Spartans Host Purple Aces Of Evansville In MSU’s Home-Opening Weekend

MICHIGAN STATE (5-9, 0-0 B1G) vs EVANSVILLE (8-8, 0-0 MVC)
Location	McLane Stadium at Kobs Field \|\| East Lansing, Mich.
Tickets	MSU Ticket Office
Traffic / Parking	* REMINDER - Construction is happening on 127 and MHSAA is going on at Breslin, so there's increased traffic and limited parking on campus - come early!!! *
Weather	High/Low - Fri: 53^° / 33^° \| Sat: 55^° / 32^° \| Sun: 39^° / 25^°
Game Notes	MICHIGAN STATE \| EVANSVILLE
Social Media	@MSUbaseball \| MichiganStateBaseball @msu_baseball
Television	None
Game 1	Friday, March 15 - 3:35 p.m. ET
Probable Pitching Match-Up	UE: #35 SR RHP Nick Smith (0-2, 9.42 ERA) MSU: #16 SO LHP Joseph Dzierwa (1-1, 3.86 ERA)
Coverage	Live Stats \| Watch Live \| Listen Live
Game 2	Saturday, March 16 - 3:35 p.m. ET
Probable Pitching Match-Up	UE: #16 FR LHP Kenton Deverman (2-1, 5.24 ERA) MSU: #46 SR LHP Nick Powers (2-2, 3.00 ERA)
Coverage	Live Stats \| Watch Live \| Listen Live
Game 3	Sunday, March 17 - 1:05 p.m. ET
Probable Pitching Match-Up	UE: #42 GR LHP Donovan Schultz (0-0, 10.38 ERA) MSU: #37 GR RHP Nick Ferazzi (0-1, 13.50 ERA)
Coverage	Live Stats \| Watch Live \| Listen Live

*** REMINDER - Construction is happening on 127 and MHSAA is going on at Breslin, so there's increased traffic and limited parking on campus - come early!!! ***

• Fresh off playing its first 14 games of the season not just away from home, but out of the state, Michigan State baseball will open its home portion of the 2024 ledger by hosting Evansville, Friday-Sunday, March 15-17 at McLane Stadium at Kobs Field ... First pitch for Friday's home opener is slated for 3:35 p.m., followed by Saturday's game two of the series also with a 3:35 p.m. start time ... Sunday's series finale is slated for a 1:05 p.m. start time ... MSU's schedule is subject to change, stay tuned to MSUSpartans.com and @MSUBaseball on X/Twitter for schedule updates.

• Fans can follow this weekend's action with "Watch Live" and "Live Stats" links, where available, at MSUSpartans.com ... live streaming scheduled for this weekend's games will be on BTN+, with subscription fee required, with links also found at MSUSpartans.com.

• For the eighth-straight year, the Spartan Media Network will carry a live audio stream for all home and select road Spartan baseball games this season ... The broadcast will be available exclusively at MSUSpartans.com by clicking on "Listen Live" on the baseball schedule ... Broadcast veteran Scott Moore calls the action, with Spartan baseball alum Jim Cotter providing analysis ... Moore will be calling the Spartan hockey's B1G Tournament semifinal game Friday, so Cotter will be handling the play-by-play duties.

EARLY HOME OPENER
• Friday's March 15 home-opener date is tied for 2018 for the earliest home openers in program history ... Evansville is only the third out-of-state opponent for the Spartans in their last 10 home openers, playing Niagara in 2018 ... Friday's expected forecast calls for game-time temps near 50 degrees, which would put it among the warmest home-openers in the last 10 years.

Last 10 Years Of Home-Openers
Year     Date    Result Game-Time Temp
2024    March 15*       TBA      TBA
2023    March 21         MSU 8, Western Michigan 3   50
2022    March 18         MSU 4, Houston Baptist 3      48
2021    March 26 (B1G-only ledger due to COVID)    Indiana 8, MSU 2        49
2020    No home-opener due to COVID         --
2019    March 20 (scheduled date but postponed) / March 27         MSU 3, Western Michigan 2      52
2018    March 15*       MSU 10, Niagara 1      34
2017    March 21         MSU 11, Central Michigan 2   52
2016    March 23         MSU 4, Central Michigan 1     38
2015    March 24         MSU 8, Central Michigan 3     40

* = tied for earliest home-opening date in program history

HOME OPENER SUCCESS
• MSU has won 10 of its last 11 home openers and the Spartans are 13-2 in their first game of the year played at McLane Stadium at Kobs Field 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 FROM INDIANA
• Michigan State has one player from the state of Indiana: junior designated hitter/catcher Christian Williams (Carmel/Carmel HS).

