MSU Baseball Returns To Greenville To Host First Pitch Invite II At Fluor Field

MICHIGAN STATE (4-7, 0-0 B1G) in 2024 FIRST PITCH INVITATIONAL II
Teams	Michigan State, Western Michigan, VCU, Western Carolina
Location	Fluor Field \|\| Greenville, S.C.
Tickets	Fluor Field Tickets
Weather	High/Low - Fri: 64^° / 53^° \| Sat: 63^° / 43^° \| Sun: 62^° / 34^°
Game Notes	MICHIGAN STATE \| WESTERN MICHIGAN \| VCU \| WESTERN CAROLINA
Social Media	@MSUbaseball \| MichiganStateBaseball @msu_baseball
Television	None
Game 1	MSU vs. Western Michigan \| Friday, March 8 \| 3 p.m. ET UPDATED TIME
Probable Pitching Match-Up	WMU: #30 R-SR RHP Brady Miller (1-1, 10.05 ERA) MSU: #16 SO LHP Joseph Dzierwa (0-1, 3.60 ERA)
Coverage	Live Stats \| Watch Live
Game 2	MSU vs. Western Carolina \| Saturday, March 9 \| 7 p.m. ET
Probable Pitching Match-Up	WCU: TBA (0-0, 0.00 ERA) MSU: #46 SR LHP Nick Powers (2-1, 2.14 ERA)
Coverage	Live Stats \| Watch Live
Game 3	MSU vs. VCU \| Sunday, March 10 \| 2 p.m. ET
Probable Pitching Match-Up	VCU: #1 SR LHP Christian Gordon (1-0, 7.20 ERA) MSU: #29 R-JR RHP Noah Matheny (0-1, 6.00 ERA)
Coverage	Live Stats \| Watch Live

• Michigan State baseball makes an encore trip to its home-away-from-home, Fluor Field in Greenville, S.C., home of the Greenville Drive, to play in the First Pitch Invitational II Friday-Sunday, March 8-10. Fresh off last week's FPI I, the Spartans return to Fluor Field this weekend, opening Friday, with an adjusted schedule due to weather in the Greenville area throughout the weekend. VCU and Western Michigan will open the action on Thursday, March 7 at 2 p.m., then Western Carolina will take on VCU at 6 p.m. MSU will then face Western Michigan on Friday, March 8 at 3 p.m. (*Updated Time)*, before the Spartans square off with Western Carolina on Saturday, March 9 at approximately 7 p.m., with both Friday and Saturday's game subject to change dependent on weather. The FPI II action concludes on Sunday, March 10 at 10 a.m. with Western Michigan and Western Carolina meeting, before VCU and Michigan State wrap up the weekend in a 2 p.m. first pitch.

• Fans can follow this weekend's action with "Watch Live" and "Live Stats" links at MSUSpartans.com, with video streaming available for free through the Greenville Drive's YouTube channel. Audio links for Saturday's games vs. Western Carolina, if available, will be through the "Listen Live" links, if WCU broadcasts them, based on availability with the Catamounts basketball schedule.

• The weekend schedule is subject to continued change based on weather.

DOUBLE THE BIG TEN WEEKLY HONORS
• 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.

B1G Co-Player of the Week Nick Williams • #10 • JR • OF
Racine, Wisc./Union Grove HS/Wabash Valley CC

• 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.

• Logged a .579 on-base percentage and an .833 slugging percentage.

• Went 2-for-5 with three RBI and two runs scored at Georgia, helping the Spartans to a 19-6 7-inning run-rule Victory for MSU, as the Spartans posted their first win over an SEC team since 2016, and dealing Georgia its first loss of the season.

• 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.

• Was 1-for-4 with a double vs. Florida State in Saturday's second game.

• Wrapped up week going 3-for-5 with two RBI and a run scored on a 79-foot blast w/ 100mph exit velocity home run over the Green Monster at Fluor Field, which is the high A-affiliate of the Boston Red Sox and has same dimensions as Fenway Park.

B1G Freshman of the Week Ryan McKay • #1 • FR • INF
Clarkston, Mich. / Orchard Lake St. Mary's HS

• 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 first three multiple hit games of Spartan career.

• Started week off going a career-high 3-for-4 with a triple, adding an RBI and scoring career-high three runs in MSU's 19-6 7-inning run-rule rout at Georgia, leading the Spartans to their first win over an SEC team since 2016 and dealing Georgia its first loss of the season. The three runs scored were first career runs scored in an MSU uniform.

• After Georgia took a 2-0 lead after the first frame, 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 MSU.

• Came up again later in the second as MSU batted around, drawing a bases-loaded walk for an RBI.

• Added singles in the fifth and seventh innings.

