Friday, March 31
Bainton Field | Piscataway, N.J.
3 p.m.
Michigan State University
at
Rutgers
Spartans Clash With Scarlet Knights In First B1G Road Series Of Season
3/30/2023 4:34:00 PM | Baseball
MSU heads to Piscataway to take on Rutgers
| MICHIGAN STATE (14-8, 2-1 B1G) at RUTGERS (13-11, 0-0 B1G) | |
| Location | Bainton Field || Piscataway, N.J. |
| Tickets | Free Admission |
| Weather | High/Low -- Fri: 61° / 55° | Sat: 71° / 37° | Sun: 53° / 33° |
| Game Notes | MICHIGAN STATE | RUTGERS |
| Social Media |  @MSUbaseball |  MichiganStateBaseball  @msu_baseball |
| Television | None |
| Game 1 | Friday, March 31 | 3 p.m. ET |
| Probable Pitching Matchup | RU: #31 JR RHP Drew Conover (2-1, 5.93 ERA) MSU: #16 FR LHP Joseph Dzierwa (2-1, 5.12 ERA) |
| Coverage | Live Stats | Watch Live |
| Game 2 | Saturday, April 1 | 2 p.m. ET |
| Probable Pitching Matchup | RU: #23 FR RHP Christian Coppola (1-2, 3.78 ERA) MSU: #42 SO RHP Ryan Szczepaniak (1-1, 6.60 ERA) |
| Coverage | Live Stats | Watch Live |
| Game 3 | Sunday, April 2 | 1 p.m. ET |
| Probable Pitching Matchup | RU: #14 JR RHP Jake Marshall (2-1, 4.01 ERA) MSU: #46 JR LHP Nick Powers (1-0, 7.36 ERA) |
| Coverage | Live Stats | Watch Live |
• Michigan State baseball heads to Piscataway, N.J. for its first Big Ten Conference road series of the season, taking on Rutgers in a three-game weekend series, Friday-Sunday, March 31-April 2 ...
the Spartans vs. Scarlet Knights series gets underway on Friday at 3 p.m., followed by the middle game of the series on Saturday at 2 p.m., before the series finale on Sunday at 1 p.m. ... MSU's schedule is subject to change, stay tuned to MSUSpartans.com and @MSUBaseball on Twitter for schedule updates.
• This weekend's series features two of the eight active B1G head coaches with over 400 career wins in MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr. with 422 career wins and Rutgers head coach Steve Owens with 998.
• Fans can follow the weekend action with "Watch Live" and "Live Stats" links, where available, at MSUSpartans.com.
SPARTAN STRONG
It has been just over a month since the mass shooting on the East Lansing campus on the night of Monday, Feb. 13, when three MSU students were killed and five were hospitalized. Michigan State University canceled classes the remainder of the week following the deaths of the three students – juniors Arielle Anderson and Alexandria Verner and sophomore Brian Fraser.
Michigan State players are wearing "Spartan Strong" stickers on their helmets in a tribute of the three lives lost and for the five students still hospitalized, and several players have personal tributes as well.
Classes resumed on Monday, Feb. 20.
MEDIA ADVISORY (when discussing the events of Monday, Feb. 13)
• Can describe the shooting that happened on Feb. 13 as "The violence the Michigan State community experienced."
• Refrain from or be spare with the use of adjectives: Horrific, senseless, devastating, etc.
• Please use "students" instead of "victims."
• Referring to this event as "a tragedy" is okay. Saying "tragic loss of life" is also okay.
B1G ROAD OPENERS
Michigan State is seeking a win in is first Big Ten Conference road game since 2017, when the Spartans won, 12-4, at Illinois ... MSU lost at Michigan, 12-3, in 2018; at Nebraska, 4-1, in 2019; no B1G game in 2020; at Michigan, 8-7, in 2021, at Ohio State, 13-5, in 2022 ... the Spartans are 7-6 in B1G road openers under head coach Jake Boss Jr., not playing a league game in 2020 ... MSU opened B1G play at home for the second-straight season, marking the first time since at least 1990 that the Spartans hosted B1G openers in back-to-back seasons, after hosting Illinois in the league lid-lifter last season, falling in a DH, 11-3 and 9-2, and then hosted Purdue in the B1G opener this season, falling 5-4 in the series opener ... this is the first time that MSU has opened B1G road action at Rutgers, and Friday is also the Scarlet Knights' B1G opener overall, playing a non-conference series at UConn last weekend.
EARLY HOME OPENER
• Last Wednesday's March 21 home opener date was among the earliest home-openers in program history, as the fourth-earliest date for the first home game ... March 21 trails 2018's first home game of March 15, last season's March 18 date, and the 2009 season's March 20 opener, which was also the scheduled start date for the 2019 opener, but was postponed due to weather.
HOME OPENER SUCCESS
• With MSU's 8-3 win over Western Michigan last Wednesday, Michigan State has now won 10 of its last 11 home openers and the Spartans improved to 13-2 in their first game of the year played at McLane Stadium under head coach Jake Boss Jr. ... The 2021 season's home opening loss to Indiana snapped MSU's eight-game home opener winning streak.
