Friday, May 5
Illinois Field | Champaign, Ill.
7 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. CT
Michigan State University
at
Illinois
Photo by: MSU Baseball Social Squad
Spartans Travel To Illinois For Three-Game B1G Weekend Series With Illini
5/4/2023 4:24:00 PM | Baseball
MSU's first leg of back-to-back road B1G weekends
| MICHIGAN STATE (28-13, 10-5 B1G) at ILLINOIS (19-22, 8-10 B1G) | |
| Location | Illinois Field || Champaign, Ill. |
| Tickets | Free Admission |
| Weather | High/Low -- Fri: 78° / 52° | Sat: 79° / 63° | Sun: 88° / 62° |
| Game Notes | MICHIGAN STATE | ILLINOIS |
| Social Media |  @MSUbaseball |  MichiganStateBaseball  @msu_baseball |
| Television | None |
| Game 1 | Friday, May 5 - 7 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. CT |
| Probable Pitching Matchup | ILL: #42 R-JR RHP Riley Gowens (2-2, 5.47 ERA) MSU: #16 FR LHP Joseph Dzierwa (5-2, 4.89 ERA) |
| Coverage | Live Stats | Listen Live | Watch Live |
| Game 2 | Saturday, May 6 - 4 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. CT |
| Probable Pitching Matchup | ILL: #29 JR RHP Jack Wenninger (5-3, 4.25 ERA) MSU: #41 FR RHP Nolan Higgins (4-1, 4.93 ERA) |
| Coverage | Live Stats | Listen Live | Watch Live |
| Game 3 | Sunday, May 7 - 12 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. CT **Updated time Saturday night** |
| Probable Pitching Matchup | ILL: TBA (0-0, 0.00 ERA) MSU: #46 JR LHP Nick Powers (5-0, 3.92 ERA) |
| Coverage | Live Stats | Listen Live | Watch Live |
• After wrapping up Finals Week on campus, Michigan State hits the road with its five-game win streak in tow, traveling to Champaign, Illinois for a three-game Big Ten Conference weekend series at Illinois Friday-Sunday, May 5-7 at UI's Illinois Field ... the Spartans and Illini will open their series on Friday at 7 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. CT, before Saturday's series middle game at 4 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. CT and wrapping it up with the series finale on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. CT.
• This weekend's match-up features two-thirds of the Big Ten coaches who have 400+ wins leading their current B1G team with Illinois head coach Dan Hartleb, who has 526 wins guiding the Illini and MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr., who has 411 wins with the Spartans ... Minnesota head coach John Anderson is the dean of B1G coaches with 1,359 wins.
• MSU's schedule is subject to change, stay tuned to MSUSpartans.com and @MSUBaseball on Twitter for schedule updates.
• Fans can follow this weekend's action with "Watch Live," "Listen Live" and "Live Stats" links at MSUSpartans.com.
SPARTAN STRONG
It has been just shy of three months 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.
HITTIN' THE ROAD AFTER SUCCESSFUL HOMESTAND
• This weekend's road trip follows a four-game homestand at McLane Stadium at Kobs Field for MSU, after the Spartans went 4-0 during the week stint at home, hosting Notre Dame on Tuesday, April 25, winning 12-5; MSU then hosted Northwestern in a three-game B1G weekend series, which was shifted to three games in two days due to inclement weather postponing Friday's opener to Saturday for a doubleheader, MSU's seventh DH of the season including all four home weekends ... the Spartans swept the Wildcats for their first B1G sweep of the season, winning Saturday's twinbill 8-3 and 6-3, then completing the weekend sweep with a 9-2 Victory for MSU to run the Spartans' win streak to five in a row.
FIRST LEG OF BACK-TO-BACK ROAD TRIPS
• This weekend at Illinois is the first half of back-to-back road weekends for B1G three-game series for the Spartans, as they head to Iowa City next weekend for a three-game set with the Hawkeyes, Friday-Sunday, May 12-14.
THAT'S CALLED A WINNING STREAK... IT HAS HAPPENED BEFORE!
• The Spartans have won their last five games, and with a win Friday, would match their season-long win streak of six games, done twice this season, earlier winning six contests from March 10-22, before the April 8-15 win spurt ... while the Green & White also had a six-game win streak last year, MSU is going for its longest win streak since an eight-game win streak in 2016 (March 5-18), and the Spartans also had an eight-game win streak in both 2013 and 2012, while having an 11-game win streak in 2010.
SPARTANS IN NATIONAL RANKINGS
Michigan State is No. 64 in D1Baseball.com's RPI rankings and No. 65 in NCAA.com's RPI rankings ... MSU's RPI is boosted by being the only team to be Indiana State at home, as the Sycamores are No. 10 in both D1Baseball.com and NCAA.com's RPI rankings.
WINNING LIKE ITS 2016
• Michigan State won its 20th game of the season on April 12, with an 8-3 win over Oakland, reaching 20 wins the fastest since 2016, when MSU was 20-5 after a win on April 8 ... MSU's 25 wins on April 25 are its most wins at that point of the season since 2016, when MSU was 27-10 ... the Spartans' current 28-13 (.683) record is also their most wins and best winning percentage through 41 games since 2016's 30-11 (.732) mark.
SPARTAN WINNING WAYS
• Michigan State has won five in a row, the Spartans' fourth winning streak of at least five games ... MSU has gone 7-3 in its last 10 games, winning 11 of the last 14 and 23 of the last 29, going 23-6 since March 8 when MSU slid to 5-7 ... The Spartans' 28 wins this season already topped last season's 24 wins and is their most since winning 29 in 2017 and with the current 28-13 record, MSU's .683 winning percentage is the highest in program history since 1972 when the Spartans had a .731 winning percentage and a 28-10-1 record.
