Nick Williams and Ryan McKay Collect Big Ten Weekly Accolades
3/4/2024 6:04:00 PM | Baseball
Junior outfielder N.Williams picks up Co-Player of the Week honors, while McKay garners Freshman of the Week recognition.
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan State baseball players Nick Williams was named the Big Ten Co-Player of the Week while Ryan McKay was tabbed Big Ten Freshman of the Week, announced Monday afternoon by the conference office.
Williams and McKay both collect the first B1G accolades of their MSU careers. It also marks the first time that two Spartans earned B1G weekly awards in the same week since last season's first week of the awards, when Brock Vradenburg collected Player of the Week honors and Dominic Pianto was the Co-Pitcher of the Week on Feb. 21, 2023 after the opening weekend of the season. Overall, it is the eighth time in program history that two or more Spartans earned conference weekly accolades in the same week.
Both Williams and McKay helped the Spartans go 2-2 on the week in the second leg of MSU's Spring Break trip. The Spartans started the week with a 19-6 ,7-inning run-rule Victory for MSU at Georgia, posting MSU's first win over an SEC team since 2016, when Michigan State beat Auburn, 3-0, in Pensacola, Fla. Wednesday was MSU's first win over an SEC team on their home field since 2013, winning at Kentucky.
The win at Athens on Wednesday was not only dealt Georgia its first loss of the season, but was also MSU's first win over Georgia since 1958 and the Spartans have now won two in a row over the Bulldogs, as last Wednesday was the first meeting since that 1958 match-up.
Michigan State finished last weekend going 1-2 at the First Pitch Invitational I at Fluor Field, home of the Greenville Drive, in Greenville, S.C. MSU knocked off Western Michigan, 13-3, in eight innings Saturday morning in the Spartans' first game of the day, before being defeated by Florida State, 11-2 later Saturday, then lost to Illinois, 12-6, on Sunday.
A junior outfielder from Racine, Wisconsin, Williams posted a .556 average, hitting 10-for-18, averaging over two hits per game, with multiple hits in three of the four outings, posting games of two hits, four hits, one hit and three hits. He also logged a .579 on-base percentage and an .833 slugging percentage.
Williams went 2-for-5 with three RBI and two runs scored at Georgia. He then went 4-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored, with a double and adding a walk in MSU's 13-3 8-inning run-rule win over Western Michigan on Saturday, before going 1-for-4 with a double vs. Florida State in Saturday's second game.
The Spartan outfielder wrapped up the week going 3-for-5 with two RBI and a run scored on a 379-foot blast with 100 mph exit velocity home run over the Green Monster at Fluor Field, which has same dimensions as Fenway Park.
McKay, a freshman infielder from Clarkston, Michigan, hit .588 (8-for-15) with a .733 slugging percentage and a .588 on-base percentage in four games, averaging two hits per game, with multi-hit outings in three of the four games, for three first three multiple hit games of his Spartan career.
He started the week off going a career-high 3-for-4 with a triple, adding an RBI and scoring a career-high three runs in MSU's 19-6 7-inning run-rule rout at Georgia. The three runs scored were his first career runs scored in an MSU uniform.
After Georgia took a 2-0 lead after the first frame, McKay sparked the Spartan rally in the second to get the offense going with a leadoff triple and later scored MSU's first run of the night, knocking not just the first three-bagger of his Spartan career, but the first triple of the season for the Green & White.
McKay came up again later in the second as MSU batted around, drawing a bases-loaded walk for an RBI, before adding singles in the fifth and seventh innings.
Playing in Greenville for the first time of his Spartan career, McKay started the weekend off going 2-for-4 with three runs scored, tying career-high for second-straight game, adding an RBI, a stolen base and a walk in the 13-3 8-inning run-rule Victory for MSU over Western Michigan on Saturday in Greenville.
McKay then went 2-for-3 with a double, a run and an RBI vs. Florida State, before wrapping up the week going 1-for-4 vs. Illinois on Sunday.
