Wednesday, March 22
McLane Stadium at Kobs Field | East Lansing, Mich.
3:05 p.m.
Michigan State University
11-7
8
vs
3
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Western Michigan
5-13
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Western Michigan
0
1
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
3
7
3
Michigan State
0
0
0
0
3
4
0
1
X
8
7
0
Spartans Corral Broncos In Home Opener Wednesday
3/22/2023 8:28:00 PM | Baseball
MSU rallies from 3-0 deficit after four frames; Victory for MSU in 10 of last 11 home openers.
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan State baseball's 2023 home opener initially didn't get off to a good start, but the Spartans rallied for a celebratory finish, storming back from down 3-0 against Western Michigan for an 8-3 Victory for MSU Wednesday afternoon at McLane Stadium at Kobs Field.
WMU had a 3-0 lead through four innings and Broncos' starting pitcher Luke Thelen didn't allow a hit to the Spartans over that same span, before the Michigan State bats came to life. Junior infielder Dillon Kark knocked MSU's first hit of the day to lead off the fifth to ignite a Spartan rally with three runs in the inning. The Green & White added four more runs in the sixth and another in the eighth for the 8-3 final score.
"I thought the scouting report was pretty accurate, but credit their guy, Thelen, he was probably effectively wild, the fastball had some life to it, and I think we gave away some at bats and gave away some swings and our guys will learn from that," MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr. said. "They know we need to be a little bit better offensively, yet at the same time, as poor as maybe we were offensively today, we still put eight runs up on the board. So that's important for our guys to understand though there's a lot of different ways you can win a ballgame."
With the Victory for MSU, the Spartans have now won 10 of their last 11 home openers, and improved to 13-2 in their first game of the year played at McLane Stadium under Coach Boss.
"It's great to get the home opener, we've been looking forward to this since September," Boss said. "We love playing at home, we love our park, we love our fans. It's good to finally be here after the first 17 games over the four weeks of the season. It's always fun playing out here."
Michigan State ran its win streak to six in a row, the longest active winning streak in the Big Ten, as well as the Spartans' longest of the season. The six victories in a row matches a six-game win streak from April 24-May 1 of last season, for MSU's longest win streak since winning eight in a row in 2016.
Western Michigan's head coach is former MSU assistant Billy Gerner, and assisted by former Spartan letterwinner and assistant coach Jordan Keur. WMU dropped its third in a row in sliding to 5-13 on the year.
MSU has now won two in a row vs. WMU, as part of six of the last nine and 14 of the last 17 meetings.
After being no-hit for the first four innings, the Spartans finished with seven hits in scoring their eight runs, as MSU was four hits shy of its season average of 11.7 hits per game, but right on its scoring average of 7.7 runs per game.
"I like where our offense is right now. I think we've got some speed at the top and the bottom. We've got some juice in the middle. So a lot of guys have gotten a lot better and it's an experienced group that normally will string together good at bats and quality at bats, from inning one to nine," Boss said. "Guys have been really working hard since the fall and since really last summer, and starting to see guys like Sam Busch, who has really taken a big step, and Brock Vradenburg has really taken a big step. Having that in the middle of the order is really important for us."
Freshman outfielder Jake Dresselhouse was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI in his home debut, tying his season-high of two hits for the second game in a row, while the two runs also matched his season high for the second time.
Junior infielder Trent Farquhar was 1-for-3 with three RBI and run scored, while junior infielder Brock Vradenburg, redshirt-sophomore designated hitter Sam Busch, junior outfielder Jack Frank and Kark all had one hit apiece. Vradenburg and Busch matched Dresselhouse each with an RBI, while Kark mirrored Dresselhouse's two runs scored. Junior infielder Mitch Jebb had an RBI and a run scored, reaching twice on WMU errors, while Frank and senior outfielder Casey Mayes also scored a run apiece, as Mayes reached on a walk, one of six free passes drawn by the Spartan batters.
On the mound, junior Nick Powers came on in relief in the fourth inning and lassoed the Bronco bats, only yielding one hit and no runs, with just one walk while ringing up a season-high five strikeouts. Powers picked up his first win of the season.