SPARTANS IN TRUE ROAD GAMES
• MSU has won its last three true road games as part of winning four of its last five games as the visitors, on the way to a 6-4 road record ... the Spartans won at Western Michigan on Tuesday, 8-6, after sweeping a weather-adjusted three-game series at Indiana State shortened to a doubleheader on March 19, 8-2 and 10-7 ... MSU's last road loss was at Charleston, on March 5.
A LOOK BACK AT LAST WEEKEND
• Michigan State had its Big Ten Conference opener and it's six-game win streak spoiled by Purdue in a 5-4 thriller in the opener of the three-game series on March 24 in a nationally televised contest on Big Ten Network. After MSU took a 4-0 lead after two innings, Purdue rallied with one run in the fourth and three in the fifth to tie it at 4-all, then scored the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth for the 5-4 final score. The loss snapped Michigan State's season-long win streak at six in a row, as the Spartans had not lost since March 8, while Purdue broke its three-game losing skein.
MSU bounced back and swept a Sunday doubleheader with Purdue, rallying for a 5-4 triumph in the first game before winning game two by a 12-6 score, to capture the B1G opening series. Junior infielder Brock Vradenburg was 3-for-7 on the day, scoring six runs, and driving in two, while drawing two walks, including one intentional. He finished a home run shy of the cycle in game two, going 3-for-5 with an RBI and three runs scored, with the three hits coming in consecutive innings, knocking a triple in the fourth, a single in the fifth and a double in the sixth.
Redshirt-sophomore designated hitter Sam Busch was 2-for-4 on the day with three runs scored and two RBI, coming on a two-run home run in the fourth inning of game two, bashing a shot over the wall in right and into the Red Cedar River for his first home run at McLane Stadium at Kobs Field.
400 FOR BOSS
• MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr. picked up career win No. 400 on April 24, 2022 with the Spartans' 11-7 Victory for MSU at Northwestern ... Boss now has 422 career wins with 397 in his 14th year at MSU (2009-pres.) after 25 wins in his lone season at Eastern Michigan (2008) ... at the time, Boss became the seventh active Big Ten head coach to reach 400 career wins and is now one of eight active B1G head coaches with 400+ career wins, but would only become just the third B1G active head coach with 400 wins leading their current B1G team ... Boss also became the second active NCAA Division I head coach in the state of Michigan, joining close friend and former assistant coach Billy Gernon at Western Michigan, now with 414 (257 in his 13th season at WMU (2011-pres.) and 157 in nine seasons at Purdue Fort Wayne (2000-08), and is now one of three in the state, joined by first-year Michigan head coach Tracy Smith ... Boss also became the 103rd active Division I head coach to reach 400 career wins.
The 2023 season-opener vs. Michigan under Tracy Smith was the first of four B1G opponents this season under the leadership of a head coach with over 400 career wins, as MSU will play at Rutgers and Steve Owens this weekend, March 31-April 2, at Michigan and Smith again (April 21-23), at Iowa and Rich Heller (May 12-14), at Illinois and Dan Hartleb (May 5-7) ... Michigan State doesn't play Minnesota and the Dean of the B1G coaches in John Anderson, nor playing Penn State and Rob Cooper.
Current Big Ten Head Coaches By Career Wins (as of 3/29/23)
John Anderson - Minnesota 1,352
Steve Owens - Rutgers 998
Rich Heller - Iowa 985
Tracy Smith - Michigan 817
Dan Hartleb - Illinois 518
Rob Cooper - Penn State 472
Jim Foster - Northwestern 431
Jake Boss Jr. - Michigan State 422
Current Big Ten Head Coaches By Wins At Current B1G Team (as of 3/29/23)
John Anderson - Minnesota 1,352
Dan Hartleb - Illinois 518
Jake Boss Jr. - Michigan State 397
Rich Heller - Iowa 295
Rob Cooper - Penn State 186
Rob Vaughn - Maryland 156
Jeff Mercer - Indiana 117
Steve Owens - Rutgers 84
Will Bolt - Nebraska 78
Greg Goff - Purdue 62
Tracy Smith - Michigan 13 (287 at Indiana (2006-14)
Bill Mosiello - Ohio State 12
Jim Foster - Northwestern 2
• Boss is also just three wins from his 400th win at Michigan State, and would become just the third Spartan head coach to reach 400 Victories for MSU.
Michigan State Baseball Coaches By Wins (as of 3/21/23)
John H. Kobs 576 1935-63 (39)
Daniel W. Litwhiler 489 1964-82 (19)
Jake Boss Jr. 397 2009-pres. (14th)
Thomas W. Smith 377 1983-95 (13)
Ted Mahan 256 1996-2005 (10)
ABOUT RUTGERS
• The Scarlet Knights are 13-11 overall entering their Big Ten Conference opener this weekend against the Spartans ... Rutgers snapped a three-game losing skid with a 9-7 come-from-behind win over New Jersey Tech on Wednesday, rallying from a 7-0 deficit after four frames, plating three in the fifth, five in the sixth and one in the eighth, as RU remained unbeaten at home, improving to 4-0 in the friendly confines of Bainton Field ... the Scarlet Knights are coming off a tightly-contested three-game series at UConn, losing all three games by a combined four runs, getting edged in the opener, 9-8 in 11 innings, in game one of a DH on Friday, before falling in the nightcap, 6-5, then dropping the series finale on Sunday, 9-7.
