Friday, May 19
McLane Stadium at Kobs Field | East Lansing, Mich.
8 p.m.
Michigan State University
32-19, 12-11
7
vs
6
Indiana
39-16, 15-8
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Indiana
0
1
3
0
0
0
0
0
2
6
9
4
Michigan State
0
3
1
1
0
2
0
0
X
7
6
2
Photo by: Sarah Smith
Spartans Clinch B1G Tournament Berth With 7-6 Victory For MSU Friday
5/19/2023 11:59:00 PM | Baseball
Michigan State is Omaha bound for first time since 2018.
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- For the first time since 2018, Michigan State baseball is headed to the Big Ten Tournament as the Spartans clinched a berth with a 7-6 Victory for MSU Friday night at McLane Stadium at Kobs Field.
For the second time in as many nights, a nationally televised audience watching on Big Ten Network and the fans in attendance were treated to a late-night thriller of a baseball game.
"I'm really proud of our guys and a great effort tonight. It was a probably a fun game to watch, back and forth, really the whole way out," MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr. said.
The Spartans improved to 32-19 overall and 12-11 in B1G action with the win, clinching a spot in the top eight in the standings and a berth in the 41st Big Ten Conference Baseball Tournament that will be held Tuesday-Sunday, May 23-28, at Charles Schwab Field Omaha (formerly TD Ameritrade Park) in Omaha, Neb., site of the NCAA Men's College World Series.
It is MSU's first berth in the B1G Tournament since 2018, and no Spartan player on the roster has played in the conference tourney.
"Our guys earned their spot in the tournament. I'm proud of them. I'm excited for them, excited that they get a chance to experience it," Boss said. "We haven't been there in a couple of years now, so it's good to be back. I'm excited to see what they can do, not only tomorrow against a really good Indiana team, but next week in Omaha."
Indiana slides to 39-16 overall and 15-8 in B1G play with the loss, its second in a row after an eight-game win streak was snapped in Thursday night's 8-6 Spartan win, as MSU won the series with IU to become the first home team to win a series in the last six series meetings, as Indiana was the last home team to win a series, sweeping the 2014 meeting.
The Spartans and Hoosiers went back-and-forth in the early innings, and the score was knotted at 4-all after three frames, before MSU pulled away with a run in the fourth and two in the sixth for a 7-4 lead, and held off a late IU rally with two runs in the ninth and had the bases loaded when on the final out, a lineout to junior outfielder Greg Ziegler in center.
That prompted a jubilant Spartan celebration at midfield for posting MSU's eighth trip to the B1G Tournament in the 15th year under Coach Boss.
"I think the goal here, when we recruit guys and when we got the job, is to try to give our guys a chance to create memories and create experiences that they're going to remember for a lifetime," Boss said. "Playing in Omaha, playing in the Big Ten tournament is one of those. Beating a team like Indiana, who's unbelievably talented, it's something that these guys are going to remember for a long time."
MSU and Indiana combined for six total errors, with four by the Hoosiers and two by the Spartans, and also combined to leave 18 runners on base with 10 by IU and eight by MSU.
"I didn't think we played very well early and missed some opportunities, made some mistakes, both on the field and base-running and things like that," Boss said. "Harrison Cook was just really good for us tonight. He calmed the waters a little bit and gave us a chance to kind of get back into it."
Sophomore reliever Harrison Cook came on in the third inning and got the Spartans out of a bases-loaded jam and went on to pitch 6.0 IP, scattering four hits while not allowing a run with two walks and ringing up four strikeouts. Cook earned the win to improve to 5-3 on the season.
Senior Wyatt Rush, who closed out Thursday night's Victory for MSU, came on in the ninth, and after yielding a two-out bases-loaded walk and a throwing error to put two runs on the board and get the Hoosiers with a run, induced the lineout to Ziegler to secure the save. It was not only Rush's second save in as many nights, but was his 10th of the season, becoming just the fourth Spartan reliever with double-digit saves in a season, and moving up to No. 4 on MSU's single-season saves list. Rush posted his 12th career save, moving up to tie for No. 5 on the Spartans career saves list.