"I'm really happy for Nick. He started opening night for us and didn't throw well and he's had a couple other opportunities and kind of struggled a little bit, so for him to get back on the mound and not pack it in and throw the way he did today, hopefully is kind of a springboard for the rest of the year for him," Boss said. "But he's certainly capable, he's been our number one guy here in the past and if he can get going like he threw today and stack up a couple different or several different outings the way that he pitched today, we're going to be in for what I think is a good spring, and I think he's going to be a big part of what we're trying to do this spring."
Redshirt-sophomore Adam Berghorst started and went 3.0 IP, scattering four hits and allowing one run with two walks and two Ks. Fellow redshirt-sophomore Dominic Pianto came on in relief with 0.1 IP with two hits, two runs and one walk, before turning the ball over to Powers. Another redshirt-sophomore, Noah Matheny, pitched a scoreless, hitless top of the ninth, with one walk and one strikeout, getting a double play after yielding the leadoff walk, then ringing up the strikeout to spark the home opening Victory for MSU celebration.
Sophomore catcher Bryan Broecker added to his B1G-leading total for runners caught stealing, throwing out two more, in back-to-back innings in the first two frames of the game.
WMU went down in unconventional 1-2-3 order with leadoff hitter Jackson Kitchen starting the game off with a walk, but after a strikeout and flyout, Kitchen was thrown out trying to steal second to end the inning.
MSU loaded the bases without a hit in its first at bat, with Farquhar leading off with a walk and stealing second, then Jebb walked. After Vradenburg and Busch flew out, Broecker was hit by a pitch to fill the bases full of Spartans, but a strikeout left them loaded.
The Broncos got on the board first with a leadoff double by Cade Sullivan, followed by an RBI single up the middle by Dylan Nevar for the earlier 1-0 lead by the visitors. WMU added to its lead with two runs in the fourth on an RBI single and a sacrifice fly.
Kark got MSU's bats going with a single to left second and Mayes walked, then Dresselhouse beat out a bunt back to Thelen, and WMU went to the bullpen, bringing in Drew Szczepaniak, brother to Spartan sophomore pitcher Ryan Szczepaniak. Farquhar was hit by a pitch to drive in MSU's first run of the day, then Jebb reached on a WMU error to plate Mayes, and Vradenburg hit into a double play but was enough to drive in Dresselhouse to tie it up at 3-3.
Frank started the Spartan rally with a leadoff single in the fifth, chasing Szczepaniak. Frank then stole second off WMU reliever Jake Gernon, and Kark was hit by a pitch. Two batters later, Dresselhouse singled through the right side to score Frank, and the Broncos made another pitching change. Farquhar rudely welcomed WMU's Joe Shapiro to the game by knocking a double to right center to drive in both Dresselhouse and Kark. After Jebb grounded out to advance Farquhar to third, Vradenburg drove him in with a single through the left side for MSU's fourth run of the frame and a 7-3 lead.
In the eighth, Jebb reached on an error, then stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch. After Vradenburg was intentionally walked, Busch knocked a Texas Leaguer single to right to plate Jebb with the Spartans' eighth run of the day.
Michigan State will now host its Big Ten Conference opener this weekend, welcoming Purdue to McLane Stadium at Kobs Field, Friday-Sunday, March 24-26, with Friday's game slated to be nationally broadcast on the Big Ten Network, and is slated for a 4:02 p.m. first pitch. Saturday's game is scheduled for a 3:35 p.m. start time, before Sunday's series finale has a 1:05 p.m. first pitch.
MSU's schedule is subject to change, stay tuned to MSUSpartans.com and @MSUBaseball on Twitter for schedule updates.
Fans can find "Tickets," "Watch Live" and "Live Stats" links at MSUSpartans.com.
WMU had a 3-0 lead through four innings and Broncos' starting pitcher Luke Thelen didn't allow a hit to the Spartans over that same span, before the Michigan State bats came to life. Junior infielder Dillon Kark knocked MSU's first hit of the day to lead off the fifth to ignite a Spartan rally with three runs in the inning. The Green & White added four more runs in the sixth and another in the eighth for the 8-3 final score.