Four Scarlet Knights are hitting over .300, led by junior outfielder Evan Sleight at .389 with 14 RBI and team-lead tying five HR, while freshman outfielder Trevor Cohen is right behind at .388 with 20 RBI ... junior infielder Cameron Love is hitting .343 with 18 RBI, while fellow junior infielder Jordan Sweeney rounds out the .300 hitting RU quartet at .306, topping the team with 22 RBI ... junior outfielder Ryan Lasko leads Rutgers with eight stolen bases, while senior infielder Chris Brito matches Sleight with five HR, hitting .230, and has drawn a team-high 20 walks.
The junior right-handed starting duo Jake Marshall and Drew Conover anchor the Scarlet Knight pitching staff, as Marshall has six starts with 24.2 IP, posting a 4.01 ERA with a 2-1 record, with 29 strikeouts and 21 walks, yielding a .214 average to the opposition ... Conover is also 2-1 in six starts, with a 5.93 ERA in 27.1 IP, firing a team-high 32 Ks to 17 BB, with a .202 BAA ... junior right-handed reliever Ben Gorski has a team-leading three saves with a 1.80 ERA in 10 appearances ... Marshall and Gorski combined to registered the seventh no-hitter in Rutgers history on March 11 vs. Georgia Southern, with Marshall going over five innings with nine Ks, while Gorski fanned seven batters in four frames.
Rutgers head coach Steve Owens is in his fourth year leading the Scarlet Knights with an 84-58 record in Piscataway ... overall, Owens has amassed a 998-541-3 and is his 33rd year at the charge of the Scarlet Knights.
SOMETHING HAD TO GIVE AND IT GAVE IN THE SPARTANS' FAVOR
• Michigan State entered last weekend leading the B1G with 12 caught stealing by, while Purdue led the league in stolen bases, with 50 (2.6 per game) ... when the dust settled, the Spartan pitchers, catchers and defense didn't allow a stolen base to Purdue, with zero in three games ... meanwhile, the Spartans were 6-of-7 swiping bases, including two each by junior infielder Mitch Jebb, senior outfielder Casey Mayes and junior outfielder Jack Frank.
NO STEALS FOR YOU
• Individually, sophomore catcher Bryan Broecker leads the B1G with 11 caught stealing by, four more than the No. 2 spot in the league, Thomas Bramley of Penn State, with seven.
HOME RUNS AND RUNS GALORE
• Michigan State blasted five round-trippers on the way to a 19-10 Victory for MSU at Charleston Southern on March 4.
• The five Spartan home runs was their most since knocking eight round-trippers on March 26, 2017 at Illinois.
• The 19 runs at CSU was MSU's most runs since scoring 22 vs. UNC Greensboro (W, 22-16) on Feb. 25, 2017.
• Michigan State mashed three home runs on Tuesday at Western Michigan, which was MSU's fourth game this season with multiple home runs ... the Spartans have three or more homers in all four games, as Tuesday was the third contest with three home runs, along with a season-high five homers at Charleston Southern on March 4.
• Junior outfielder Jack Frank leads all active Spartans with 14 career home runs, including nine career solo home runs, after completing the second half of back-to-back home runs at Western Michigan on Tuesday with teammate Sam Busch, smacking a solo shot after Busch blasted a two-run HR ... Frank also hit his second home run of the season, as well as his 12th career HR at the time, but the three-run home run on March 4 at Charleston Southern was his first three-run round tripper of his career.
• Junior infielder Brock Vradenburg knocked two homers in the Charleston weekend, vaulting him from fifth on the active HR list with six to temporarily tie for second with senior outfielder Casey Mayes with eight four-baggers ... both of Vradenburg's home runs in Charleston were of the two-run variety, and he now is tied with Mayes for the lead among active Spartans in two-run HRs ... on the season, Vradenburg now leads the team with six HR, as part of 11 total career homers.
• Junior infielder Dillon Kark crushed his third round-tripper of the season on March 19 at Indiana State, and his sixth career, but it was his first two-run homer.
• Redshirt-sophomore designated hitter and East Lansing native Sam Busch bashed a two-run home run in the fourth inning of game two, crushing a shot over the wall in right and into the Red Cedar River for his first home run at McLane Stadium at Kobs Field ... Busch now has two home runs on the season, both of the two-run variety.
• Senior catcher Sam Thompson belted his first HR as a Spartan and just his second collegiate home run with a solo shot at Western Michigan ... Thompson is the eighth different Spartan with a round-tripper this season.