BIG B1G BEGINNING TO LEAGUE PLAY
• Michigan State has opened Big Ten action with a 10-5 record, the best start to conference action since 2016 when MSU also was 10-5 ... the Spartans won three-straight series in as many weekends to open B1G play, after only winning one conference series in 2022, and also marking the first time since 2016 that MSU has won its first three series of league play, before dropping the series at Michigan last weekend ... Michigan State has won 10 conference games already, topping last year's B1G win total, as MSU was 8-16 in conference competition last year ... the Spartans' 10 B1G wins is also the their first double-digit league win total since 2021 when MSU won 17 in the B1G-only season due to COVID ... the 10 B1G wins is the first time in double-digit league wins in a non-COVID impacted schedule since 2018, when MSU was 11-12 in B1G action ... three wins this weekend at Illinois would give the Spartans 13 B1G wins, the most since 2016.
ONE OF HOTTEST TEAMS IN B1G
Michigan State's 7-3 record in the last 10 is among the best in the B1G in the last 10, behind Maryland going 9-1 and Iowa going 8-2, while matching Indiana and Rutgers at 7-3 in the last 10.
MSU VS. ILLINOIS TEAMS
• This weekend's games are the second-straight weekend against teams from the state of Illinois, as part of games seven, eight and nine total scheduled games for the Spartans, including the last six in a row, after sweeping Northwestern in a three-game B1G series last weekend, April 29-30 ... Michigan State hosted Western Illinois in a three-game non-conference series April 14-15, sweeping the three-game, two-day series ... overall, MSU is 6-0 so far against teams from Illinois, sweeping Western Illinois and Northwestern in the three games series.
SPARTANS FROM THE LAND OF LINCOLN
• Michigan State has six players from the state of Illinois: sophomore catcher Bryan Broecker (Chicago/Notre Dame College Prep); junior pitcher Noah Matheny (Peoria/Galesburg HS/SIU Edwardsville); junior outfielder Greg Ziegler (Joliet/Joliet Catholic HS/Johnson County CC); freshman infielder Randy Seymour (Frankfort/Lincoln-Way HS); freshman pitcher Gavin Sitarz (St. Charles/St. Charles East HS); freshman pitcher Michael Addari (Libertyville/Libertyville).
HOME STATERS
• The Spartans have 19 players on its 2023 roster from the state of Michigan, while the Illini have 31 Illinois natives ... Michigan State has the six aforementioned players from Illinois on its roster, while Illinois has one Michigander on its roster, freshman pitcher Gabe Helder (Lowell, Mich./NorthPointe Christian).
DOUBLE DIP SUCCESS
• Last weekend's doubleheader against Northwestern was MSU's seventh twinbill this season, including all four home weekend series, in addition to a stretch of the fifth in the last seven weekends ... with the sweep over Northwestern last weekend, the Spartans are now 12-2 in their seven doubleheaders, winning the last five games after the loss in the first game vs. OSU on April 8 snapped a six-game win streak in double-dips, as MSU had swept its three previous doubleheaders.
A LOOK BACK AT LAST WEEKEND
• Michigan State swept Northwestern for its first three-game B1G series sweep of the season and was nearly a year to the date of the Spartans' last league sweep, taking three from Minnesota, April 29-May 1 last season.
A breakdown of last weekend:
• MSU's bullpen yielded 0 runs in 7.1 IP, allowing only five hits.
• Spartan pitchers also allowed only eight runs in the three games, a season-low for a three-game series, as well as a .194 BAA, also a season-low for a three-game series ... MSU's pitchers also posted a 2.67 ERA and eight walks, both the second-lowest overall and the lowest for a B1G series.
• The Spartans scored first in all three games, improving to 16-4 when scoring first.
• MSU scored in the first inning in two of the three games, moving to 11-5 when scoring in the first inning.
• Michigan State out-hit Northwestern, 31-18, for the weekend, out-hitting NU in all three games, with nine, eight and 14 hits.
• The Spartans scored 6+ runs in each game, with eight, six and nine runs, improving to 26-2 when scoring six or more runs in a game, winning the last 21 games when doing so.
INDIANA STATE COMMON FOE
• Michigan State and Illinois have four common opponents, including Indiana State, as MSU swept a doubleheader in Terre Haute on March 19 in a weather-shortened three-game series becoming a doubleheader, and MSU swept the twinbill, 8-2 and 10-7 ... meanwhile, Illinois' most recent game was at Indiana State on Tuesday night, losing 5-4 in 13 innings on a walk-off home run ... Illinois scored a run in the top of the ninth to tie it up at 2-2, and the Illini scored two in the top of the 10th, but the Sycamores scored two in the bottom to extend extras, until the 13th with a walk-off home run ended it ... Tuesday was the second meeting this season between Illinois and Indiana State, as ISU won the first meeting of the year, also in extras, 7-3 in 10 innings on March 15 in Champaign.
OTHER COMMON OPPONENTS
Illinois and Michigan State also have three other common opponents, all three B1G foes:
--Michigan - MSU went 1-2 at UM (April 21-23) / ILL was 1-2 hosting UM (March 31-April 2)
--Ohio State - MSU was 2-1 vs. OSU (April 7-8) / ILL went 1-2 at OSU (April 28-30)
--Northwestern - MSU went 3-0 vs NU (April 29-30) / ILL was 1-2 at NU (April 7-9)
ABOUT ILLINOIS
• The Illini are 19-22 overall and 8-10 in B1G action ... Illinois has lost four of its last five games overall after winning the previous three ... before Tuesday's 5-4 13-inning loss at Indiana State, Illinois was dropped in a three-game series at Ohio State, losing two games to one, falling in the opener, 10-2 on April 28, then bouncing back to blank the Buckeyes, 7-0 on Saturday, before losing the rubber match, 15-9, on Sunday.
Illinois is hitting .266 as a team, averaging 9.2 hits and 6.7 runs per game ... pitching-wise, the Illini has a staff ERA of 5.91, averaging 8.6 strikeouts per game and limiting the opposition to .278.
Sophomore infielder Ryan Moerman leads Illinois in average (.314), RBI (39), total bases (88) and slugging percentage (.553) while ranking second on the team with 10 HR and 50 hits ... junior infielder Drake Westcott and redshrit-junior catcher Jacob Schroeder share the team HR lead for the Illini with 12 HR apiece.
The series opener probable starter is redshirt-junior right-hander Riley Gowens, who has a 2-2 record with a 5.47 ERA, in 10 starts, ringing up 66 strikeouts to just 13 walks (5.08 strikeout-walk ratio) in 54.1 IP with a .269 BAA.