• Started weekend off going 2-for-4 with three runs scored, tying career-high for second-straight game, and an RBI, adding a stolen base and a walk in the 13-3 8-inning run-rule Victory for MSU over Western Michigan on Friday in Greenville.

• Went 2-for-3 with a double, a run and an RBI vs. Florida State, then wrapped up week going 1-for-4 vs. Illinois on Sunday.

BACK-TO-BACK DOUBLE-DIGIT RUNS
• Michigan State hung 19 runs on the scoreboard at Georgia in a 19-6 7-inning run-rule Victory for MSU on Feb. 28, then turned around and plated 13 runs in a 13-3 8-inning run-rule walloping of Western Michigan on March 2, for MSU's first back-to-back games with 10+ runs of the season ... it was the first time the Spartans had consecutive games with double-digit runs since April 23 and 25, 2023, when MSU won at Michigan, 14-2, on April 23, then beat Notre Dame, 12-5, on April 25.

WILL-IAMS POWER
• Junior designated hitter/catcher Christian Williams went 4-for-4 on one double and three singles, with three RBI and one run scored in the 6-2 Victory for MSU over Marshall on Feb. 24.

• C. Williams becomes the first Spartan to go 4-for-4 since Justin Antoncic knocked four hits in four at bats on April 7, 2019 vs. Indiana State.

• C. Williams sparked MSU's rally in the second inning with a leadoff double, then added an RBI single in the third that gave MSU a 3-2 advantage, a lead they didn't relinquish.

• He then added RBI singles in the fifth and seventh stanzas for the Spartans' insurance runs.

• Junior outfielder Nick Williams added a 4-for-4 outing vs. Western Michigan on March 2, with three RBI and two runs scored, with a double and adding a walk in MSU's 13-3 8-inning run-rule win.

• N. Williams was 1-for-4 with a double vs. Florida State in Saturday's second game.

• N. Williams wrapped up week going 3-for-5 with two RBI and a run scored on a 79-foot blast w/ 100mph exit velocity home run over the Green Monster at Fluor Field, which is the high A-affiliate of the Boston Red Sox and has same dimensions as Fenway Park.

FIVE-FOR-FIVE FRANK
• Senior outfielder Jack Frank was 5-for-5 in the 13-3, 8-inning, run-rule win over Western Michigan on March 2, becoming the first Spartan to have five hits in five at bats since Bailey Peterson on Feb. 21, 2020, going 5-for-5 vs. Merrimack.

SIX RIBBIE FRANK
• Senior outfielder Jack Frank also knocked out six RBI in the 19-6 7-inning run-rule Victory for MSU at Georgia on Feb. 28.

• Frank finished 3-for-4 with six RBI, becoming the first Spartan with six RBI since Bryan Broecker had half-a-dozen ribbies on April 1, 2023 at Rutgers.

• Frank had two doubles and a single, with all three hits driving in two runs at a time.

FIVE KARK SPECIAL
• Senior infielder Dillon Kark finished 4-for-4 with five RBI in the 13-3, 8-inning, run-rule win over Western Michigan on March 2, becoming the first Michigan State player with five RBI since Brock Vradenburg knocked five ribbies on April 23, 2023 at Michigan.

• Kark had an RBI single in the first, then added a sac fly in the sixth before a 3-run "walk-off" home run in the eighth to hit the run-rul Victory for MSU.

FRANK-ING THE BASES UP
• Senior outfielder Jack Frank made the basepaths sound like a remake of Ben Stein in Ferris Bueller's Day Off: "Frank... Frank... Frank... Frank," as the Spartan speedster reached base in eight consecutive at bats, reaching base in his final three at bats in the Georgia game on Feb. 28, then went 5-for-5 in the Western Michigan game on March 2.

• The eight-straight at bats reaching base streak is MSU's longest since Brock Vradenburg did so on March 10-11, 2023.

WEEKEND OPPONENT TIDBITS
• MSU and Western Michigan just met in last week's FPI I, won by MSU, 13-3 (8 inn.) ... the Spartans have won four in a row, along with 7-of-8 and 16-of-19 of the meetings ... last week's meeting was the first neutral site meeting since 2017 when played at Comerica Park in Detroit ... it was only the eighth overall match-up outside state of Michigan; last week's was first since 2005 in Jacksonville, Fla. ... it's the first time ever in the MSU-WMU series history that they've met in back-to-back neutral meetings since 1968, when the Spartans and Broncos played three games in Coral Gables, Florida.

• Michigan State and Western Carolina are meeting for the fifth time in the last six years ... WCU is making its sixth appearance in the First Pitch Invitational ... the Spartans have won the last four meetings ... four of the seven meetings have been determined by two runs or less, including last year's first meeting, 6-5, on Dillon Kark's walk-off inside-the-park HR, before the Spartans won the second match-up of the weekend, 7-2 ... the Spartans caged the Catamounts, 4-3, on Feb. 29, 2020 on a defensive walk-off as a Bryce Kelley throw to Gabe Sotres for the tag at the plate for the final out to give Michigan State the defensive walk-off win over Western Carolina, 4-3.