DOUBLE-DIGITS IN HITS AND RUNS AND HIIIIIIITTTS AND RUUUUUNNNNNSSSS COLUMNS
• MSU has posted double-digit runs in six games this season
--15 runs vs. Michigan on Feb. 17 in season-opener
--13 runs at USC Upstate on Feb. 24
--Season-high 19 runs at Charleston Southern on March 4
--10 runs vs. Kansas on March 11
--10 runs at Indiana State in G2 of DH on March 19
--12 runs vs. Purdue in G2 on DH on March 26
--Michigan State is 6-0 when scoring double-digit runs.
• The Spartans had their streak of double-digits hits halted at seven-straight games with only seven in last week's game vs. Western Michigan and then had their first back-to-back game with single-digit hits with only nine in game one of the series vs. Purdue, but then got back on track with 10 and 13 hits in games two and three, respectively, and added 11 hits at Western Michigan on Tuesday ... overall, MSU has had 10+ hits a total of 16 total times in the 22 games this season:
--Season-high 19 hits at Charleston Southern on March 4
--18 hits vs. Michigan on Feb. 17
--15 hits (three times): vs. Fresno State on Feb. 19, at Grand Canyon on Feb. 20 and vs. Wofford on March 8
--14 hits (twice): both games of DH at Indiana State on March 19
--13 hits vs. Purdue in G2 on DH on March 26
--12 hits at USC Upstate on Feb. 24
--11 hits (four times): at Presbyterian on Feb. 26; vs. Air Force on March 6 and vs. Kansas on March 11; at Western Michigan on March 28.
--10 hits (three times): vs. Western Carolina in both meetings on March 10 and March 11; vs Purdue in G1 of DH on March 26
--MSU is 13-3 when posting double-digit hits.
• Michigan State has posted both double-digit hits and runs in six games:
--15 runs on 18 hits vs. Michigan on Feb. 17 in season-opener
--13 runs on 12 hits at USC Upstate on Feb. 24
--Season-high 19 runs on season-high 19 hits at Charleston Southern on March 4
--10 runs on 10 hits vs. Kansas on March 11
--10 runs on 14 hits in G2 of DH at Indiana State on March 19
--12 runs on 13 hits in G2 of DH vs. Purdue on March 26
--Michigan State is 6-0 when posting double-digit runs and double-digit hits in same game.
MSU TEAM NOTES
• Michigan State is hitting .314 as a team, which ranks second in the Big Ten and ranks 19th in the NCAA ... MSU is also third in the conference and 54th in the country in slugging percentage (.488).
• The Spartans are also fourth in the B1G and rank 62nd in the NCAA in hits with 249.
• MSU tops the B1G and ranks fourth in the NCAA in total triples (14), while also leading the league and ranking third in the nation in triples per game (0.64).
• The Spartans are third in the B1G in stolen bases (35) and fourth in stolen bases per game (1.59).
• Michigan State also ranks seventh in the league in total runs (168) and eighth in doubles (44).
• Michigan State is averaging 11.3 hits and 7.6 runs per game.
• MSU's pitching staff is fifth in the B1G in walks allowed per nine innings (4.50), while ranking sixth in strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.06) and eighth in strikeouts per nine innings (9.3).
SPARTAN PLAYER NOTES
• MSU's bats are led by their infield, as first baseman Brock Vradenburg tops the team with a .451 average, while second baseman/shortstop Trent Farquhar is second at .389, followed by back-up first baseman/DH Sam Busch at .333 and junior shortstop Mitch Jebb at .329.
• Infielders also make up the top three leaders and four of the top five in run scored in Vradenburg (1st-29) Farquhar (2nd-28), junior third baseman Dillon Kark (3rd-19) and junior shortstop Mitch Jebb (5th-16) ... Spartan infielders also have three of top five team marks for RBI, in Vradenburg (1st-31), Farquhar (4th-15) and Kark (5th-14) ... infielders also have top three spots for total bases in Vradenburg (1st-71), Farquhar (2nd-49) and Kark (5th-37).
• Junior first baseman Brock Vradenburg leads the B1G and ranks seventh in the NCAA in hits per game (1.86), while ranking second in the conference and 24th in the country overall in hits (41) ... Vradenburg also leads the B1G and ranks ninth in the nation in batting average (.451) ... the Spartan first baseman also leads the B1G in on-base + slugging pct (OPS) at 1.313 ... he also ranks second in the league and 34th in the nation in total bases (71) ... Vradenburg also tops the B1G and ranks 25th in the NCAA in on-base percentage (.533) along with leading the league and ranking 39th in the nation in slugging percentage (.780), as well as tied for sixth in the conference in home runs (6)... he is also fourth in the B1G and 53rd in the NCAA in RBI (31), while ranking fourth in the league and 34th in the country in RBI/game (1.41) ... he also is tied for third in the B1G and leads the team in runs (29), just ahead of teammate Trent Farquhar (28) ... Vradenburg is also third in the B1G in toughest to strikeout (11.4 AB per K) ... he also is tied for fifth in the league in triples (2), matching teammate Casey Mayes and trailing co-league leaders teammates Sam Busch and Mitch Jebb.
