Michigan State University Athletics
Photo by: Rey Del Rio/MSU Athletic Communications
Trio Of Spartans Earn Big Ten Preseason Players To Watch Accolades
2/16/2023 3:08:00 PM | Baseball
Farquhar, Jebb and Mayes Garner Preseason Recognition.
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- 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 2023 season-opening action around the conference.
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 infielders Trent Farquhar and Mitch Jebb, along with senior outfielder Casey Mayes garnered preseason recognition.
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Farquhar, a native of Highland, Mich., is now a two-time Preseason All-B1G honoree, after earning recognition last season. He also has garnered B1G honors in the classroom, as he is a two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree and also earned Big Ten Distinguished Scholar accolades.
The Spartans' primary second baseman was the recipient of the Danny Litwhiler Defensive Player of the Year MSU Team Award for the second-straight year. Last season, he started all 54 games at second base, leading the Big Ten in fielding double plays with 39, helping MSU lead the B1G and rank fifth in the NCAA with 53 double plays, as well as leading the conference and ranking sixth in the country with 0.98 double plays per game. For the season, Farquhar posted 143 assists and 115 putouts.
At the plate, Farquhar hit .271 with 29 RBI in 2022, as well as ranking tied for second on the team with six home runs, including the first grand slam of his Spartan career in MSU's season-finale at Nebraska on May 21. Farquhar was also second on the team with a .392 on-base percentage, 34 walks and eight hit by pitches, along with third in both runs scored (37) and doubles (13). He had a nine-game hitting streak (March 29 - April 13), ranking fourth on the Spartan squad, as well as ranking second with an 18-game reached base streak. Farquhar was also fourth on the team in multiple hit games (14) and tied for fourth in multiple RBI games (6).
Jebb, a native of Saginaw, Mich., is also a two-time Preseason All-B1G award collector. The Spartans' primary shortstop also earned Third-Team All-Big Ten Conference honors in 2022 and named to Big Ten All-Freshman Team in 2021.
Jebb has been tabbed to several 2023 preseason MLB Prospects lists, including No. 44 on MLB's Top 100 Prospects; No. 60 on d1baseball.com's College Top 100 Prospects and the No. 76 MLB Draft Prospect by ProspectsLive.
He is coming off a big summer of 2022 in which he finished ranked No. 3 on Baseball America's Top 50 Cape Cod League Prospects list, after helping the Harbor Hawks to the West Division Championship series, ending with a 22-16-6 record, hitting .356 in 149 at-bats, leading the Harbor Hawks with eight doubles and three triples, while swiping 26 stolen bases. Jebb was also elected to the West Division All-Star Team for the 2022 Cape Cod League All-Star Game for the Hyannis Harbor Hawks.
Jebb was selected as the 2022 MSU John Kobs Most Valuable Player Award recipient as well as the Kirk Gibson Offensive Player of the Year for the team awards. He led MSU and ranked tied for eighth in the B1G with a .356 average, also topping the team and ranking fifth in the B1G with 78 hits. Additionally, Jebb led the team in stolen bases and walks, ranking eighth in the conference with 20 stolen bases and sixth in the league with 38 walks. He was tied for second on team with six home runs. Furthermore, Jebb led the B1G and ranked 17th in the NCAA in toughest to strikeout - with just one K every 13.7 ABs - on just 16 Ks in 209 ABs.
He also tied for second on the team and tied for seventh in the B1G with three triples. Jebb also had MSU's longest hitting streak (14 games) and reached base streak (19 games), along with team-high for multiple hit games (23) and multiple RBI games (12). The Spartan shortstop started the season on a 14-game hitting streak that was part of a 21-game hitting streak dating back to the last seven games of 2021 season. He also had an eight-game hitting streak (April 29-May 11) and a seven-game hitting streak (April 17-26), as well as finishing the season with a six-game hitting streak (May 14-21), ending the year with at least one hit in 14 of the last 15 games, 29 of last 34 games. Jebb did not go hitless in back-to-back games during the last 34-game stretch of the season, with that 34-game streak coming after only a stretch of consecutive games without a hit in a three-game spurt (March 25-27) during three-game Illinois series, one of only two teams that didn't have a hit against, joining one game vs. Purdue Fort Wayne. He had at least one hit in 45 of the 54 games.
In the field, the Spartan shortstop was third in the B1G with 29 fielding double plays, and sixth in assists with 138. He was named Big Ten Player of the Week on March 16, for first career B1G weekly honor, for performance during MSU's four games during the week of March 7-13 in Greenville, South Carolina at Fluor Field, highlighted by belting two HR in the same game including a leadoff HR and then a two-run walk-off HR to cap the Spartan comeback in a 10-8 Victory for MSU over Cincinnati, for first multi-HR game of career.
Mayes, a Wichita, Kan. native, earns his first B1G recognition for playing, as he is a three-time Academic All-Big Ten and Big Ten Distinguished Scholar honoree, and recipient of the MSU Scholar-Athlete Award at the Spartan Academic Excellence Gala (April 11, 2022), for having the highest GPA on the baseball team. He also earned the Jerry Sutton Student-Athlete MSU Team Award.