• Michigan State and VCU are meeting for the first-time ever.

MAGGIE MAY THE RAM AND SPARTAN
• While Michigan State and VCU are meeting on the diamond for the first time, the Spartans and Rams have a connection in MSU Athletic Communications Assistant Director Maggie Hudson, who graduated with her bachelor's degree in 2020 on master's degree in 2022, and was a graduate assistant in VCU's Athletic Communications office in 2021-22 ... Hudson joined MSU's Athletic Communications office as a graduate assistant in 2022-23, before becoming an assistant director in July, 2023.

GEORGIA HIT AND HIGH SCORE PARTY
• Some news and notes from Michigan State's 19-6 win at Georgia on Feb. 28:

-- It was the Spartans' first win over an SEC team since beating Auburn, 3-0, on March 5, 2016.

-- The win was also MSU's first victory over an SEC team on their home field since March 9, 2013, winning at Kentucky.

-- MSU knocked out a season-high 21 hits in the seven-inning run-rule game, with six total extra-base hits on two home runs, two triples and two doubles.

-- All nine Spartans in the line-up had at least one hit.

-- MSU's 21 hits were its first time over 20 hits since rapping out 22 hits on Feb. 14, 2020 vs. Morehead State (W, 15-3).

-- 14 of the 19 runs came with two outs, as MSU hit .650 (13-for-20) with two outs.

-- The Spartans' 7-run fifth inning was their most in an inning since scoring seven in a 15-8 Victory for MSU vs. Michigan in Phoenix in the 2023 season-opener on Feb. 17, 2023.

-- Michigan State had three innings of four or more runs, the first time with three big-inning frames in the same game since March 2, 2014 when the Spartans had a innings of four, four and seven-run rallies in an 18-13 win over Eastern Illinois.

-- MSU's last run-rule win was April 15, 2023 vs. Western Illinois-G2 (W, 11-1).

-- The 19 runs was the most scored by the Spartans since a 19-10 win at Charleston Southern on March 4, 2023.

-- Michigan State improved to 3-5 on the young season, while the Spartans dealt the Bulldogs their first loss of the year, now 8-1.

-- MSU has now won the last two meetings at Georgia, as the Spartans won the last meeting back in 1958, and have now won six of the last seven overall meetings and have an 11-7 all-time series lead, including 11-5 in Athens.

BOSS IN SWEET 16th SEASON WITH SPARTANS
• Head coach Jake Boss Jr. is in his 16th year at Michigan State and 17th overall as a collegiate head coach ... Boss entered the 2024 season at No. 3 on MSU's longest coaching list behind John H. Kobs (1935-63), the namesake for Kobs Field, location of McLane Stadium, with 39 seasons, and legendary head coach Denny Litwhiler (1964-82) with 19 seasons ... Boss is also No. 3 on the Spartan head coach list for wins and games coached, also behind Kobs with 576 wins in 969 games, and Litwhiler with 489 wins in 859 games.

SEASON-OPENING SUCCESS
• Between last season's 15-8 Victory for MSU over Michigan in the season-opener and the 2024 season-opening 10-3 win over Merrimack on Feb. 16, the Spartans have been victorious in their season-opener in five of the last six seasons ... overall, MSU is now 13-3 in the 16 season-openers under Coach Boss, only losing in 2013 vs. Furman, 2018 at Fresno State and 2022 at UNLV.

LIGHTIN' UP THE SCOREBOARD ON OPENING DAY
• The Spartans' 10 runs on Opening Day on Feb. 16 in the 10-3 Victory for MSU was Michigan State's second-straight season-opener scoring 10+ runs after hanging 15 runs in 2023 opener ... MSU has now plated double-figure runs in its season-opener five times in the 16 seasons under Coach Boss, joining 2012 (W, 11-4 vs. St. Johns), 2016 (W, 11-5 vs. Presbyterian), 2020 (W, 15-3 vs. Morehead State), 2023 (W, 15-8 vs. Michigan) and now 2024 (W, 10-3 vs. Merrimack).

BIG INNING IN OPENER
• In the 10-3 win over Merrimack, MSU had a six-run ninth inning to break the game open, sending nine batters to the plate, scoring six runs on five hits, and taking advantage of two Merrimack errors.

• The big inning against Merrimack marked the second-straight opener that MSU plated four or more in the game, as the Spartans had two big innings in the 2023 opener, with a five-run sixth stanza and a 7-run eighth inning in the 15-8 Victory for MSU over Michigan in Phoenix, Ariz.