Game two's probable starter is junior righty Jack Wenninger, the reigning Dick Howser Trophy National Co-Pitcher of the Week and was also the Big Ten Co-Pitcher of the Week, joined by MSU junior Harrison Cook ... Wenninger tossed a complete-game, one-hit, shutout at Ohio State on Saturday, striking out seven and not issuing any walks ... he retired the first six batters he faced before yielding the only baserunner to get on in the third on a hit, but then Wenninger set down the next 21 batters to post the 7-0 shutout victory ... On the season, Wenninger has a 5-3 record with a 4.25 ERA with 63 Ks and 19 BB (3.32 strikeout-walk ratio) in 59.1 IP, holding the opposition to a .204 BAA.
Sunday's series finale's probable starter is TBA ... senior righty TJ Constertina and redshirt-junior right-hander Joseph Glassy lead the back end of the Illini staff with three saves apiece, while redshirt-junior lefty Alex Vera has two saves.
Illinois head coach Dan Hartleb is in his 18th season leading the Illini, with a 526-393-1 ledger.
COOK NAMED BIG TEN CO-PITCHER OF THE WEEK
• Michigan State baseball's Harrison Cook has been named the Big Ten Conference Co-Pitcher of the Week, announced by the conference office Monday afternoon.
Cook, a junior from Solon, Iowa registered his first collegiate save as part of 7.1 IP in two appearances without a run and only three hits, last week, in helping MSU win both games he appeared in.
He started the week going 4.1 IP in a relief appearance on Tuesday night against Notre Dame, coming on in the first inning after the Irish jumped out to a 3-0 lead on just two hits and taking advantage of one MSU error, chasing the Spartans' starter. Cook came on and closed the door on the ND rally, getting a lineout to third to end the frame with the bases loaded, but MSU trailing 3-0. Cook worked a three-up, three-down inning in the second and third frames, only yielding one extra batter in the fourth, then after yielding a single, induced a double play by final batter faced.
In game one of Saturday's doubleheader in the 8-3 Victory for MSU over Northwestern, Cook pitched the final 3.0 IP with one hit, no runs, two BB and one K to earn his first save of his collegiate career.
This is Cook's first B1G weekly award of his career.
B1G AWARD SUCCESS
• After earning only two B1G weekly awards last season, Michigan State now has five so far this season after Harrison Cook's honor this week, the most since 2013 when MSU collected six weekly award honors.
Cook is the second Spartan to earn Pitcher of the Week honors this season, as sophomore teammate Dominic Pianto was also named Co-Pitcher of the Week on Feb. 21 for the opening week of the season. Freshman pitcher Joseph Dzierwa was also the Freshman of the Week on April 10, while junior infielder Brock Vradenburg (Feb. 21) and junior outfielder Jack Frank (April 17) have earned B1G Player of the Week accolades.
RUSH NAMED TO NCBWA STOPPER OF THE YEAR MIDSEASON WATCH LIST
• Michigan State baseball senior reliever Wyatt Rush has been named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Stopper of the Year Midseason Watch List, announced by the NCBWA on April 27.
Rush is the lone player from the Big Ten Conference on the 56-player list for the 18th annual NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award.
A native of Grand Ledge, Mich., Rush currently has seven saves, which leads the Big Ten and ranks tied for 21st in the NCAA.
Rush currently leads MSU with 18 relief appearances, ranking seventh in the B1G. He also tops the staff with a 2.70 ERA and a 3-0 record. The Spartan closer has 30 strikeouts to just five walks for a 6.00 strikeout-walk ratio, which would lead the B1G and rank tied for 23rd in the NCAA, but just misses the NCAA minimum requirement.
In his last three outings, Rush has not allowed a run, his second scoreless streak of three or more games, with a season-long six-game streak (March 11-31). Overall, Rush has not yielded a run in 12 of his 19 total appearances. Additionally, Rush has not allowed a hit in seven appearances.
Rush posted just two saves in 21 appearances in all of 2022 as part of only two total saves in 38 previous appearances through his first three years on the Spartan staff. He registered five saves in eight appearances in March of 2023 season alone, and now with seven saves on the year, has cracked MSU's single-season top 10 list, currently tied for No. 10.
Now with nine career saves, Rush has also moved into MSU's career top 10 saves list, joining former teammate Indigo Diaz as part of a seven-way tie for the No. 10 spot. Diaz is currently in the NY Yankees minor league program and pitched for Team Canada in the World Baseball Classic.
NO STEALS FOR YOU
• Individually, sophomore catcher Bryan Broecker leads the B1G with 14 caught stealing by, five more than the No. 2 spot in the league, Luke Shliger of Maryland with nine.
SPARTAN HOME RUNS AND RUNS GALORE
• Michigan State has hit multiple home runs in 11 games this season, including in six of the last 12 games, after knocking three homers in the 14-2 Spartan victory at Michigan on April 23, MSU's largest win over UM since 1969.
• The Spartans' three home runs on April 23 plus the three in the Northwestern series, give them 45 HR for the 2023 season through 41 games, surpassing last year's 39 homers ... the 45 round-trippers this season is MSU's most since bashing 47 in the 2017 season, and have also cracked the single-season Top 10 for the team records, tied for the No. 10 spot with 45 in 2015 and 1993.
• 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 bashed four home runs twice in a span of three games, doing so in the win at Notre Dame on April 11, including what proved to be the game-winner from junior infielder Brock Vradenburg in the top of the 11th, and again three days later with four against Western Illinois on April 14 in the rally from down 8-3 for the 10-9 win ... the four home runs at Notre Dame and vs. Western Illinois marked MSU's sixth and seventh games this season with multiple home runs, before adding two homers in each of the DH games on April 15.