• Junior second baseman Trent Farquhar is second in the B1G and 11th in the NCAA in doubles (12), along with leading the league and ranking 11th in the nation in doubles per game (0.55), in addition to ranking tied for fourth in the conference and 98th in the country in runs (28), just behind teammate Brock Vradenburg (29), and also ranking fourth in the league and ranking 56th in the nation in runs per game (1.27) ... Farquhar is also seventh in the B1G in toughest to strikeout (8.6 AB per K), with just 11 strikeouts in 95 ABs, striking out a rare three times in 10 ABs in the DH at Indiana State ... the Spartan second baseman is also sixth in the conference and 67th in the country in hits (37), while ranking fourth in the B1G and 27th in the NCAA in hits per game (1.68) ... he also is fifth in the league in batting average (.389).
• Junior infielder Mitch Jebb is tied for the B1G-lead and tied for 20th in the NCAA in triples, with teammate, sophomore designated hitter/infielder Sam Busch each with three triples ... Jebb also leads the league and ranks 11th in the nation in triples per game (0.18) ... Jebb is also fourth in the B1G and 75th in the NCAA in toughest to strikeout (10.4 AB per K) ... the Spartan shortstop is also 11th in the B1G in hits per game (1.41), with 24 hits in 17 games played ... Jebb is also third in the league in stolen bases per game (0.53), with nine swipes in 17 games played, ranking tied for seventh in the B1G in total stolen bases (9).
• Senior outfielder Casey Mayes is tied for fifth with Vradenburg for third on the team and fifth in the B1G in triples (2), while ranking tied for 11th in the league in triples per game (0.09) ... Mayes also is seventh in the conference in stolen bases (9) and eighth in stolen bases per game (0.41).
• Freshman pitcher Joseph Dzierwa is fifth in the B1G in walks allowed per nine innings (1.99), along with eighth in the conference in strikeout-to-walk ratio (4.29) ... Dzierwa also joins with senior pitcher Andrew Carson to rank tied for 11th in the league in wins (2) ... Dzierwa is also tied for sixth in the B1G in innings pitched (31.2) ... Carson is also 10th in ERA (3.60) and tied for seventh in the league in batters SO looking (10).
• Senior relief pitcher Wyatt Rush shares the B1G lead and ranks tied for 16th in the NCAA in saves (5) ... Rush is also ninth in the B1G in ERA (2.87).
DOUBLE THE WALK-OFFS FOR KARK
Junior infielder Dillon Kark has a walk-off inside-the-park home run to complete Michigan State's comeback in a 6-5 Victory for MSU over Western Carolina on March 10 in the opening game of the 2023 First Pitch Invitational at Fluor Field in Greenville.
• Kark smacked his second walk-off home run in as many seasons, with a walk-off over-the-fence home run variety on March 18, 2022 for a 4-3 win over Houston Baptist, and Kark was also the last Spartan with a walk-off home run, and the last walk-off Victory for MSU was two days later, also over Houston Baptist, and matching Friday's score of 6-5.
MAYES TRIPLING WAY UP RECORD LIST
Senior outfielder Casey Mayes has two triples on the season, with his second of the season coming in Greenville ... Mayes now has 11 triples for his career, vaulting up to tie for No. 4 on MSU's career triples list, one of six Spartans in program history with 11, most recently by Cam Gibson (2013-15), and needing one more to crack into the Top 3.
MSU'S BROECKER ON BUSTER POSEY NATIONAL COLLEGIATE CATCHER OF THE YEAR AWARD WATCH LIST
• Michigan State catcher Bryan Broecker was tabbed to the Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year Award Watch List, announced by the Greater Wichita Area Sports Commission.
Broecker, a sophomore from Chicago, Ill., is one of four Big Ten catchers on the 65-player list, joined by Ohio State senior Cole Andrews, Nebraska sophomore Josh Caron, Indiana senior Matthew Ellis, as well as only one of 10 sophomores on the list.
"Bryan is an outstanding leader, and he is an extremely hard worker, who just continues to get better and better," MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr. said. "Last season, he led the Big Ten by throwing out 22 potential base-stealers, and had a very good year behind the plate for us last year and we expect that to continue into the 2023 season."
Last season, Broecker was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team, and was the Spartans' primary catcher all season, leading the B1G in caught stealing by nabbing 22 stolen base attempts, six more than the second spot. In B1G only action, Broecker threw out 11 base stealing attempts, also leading the league and posting three more than the number two spot.
At the plate, Broecker hit .271 overall, ranking tied for fifth on the team, as well as fourth on the team in runs scored (31) and fifth in hits (48), along with third in hit by pitch (7).
This season, Broecker already leads the B1G with nine caught stealing, including two at Charleston Southern on March 4 and three more vs. Air Force on March 6. The nine caught stealing by is four more than the next-best mark in the B1G. Broecker is also hitting .302 at the plate with two HR, one triple and one double, logging eight RBI.