MSU'S TWO OR MORE B1G WEEKLY AWARDS IN SAME SEASON:
March 4, 2024 - Nick Williams (PL) and Ryan McKay (FR)
Feb. 21, 2023 - Brock Vradenburg (PL) and Dominic Pianto (P)
April 29, 2013 - Blaise Salter (PL) and Andrew Waszak (P)
April 16, 2012 - Andrew Waszak (P) and Ryan Krill (FR)
March 14, 2011 - Jeff Holm (PL) and David Garner (FR)
Feb. 28, 2011 - Brandon Eckerle (PL) and Kurt Wunderlich (P)
April 18, 2005 - Sean Walker (Co-PL), Andy Hunter (Co-PL) and Tim Day (P)
May 17, 1994 - Dave Veres (PL) and Trevor Harvey (P)
Freshman of the Week instituted in 2011
After traveling back to East Lansing for classes, the Spartans return to Greenville for the First Pitch Invitational II Friday-Sunday, March 8-10, tangling with VCU on Friday, March 8 at 2 p.m. then playing Western Carolina in a twinbill on Saturday, March 9 starting at 10 a.m. MSU then wraps up not just the weekend, but action at both Fluor Field and its South Carolina swing on Sunday, March 10 at 10 a.m. against Western Michigan.
Fans can follow the First Pitch Invitational II action with "Watch Live" and "Live Stats" links at MSUSpartans.com, with video streaming available for all games.
The Spartans' weekend schedule is subject to change, fans can visit msuspartans.com or @MSUBaseball on X/Twitter for complete schedule information and updates.
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For the first time ever, Michigan State baseball fans have the ability to purchase season tickets.
Season tickets packages are on sale through the Spartan Ticket Office. The MSU baseball season ticket package, which includes 24 home games at McLane Stadium at Kobs Field, is available for $50.
All ticket levels for seniors, adults and children are the same price. Admission remains free for all Michigan State students by showing their MSU ID at the entry gate.
The 2024 Spartan baseball season includes Big Ten match-ups against Rutgers, Penn State and Nebraska, along with regional clashes with Central Michigan, Oakland and Notre Dame, in addition to giving fans admission to all three home games of baseball Rivalry Week against Michigan.
Individual game tickets will go on sale later this spring.
Fans can contact the Spartan Ticket Office at 517-355-1610 or by email at tickets@msu.edu for questions or more information. A direct link to purchase season tickets is here.
Williams and McKay both collect the first B1G accolades of their MSU careers. It also marks the first time that two Spartans earned B1G weekly awards in the same week since last season's first week of the awards, when Brock Vradenburg collected Player of the Week honors and Dominic Pianto was the Co-Pitcher of the Week on Feb. 21, 2023 after the opening weekend of the season. Overall, it is the eighth time in program history that two or more Spartans earned conference weekly accolades in the same week.
Both Williams and McKay helped the Spartans go 2-2 on the week in the second leg of MSU's Spring Break trip. The Spartans started the week with a 19-6 ,7-inning run-rule Victory for MSU at Georgia, posting MSU's first win over an SEC team since 2016, when Michigan State beat Auburn, 3-0, in Pensacola, Fla. Wednesday was MSU's first win over an SEC team on their home field since 2013, winning at Kentucky.
The win at Athens on Wednesday was not only dealt Georgia its first loss of the season, but was also MSU's first win over Georgia since 1958 and the Spartans have now won two in a row over the Bulldogs, as last Wednesday was the first meeting since that 1958 match-up.
Michigan State finished last weekend going 1-2 at the First Pitch Invitational I at Fluor Field, home of the Greenville Drive, in Greenville, S.C. MSU knocked off Western Michigan, 13-3, in eight innings Saturday morning in the Spartans' first game of the day, before being defeated by Florida State, 11-2 later Saturday, then lost to Illinois, 12-6, on Sunday.
Congrats to Nick Williams on being named the @B1Gbaseball Co-Player of the Week!#GoGreen | @NicklasWilliam1 pic.twitter.com/cJtq8iKHVQ
— Michigan State Baseball (@MSUBaseball) March 4, 2024
A junior outfielder from Racine, Wisconsin, Williams posted a .556 average, hitting 10-for-18, averaging over two hits per game, with multiple hits in three of the four outings, posting games of two hits, four hits, one hit and three hits. He also logged a .579 on-base percentage and an .833 slugging percentage.
Williams went 2-for-5 with three RBI and two runs scored at Georgia. He then went 4-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored, with a double and adding a walk in MSU's 13-3 8-inning run-rule win over Western Michigan on Saturday, before going 1-for-4 with a double vs. Florida State in Saturday's second game.