• Prior to the four homers vs. Western Illinois, the previous four marks were all away from home ... the Spartans had a season-high five at Charleston Southern (March 4), four at Notre Dame (April 11), and three at Presbyterian (Feb. 26), vs. Wofford (March 8) in a neutral site game, and at Western Michigan (March 28), adding two at Rutgers on April 2, before the four round-trippers vs. Western Illinois (April 14)
• Junior infielder Brock Vradenburg has taken over the team lead for not just this season, but also all active Spartans, as he now has 12 home runs this season and 17 for his MSU career ... last weekend Vradenburg entered last weekend with a team-leading 10 HR, yet none of them were at home, but he changed that in dramatic fashion with two HR in game two of Saturday's twinbill, with a solo homer in the first inning and a three-run blast into the Red Cedar River in the sixth ... with the two HRs over the weekend, Vradenburg overtook teammate Jack Frank for the active Spartan list, passing Frank's 16 career HR ... Vradenburg leads the team this season in two-run HR (4) and three-run HR (5), while ranked tied for second in solo homer (3) ... among the active Spartans, Vradenburg tops the team in two-run blasts (6) and three-run homers (5), while ranking tied for the team-lead in grand slams (1) and tied for second in solos (5)... Vradenburg hit two HRs in a game in a span of twice in four games, doing so at Michigan on April 23 and vs. Northwestern on April 29 ... Vradenburg's 12 HR make him the first Spartan with double-digit homers since Ryan Krill with 13 round-trippers in 2015.
• Junior outfielder Jack Frank is now second among all active Spartans with 16 career home runs, including 10 career solo home runs ... twice Frank has been the second half of back-to-back home runs with teammates, first doing so at Western Michigan on March 28 with teammate Sam Busch, smacking a solo shot after Busch blasted a two-run HR, then doing so again vs. Western Illinois in the second inning of the second game of the DH on April 15, following Bryan Broecker's solo homer with #FrankJack into the Red Cedar River over and beyond the right field wall ... Frank also had a solo homer in the first game of the Western Illinois DH for a two-HR day ... Frank had 11 home runs of the solo or two-run variety before the first three-run round-tripper of his career on March 4 at Charleston Southern.
• Sophomore catcher Bryan Broecker leap-frogged his way up the HR team list in one week, blasting four in a span of four games from April 11-15, going from three HR to second on the team list with seven homers ... Broecker belted a solo homer at Notre Dame on April 11, before his first collegiate two-HR outing vs. Western Illinois on April 14, with a two-run homers in the fourth frame and a solo blast in the sixth, helping MSU rally from down 8-3 going into the bottom of the sixth for the 10-9 win ... Broecker finished off the four-HR week with a solo homer vs. WIU on April 15 in the second inning, the first half of a back-to-back with teammate Jack Frank.
• 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 ... Kark added a two-run round-tripper vs. Ohio State on April 8 and adding a home run on April 30 in the win over Northwestern, part of his three extra-base hit day adding a pair of triples ... the Spartan third baseman now has five HR this season and eight for his career.
• Redshirt-sophomore designated hitter and East Lansing native Sam Busch bashed a two-run home run in the fourth inning of game two against Purdue on March 26, 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 bashed a round-tripper vs. Notre Dame on April 25, knocking a three-run home run down the right field line and into the Red Cedar River, for his sixth homer of the season, including third into the Red Cedar River ... it was also Busch's first career three-run homer.
• 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 on March 28 ... Thompson is the eighth different Spartan with a round-tripper this season ... Thompson added a solo homer vs. Western Illinois on April 15.
• Junior outfielder Greg Ziegler cracked the first HR of his Spartan career in the Spartan win at Notre Dame on April 11 ... Ziegler added a solo homer to lead off seventh stanza vs. Western Illinois on April 14 and another at Michigan on April 23 for three HR in the last nine games.
• Junior infielder Trent Farquhar knocked his first HR of the season and the eighth of his Spartan career, leading off the top of the eighth at Notre Dame on April 11.
• With Ziegler and Farquhar's first HRs of the season, a total of 10 different Spartans now have at least one HR this season, as MSU has 45 total home runs.
DOUBLE-DIGITS IN HITS AND RUNS AND HIIIIIIITTTS AND RUUUUUNNNNNSSSS COLUMNS
• MSU has posted double-digit runs in 13 games this season, having a season-long streak of three games in a row halted with single-digit runs in the loss to Purdue Fort Wayne on April 19 ... two of the Spartans' top four runs totals have come against Michigan in either a neutral or away contest.
•Michigan State is 12-0 when scoring double-digit runs.
Double Digit Runs In Order Of Occurrence:
--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 of DH on March 26
--10 runs at Rutgers on April 1
--16 runs vs. Ohio State in G2 of DH on April 8
--10, 12 and 11 runs vs. Western Illinois in three-game series April 14-15
--14 runs at Michigan on April 23
--12 runs vs. Notre Dame on April 25
Double Digit Runs By Total
--Season-high 19 runs at Charleston Southern on March 4
--16 runs vs. Ohio State in G2 of DH on April 8
--15 runs vs. Michigan on Feb. 17 in season-opener
--14 runs at Michigan on April 23
--13 runs at USC Upstate on Feb. 24
--12 runs vs. Purdue in G2 of DH on March 26
--12 runs vs. Notre Dame on April 25
--10, 12 and 11 runs vs. Western Illinois in three-game series April 14-15
--10 runs vs. Kansas on March 11
--10 runs at Indiana State in G2 of DH on March 19
--10 runs at Rutgers on April 1
• The Spartans had a streak of double-digits hits halted at seven-straight games with only seven hits in the game vs. Western Michigan on March 22 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 March 28, before coming up one hit shy in each of the three contests at Rutgers March 31-April 2 ... after five games with single-digit hits, the Spartans got back to their double-figure hit ways and are currently on a six-game streak with double-digits in the hit column with 16 vs. Ohio State in G2 of the DH on April 8, 14 at Notre Dame on April 11, 10 vs. Oakland a day later, then 10, 12 and 14 hits in the three games vs. Western Illinois April 14-15 ... overall, MSU has had 10+ hits a total of 25 total times in the 41 games this season (61 percent).