PROFESSIONAL STADIUM EXPERIENCE
• The Spartans opening weekend's three games of the MLB Desert Invitational were Michigan State's first games played in two different professional stadiums ... overall, MSU is slated to now play seven official games and one exhibition contest in four different professional stadiums.
The Spartans also played four games last weekend at their home-away-from-home, Fluor Field, in Greenville, S.C., home of the Greenville Drive, taking on Wofford (March 8), then hosting the 2023 First Pitch Invitational on March 10-12 against Western Carolina and Kansas, having the final game vs. Kansas on March 12 rained out.
Michigan State will take on the Lansing Lugnuts, the High-A affiliate of the Oakland A's, in the 2023 Crosstown Showdown on April 4 at Jackson Field in an exhibition game.
Last season, MSU played in five different professional stadiums, and playing 15 official games, along with one exhibition contest.
The Spartans played at US Bank Stadium, home of the Minnesota Vikings, for the Minnesota Cambria Classic, for the first meeting with Notre Dame on March 5, along with Kansas (March 4) and West Virginia (March 6), going 2-1 ... MSU also played at its home-away-from-home, Fluor Field, in Greenville, S.C., home of the Greenville Drive, March 9 & 10-13, going 2-2.
The Spartans played the Lansing Lugnuts in the Crosstown Showdown on April 6 at Jackson Field (L, 3-2 in exhibition), and then Michigan State returned to Jackson Field on April 15 to take on Michigan in the Capital Clash, losing the in-state battle ... MSU also played No. 12 Notre Dame at Comerica Park, home of the Detroit Tigers on April 26, winning 6-2.
Michigan State played at Penn State at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, home of the State College Spikes minor league team, losing all three ballgames with the Nittany Lions May 8-9 ... MSU then played Nebraska at Hawks Field at Haymarket Park in Lincoln, home of the Lincoln Saltdogs of the American Association of Professional Baseball.
OPENING WEEK IN THE DESERT
• MSU started the season at the 2023 MLB Desert Invitational in the Phoenix, Arizona area, beginning with a 15-8 win over Michigan in the season-opener on Feb. 17, then split a day-night doubleheader with Fresno State, winning 7-4, and Arizona, losing 7-1, to wrap up the Desert Invite action ... the Spartans then wrapped up the extended weekend with a 7-1 win at Grand Canyon on Monday, the same GCU team that upset No. 2 Tennessee on Saturday night ... MSU playing its third game in 24 hours, after playing a day-night doubleheader on Sunday that started at 1 p.m. MT / 3 p.m. ET, beating Fresno State, 7-4, Sunday afternoon before losing to Arizona, 7-1, in the night cap, then taking on Grand Canyon in an 11 a.m. MT / 1 p.m. ET start time, before MSU flew home to East Lansing Monday evening.
CAROLINA IN MY MIND AND TRAVEL ITINERARY
• MSU's travel theme music for three-straight weeks from Feb. 24-March 12 was James Taylor's "Carolina In My Mind" as the Spartans played three-straight weekends in the Palmetto State.
Michigan State started its South Carolina trips in Spartanburg, S.C. area, playing in the OneSpartanburg, Inc. Baseball Classic, facing three different teams in three days, rotating with fellow visiting teams Northwestern and Toledo in playing at USC Upstate, Gardner-Webb and Presbyterian ... MSU opened the weekend in an all-Spartans clash vs. USC Upstate, winning, 13-6, followed by heading to Boiling Springs, N.C. to take on Gardner-Webb on Feb. 25, dropping a 7-3 contest in the first-ever meeting between MSU and GWU ... Michigan State concluded the weekend in the Spartanburg area with an 8-6 loss at Presbyterian on Feb. 26, in MSU's first visit to Clinton since 1948.
The Spartans opened their Spring Break week in South Carolina in Charleston, S.C., losing at College of Charleston, 11-3, on Friday, March 3, before sinking the Buccaneers of Charleston Southern, 19-10, on Saturday, March 4, then losing, 10-3, back at College of Charleston on Sunday, March 5 ... Air Force played those two teams on the other days that MSU was playing them, and the Spartans and Falcons met at scenic Shipyard Park on Monday, March 6 with AF winning, 7-4.
After the game on March 6, the Spartans bussed from Charleston to Greenville, arriving there Monday night at their home-away-from-home, Fluor Field, home of the Greenville Drive, the A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox ... MSU played Wofford and lost in 12-9 thriller on Wednesday, March 8, as MSU rallied from being down 9-1 in the third, including a 5-run ninth inning and had the tying run in the on-deck circle when the game ended.