In 2022, Mayes started all 54 games, and was one of three Spartans to do so, joining Jebb and Farquhar. Mayes made 49 starts in left field and five starts at DH. He led MSU and the Big Ten as part of ranking tied for third in the NCAA with seven triples, including two in the Penn State series and added one at Michigan on May 17, scoring on an error on the play for a "Little League" home run.
Mayes also ranked second on the team with a .306 average, additionally ranking second on the team in hits (68), third in total bases (104), tied for third in stolen bases (11), fourth in slugging percentage (.468), fifth in home runs (4), runs scored (29) and RBI (28), and tied for fifth in doubles (10). He was also second on team with 21 multiple hit games with two hits in 15 games and three hits in six games.
The Spartan outfielder opened the season with a season-long eight-game hitting streak (Feb. 18-March 4), including six multiple-hit games in that stretch, highlighted by back-to-back three-hit outings in games against UNLV (Feb. 19 and 20) along with four games with two hits, including in all three games of the series at Abilene Christian (Feb. 27 and 28), going 6-for-11 with a double and triple in the three games.
He knocked in multiple RBI in six games to tie for third on the team, with two ribbies in four games, while driving in a career-high tying three RBI in two other games. Additionally, he tallied three games with multiple extra-base hits. In the outfield, Mayes made 90 putouts and had one assist.
Michigan State baseball opens the 2023 season by traveling to Phoenix, Arizona to compete in the 2023 Major League Baseball Desert Invitational for three games, Friday-Sunday, Feb. 17-19, and will remain in the Phoenix area to take on Grand Canyon on Monday, Feb. 20. MSU will open against in-state rival Michigan on Friday at 6 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. MT at Sloan Park, the Spring Training home of the Chicago Cubs. After an off day Saturday, the Spartans will then play a split doubleheader on Sunday, Feb. 19, first against Fresno State at 3 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. MT before Michigan State wraps up tournament action by playing Arizona at 8 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. MT, with both of Sunday's games being played at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, the Spring Training home of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies. The Spartans then play at Grand Canyon on Monday, Feb. 20 at 1 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. MT, at Brazell Field at GCU Ballpark, in a game unaffiliated with the tournament ... The Spartans' weekend schedule is subject to change.Â
Friday's game and Sunday's twinbill will streamed through MLB.com, while Monday's game at GCU will be streamed on ESPN+, with a subscription fee.
Fans can follow this weekend's action with "Watch Live" and "Live Stats" links at MSUSpartans.com, with video streaming available for all four games during the extended weekend.
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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 infielders Trent Farquhar and Mitch Jebb, along with senior outfielder Casey Mayes garnered preseason recognition.
Â
Farquhar, a native of Highland, Mich., is now a two-time Preseason All-B1G honoree, after earning recognition last season. He also has garnered B1G honors in the classroom, as he is a two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree and also earned Big Ten Distinguished Scholar accolades.
The Spartans' primary second baseman was the recipient of the Danny Litwhiler Defensive Player of the Year MSU Team Award for the second-straight year. Last season, he started all 54 games at second base, leading the Big Ten in fielding double plays with 39, helping MSU lead the B1G and rank fifth in the NCAA with 53 double plays, as well as leading the conference and ranking sixth in the country with 0.98 double plays per game. For the season, Farquhar posted 143 assists and 115 putouts.
At the plate, Farquhar hit .271 with 29 RBI in 2022, as well as ranking tied for second on the team with six home runs, including the first grand slam of his Spartan career in MSU's season-finale at Nebraska on May 21. Farquhar was also second on the team with a .392 on-base percentage, 34 walks and eight hit by pitches, along with third in both runs scored (37) and doubles (13). He had a nine-game hitting streak (March 29 - April 13), ranking fourth on the Spartan squad, as well as ranking second with an 18-game reached base streak. Farquhar was also fourth on the team in multiple hit games (14) and tied for fourth in multiple RBI games (6).
Jebb, a native of Saginaw, Mich., is also a two-time Preseason All-B1G award collector. The Spartans' primary shortstop also earned Third-Team All-Big Ten Conference honors in 2022 and named to Big Ten All-Freshman Team in 2021.
Jebb has been tabbed to several 2023 preseason MLB Prospects lists, including No. 44 on MLB's Top 100 Prospects; No. 60 on d1baseball.com's College Top 100 Prospects and the No. 76 MLB Draft Prospect by ProspectsLive.
He is coming off a big summer of 2022 in which he finished ranked No. 3 on Baseball America's Top 50 Cape Cod League Prospects list, after helping the Harbor Hawks to the West Division Championship series, ending with a 22-16-6 record, hitting .356 in 149 at-bats, leading the Harbor Hawks with eight doubles and three triples, while swiping 26 stolen bases. Jebb was also elected to the West Division All-Star Team for the 2022 Cape Cod League All-Star Game for the Hyannis Harbor Hawks.