"I'm proud of them," Boss said "Indiana's really good. We know they're going to give us a great effort again tomorrow, and we'll be ready to play. But, right now we're going to enjoy this one."
The Spartans and Hoosiers wrap up their series on Saturday in a 3:02 p.m. ET start time.
Friday night's action saw MSU score its seven runs on just six hits, including scoring three runs in the second inning without a hit, taking advantage of three Hoosier errors. Indiana scored its six runs on nine hits.
Five different Spartans had a hit, while six different players scored a run. Junior infielder Trent Farquhar was MSU's lone multi-hit collector, going 2-for-5 with an RBI, while playing spectacular defense at second base, making several highlight plays on the night and was part of two double plays.
Senior outfielder Casey Mayes was 1-for-2 with two runs and an RBI, while junior outfielder Jack Frank was 1-for-5 with two ribbies. Both Mayes and Frank swiped one stolen base apiece.
The redshirt-sophomore duo of catcher Bryan Broecker and designated hitter Sam Busch were both 1-for-4 and each scored a run, with Busch driving one run in. Junior infielders Brock Vradenburg, Mitch Jebb and Dillon Kark all scored a run apiece, while Ziegler had an RBI on a sac fly and added two sac bunts.
Just like in Thursday night's series opener, Indiana scored first Friday night, and also doing so in the second stanza, this time only scoring one run in the frame after plating a pair Thursday night. The Hoosiers loaded the bases with no outs, but Higgins got out of the jam with limited damage on a sacrifice fly for the lone run, inducing a flyout and fielder's choice to end the threat and keep it just 1-0.
MSU took a 3-1 lead in the home half of the second stanza, plating three runs without a hit, capitalizing on three Indiana errors.
However, as quickly as the Spartans took the lead, the Hoosiers regained the upper hand on the scoreboard, plating three in the third. IU again loaded the bases without an out, which chased Higgins and MSU brought on Cook. After a sac fly, Indiana knocked an RBI single and a fielder's choice for three runs on three hits, but Cook got out of the jam by ringing up a strikeout to leave the bases loaded, keeping MSU's deficit at 4-3.
The Spartans tied it up with a run in the bottom of the third on Busch's RBI single to right, driving in Farquhar who started the frame off with a single.
Farquhar again figured into the scoring the next inning, as Mayes led off with a bunt single and moved to second on a Ziegler sac bunt. Two batters later, Farquhar skipped a triple to the gap in right center for his first three-bagger of the season to drive Mayes in and put MSU on top, 5-4.
The Spartans extended their lead in the sixth on a two-run single by Frank, his fourth and fifth RBI of the two games. Kark sparked the rally by getting hit by a pitch to lead off the inning and Mayes followed with a walk, preceding Ziegler's second sac bunt of the night. That brought Frank to bat and he knocked a single to center to plate Kark and Mayes and gave the Green & White a 7-4 advantage.
Just like they did Thursday night, the Hoosiers didn't go down without a fight, rallying in the ninth with two runs, before Rush put the brakes on the rally to secure the Omaha-clinching Victory for MSU.
The series and regular-season finale is on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET.
Saturday is Spartan Senior Day Celebration, presented by Health Alliance Plan (HAP) and MSU will be honoring seven seniors in a pregame ceremony: players Andrew Carson, Zach Hopman, John Malcom, Brian Martin, Casey Mayes and Wyatt Rush, along with student manager Josh Wolf. The ceremony is slated to start at 2:30 p.m.
Fans can purchase tickets for all upcoming Spartan baseball games at https://sprtns.co/MSUBSBTix.
Michigan State's schedule is subject to change, stay tuned to MSUSpartans.com and @MSUBaseball on Twitter for schedule updates.
For the second time in as many nights, a nationally televised audience watching on Big Ten Network and the fans in attendance were treated to a late-night thriller of a baseball game.
"I'm really proud of our guys and a great effort tonight. It was a probably a fun game to watch, back and forth, really the whole way out," MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr. said.
The Spartans improved to 32-19 overall and 12-11 in B1G action with the win, clinching a spot in the top eight in the standings and a berth in the 41st Big Ten Conference Baseball Tournament that will be held Tuesday-Sunday, May 23-28, at Charles Schwab Field Omaha (formerly TD Ameritrade Park) in Omaha, Neb., site of the NCAA Men's College World Series.