The Spartans hosted the 2023 First Pitch Invitational Friday-Sunday, March 10-12 at Fluor Field, opening action with a 6-5 Victory for MSU over Western Carolina on junior infielder Dillon Kark's walk-off inside-the-park home run to lead off the bottom of the ninth, as MSU rallied from down 5-3 after the seventh inning with two runs in the eighth to tie it before Kark's heroics for the win ... the Spartans then played a split twinbill on Saturday, March 11, beating Kansas, 10-6, in the opener, knocking three triples in the first inning as part of a 5-run first frame adding a run in the second for a 6-0 lead, only to see Kansas come back and tie it with six runs in the fourth, before pulling away with a 3-run seventh and a run in the eighth ... in the nightcap, MSU got a gem from sophomore pitcher Adam Berghorst with a career-high 11 Ks in 6.0 IP, more than doubling his previous career-best of five Ks, most recently done in his last outing on March 6 vs. Air Force, and first done on March 27, 2021 vs. Indiana ... the 11 strikeouts by Berghorst was the first MSU pitcher with 10 or more Ks since Nick Powers rang up 10 strikeouts against the same Western Carolina and almost a year to the day on March 12, 2022 ... Sunday's finale vs. Kansas was rained out and won't be made up.
SEASON-OPENING SUCCESS
• The 15-8 Victory for MSU over Michigan in the season-opener marked the fourth time in the last five seasons that the Spartans were victorious in their season-opener, getting back on the winning track after dropping last year's lid-lifter at UNLV following winning the previous three openers ... overall, MSU is 12-3 in the 15 season-openers under Coach Boss, only losing in 2013 vs. Furman, 2018 at Fresno State and 2022 at UNLV.
TWO MSU BASEBALL PLAYERS EARN BIG TEN WEEKLY HONORS
• Michigan State baseball players Brock Vradenburg and Dominic Pianto both collected weekly award honors from the Big Ten Conference, the league office announced on Feb. 21 for the opening week of the season. Vradenburg garnered Player of the Week accolades, while Pianto was tabbed Co-Pitcher of the Week.
Both Vradenburg and Pianto collected their first career weekly B1G honors for their performances over the weekend in Phoenix, helping MSU to a 3-1 record, marking the third-straight season that the Spartans have opened 3-1 or better. Vradenburg is MSU's first B1G Player of the Week Award since Mitch Jebb collected the honor on March 16 of last season, while Pianto is the first Spartan to earn B1G Pitcher of the Week since Sam Benschoter on April 27, 2021.
Vradenburg, a junior from Pasadena, Calif., hit .556 (10-for-18) for the weekend with four RBI, seven runs scored, with a double and triple, and also drawing two walks. He posted a .600 on-base percentage for the weekend, along with a .722 slugging percentage, logging three hits in three of the four games and had two RBI each in a pair of games, along with scoring at least two runs in three of the four games, adding three runs in the win over Fresno State.
The Spartans' first baseman started the season and the weekend going 3-for-5 with two ribbies and two runs scored in MSU's emotional win over Michigan, the Spartans' first game after the shooting on campus at MSU, as the Spartans rallied from down 5-1. He knocked in MSU first run of game with an RBI single in the first inning, then after drawing a walk in the third frame, roped a triple to the right-center gap in the fifth to spark the Spartan comeback, later scoring a run as well. In the eighth, he again sparked the rally leading off the inning with a single to center and two batters later scored the Spartans' first run of the inning, and later batted again in the inning, reaching on an RBI fielder's choice, part of a seven-run stanza.
Vradenburg went 3-for-4 with three runs scored in the 7-1 Victory for MSU over Fresno State, including giving MSU the 3-2 lead when he scored in the third after a walk. He also sparked a Spartan rally in the fifth with a single to lead off the frame, coming around to score from first on a double by Jack Frank, then knocked a ground-rule double in the seventh into the bullpen down the right-field line. In the ninth, he laced a single and later came around to score MSU's final run of the game to secure the 7-4 win.
In the loss to Arizona, Vradenburg knocked his lone hit in the game with a single in the sixth.
He wrapped up the weekend going 3-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored in the 7-1 win over Grand Canyon, the same team that beat No. 2 Tennessee on Saturday. Vradenburg got MSU's scoring going with an RBI single in the third inning for the Spartans' first run of the day, and came around to score the second and last run of the inning as the Spartans took a 2-0 lead. He started the Spartan rally in the seventh by leading off with a single and came around to score on a sac fly, and capped weekend with an RBI single in the eighth.
Pianto, a redshirt-sophomore relief pitcher from Hendersonville, Tenn., came on with two on and two outs in the first inning with MSU already down 2-0 to Fresno State in Sunday's game. He then went the remaining 8.1 innings of relief for a new career-long outing, ringing up a career-high tying four strikeouts, with just three hits and only yielding one earned run without a walk, as MSU rallied for a 7-4 triumph
The Spartan hurler rang up a total of five 3-up, 3-down innings in the eight innings he started the frame, starting with opening the second with back-to-back strikeouts, then worked around a one-out single in the fourth, another in-order inning in the fourth and fifth, ending with another K, before some defensive miscues led to Bulldog base runners in the sixth and scoring two runs, one earned, before getting out of the jam by fielding position on a comebacker and starting a 1-6-3 double play to end the inning. After retiring Fresno State in order in the seventh and eighth, he worked around a one-out single in the ninth, getting a popup and flyout to end the game and seal the Victory for MSU.