PURPLE ACE MICHIGANDER
• Evansville has one Michigan native on its 2024 roster in freshman pitcher Kellen Roberts (Monroe, Mich./Monroe HS).

HOME STATERS
• The Spartans have 22 players on its 2024 roster from the state of Michigan, while the Purple Aces have 14 Indiana natives.

MSU VS. INDIANA TEAMS
• Friday is the first of four-straight games for the Spartans against teams from the state of Indiana, and Evansville is MSU's third of six opponents from Indiana that Michigan State plays this season, having already played Ball State (L, 4-1, on Feb. 18 in Charleston, S.C.) and Indiana State (L, 7-6 (10 inn.) in Port Charlotte, Fla. ... MSU hosts Purdue Fort Wayne in the next home game on Wednesday, March 20 ... the Spartans also take on Notre Dame (April 2 at South Bend; April 30 at East Lansing) ... MSU also plays one of the two Big Ten teams from Indiana this season, playing at Purdue (April 12-14 in West Lafayette), but does not play Indiana.

ABOUT EVANSVILLE
• The Purple Aces bring an even 8-8 ledger to East Lansing this weekend after walking-off Southeast Missouri, 8-7-, in 10-innings on Wednesday night, rallying from a 4-0 deficit in the third ... Junior outfielder Harrison Taubert knocked a one-out RBI single to plate senior shortstop Simon Scherry who led off with a single, and moved to third on a double by junior outfielder Ty Rumsey.

• Graduate outfielder Mark Shallenberger leads Evansville with a .407 average with five doubles, one triple and three HR for a team-best .678 slugging percentage and a .563 on-base percentage.

• Rumsey and graduate infielder Brent Widder lead UE with 18 RBI each, while Widder tops the team with five HR and Rumsey has a team-leading eight stolen bases.

• On the mound, Friday's starter is senior righty Nick Smith, who has an 0-2 record with a 9.42 ERA. Smith was the 2022 MVC Pitcher of the Year as a sophomore, and is a two-time All-MVC honoree. This season, Smith has 14 Ks in 14.1 IP, with eight walks.

• Saturday's probable starter is freshman lefty Kenton Deverman, who shares the staff lead with two wins with a 2-1 record and a 5.24 ERA, logging 17 Ks in a team-high 22.1 IP, with seven walks.

• Graduate left-hander Donovan Schultz is slated for Sunday's start, with an 0-0 record and a 10.38 ERA, logging a staff-best 20 strikeouts in 17.1 IP, with nine walks.

• UE head coach Wes Carroll has a 397-416 record in his 16th season at the helm of the Purple Aces. Carroll garnered MVC Coach of the Year accolades in both 2022 and 2014.

SWINGIN' SPARTANS
• Michigan State enters the weekend ranked second in the B1G and 54th in the NCAA in batting average, hitting .303.

RACKING UP THE STRIKEOUTS
• MSU's pitching staff has been racking up the strikeouts to the tune of 10.1 Ks/nine innings, ranking second in the conference and 54th in the country.

• Individually, sophomore southpaw starter Joseph Dzierwa is second in the league and 42nd in the nation in Ks/Nine innings at 13.29/

***CONT'D IN PDF OF GAME NOTES***

Spartans Host Purple Aces Of Evansville In MSU’s Home-Opening Weekend

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Joseph Dzierwa

Nick Ferazzi

Nick Powers

Christian Williams

Spartans Host Purple Aces Of Evansville In MSU’s Home-Opening Weekend

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Joseph Dzierwa

Nick Ferazzi

Nick Powers

Christian Williams

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