DOUBLE-DIGIT RUNS SPARK SUCCESS
• With MSU's 10 runs in the season-opener, the Spartans improved to 33-0 in the last four seasons and had won 35 in a row when scoring 10+ runs, before that streak was snapped in the 20-10 loss to Marshall on Feb. 23 ... Michigan State is now 1-1 in 2024 when plating 10 or more runs, after going 14-0 in 2023, 9-0 in 2022, 7-0 in 2021, 2-0 in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, 1-0 in 2019 ... MSU was 3-1 in 2018, with the previous loss coming in a 12-10 loss to Niagara on March 18, 2018, then starting the 35-game streak by winning two other times in posting 10 or more runs.

CAROLINA IN MY MIND AND TRAVEL ITINERARY
• Once again as in several seasons past, MSU's travel theme music for the first few weeks of the season is James Taylor's "Carolina In My Mind" as the opening weekend of the 2024 season was the first of a stretch of three weekends out of the first month of the season that the Spartans will be playing in the Palmetto State, and last weekend's action in Florida was the only non-South Carolina weekends during MSU's first four weeks of the season. The Spartans will be in Greenville, S.C. for the next two weekends playing at Fluor Field, home of the Greenville Drive.

MSU played in the Swig & Swine Classic in the opening weekend of the season, starting Feb. 16 vs. Merrimack and winning, 10-3. The Spartans then had a twinbill on Feb. 17, squaring off with Seton Hall and falling, 10-4, and Lehigh, dropping a 2-0 contest. MSU then wrapped up the weekend action on Feb. 18, losing a battle against Ball State in a 4-1 ballgame.

Michigan State participated in the Snowbird Classic in Port Charlotte, Fla., last weekend, playing Indiana State and Marshall. MSU was edged, 7-6 in 10 innings in the opener on Feb. 23, before losing to Marshall, 20-10. The Spartans bounced back to knock off Marshall, 6-2, on Feb. 24.

Following playing at Georgia on Wednesday, Feb. 28, the Spartans returned to their home-away-from-home, Fluor Field in Greenville, S.C., to play in the First Pitch Invitational I Friday-Sunday, March 1-3. After rain washed out Friday's action and pushing tournament action to a four-game Saturday, MSU's weekend opened with a 13-3, 8-inning run-rule Victory For MSU over Western Michigan on Saturday morning, before an 11-2 loss to Florida State later Saturday. The Spartans completed the FPI I weekend with a 12-6 loss to Illinois on Sunday.

After traveling back to East Lansing for classes this past week, the Spartans return to Greenville for the First Pitch Invitational II opening Thursday, with an adjusted schedule due to weather in the Greenville area throughout the weekend. VCU and Western Michigan will open the action on Thursday, March 7 at 2 p.m., then Western Carolina will take on VCU at 6 p.m. MSU will then face Western Michigan on Friday, March 8 at approximately 4 p.m., before the Spartans square off with Western Carolina on Saturday, March 9 at approximately 7 p.m., with both Friday and Saturday's game subject to change dependent on weather. The FPI II action concludes on Sunday, March 10 at 10 a.m. with Western Michigan and Western Carolina meeting, before VCU and Michigan State wrap up the weekend in a 2 p.m. first pitch.

ABOUT FLUOR FIELD
• Opened in 2006, Fluor Field is a 5,700-seat stadium, home of the Greenville Drive, the A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox.
• Fluor Field nearly replicates the dimensions of Fenway Park, home of the Red Sox.
• The ballpark has its own "Green Monster" replica, a 30-foot high wall in left field as opposed to the 37-foot one found at Fenway, and contains a manual scoreboard.
• Every other dimension is to the same specifications as Fenway Park, including "Pesky's Pole" in right field.
• Other than the tribute to Fenway, Fluor Field also pays tribute to the Greenville area as the ballpark's nostalgic look utilizes reclaimed bricks from local mills.

GREENVILLE / SPARTAN CONNECTIONS
• Owner/President of the Greenville Drive is MSU alum Craig Brown, who was the 2016 Alumnus of the Year at the Michigan State First Pitch Dinner ... In the winter of 2017, Craig and his wife, Vicki (Huber) Brown, were named the Michigan State University Alumni Association's Philanthropists of the Year ... Craig Brown earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in the Eli Broad College of Business, majoring in accounting, in 1973 ... Vicki Brown earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in the College of Education, majoring in special education, in 1975.