Spartans' Double Digit Hits Log:
--Season-high 19 hits at Charleston Southern on March 4
--18 hits vs. Michigan on Feb. 17
--16 hits vs. Ohio State in G2 of DH on April 8
--15 hits (four times): vs. Fresno State on Feb. 19; at Grand Canyon on Feb. 20; vs. Wofford on March 8; at Michigan on April 23
--14 hits (five times): both games of DH at Indiana State on March 19; at Notre Dame on April 11; vs. Western Illinois on April 15; vs. Northwestern on April 30
--13 hits vs. Purdue in G2 of DH on March 26
--12 hits at USC Upstate on Feb. 24; vs. Western Illinois on April 15
--11 hits (five times): at Presbyterian on Feb. 26; vs. Air Force on March 6 and vs. Kansas on March 11; at Western Michigan on March 28; vs. Notre Dame on April 25
--10 hits (four times): vs. Western Carolina in both meetings on March 10 and March 11; vs Purdue in G1 of DH on March 26; vs. Oakland on April 12; vs. Western Illinois on April 14
--MSU is 20-3 when posting double-digit hits.
• Michigan State has posted both double-digit hits and runs in 12 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
--16 runs on 16 hits in G2 of DH vs. Ohio State on April 8
--10 runs on 10 hits vs. Western Illinois on April 14
--12 runs on 12 hits of G1 of DH vs. Western Illinois on April 15
--11 runs on 14 hits of G2 of DH vs. Western Illinois on April 15
--14 runs on 15 hits at Michigan on April 23
--12 runs on 11 hits vs. Notre Dame on April 25
--Michigan State is 12-0 when posting double-digit runs and double-digit hits in same game.
MSU TEAM NOTES
• Michigan State is hitting .313 as a team, which leads the Big Ten and ranks 16th in the NCAA ... the Spartans are also third in the league and 27th in the nation in on-base percentage (.414) ... MSU is also third in the conference and 42nd in the country in slugging percentage (.503).
• The Spartans are also fourth in the B1G and rank 59th in the NCAA in hits with 441.
• MSU tops the B1G and leads the NCAA in total triples (26), while also leading the league and the nation in triples per game (0.63).
• The Spartans are third in the B1G and 73rd in the country in stolen bases (62) and also third in the league and 65th in the nation in stolen bases per game (1.51).
• Michigan State ranks seventh in the conference in home runs (45) and fifth in HR per game (1.10), along with sixth in the league in total runs (316) and seventh in doubles (80).
• Michigan State is averaging 10.8 hits and 7.7 runs per game.
• MSU's pitching staff is third in the B1G in walks allowed per nine innings (4.24), while ranking sixth in strikeout-to-walk ratio (1.82) and 12th in strikeouts per nine innings (7.7).
SPARTAN PLAYER NOTES
• MSU's bats are led by their infield, as first baseman Brock Vradenburg tops the team with a .442 average, while second baseman/shortstop Trent Farquhar is second at .367 and junior shortstop Mitch Jebb is fifth at .327.
• Infielders also make up three of the top five leaders in runs scored in Vradenburg (1st-56) Farquhar (2nd-47) and Jebb (4th-33) ... Spartan infielders also have three of top five team marks for RBI, in Vradenburg (1st-56), back-up first baseman/DH Sam Busch (2nd-35) and Farquhar (T-5th-26) and junior third baseman Dillon Kark (T-5th-26) ... infielders also have three spots for total bases in Vradenburg (1st-134), Farquhar (2nd-79) and Jebb (T-4th-75).
• Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List member, junior first baseman Brock Vradenburg leads the B1G and ranks fifth in the NCAA in batting average (.442) ... Vradenburg also ranks tops in the B1G and fourth in the NCAA in hits per game (1.76), while also ranking tops in the conference and 14th in the country overall in hits (72) ... the Spartan first baseman also leads the B1G in on-base + slugging pct (OPS) at 1.350 ... Vradenburg also is first in the B1G and 14th in the NCAA in on-base percentage (.528), along with ranking second in the league and 10th in the nation in slugging percentage (.822), as well as tied for eighth in the conference in home runs (12) ... he also ranks second in the league and eighth in the nation in total bases (134) ... he is also second in the B1G and 27th in the NCAA in RBI (56), while ranking second in the league and 25th in the country in RBI/game (1.37) ... he also is second in the B1G and 22nd in the NCAA in runs (56), just ahead of teammate Trent Farquhar (47) ... Vradenburg is also second in the B1G and 23rd in the NCAA in doubles (18), along with second in the league and 24th in the nation in doubles per game (0.44) ... Vradenburg is also ninth in the B1G in toughest to strikeout (8.2 AB per K on just 20 Ks in 163 AB) ... he also is tied for third in the league and on the team in triples with four, ranking tied for 34th in the nation with teammate Casey Mayes (4), while trailing teammate Mitch Jebb (7), and just ahead of teammates Sam Busch and Dillon Kark (3).
• Junior second baseman Trent Farquhar is fifth in the B1G and 79th in the NCAA in doubles (15), along with fifth in the league and 94th in the nation in doubles per game (0.37) ... Farquhar also is seventh in the league in batting average (.367), and also seventh in the B1G in on-base percentage (.471) ... additionally, he ranks eighth in the conference in runs (47), just behind teammate Brock Vradenburg (56), and also ranking ninth in the league and 91st in the nation in runs per game (1.15) ... Farquhar is also sixth in the B1G in toughest to strikeout (8.7 AB per K), with just 19 strikeouts in 166 ABs ... the Spartan second baseman is also ninth in the conference in hits (61), while ranking sixth in the B1G and 90th in the NCAA in hits per game (1.49).
• Junior infielder Mitch Jebb leads the B1G and tied for third in the NCAA in triples with seven, ahead of teammates Brock Vradenburg/Casey Mayes (4), along with teammates Sam Busch and Dillon Kark (3), and Jacob Anderson (2) ... Jebb also leads the league and ranks second in the nation in triples per game (0.19) ... Jebb is also fifth in the B1G and 95th in the NCAA in toughest to strikeout (9.0 AB per K on 17 K in 153 AB) ... the Spartan shortstop is also tied for 11th in the league in stolen bases per game (0.33), with 12 swipes in 36 games played, ranking 11th in the B1G in total stolen bases (12).
• Senior outfielder Casey Mayes is tied with Vradenburg for second on the team and in the B1G in triples (4), while ranking tied for third in the league and tied for 58th in the nation in triples per game (0.10) ... Mayes also is 10th in the conference in stolen bases (13) and tied for 12th in stolen bases per game (0.32).
