Gray, who brings a 3-3 record with a 7.18 ERA into the series-opener ... Gray has rung up a team-high 37 strikeouts to just seven walks, in 31.1 IP in six starts, yielding a .292 average to the opposition ... Saturday's starter is slated to be sophomore righty Nick Smith, who has a 1-2 record with a 5.10 ERA, with 28 Ks and 13 BB in 30.0 IP, also making six starts, and a .313 BAA ... Fifth-year senior right-hander Caleb Reinhardt is scheduled to get the nod for Sunday's start, toting a 1-1 record with a 7.13 ERA, making six appearances with three starts, tallying 13 Ks and six BB in 17.2 IP, and opponents are hitting .293 against him ... Junior righty Jakob Meyer is the closing ace for the Aces, posting three saves in seven appearances with a paltry 0.90 ERA and 16 punchouts to just six walks, and stymieing opponent bats to just .143.

Evansville head coach Wes Carroll is in his 14th season at Evansville, amassing a 330-374 as head Ace at his alma mater, and as a collegiate head coach ... Carroll was named UE's first Freshman All-American in 1998, and after graduating in 2001, went on to getting drafted in the 37th round of the MLB Draft by the Philadelphia Phillies, playing for the Phillies and later, for the Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals organizations, making it as high as AAA, before retiring from professional baseball in 2006.

HITS AND RUNS AND HITS AND RUUUUUNNNNNSSSSS
• Michigan State's 14 hits in Wednesday's win over Youngstown State was the Spartans' 12th outing with double-digit hits, as MSU is now 9-3 when posting 10 or more hits, winning its last three occurrences when doing so.

• The Spartans' 12 runs Wednesday was the MSU's sixth game this season with 10+ runs ... Michigan State is now 6-0 when scoring double-figure runs.

WALK-OFF SPARTANS TIMES THREE
• Michigan State has three walk-off wins in the last six games, including two walk-off home runs ... The Spartans started their walk-off ways with a 10-8 win over Cincinnati on March 11 in Greenville on sophomore infielder Mitch Jebb's 2-run walk-off home run, then continued it the next Friday, with a solo home run by sophomore infielder Dillon Kark for a 4-3 Victory for MSU over Houston Baptist on March 18, when won the second game of a twinbill with HBU on Sunday, March 20 on an error on the play off the bat of junior outfielder Casey Mayes, scoring redshirt-freshman catcher Christian Williams.

The three Spartan walk-offs in a season is the most since the 2015 season, when MSU beat Western Michigan, 5-4, on April 8; Northwestern, 7-6, on April 11, and Penn State, 5-4, on May 9.

SPARTANS WINNING THE CLOSE ONES
• Michigan State swept the three-game series with Houston Baptist in its home-opening series March 18-20, winning all three games by one run, 4-3, 1-0 and 6-5 ... Those three 1-run wins through 17 games this season already exceeded last season's 1-run wins in 44 games, as MSU only had two 1-run wins, 5-4 over Maryland on March 6 in game three of the season, and 7-6 over Minnesota on April 2 in game 16.

MSU's 5-3 win vs. Illinois last Sunday was the fourth two-run ballgame, and the Spartans are now 2-2.

DOUBLE PLAYS A PLENTY
• The Spartans turned two double plays in last Sunday's game vs. Illinois as part of three in the three-game series ... MSU tops the B1G and ranks 48th in the NCAA in double plays per game (0.82), as well as leading the league and ranking 57th in the nation with 18 total double plays.

THREE-BAGGERS GALORE
• Michigan State tops the Big Ten and ranks 31st in the NCAA in triples with eight ... The Spartans also lead the league and rank 34th in the nation in triples per game with 0.40.

Individually, junior outfielder Casey Mayes shares the B1G lead with three triples, ranking tied for 15th in the NCAA, while sophomore infielder Mitch Jebb is tied for fifth in the league with a pair of three-baggers.

NO Ks IN MITCH JEBB
• Sophomore infielder Mitch Jebb leads the Big Ten and ranks 16th in the NCAA as toughest to strike out, with just five Ks in 89 ABs (17.8 AB/strikeout).

HOME RUNS UP
• MSU's home runs per game average is almost twice as much as last season's total, as the Spartans have bashed 18 home runs in 22 games, an average of 0.82 home runs per game ... Last season, the Green & White had 21 round-trippers in 44 games, an average of 0.47 HR/game.

A total of nine different Spartans have hit a home run in 2022 Spartans, topping last year's squad of eight different players ... Additionally, this year's Green & White roster already has six different players with multiple home runs, while last year's squad only had five different players hit multi-round trippers.

Ks UP, ERA DOWN
• On the mound, the Spartans' strikeouts per game is also up from last year, currently with 189 Ks in 22 games, an average of 8.59 K/game, compared to 346 strikeouts in 44 games last season, an average of 7.86 K/game.

MSU's ERA is also down from a season ago, posting a 4.94 ERA through 22 games in 2022 after a 5.84 ERA in 44 games in 2021.

AHN MADE 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 had come at home, until he started last Friday, March 18 vs. Houston Baptist ... 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.

SPARTANS EARN BACK-TO-BACK B1G AWARDS
• Michigan State players garnered weekly Big Ten Conference honors in consecutive weeks, as sophomore infielder Mitch Jebb was tabbed the Player of the Week on March 16, while freshman pitcher Ryan Szczepaniak was named the Freshman of the Week on March 9.

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 on March 16.

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 the B1G Freshman of the Week on March 9.

Jebb was recognized for his performance during MSU's four games during the week of March 7-13, 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.

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.

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.

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. He led 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:
• Next week, the Spartans' lone midweek action is the 2022 Crosstown Showdown on Wednesday, April 6, resuming the Crosstown Showdown after a two-year hiatus ... First pitch from Jackson® Field™ is slated for 7:05 p.m.

The Crosstown Showdown exhibition between the Lugnuts and Spartans began in 2007 as a celebration of baseball in Mid Michigan. From 2007-2019, the game was an enormous success, drawing over 100,000 total fans, averaging over 8,000 per game, airing on BTN in 2013, and bringing in the three largest crowds in stadium history, including a throng of 12,997 for the 2012 Showdown.

The game has featured 37 future Major Leaguers between the two teams, including current MLB superstars Vladimir Guerrero, Jr., and Bo Bichette, who faced off in a memorable pre-game Home Run Derby in 2016.

MSU then resumes regular season and B1G action by heading to Columbus, Ohio with a three-game league series at Ohio State, Friday-Sunday, April 8-10 at OSU's Bill Davis Stadium ... The series opens on Friday, April 8 at 6:05 p.m., before game two of the series on Saturday, April 9 at 3:05 p.m., then wraps up on Sunday, April 10 in a 1:05 p.m. first pitch.

The week schedule is subject to change based on weather.

Along with any further schedule updates, fans can follow the games with links for live stats, live audio (when available) and live streaming of home games from Big Ten Network+ at MSUSpartans.com.

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Players Mentioned

Peter Ahn

Harrison Cook

Trent Farquhar

Mitch Jebb

Dillon Kark

Bryce Kelley

Casey Mayes

Bailey Peterson

Nick Powers

Nick Smith

Ryan Szczepaniak

Conner Tomasic

Zaid Walker

Christian Williams