As President of the Greenville Drive, Mr. Brown focuses on the activities that result in the Drive being part of the fabric of the community ... Fluor Field, which just celebrated its 10th anniversary season, is one of a handful of privately owned stadiums in America and was named Ballpark of the Year upon its debut in 2006 ... Mr. Brown is also the CEO of Keelers Ridge Associates (KRA), an investment and consulting firm that is engaged in entrepreneurial activities involving sports, technology, and marketing, Mr. and Mrs. Brown actively support academic and athletic programs at Michigan State ... Craig also serves on the Athletic Director's Advisory Council and chairs Spartan Innovations ... Formerly, he oversaw the MSU Foundation Board ... In recognition of their generosity, an area of the Spartan Stadium North End Zone bears their names, as does the women's baseketball head coach's office ... The Browns also belong to MSU's Empower Extraordinary President's Capital Campaign Cabinet.

• 1967 Michigan State baseball alum Bill Wooley, who was the 2020 Alumnus of the Year at the MSU Baseball First Pitch Dinner, and his wife, Mary, live in nearby Greer, South Carolina, and were in attendance at MSU's games in the Spartanburg area on Friday at USC Upstate and Sunday at Presbyterian.

Wooley was a four-year letterwinner for the Spartan baseball team from 1964-67. He was utility infielder on the freshman team in 1964 for head coach Tom Smith, before moving up to varsity and was utility infielder and team manager from 1965-67 for head coach Danny Litwhiler.

A native of Detroit, Mich., Wooley graduated from Michigan State University College of Business in 1967 with a bachelor's of business administration (BBA) with general business and marketing emphasis. Wooley began his business career in July 1967 with the Dupont Corporation, in the textile fibers division in New York City, where he worked for nine years until 1976. He joined Johnson & Johnson in the healthcare industry in 1976 with a career track in sales, product management, where he was General Manager/ Vice President for 22 years before retiring in 1998. Wooley was Chairman of the Board for NICORE, Inc. (1999-2006) and was president of the private startup company with products to treat congestive heart problems, before retiring in 2006.

Wooley was also an assistant baseball coach at Eastlake High School in Tarpon Springs, Florida for 12 years, where he coached approximately 10 players who made it to Major League Baseball, most notably utility player Chris Coghlan, who was in the Majors for 10 years, winning the Rookie of the Year Award in 2009 with the Florida Marlins, also playing for the Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox.

Wooley and his wife, Mary (Bigelow), who is a 1967 MSU alum with her education degree, met at MSU in the fall term of their freshman year and dated all through college, and have been married 52 years. They have three children, twins Daniel and Deborah, and daughter Alicia, and four grandchildren.

PROFESSIONAL STADIUM EXPERIENCE
• This weekend, the Spartans are playing the first three of eight total official games and one exhibition contest in two different professional stadiums.

The Spartans will also play the first three of seven games this weekend at their home-away-from-home, Fluor Field, in Greenville, S.C., home of the Greenville Drive. MSU hosts the First Pitch Invitational I this weekend, taking on Western Michigan on Friday, March 1, Florida State on Saturday, March 2 and Illinois on Sunday, March 3.

Next weekend, MSU hosts the First Pitch Invitational II, squaring off with VCU on Friday, March 8, Western Carolina in a twinbill on Saturday, March 9, before facing Western Michigan again on Sunday, March 10 to wrap up its Fluor Field stretch.

Michigan State will take on the Lansing Lugnuts, the High-A affiliate of the Oakland A's, in the 2024 Crosstown Showdown on Wednesday, April 3 at Jackson Field in an exhibition game.

The Spartans will also play Western Michigan at Jackson Field on Wednesday, April 17.

POWER OUTAGE
• Senior pitcher Nick Powers fired a complete game in the 6-2 Victory for MSU over Marshall in Port Charlotte, Fla. on Feb. 24.

• Powers rang up nine strikeouts and scattered six hits, but didn't allow a Marshall base runner to safely reach second after the first inning, while getting help from his defense that turned a season-high three double plays.

• After allowing two runs on two hits in the opening frame, Powers settled in and had three-up, three-down innings for the next seven stanzas, facing four batters in the ninth, but ringing up his ninth and final strikeout for the last out to secure the Victory for MSU.

• A day after Marshall knocked out 18 hits and 20 runs vs. MSU on Friday evening, Powers stymied the same Marshall lineup to just six hits and two runs, with only four hits and no runs after the first inning.

• It was his first career complete game and also was the first complete game in the Big Ten this season and the first CG in the B1G since May 27, 2022 when Indiana's Bradley Brehmer when 9.0 vs. Illinois.

• Powers is the first Spartan pitcher to throw a complete-game since 2019 when Mike Mokma went the distance vs. Ohio State on March 9, 2019 in Greenville, S.C.

WHERE THERE'S A WILL-IAMS THERE'S A WAY
• Michigan State has two Williams on its roster, but they are not related ... junior designated hitter/catcher Christian Williams is in third season with the Spartans and is from Carmel, Indiana ... junior outfielder Nick Williams is in his first season with the Green & White and is from Racine, Wisconsin.