It is MSU's first berth in the B1G Tournament since 2018, and no Spartan player on the roster has played in the conference tourney.
"Our guys earned their spot in the tournament. I'm proud of them. I'm excited for them, excited that they get a chance to experience it," Boss said. "We haven't been there in a couple of years now, so it's good to be back. I'm excited to see what they can do, not only tomorrow against a really good Indiana team, but next week in Omaha."
Indiana slides to 39-16 overall and 15-8 in B1G play with the loss, its second in a row after an eight-game win streak was snapped in Thursday night's 8-6 Spartan win, as MSU won the series with IU to become the first home team to win a series in the last six series meetings, as Indiana was the last home team to win a series, sweeping the 2014 meeting.
The Spartans and Hoosiers went back-and-forth in the early innings, and the score was knotted at 4-all after three frames, before MSU pulled away with a run in the fourth and two in the sixth for a 7-4 lead, and held off a late IU rally with two runs in the ninth and had the bases loaded when on the final out, a lineout to junior outfielder Greg Ziegler in center.
That prompted a jubilant Spartan celebration at midfield for posting MSU's eighth trip to the B1G Tournament in the 15th year under Coach Boss.
"I think the goal here, when we recruit guys and when we got the job, is to try to give our guys a chance to create memories and create experiences that they're going to remember for a lifetime," Boss said. "Playing in Omaha, playing in the Big Ten tournament is one of those. Beating a team like Indiana, who's unbelievably talented, it's something that these guys are going to remember for a long time."
MSU and Indiana combined for six total errors, with four by the Hoosiers and two by the Spartans, and also combined to leave 18 runners on base with 10 by IU and eight by MSU.
"I didn't think we played very well early and missed some opportunities, made some mistakes, both on the field and base-running and things like that," Boss said. "Harrison Cook was just really good for us tonight. He calmed the waters a little bit and gave us a chance to kind of get back into it."
Sophomore reliever Harrison Cook came on in the third inning and got the Spartans out of a bases-loaded jam and went on to pitch 6.0 IP, scattering four hits while not allowing a run with two walks and ringing up four strikeouts. Cook earned the win to improve to 5-3 on the season.
Senior Wyatt Rush, who closed out Thursday night's Victory for MSU, came on in the ninth, and after yielding a two-out bases-loaded walk and a throwing error to put two runs on the board and get the Hoosiers with a run, induced the lineout to Ziegler to secure the save. It was not only Rush's second save in as many nights, but was his 10th of the season, becoming just the fourth Spartan reliever with double-digit saves in a season, and moving up to No. 4 on MSU's single-season saves list. Rush posted his 12th career save, moving up to tie for No. 5 on the Spartans career saves list.
"I'm proud of them," Boss said "Indiana's really good. We know they're going to give us a great effort again tomorrow, and we'll be ready to play. But, right now we're going to enjoy this one."
The Spartans and Hoosiers wrap up their series on Saturday in a 3:02 p.m. ET start time.
Friday night's action saw MSU score its seven runs on just six hits, including scoring three runs in the second inning without a hit, taking advantage of three Hoosier errors. Indiana scored its six runs on nine hits.
Five different Spartans had a hit, while six different players scored a run. Junior infielder Trent Farquhar was MSU's lone multi-hit collector, going 2-for-5 with an RBI, while playing spectacular defense at second base, making several highlight plays on the night and was part of two double plays.
Senior outfielder Casey Mayes was 1-for-2 with two runs and an RBI, while junior outfielder Jack Frank was 1-for-5 with two ribbies. Both Mayes and Frank swiped one stolen base apiece.
The redshirt-sophomore duo of catcher Bryan Broecker and designated hitter Sam Busch were both 1-for-4 and each scored a run, with Busch driving one run in. Junior infielders Brock Vradenburg, Mitch Jebb and Dillon Kark all scored a run apiece, while Ziegler had an RBI on a sac fly and added two sac bunts.