"I thought the scouting report was pretty accurate, but credit their guy, Thelen, he was probably effectively wild, the fastball had some life to it, and I think we gave away some at bats and gave away some swings and our guys will learn from that," MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr. said. "They know we need to be a little bit better offensively, yet at the same time, as poor as maybe we were offensively today, we still put eight runs up on the board. So that's important for our guys to understand though there's a lot of different ways you can win a ballgame."
With the Victory for MSU, the Spartans have now won 10 of their last 11 home openers, and improved to 13-2 in their first game of the year played at McLane Stadium under Coach Boss.
"It's great to get the home opener, we've been looking forward to this since September," Boss said. "We love playing at home, we love our park, we love our fans. It's good to finally be here after the first 17 games over the four weeks of the season. It's always fun playing out here."
Michigan State ran its win streak to six in a row, the longest active winning streak in the Big Ten, as well as the Spartans' longest of the season. The six victories in a row matches a six-game win streak from April 24-May 1 of last season, for MSU's longest win streak since winning eight in a row in 2016.
Western Michigan's head coach is former MSU assistant Billy Gerner, and assisted by former Spartan letterwinner and assistant coach Jordan Keur. WMU dropped its third in a row in sliding to 5-13 on the year.
MSU has now won two in a row vs. WMU, as part of six of the last nine and 14 of the last 17 meetings.
After being no-hit for the first four innings, the Spartans finished with seven hits in scoring their eight runs, as MSU was four hits shy of its season average of 11.7 hits per game, but right on its scoring average of 7.7 runs per game.
"I like where our offense is right now. I think we've got some speed at the top and the bottom. We've got some juice in the middle. So a lot of guys have gotten a lot better and it's an experienced group that normally will string together good at bats and quality at bats, from inning one to nine," Boss said. "Guys have been really working hard since the fall and since really last summer, and starting to see guys like Sam Busch, who has really taken a big step, and Brock Vradenburg has really taken a big step. Having that in the middle of the order is really important for us."
Freshman outfielder Jake Dresselhouse was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI in his home debut, tying his season-high of two hits for the second game in a row, while the two runs also matched his season high for the second time.
Junior infielder Trent Farquhar was 1-for-3 with three RBI and run scored, while junior infielder Brock Vradenburg, redshirt-sophomore designated hitter Sam Busch, junior outfielder Jack Frank and Kark all had one hit apiece. Vradenburg and Busch matched Dresselhouse each with an RBI, while Kark mirrored Dresselhouse's two runs scored. Junior infielder Mitch Jebb had an RBI and a run scored, reaching twice on WMU errors, while Frank and senior outfielder Casey Mayes also scored a run apiece, as Mayes reached on a walk, one of six free passes drawn by the Spartan batters.
On the mound, junior Nick Powers came on in relief in the fourth inning and lassoed the Bronco bats, only yielding one hit and no runs, with just one walk while ringing up a season-high five strikeouts. Powers picked up his first win of the season.
"I'm really happy for Nick. He started opening night for us and didn't throw well and he's had a couple other opportunities and kind of struggled a little bit, so for him to get back on the mound and not pack it in and throw the way he did today, hopefully is kind of a springboard for the rest of the year for him," Boss said. "But he's certainly capable, he's been our number one guy here in the past and if he can get going like he threw today and stack up a couple different or several different outings the way that he pitched today, we're going to be in for what I think is a good spring, and I think he's going to be a big part of what we're trying to do this spring."
Redshirt-sophomore Adam Berghorst started and went 3.0 IP, scattering four hits and allowing one run with two walks and two Ks. Fellow redshirt-sophomore Dominic Pianto came on in relief with 0.1 IP with two hits, two runs and one walk, before turning the ball over to Powers. Another redshirt-sophomore, Noah Matheny, pitched a scoreless, hitless top of the ninth, with one walk and one strikeout, getting a double play after yielding the leadoff walk, then ringing up the strikeout to spark the home opening Victory for MSU celebration.