WILL-IAMS POWER
• Junior designated hitter/catcher Christian Williams went 4-for-4 on one double and three singles, with three RBI and one run scored in the 6-2 Victory for MSU over Marshall on Saturday.

• C. Williams becomes the first Spartan to go 4-for-4 since Justin Antoncic knocked four hits in four at bats on April 7, 2019 vs. Indiana State.

• C. Williams sparked MSU's rally in the second inning with a leadoff double, then added an RBI single in the third that gave MSU a 3-2 advantage, a lead they didn't relinquish.

• He then added RBI singles in the fifth and seventh stanzas for the Spartans' insurance runs.

FRANK FLYING ON BASEPATHS AND IN RECORD BOOK
• Senior outfielder Jack Frank entered the 2024 season with 33 stolen bases, starting the season ranked No. 12 on MSU's career stolen bases list.

• Frank swiped four bases in the opening weekend to vault up to tie for No. 10 on the list, tying Danny Gleaves (2017-20), and just one from former teammate Mitch Jebb (2021-23) at No. 9 with 38 swipes.

• Of Frank's four stolen bases in the opening weekend, three came in the Opening Day win over Merrimack.

• Frank became the first Spartan with three stolen bases in one game since Danny Gleaves swiped a trio of bases on May 5, 2018 at Penn State.

16 FOR 16, NOW 25
• Sophomore pitcher Joseph Dzierwa matched his jersey number of 16 with 16 strikeouts in 10.0 IP in his first two starts of the season, adding nine more Ks last weekend, now with 25 strikeouts in three outings.

• The 25 strikeouts ranks second in the B1G and tied for 23rd in the NCAA.

• Dzierwa is also second in the conference and tied for 23rd in the country in strikeouts/9 innings (15.0).

CHALKIN' UP CAREER-HIGH STRIKEOUTS
• Two Spartan pitchers registered career-highs in the opening weekend:
-- Sophomore starter Joseph Dzierwa rang up career-high nine strikeouts in start vs. Seton Hall on Feb. 17, bettering previous career-best of eight Ks on March 19, 2023 vs. Indiana State.

-- Junior reliever Noah Matheny rang up six strikeouts in 4.0 IP vs. Lehigh on Feb. 17, striking out the side in two innings as part of retiring all 12 Mountain Hawk batters he faced ... Matheny's previous MSU career-high was five Ks in 5.0 IP vs. Arizona on Feb. 19, 2023 in Phoenix, Ariz.

-- Sophomore starter Nolan Higgins chalked up a career-best seven Ks in Opening Day start vs. Merrimack, topping previous career-high of six Ks vs. Oakland on April 12, 2023.

-- Sophomore reliever Robert Klann collected three Ks in 2.0 IP vs. Seton Hall on Feb. 17, for his first multi-strikeout outing of his career and bettering his previous career-best of one K vs. Wofford on March 8, 2023.

• Three other Spartan pitchers had smashing debuts:
-- Senior Aaron Mishoulam made first start in the Green & White and went 5.0 IP and chalked up seven strikeouts against Lehigh on Feb. 17.

-- Sophomore Tommy Szczepanski made MSU debut in the season-opener vs. Merrimack on Feb. 16, striking out the side to secure the 10-3 Victory for MSU ... Szczepanski also came on in relief in the game vs. Lehigh, adding a pair of punchouts in 1.1 IP.

-- Freshman Logan Pikur made his collegiate debut in the season-opener vs. Merrimack on Feb. 16, tallying two Ks in 1.0 IP ... Pikur also added one more K in 1.2 IP vs. Ball State on Feb. 18.

FIRST ROUND-TRIPPERS
• Two Spartans smashed their first home runs of their Green & White career in MSU's 10-3 win over Merrimack on Opening Day:

-- Junior transfer catcher Noah Bright bashed his first home run coming in his first ever game as a Spartan, smacking a solo shot to left field in the sixth inning, to tie it up at 4-all.

-- Sophomore Jake Dresselhouse belted the first home run of his MSU career in the sixth inning to put the Spartans on top for good at 5-4.

JOINING IN THE DEBUT PARTY
• Junior transfer outfielder Nick Williams was 3-for-4 with a run scored and a stolen base in his MSU debut.

BACK-TO-BACK TWICE
• Michigan State went back-to-back twice in the 10-3 Victory for MSU over Merrimack on Opening Day, with junior catcher Noah Bright and Jake Dresselhouse going back-to-back in the sixth inning, then junior infielder Sam Busch and sophomore infielder Jacob Anderson knocking back-to-back homers in the ninth.

140TH SEASON OF MICHIGAN STATE BASEBALL
Michigan State is playing its 140th season of baseball in 2024. The first season of Spartan baseball was 1884, going 4-2 in the six-game schedule, and baseball has been played every season since, with only no varsity in 1944 due to World War II. MSU currently has an all-time record of 2,453-2,022-30 (.548) in 4,504 games played.