Jebb was selected as the 2022 MSU John Kobs Most Valuable Player Award recipient as well as the Kirk Gibson Offensive Player of the Year for the team awards. He led MSU and ranked tied for eighth in the B1G with a .356 average, also topping the team and ranking fifth in the B1G with 78 hits. Additionally, Jebb led the team in stolen bases and walks, ranking eighth in the conference with 20 stolen bases and sixth in the league with 38 walks. He was tied for second on team with six home runs. Furthermore, Jebb led the B1G and ranked 17th in the NCAA in toughest to strikeout - with just one K every 13.7 ABs - on just 16 Ks in 209 ABs.
He also tied for second on the team and tied for seventh in the B1G with three triples. Jebb also had MSU's longest hitting streak (14 games) and reached base streak (19 games), along with team-high for multiple hit games (23) and multiple RBI games (12). The Spartan shortstop started the season on a 14-game hitting streak that was part of a 21-game hitting streak dating back to the last seven games of 2021 season. He also had an eight-game hitting streak (April 29-May 11) and a seven-game hitting streak (April 17-26), as well as finishing the season with a six-game hitting streak (May 14-21), ending the year with at least one hit in 14 of the last 15 games, 29 of last 34 games. Jebb did not go hitless in back-to-back games during the last 34-game stretch of the season, with that 34-game streak coming after only a stretch of consecutive games without a hit in a three-game spurt (March 25-27) during three-game Illinois series, one of only two teams that didn't have a hit against, joining one game vs. Purdue Fort Wayne. He had at least one hit in 45 of the 54 games.
In the field, the Spartan shortstop was third in the B1G with 29 fielding double plays, and sixth in assists with 138. He was named Big Ten Player of the Week on March 16, for first career B1G weekly honor, for performance during MSU's four games during the week of March 7-13 in Greenville, South Carolina at Fluor Field, highlighted by belting two HR in the same game including a leadoff HR and then a two-run walk-off HR to cap the Spartan comeback in a 10-8 Victory for MSU over Cincinnati, for first multi-HR game of career.
Mayes, a Wichita, Kan. native, earns his first B1G recognition for playing, as he is a three-time Academic All-Big Ten and Big Ten Distinguished Scholar honoree, and recipient of the MSU Scholar-Athlete Award at the Spartan Academic Excellence Gala (April 11, 2022), for having the highest GPA on the baseball team. He also earned the Jerry Sutton Student-Athlete MSU Team Award.
In 2022, Mayes started all 54 games, and was one of three Spartans to do so, joining Jebb and Farquhar. Mayes made 49 starts in left field and five starts at DH. He led MSU and the Big Ten as part of ranking tied for third in the NCAA with seven triples, including two in the Penn State series and added one at Michigan on May 17, scoring on an error on the play for a "Little League" home run.
Mayes also ranked second on the team with a .306 average, additionally ranking second on the team in hits (68), third in total bases (104), tied for third in stolen bases (11), fourth in slugging percentage (.468), fifth in home runs (4), runs scored (29) and RBI (28), and tied for fifth in doubles (10). He was also second on team with 21 multiple hit games with two hits in 15 games and three hits in six games.
The Spartan outfielder opened the season with a season-long eight-game hitting streak (Feb. 18-March 4), including six multiple-hit games in that stretch, highlighted by back-to-back three-hit outings in games against UNLV (Feb. 19 and 20) along with four games with two hits, including in all three games of the series at Abilene Christian (Feb. 27 and 28), going 6-for-11 with a double and triple in the three games.
He knocked in multiple RBI in six games to tie for third on the team, with two ribbies in four games, while driving in a career-high tying three RBI in two other games. Additionally, he tallied three games with multiple extra-base hits. In the outfield, Mayes made 90 putouts and had one assist.
Michigan State baseball opens the 2023 season by traveling to Phoenix, Arizona to compete in the 2023 Major League Baseball Desert Invitational for three games, Friday-Sunday, Feb. 17-19, and will remain in the Phoenix area to take on Grand Canyon on Monday, Feb. 20. MSU will open against in-state rival Michigan on Friday at 6 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. MT at Sloan Park, the Spring Training home of the Chicago Cubs. After an off day Saturday, the Spartans will then play a split doubleheader on Sunday, Feb. 19, first against Fresno State at 3 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. MT before Michigan State wraps up tournament action by playing Arizona at 8 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. MT, with both of Sunday's games being played at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, the Spring Training home of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies. The Spartans then play at Grand Canyon on Monday, Feb. 20 at 1 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. MT, at Brazell Field at GCU Ballpark, in a game unaffiliated with the tournament ... The Spartans' weekend schedule is subject to change.Â
Friday's game and Sunday's twinbill will streamed through MLB.com, while Monday's game at GCU will be streamed on ESPN+, with a subscription fee.
Fans can follow this weekend's action with "Watch Live" and "Live Stats" links at MSUSpartans.com, with video streaming available for all four games during the extended weekend.
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Players Mentioned
Tuesday, February 24
Monday, February 16
Monday, January 26
Monday, May 19