The Spartan outfielder wrapped up the week going 3-for-5 with two RBI and a run scored on a 379-foot blast with 100 mph exit velocity home run over the Green Monster at Fluor Field, which has same dimensions as Fenway Park.
Congrats to Ryan McKay on being named the @B1Gbaseball Freshman of the Week!!#GoGreen | @Ryanmckay51 pic.twitter.com/VC4TMQm41i
— Michigan State Baseball (@MSUBaseball) March 4, 2024
McKay, a freshman infielder from Clarkston, Michigan, hit .588 (8-for-15) with a .733 slugging percentage and a .588 on-base percentage in four games, averaging two hits per game, with multi-hit outings in three of the four games, for three first three multiple hit games of his Spartan career.
He started the week off going a career-high 3-for-4 with a triple, adding an RBI and scoring a career-high three runs in MSU's 19-6 7-inning run-rule rout at Georgia. The three runs scored were his first career runs scored in an MSU uniform.
After Georgia took a 2-0 lead after the first frame, McKay sparked the Spartan rally in the second to get the offense going with a leadoff triple and later scored MSU's first run of the night, knocking not just the first three-bagger of his Spartan career, but the first triple of the season for the Green & White.
McKay came up again later in the second as MSU batted around, drawing a bases-loaded walk for an RBI, before adding singles in the fifth and seventh innings.
Playing in Greenville for the first time of his Spartan career, McKay started the weekend off going 2-for-4 with three runs scored, tying career-high for second-straight game, adding an RBI, a stolen base and a walk in the 13-3 8-inning run-rule Victory for MSU over Western Michigan on Saturday in Greenville.
McKay then went 2-for-3 with a double, a run and an RBI vs. Florida State, before wrapping up the week going 1-for-4 vs. Illinois on Sunday.
MSU'S TWO OR MORE B1G WEEKLY AWARDS IN SAME SEASON:
March 4, 2024 - Nick Williams (PL) and Ryan McKay (FR)
Feb. 21, 2023 - Brock Vradenburg (PL) and Dominic Pianto (P)
April 29, 2013 - Blaise Salter (PL) and Andrew Waszak (P)
April 16, 2012 - Andrew Waszak (P) and Ryan Krill (FR)
March 14, 2011 - Jeff Holm (PL) and David Garner (FR)
Feb. 28, 2011 - Brandon Eckerle (PL) and Kurt Wunderlich (P)
April 18, 2005 - Sean Walker (Co-PL), Andy Hunter (Co-PL) and Tim Day (P)
May 17, 1994 - Dave Veres (PL) and Trevor Harvey (P)
Freshman of the Week instituted in 2011
After traveling back to East Lansing for classes, the Spartans return to Greenville for the First Pitch Invitational II Friday-Sunday, March 8-10, tangling with VCU on Friday, March 8 at 2 p.m. then playing Western Carolina in a twinbill on Saturday, March 9 starting at 10 a.m. MSU then wraps up not just the weekend, but action at both Fluor Field and its South Carolina swing on Sunday, March 10 at 10 a.m. against Western Michigan.
Fans can follow the First Pitch Invitational II action with "Watch Live" and "Live Stats" links at MSUSpartans.com, with video streaming available for all games.
The Spartans' weekend schedule is subject to change, fans can visit msuspartans.com or @MSUBaseball on X/Twitter for complete schedule information and updates.
----------------
For the first time ever, Michigan State baseball fans have the ability to purchase season tickets.
Season tickets packages are on sale through the Spartan Ticket Office. The MSU baseball season ticket package, which includes 24 home games at McLane Stadium at Kobs Field, is available for $50.
All ticket levels for seniors, adults and children are the same price. Admission remains free for all Michigan State students by showing their MSU ID at the entry gate.
The 2024 Spartan baseball season includes Big Ten match-ups against Rutgers, Penn State and Nebraska, along with regional clashes with Central Michigan, Oakland and Notre Dame, in addition to giving fans admission to all three home games of baseball Rivalry Week against Michigan.
Individual game tickets will go on sale later this spring.
Fans can contact the Spartan Ticket Office at 517-355-1610 or by email at tickets@msu.edu for questions or more information. A direct link to purchase season tickets is here.
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