• Redshirt-sophomore designated hitter/infielder Sam Busch is sixth in the B1G in triples (3), while ranking tied for ninth in the league in triples per game (0.08) ... Busch is also 26th in the conference in slugging percentage (.538) and tied for 31st in the B1G in home runs (6).
• Behind the plate, Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year Award Watch List honoree sophomore catcher Bryan Broecker tops the B1G in caught stealing by (15), six more than the No. 2 spot ... at the plate, Broecker is also just outside the top 10 in the league in several offensive categories, including 18th in on-base percentage (.452), 14th in on-base + slugging pct (OPS) at 1.031, and 16th in slugging percentage (.579) ... the Spartan catcher is also tied for 22nd in the league in home runs (7).
• Junior outfielder Jack Frank is tied for sixth in the B1G in stolen bases (15) and fifth in stolen bases per game (0.37) ... Frank also is tied for 11th in the league in getting hit by a pitch (10) ... additionally, he is 20th in on-base percentage (.449), tied for 26th in hits (48), tied for 31st in RBI (34) and tied for 31st in home runs (6).
• Freshman pitcher Joseph Dzierwa and junior Nick Powers are tied for sixth in the B1G in wins with five.
• Powers is tied for seventh in the B1G in opposing batting average (.222)and eighth in the league in ERA (3.92).
• Dzierwa, who was the B1G Freshman of the Week on April 10, is also 11th in the B1G in walks allowed per nine innings (2.53), along with 12th in the conference in strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.88) and 12th in BAA (.256) ... he also is eighth in the league in innings pitched (57.0), and is 18th in the conference in strikeouts, leading the Spartan staff with 46.
• Senior pitcher Andrew Carson is also tied for 13th in the league in batters SO looking (15).
• Senior relief pitcher Wyatt Rush leads the B1G and ranks tied for 15th in the NCAA in saves (8).
MAKING A-MAYES-ING TRIPLES MARKS IN RECORD BOOK
Senior outfielder Casey Mayes knocked a triple in the April 25 game vs. Notre Dame, that was his 13th career three-bagger, moving him up to tie for No. 2 on MSU's career triples list, tying Steve Marod (1982-85), and just one three-bag hit shy of tying Mike Davidson (1985-88) for the school record with 14 triples.
Along with tying for No. 2 on the career list, Mayes also holds a share of the single-season triples record with seven three-baggers last season, as he not only led MSU, but was top in the Big Ten in triples in 2022.
JEBB TRIPLES WAY TO TYING SCHOOL RECORD
Junior infielder Mitch Jebb is also tripling his way into the Spartan record books, and tied Mayes for the school-record for single-season triples, now with seven, and is climbing up the MSU career triples list right behind Mayes.
Jebb knocked two triples in the first game of the DH vs. Northwestern on April 29, giving him seven for the season, tying Mayes and five other Spartans for the school record.
Jebb also now has 12 career triples, tying Dave Veres (1991-94) for the No. 4 spot on the Spartans' career triples list, just one behind Mayes and Steve Marod (1982-85) with 13 and behind the school-record holder Mike Davidson (1985-88) with 14.
RUSH SCORELESS STREAK
Senior relief pitcher Wyatt Rush has not allowed a run in his last four outings, his second streak of three or more games, with a season-long six-game streak (March 11-31) ... overall, Rush has not yielded a run in 13 of his 20 total appearances ... Rush also has not allowed a hit in eight appearances, including in three of the last four.
RUSH-ING UP RECORD LISTS
Senior relief pitcher Wyatt Rush currently has eight saves, which leads the Big Ten and ranks tied for 15th in the NCAA.
Rush posted just two saves in 21 appearances in all of 2022 as part of only two total saves in 38 previous appearances through his first three years on the Spartan staff ... Rush registered five saves in eight appearances in March of 2023 season alone, and now with seven saves on the year, has cracked MSU's single-season top 10 list … the five saves would've led the Big Ten in saves overall and the five saves in the month would lead the Big Ten overall on its own at that point of the season.
Now with eight saves this season, Rush has also moved up MSU's single-season top 10 saves list, passing former teammate Indigo Diaz as part of a seven-way tie for the No. 10 spot and now in a four-way tie for No. 7 ... Diaz is currently in the NY Yankees minor league program and pitched for Team Canada in the World Baseball Classic.
Rush also has 10 career saves, moving up to tied for No. 8 on MSU's career saves list, joining Chris Yens (1997-99) and Kurtis Frymier (2009-10).
BROECKER AND FRANK EARN WEEKLY AWARD RECOGNITION
• Michigan State baseball players Bryan Broecker and Jack Frank collected weekly award recognition on April 17 for their performances in MSU's 5-0 ledger in the week of action.
Broecker was tabbed to Collegiate Baseball's Players of the Week list, while Frank garnered Big Ten Conference Player of the Week accolades.
A sophomore catcher/third baseman from Chicago, Ill., Broecker picked up his first weekly award of the season by being named to the 11-player Collegiate Baseball's Players of the Week list. The accolade is his second national honor, accompanying being named to the Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year Award Watch List earlier this season.
Frank, a junior outfielder from Strongsville, Ohio, collected the first Big Ten award of his career.
Broecker posted a slash line of .467 / .556 / 1.267 and knocked four home runs on the week, including two in the comeback win on April 14 for his first career two-HR game, helping MSU rally from down 8-3 in sixth inning for a 10-9 win over Western Illinois.
He was also 4-for-4 with two RBI and three runs scored in second game of the DH on April 15, as the Spartans swept the twinbill and the weekend series over the Leathernecks, winning the doubleheader, 12-2 in seven innings and 11-1 in eight innings. The game included an hour and four-minute weather delay in the top of the eighth inning. The Spartan sophomore finished the weekend going 6-for-9 with half of his hits going for home runs, driving in five and scoring seven runs, drawing three walks. For the week, Broecker was 7-for-15 with six RBI and eight runs scored in playing in four of the five games.
Broecker played both catcher and third base last week, playing both in the Notre Dame game on Tuesday, while playing catcher in Friday's contest, and game two of the DH vs. Western Illinois on Saturday, including throwing out a potential base stealer, adding to his Big Ten lead for runners caught stealing, now at 14, six more than the No. 2 position.