70TH ANNIVERSARY OF 1954 MICHIGAN STATE COLLEGE WORLD SERIES TEAM
Michigan State will be celebrating the 1954 Spartan team that won the Big Ten Championship en route to the College World Series, the first and only trip to the CWS by MSU.

The 1954 season was one for the ages as the Spartans won their first Big Ten Championship, ran through the NCAA tournament en route to a College World Series 3rd place finish, and completed the season with a then school-record 25-10-1 record behind the leadership of Spartan legend John Kobs. The '54 team featured three future Major League players in Ed Hobaugh, Bob Powell, and College World Series MVP Tom Yewcic, and future NFL quarterback and 1968 NFL MVP Earl Morrall.

After winning the Big Ten Championship, the Spartans defeated Ohio University to earn its first bid to the College World Series. Michigan State won its first two games of the CWS, beating Massachusetts, 16-5, then topping Arizona, 2-1, before dropping a close game to Rollins College, 5-4. The Spartans rebounded to beat Rollins in extra innings 3-2 before dropping the season finale to eventual champion Missouri, 4-3, on a controversial call late in the game on a foul tip that wasn't called and led to the winning run crossing the plate.

2024's RETURNING NUMBERS FROM 2023 ON THE MOUND
• Michigan State's pitching staff returns at least three of its top five leaders in five of six pitching categories:

ERA:
3. Nick Powers 4.21
5. Harrison Cook         5.40

Opposing Batting Avg.
1. Nick Powers .228
T3. Harrison Cook       .250
T3. Gavin Sitarz           .250
5. Nolan Higgins          .257

Wins
1. Joseph Dzierwa       6
T2. Harrison Cook       5
T2. Nick Powers           5
5. Nolan Higgins          5

Innings Pitched:
1. Joseph Dzierwa       74.1
2. Nick Powers 62.0
3. Harrison Cook         58.1

Strikeouts:
1. Joseph Dzierwa       60
T4. Nick Powers           41
T4. Nolan Higgins        41

SO Looking:
2. Joseph Dzierwa       17
3. Nick Powers 14
4. Noah Matheny        12

OFFENSIVE NUMBERS RETURNING
• On the flip side, MSU's offensive numbers also have returners, with at least one returning in each of the 12 major offensive categories.

Batting Avg:
4. Christian Williams   .333

Slugging Pct.:
5. Sam Busch   .476

On-Base Pct.:
5. Jack Frank    .418

Runs Scored:
3. Jack Frank    48

Hits:
4.Jack Frank    61

RBI:
2. Jack Frank    45

Doubles:
4. Jack Frank    11

Triples:
T4. Dillon Kark 3
T4. Sam Busch 3

Home Runs:
T3. Jack Frank 7
T3. Sam Busch 7
5. Dillon Kark   6

Total Bases:
4. Jack Frank    93

Hit By Pitch:
T1. Jack Frank 11
T3. Dillon Kark 9

Stolen Bases:
1. Jack Frank    19
4. Greg Ziegler 10

THREE SPARTANS TABBED TO B1G BASEBALL PRESEASON PLAYERS TO WATCH LIST
Three Michigan State baseball players earned Big Ten Preseason Players to Watch honors, as the conference announced its preseason honors list and preseason poll on Wednesday, ahead of Friday's 2024 season-opening action around the league.

The conference coaches voted on the top six teams and also selected three student-athletes from their own squads to a Preseason Honors list.

Senior pitcher Nick Powers, senior outfielder Jack Frank and sophomore Joseph Dzierwa collected preseason recognition for the Spartans.

Powers, a Flushing, Michigan native, now has two Big Ten honors, after collecting B1G All-Freshman Team accolades. He also has garnered B1G honors in the classroom, as he is a two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree and also earned Big Ten Distinguished Scholar recognition.

Last season, Powers finished third in the B1G in both fewest runs allowed (29) and WHIP (1.15); fifth in opposing batting average (.228), fewest earned runs allowed (29) and fewest hits allowed (51), seventh in fewest walks allowed (20) and 10th in ERA (4.21). In B1G-only action, Powers was fifth in fewest runs allowed (18), seventh in fewest walks allowed (10th), ninth in both ERA (4.12) and fewest earned runs allowed (18), as well as 10th in opposing batting average (.240).

Powers posted a 5-3 record with 11 starts in 15 appearances, logging 41 strikeouts in 62.0 IP. He fired three or more strikeouts in six appearances, including in four-straight outings, highlighted by season-high six Ks in the win over Northwestern (April 30).

Entering his senior season, Powers has 122 career strikeouts, needing 58 Ks to crack MSU's career top 10 strikeouts list.