Just like in Thursday night's series opener, Indiana scored first Friday night, and also doing so in the second stanza, this time only scoring one run in the frame after plating a pair Thursday night. The Hoosiers loaded the bases with no outs, but Higgins got out of the jam with limited damage on a sacrifice fly for the lone run, inducing a flyout and fielder's choice to end the threat and keep it just 1-0.
MSU took a 3-1 lead in the home half of the second stanza, plating three runs without a hit, capitalizing on three Indiana errors.
However, as quickly as the Spartans took the lead, the Hoosiers regained the upper hand on the scoreboard, plating three in the third. IU again loaded the bases without an out, which chased Higgins and MSU brought on Cook. After a sac fly, Indiana knocked an RBI single and a fielder's choice for three runs on three hits, but Cook got out of the jam by ringing up a strikeout to leave the bases loaded, keeping MSU's deficit at 4-3.
The Spartans tied it up with a run in the bottom of the third on Busch's RBI single to right, driving in Farquhar who started the frame off with a single.
Farquhar again figured into the scoring the next inning, as Mayes led off with a bunt single and moved to second on a Ziegler sac bunt. Two batters later, Farquhar skipped a triple to the gap in right center for his first three-bagger of the season to drive Mayes in and put MSU on top, 5-4.
The Spartans extended their lead in the sixth on a two-run single by Frank, his fourth and fifth RBI of the two games. Kark sparked the rally by getting hit by a pitch to lead off the inning and Mayes followed with a walk, preceding Ziegler's second sac bunt of the night. That brought Frank to bat and he knocked a single to center to plate Kark and Mayes and gave the Green & White a 7-4 advantage.
Just like they did Thursday night, the Hoosiers didn't go down without a fight, rallying in the ninth with two runs, before Rush put the brakes on the rally to secure the Omaha-clinching Victory for MSU.
The series and regular-season finale is on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET.
Saturday is Spartan Senior Day Celebration, presented by Health Alliance Plan (HAP) and MSU will be honoring seven seniors in a pregame ceremony: players Andrew Carson, Zach Hopman, John Malcom, Brian Martin, Casey Mayes and Wyatt Rush, along with student manager Josh Wolf. The ceremony is slated to start at 2:30 p.m.
Fans can purchase tickets for all upcoming Spartan baseball games at https://sprtns.co/MSUBSBTix.
Michigan State's schedule is subject to change, stay tuned to MSUSpartans.com and @MSUBaseball on Twitter for schedule updates.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Cook, Harrison (5-3)
L: Risedorph, Brayden (2-1)
S: Rush, Wyatt (10)
Batting:
2B: Cerny, Tyler 1
RBI: Tibbitts, Brock 1 ; Mathison, Carter 2 ; Jessee, Hunter 1
SF: Tibbitts, Brock 1 ; Jessee, Hunter 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Glasser, Phillip 2 ; Whalen, Bobby 2 ; Taylor, Devin 1 ; Tibbitts, Brock 1
CS: Whalen, Bobby 1
HBP: Cerny, Tyler 1
Batting:
3B: Farquhar, Trent 1
RBI: Frank, Jack 2 ; Farquhar, Trent 1 ; Busch, Sam 1 ; Mayes, Casey 1 ; Ziegler, Greg 1
SH: Ziegler, Greg 2
SF: Ziegler, Greg 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Vradenburg, Brock 1 ; Jebb, Mitch 1 ; Broecker, Bryan 1 ; Busch, Sam 1 ; Kark, Dillon 1 ; Mayes, Casey 2
SB: Frank, Jack 1 ; Mayes, Casey 1
HBP: Vradenburg, Brock 1 ; Jebb, Mitch 1 ; Kark, Dillon 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
5
R
0
H
2
RBI
1
AB
5
R
0
H
1
RBI
2
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
C
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ BaseballINF
/ BaseballOF
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
1B/OF
/ Baseball
OF/RHP
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
OF
/ BaseballPursuit to Greatness | Spartans All-Access
Monday, May 19
Jake Boss | Baseball Press Conference | April 17, 2025
Thursday, April 17
Jake Boss | Baseball Press Conference | Mar. 25 2025
Tuesday, March 25
Jake Boss | Baseball Press Conference | Mar. 11 2025
Tuesday, March 11