Frank tallied a slash line of .588 / .682 / 1.118, logging 10 total hits in the five games, helping MSU go 5-0 as part of a six-game winning streak, averaging 2.0 hits, 1.6 RBI and 1.6 runs per game, boosted by going 3-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored in game one of Saturday's 12-2 seven-inning run-rule victory over Western Illinois, hitting a HR in each game of the twinbill.
The junior outfielder notched at least one hit in each game, including multiple hits in three of the five games, highlighted by three hits in both games of Saturday's twin bill.
Frank started the week going 1-for-3 with two runs in MSU's win at Notre Dame Tuesday night, then went 2-for-3 with two RBI vs. Oakland on Wednesday, followed by 1-for-3 with an RBI and run scored in Friday's comeback win over Western Illinois, helping MSU rally from down 8-3 in the sixth for a 10-9 win. He then went 6-for-8 with five RBI and five runs scored, belting a HR and a double in each game of Saturday's DH sweep of WIU. Frank was 3-for-4 with a HR and a double in each game with three RBI and two runs scored in game one's 12-2 seven-inning win, followed by 3-for-4 with two RBI and three runs scored in game two's 11-1 eight-inning run-rule shortened game.
Broecker and Frank jacked back-to-back HRs in the second inning of game two of Saturday's DH. Frank also drew two walks and was hit by a pitch three times, along with a stolen base.
BOSS EARNS 400TH VICTORY FOR MSU IN SPARTANS' WIN ON APRIL 7
• Michigan State baseball head coach Jake Boss Jr. earned his 400th Victory for MSU in the Spartans' 7-1 win over Ohio State on April 7 at Jackson Field.
Boss becomes just the third Michigan State baseball coach to reach 400 Victories for MSU.
Boss joins John H. Kobs (576 wins; 1935-63) and Danny Litwhiler (489 wins; 1964-82) as the only Spartan baseball head coaches with 400 wins at Michigan State.
400 FOR BOSS
• MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr. earned his 400th win at Michigan State in the Spartans' 7-1 win over Ohio State on April 7, 2023 at Jackson Field ... Boss picked up career win No. 400 on April 24, 2022 with the Spartans' 11-7 Victory for MSU at Northwestern ... Boss now has 436 career wins with 408 in his 14th year at MSU (2009-pres.) after 25 wins in his lone season at Eastern Michigan (2008) ... at the time of winning his 400th career win in 2022, 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, becoming 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 425 (268 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 five B1G opponents this season under the leadership of a head coach with over 400 career wins, as MSU played at Rutgers and Steve Owens (March 31-April 2), at Michigan and Smith again (April 21-23), last weekend against Jim Foster and Northwestern (April 28-30) and this weekend Illinois and Dan Hartleb (May 5-7) ... MSU will also play at Iowa and Rich Heller (May 12-14) ... 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 5/4/23)
John Anderson - Minnesota 1,359
Steve Owens - Rutgers 1,012
Rich Heller - Iowa 998
Tracy Smith - Michigan 827
Dan Hartleb - Illinois 526
Rob Cooper - Penn State 483
Jim Foster - Northwestern 438
Jake Boss Jr. - Michigan State 436
Greg Goff - Purdue 399
Current Big Ten Head Coaches By Wins At Current B1G Team (as of 5/4/23)
John Anderson - Minnesota 1,359
Dan Hartleb - Illinois 526
Jake Boss Jr. - Michigan State 411
Rich Heller - Iowa 308
Rob Cooper - Penn State 196
Rob Vaughn - Maryland 172
Jeff Mercer - Indiana 130
Steve Owens - Rutgers 98
Will Bolt - Nebraska 88
Greg Goff - Purdue 73
Tracy Smith - Michigan 22 (287 at Indiana (2006-14)
Bill Mosiello - Ohio State 22
Jim Foster - Northwestern 8
• With his 400th win at Michigan State, Boss became just the third Spartan head coach to reach 400 Victories for MSU.
Michigan State Baseball Coaches By Wins (as of 5/4/23)
John H. Kobs 576 1935-63 (39)
Daniel W. Litwhiler 489 1964-82 (19)
Jake Boss Jr. 411 2009-pres. (14th)
Thomas W. Smith 377 1983-95 (13)
Ted Mahan 256 1996-2005 (10)
SOMETHING HAD TO GIVE AND IT GAVE IN THE SPARTANS' FAVOR
• Michigan State entered the opening weekend of B1G play leading the league 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.
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.
VRADENBURG ON 2023 GOLDEN SPIKES AWARD MIDSEASON WATCH LIST
• Michigan State baseball's Brock Vradenburg has been named to the 2023 Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List, announced April 5 by USA Baseball, continuing the process of identifying the top amateur baseball player in the country ... The list features 45 of the nation's best athletes from both college and high school baseball ... Vradenburg is one of only two players from Big Ten Conference teams on the 45-player list, joined by Iowa pitcher Brody Brecht.
Twenty-four athletes have played their way onto the list since the announcement of the Preseason Watch List on February 10. The Golden Spikes Award Advisory Board will continue maintaining a rolling list of athletes throughout the season, allowing players to play themselves into consideration for the award before the announcement of the semifinalists on May 22.
Vradenburg, a junior infielder from Pasadena, Calif., leads the B1G and ranks 12th in the NCAA in batting average (.442) ... Vradenburg also leads the B1G and ranks fifth in the NCAA in hits per game (1.84), while also leading the conference and 23rd in the country overall in hits (46) ... the Spartan first baseman also leads the B1G in on-base + slugging pct (OPS) at 1.294 ... Vradenburg also tops the B1G and ranks 29th in the NCAA in on-base percentage (.525) along with ranking second in the league and 37th in the nation in slugging percentage (.769), as well as tied for sixth in the conference in home runs (7) ... he also ranks fourth in the league and 39th in the nation in total bases (80).
He is also fourth in the B1G and 62nd in the NCAA in RBI (34), while ranking fourth in the league and 39th in the country in RBI/game (1.36) ... he also is third in the B1G and leads the team in runs (33), just ahead of teammate Trent Farquhar (29) ... Vradenburg is also third in the B1G in toughest to strikeout (10.4 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 (3).