DOUBLE THE SPARTAN B1G AWARDS
• With Brock Vradenburg winning B1G Player of the Week and Dominic Pianto winning B1G Pitcher of the Week, it marked the first time since April 29, 2013 that two Spartan players collected weekly honors in the same week, when Blaise Salter collected Freshman of the Week accolades and Andrew Waszak was tabbed Pitcher of the Week ... it was the first time since Feb. 28, 2011 that two Spartans won both the Player and Pitcher awards in the same week, when Brandon Ecklerle was named the Player of the Week, while Kurt Wunderlich was the Pitcher of the Week.
MAYES MAKING MARK
• Last season, senior outfielder Casey Mayes led not just MSU, but also the B1G as part of ranking tied for third in the NCAA with seven triples ... Mayes picked up right where he left off, knocking a triple in game two in MSU's 7-4 win over Fresno State.
The triple vs. Fresno State was the 10th career triple for Mayes, moving into the MSU Career Top 10 Triples list, tying for No. 9 with Chris Roberts (2007-10), Alex Gagin (1989-92) and Abe Eliowitz (1931-33).
MICHIGAN STATE ONE OF 10 SCHOOLS WITH A CFP, MF4 AND CWS APPEARANCE
• Michigan State is one of 10 schools in the country with a College Football Playoff, Men's Basketball Final Four appearance and a College World Series appearance, including one of three Big Ten Conference schools:
Michigan State
Florida State
Georgia
LSU
Michigan
Notre Dame
Ohio State
Oklahoma
Oregon
Washington
TRIO OF SPARTANS EARN B1G PRESEASON PLAYERS TO WATCH ACCOLADES
• 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.
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.
BIG BATS RETURNING
• Michigan State returns its top five players in seven different offensive categories at the plate: batting average, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, runs, hits, home runs and RBI.
All five of the Spartans' top average hitters return in Mitch Jebb (.356), Casey Mayes (.306), Jack Frank (.294), Brock Vradenburg (.280), Bryan Broecker (.271).
MSU also returns its top five in slugging percentage in Frank (.527), Jebb (.511), Christian Williams (.470), Mayes (.468) and Vradenburg (.446).
The Green & White also has its top five in on-base percentage back in Jebb (.448), Trent Farquhar (.392), Frank (.376), Vradenburg (.363) and Broecker (.358).
In runs scored, MSU has tops five returns in Frank and Jebb (38), Farquhar (37), Broecker (31) and Mayes (29).
Jebb also tops the five Spartan returners in hits (78), followed by Mayes (68), Frank (59), Farquhar (56) and Broecker (48).
In home runs, Frank led the way (9), preceding Farquhar and Jebb (6), Vradenburg (5) and Mayes (4).
Additionally, Jebb topped the team in RBI (46), followed by Frank (34), Vradenburg and Farquhar (29) and Mayes (28).
ALMOST ALL ROUND-TRIPPERS RETURNING
• Along with the top five for home runs last year, Michigan State returns 92.3 percent of its home runs from 2022, returning 36 of the 39 home runs from a year ago.
BIG RETURNS ON MOUND
• Michigan State's pitching staff also has big returns, with 68.9 percent of its strikeout totals returning, led by its top three for punchouts, led by team-leader, right-hander Harrison Cook (50), along with southpaw Nick Powers (45) ... While the Spartans lost the number four and five spots on the team totals, they do have the number six spot back in righty Ryan Szczepaniak (35).
Additionally, the Spartan pitchers have the top three for batters struck out looking back in staff-leaders Cook and Carson (18), along with Powers (13).
The Green & White also has a majority of its starts and innings pitched returning, including four of the top five, led by numbers one and two in Cook (13), followed by Powers (11), along with fourth in Szczepaniak (8) and tied for fifth in Aidan Arbaugh (4) ... overall, the Spartans have 72.2 percent (39 of 54) of their starts returning.
For innings pitched, MSU has four of the top five back in number two Powers (58.2), followed by Cook (53.2), Rush (43.2) and Szczepaniak (42.1) ... overall, the Green & White pitchers have 66.6 percent (313.1 of 470.2 IP) of their inning pitched back in 2023.
UP NEXT
• Michigan State plays in the 2023 Crosstown Showdown, meeting the Lansing Lugnuts, the local low-A affiliate of the Oakland A's, in a seven-inning exhibition game on Tuesday, April 4 at 7 p.m.
MSU then hosts Bowling Green on Wednesday, April 5 in a 6:05 p.m. start, before welcoming Ohio State to McLane Stadium at Kobs Field for three-game B1G weekend series, Friday-Sunday April 7-9 ... the series against the Buckeyes opens on Friday at 6:05 p.m., before Saturday's middle game at 3:35 p.m. and the series finale at 1:05 p.m. on Sunday.
Michigan State's schedule is subject to change, stay tuned to MSUSpartans.com and @MSUBaseball on Twitter for schedule updates.
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