Sophomore catcher Bryan Broecker added to his B1G-leading total for runners caught stealing, throwing out two more, in back-to-back innings in the first two frames of the game.
WMU went down in unconventional 1-2-3 order with leadoff hitter Jackson Kitchen starting the game off with a walk, but after a strikeout and flyout, Kitchen was thrown out trying to steal second to end the inning.
MSU loaded the bases without a hit in its first at bat, with Farquhar leading off with a walk and stealing second, then Jebb walked. After Vradenburg and Busch flew out, Broecker was hit by a pitch to fill the bases full of Spartans, but a strikeout left them loaded.
The Broncos got on the board first with a leadoff double by Cade Sullivan, followed by an RBI single up the middle by Dylan Nevar for the earlier 1-0 lead by the visitors. WMU added to its lead with two runs in the fourth on an RBI single and a sacrifice fly.
Kark got MSU's bats going with a single to left second and Mayes walked, then Dresselhouse beat out a bunt back to Thelen, and WMU went to the bullpen, bringing in Drew Szczepaniak, brother to Spartan sophomore pitcher Ryan Szczepaniak. Farquhar was hit by a pitch to drive in MSU's first run of the day, then Jebb reached on a WMU error to plate Mayes, and Vradenburg hit into a double play but was enough to drive in Dresselhouse to tie it up at 3-3.
Frank started the Spartan rally with a leadoff single in the fifth, chasing Szczepaniak. Frank then stole second off WMU reliever Jake Gernon, and Kark was hit by a pitch. Two batters later, Dresselhouse singled through the right side to score Frank, and the Broncos made another pitching change. Farquhar rudely welcomed WMU's Joe Shapiro to the game by knocking a double to right center to drive in both Dresselhouse and Kark. After Jebb grounded out to advance Farquhar to third, Vradenburg drove him in with a single through the left side for MSU's fourth run of the frame and a 7-3 lead.
In the eighth, Jebb reached on an error, then stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch. After Vradenburg was intentionally walked, Busch knocked a Texas Leaguer single to right to plate Jebb with the Spartans' eighth run of the day.
Michigan State will now host its Big Ten Conference opener this weekend, welcoming Purdue to McLane Stadium at Kobs Field, Friday-Sunday, March 24-26, with Friday's game slated to be nationally broadcast on the Big Ten Network, and is slated for a 4:02 p.m. first pitch. Saturday's game is scheduled for a 3:35 p.m. start time, before Sunday's series finale has a 1:05 p.m. first pitch.
MSU's schedule is subject to change, stay tuned to MSUSpartans.com and @MSUBaseball on Twitter for schedule updates.
Fans can find "Tickets," "Watch Live" and "Live Stats" links at MSUSpartans.com.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Powers, Nick (1-0)
L: SZCZEPANIAK, Drew (0-1)
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Batting:
2B: SULLIVAN, Cade 1
RBI: NEVAR, Dylan 1 ; ALLEN, Jimmy 1 ; HARRITY, Brendan 1
SH: CAMPOS, Ben 1
SF: HARRITY, Brendan 1
Base Running:
RUNS: SULLIVAN, Cade 1 ; NEVAR, Dylan 1 ; SWINEHART, J. 1
CS: KITCHEN, Jackson 1 ; NEVAR, Dylan 1
Batting:
2B: Farquhar, Trent 1
RBI: Farquhar, Trent 3 ; Jebb, Mitch 1 ; Vradenburg, Brock 1 ; Busch, Sam 1 ; Dresselhouse, Jake 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Farquhar, Trent 1 ; Jebb, Mitch 1 ; Frank, Jack 1 ; Kark, Dillon 2 ; Mayes, Casey 1 ; Dresselhouse, Jake 2
SB: Farquhar, Trent 1 ; Jebb, Mitch 1 ; Frank, Jack 1
HBP: Farquhar, Trent 1 ; Broecker, Bryan 1 ; Kark, Dillon 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
2
H
2
RBI
1
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
3
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
RHP
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INF
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OF
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INF
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INF
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RHP
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OF
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RHP
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LHP
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/ BaseballPursuit to Greatness | Spartans All-Access
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