DZIERWA TABBED B1G FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
• Michigan State's Joseph Dzierwa collected the Big Ten Freshman of the Week Award, the league office announced on April 10.
A native of Haskins, Ohio, Dzierwa picked up the first B1G weekly honor of his MSU career. The Spartan southpaw went 6.0 solid innings, yielding just three hits while allowing just one run, with four walks and four strikeouts to earn the win in Michigan State's 7-1 triumph over Ohio State on April 7 at Jackson Field. With the win, Dzierwa improved to 4-1 on the season, and helped lead the Spartans to head coach Jake Boss Jr. winning his 400th Victory for MSU.
Dzierwa was boosted by a pair of three-up, three-down frames, working a non-conventional 1-2-3 opening inning, yielding a one-out single, before inducing a 5-4-3, two-outs, one-play to end the opening frame. Dzierwa then book-ended the fourth inning with strikeouts, sandwiched around a flyout to Dresselhouse in center, who made a nice running shoe-top catch.
With the four wins, Dzierwa leads the MSU pitching staff in victories, as well as tied for fifth in the B1G in wins with four. He also is seventh in the league in innings pitched (42.2), and is just outside the top 10 in the conference in strikeouts, leading the Spartan staff with 35.
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 played in their fourth different professional stadium on the night April 4 at Jackson® Field™ home of the Lansing Lugnuts, the High-A affiliate of the Oakland A's in the 2023 Crosstown Showdown, and were topped in a seven-inning exhibition by a 12-3 final score.
The 2023 season opened with three games of the MLB Desert Invitational for MSU'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 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.
Last season, MSU played in five different professional stadiums, and playing 15 official games, along with one exhibition contest.
DANNY LITWHILER ELECTED TO MICHIGAN BASEBALL HALL OF FAME
• Legendary Michigan State baseball head coach Danny Litwhiler, the all-time winningest head coach in Spartan baseball history, will be joined by the all-time winningest head coach in Western Michigan baseball history, Fred Decker as the Class of 2023 for the Michigan Baseball Hall of Fame, the Hall of Fame announced Wednesday.
Decker and Litwhiler will be inducted into the Michigan Baseball Hall of Fame at Jackson® Field™ on Friday, July 7, during the Lansing Lugnuts' game against the Lake County Captains.
The Class of 2023 was determined by vote of a nine-member committee comprising Joe Block, Mark Ditsworth, Fred Heumann, Mario Impemba, Bill Killian, Rich Maloney, Tim Staudt, Mark Uyl and Clyde Weir.
Originally founded on January 28, 2015, and housed at Jackson® Field™, the Michigan Baseball Hall of Fame's mission is to honor the state's baseball heroes of yesterday, celebrate the national pastime today, and inspire the baseball fans and ballplayers of tomorrow. The Hall of Fame celebrates all levels of baseball, from youth to high school to college to the Major Leagues.
A special pre-game ceremony will see Decker's and Litwhiler's Hall of Fame plaques revealed beyond the left field wall. The full Western Michigan and Michigan State baseball families are invited to attend.
A native of Colon, Mich., Fred Decker first made his name at Western Michigan University as a two-time All-American outfielder, taking the Broncos to the 1963 College World Series. After coaching for two seasons at Portage Central, Decker returned to Kalamazoo to join the WMU staff. He was named Western Michigan head baseball coach in 1976, going on to win 791 games, 401 in the Mid-American Conference – both marks set MAC records. Over the course of his 29 years steering the Broncos, Decker's teams produced 95 MLB draftees. He led the Broncos to the 1982 and 1983 MAC West Division titles and the 1989 MAC championship, when he was named the MAC Coach of the Year and the Mideast Regional Coach of the Year.
Danny "Skip" Litwhiler made a name for himself through both success and invention during his 29 seasons at MSU. Following the end of his playing career, he turned to coaching, arriving in East Lansing from Florida State in 1964. Litwhiler went on to win 489 games and two Big Ten titles, making three NCAA Tournament appearances and producing 13 Major Leaguers, including Kirk Gibson, Rick Miller and Steve Garvey. He further impacted baseball by conducting clinics in over 10 countries and introducing the radar gun to gauge pitching velocity, Diamond Grit to dry wet fields and a special bat to hone bunting technique among more than 100 innovations. His coaching theory resonates to this day: Teach baseball, and then win.
For more information, visit michiganbaseballhall.org or call (517) 485-4500.
EARLY HOME OPENER
• Michigan State's March 22 home opener date was among the earliest home-openers in program history, as the fourth-earliest date for the first home game ... March 22 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 on March 22, 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.
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.
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
UP NEXT
• Michigan State returns home to host Eastern Michigan on Wednesday, May 10 at 6:05 p.m. at McLane Stadium at Kobs Field ... EMU's head coach is Eric Roof, who is in his eighth season overall at EMU and sixth as head coach, after serving as a volunteer assistant under Coach Boss at MSU for two seasons (2013-14), and was a three-year letterwinner at Michigan State (2007-09), playing under Coach Boss ... Eagles' assistant coach Jonathan Roof was a three-year letterwinner at MSU (2008-10), earning All-Big Ten accolades in 2010.
MSU then hits the road for the final time in the regular-season, heading to Iowa City, Iowa for a three-game B1G weekend series at Iowa, Friday-Sunday, May 12-14 ... the series between the Spartans and Hawkeyes opens on Friday at 7:05 p.m. ET / 6:05 p.m. CT, before Saturday's middle game of the series at 3:05 p.m. ET / 2:05 p.m. CT and wrapping up on Sunday at 2:05 p.m. ET / 1:05 p.m. CT.
The Spartans then host its final non-conference contest, welcoming Central Michigan to East Lansing and McLane Stadium at Kobs File on Tuesday, May 16, before the regular-season finale, hosting Indiana, Thursday-Saturday, May 18-20 ... MSU's Senior Day is Saturday, May 20.
Michigan State's schedule is subject to change, stay tuned to MSUSpartans.com and @MSUBaseball on Twitter for schedule updates.
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