Frank, a Strongsville, Ohio native, earns the first B1G accolade on the diamond. He earned College Sports Communicators Academic All-District last season and is a three-time Academic All-Big Ten and Big Ten Distinguished Scholar honoree.

Last season, Frank started all 55 games, one of four Spartans to start and play in all 55 games, starting all 55 games in right field, and was one of three Spartans to start every game at same position (Brock Vradenburg at 1B and Casey Mayes at LF). Frank is the lone returning Spartan of those four that played in all 55 games.

Frank finished sixth on the team with a .299 average, adding a .456 slugging percentage and .418 on-base percentage. He led MSU and ranked sixth in the B1G with 19 stolen bases. Frank was also second on MSU and 29th in the B1G in RBI (45), as well as third on team and 26th in B1G in runs scored (48), along with fourth on MSU and 32nd in the B1G in hits (61)

With 19 stolen bases last season, Frank is No. 17 on MSU's single-season stolen bases list. Now with 33 career stolen bases, Frank enters his senior season No. 12 on the Spartans' career stolen base list, needing just four swipes to enter the top 10.

Dzierwa, a Haskins, Ohio native, collects his second Big Ten accolade in as many opportunities, earning preseason 2024 honors after being named to the 2023 Postseason B1G All-Freshman Team list.

In 2023, Dzierwa finished tied for eighth in the B1G overall in wins (6), while ranking tied for third in B1G only for wins (4). He also tied for fourth in the B1G regular-season in wins (6), while also tying for fourth in the conference in walks allowed per nine innings (2.45), along with just outside the top 10 in the conference in strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.84) and tied for 23rd in BAA (.271). He was also 11th in the league in innings pitched (69.2), and 21st in the conference in strikeouts.

Dzierwa led the Spartan staff in wins (6), starts (13), innings pitched (74.1) and strikeouts (60), while ranking second in strikeouts looking (17). He had a smashing gem of a Spartan and collegiate debut in season-opener vs. Michigan (Feb. 17) at MLB Desert Invite in Phoenix, chalking up five strikeouts in 4.2 IP, holding UM to just three hits without a run, to earn first collegiate win in first appearance for the Green & White.

He was also named Big Ten Freshman of the Week on April 10 for his performance in a 7-1 win over Ohio State (April 7), as the Spartan southpaw went 6.0 solid innings, yielding just three hits while allowing only one run, with four walks and four strikeouts to earn the win in Michigan State's 7-1 triumph over Ohio State, and helped lead the Spartans to head coach Jake Boss Jr. winning his 400th Victory for MSU.

SZCZEPANSKI NAMED TO NCBWA STOPPER OF THE YEAR PRESEASON WATCH LIST
Michigan State baseball sophomore pitcher Tommy Szczepanski has been named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Stopper of the Year Preseason Watch List.

Szczepanski was one of six players from the Big Ten on the 73-player list for the 19th Annual NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award, given to the top relief pitcher in NCAA Division I Baseball.

This is the second-straight season a Spartan has been on the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Watch List, as last year's senior closer Wyatt Rush was named to the Midseason List, and went on to ring up 10 saves to finish third in the B1G and tied for 19th in the NCAA in saves in his final season in the Green & White.

Szczepanski, a native of Bay City, Michigan, is in his first season at MSU after transferring from Virginia Tech. At VA Tech, Szczepanski was rated No. 122 in Perfect Game's USA's Top 500 Incoming Freshman entering the 2023 season.

He made six appearances with one start, including coming on in relief for two combined shutouts for the Hokies. Szczepanski fired 10 strikeouts in 6.0 IP (15.0 K/9 innings), yielding just five hits while holding the opposition to a .217 average against him. He also chalked up a season-high three strikeouts twice, striking out the side in his collegiate debut on Feb. 26, 2023 vs. Bryant, then adding three punchouts in 2.0 IP shutout frames vs. Bowling Green on May 6, 2023.

HOME STATERS
• The Spartans have 22 players on its 2024 roster from the state of Michigan ... MSU does not have any Florida or South Carolina natives on its roster, but the Spartans have one Georgia native in graduate catcher Sam Thompson is from Bremen, Georgia.

SPARTAN MEDIA NETWORK
• 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 for home games.

UP NEXT
• Michigan State's home opener is on tap this week, as MSU hosts Evansville, Friday-Sunday, March 15-17 at McLane Stadium at Kobs Field. The Spartans' 2024 home-opener is Friday, March 15 at 3:35 p.m., followed by game two of the series on Saturday, March 16, also with a 3:35 p.m. first pitch. MSU and Evansville wrap up the three-game weekend on Sunday, March 17 in a St. Patrick's Day showdown with a 1:05 p.m. start time.

OTHER NOTES FROM 2023 SEASON

WINNING LIKE ITS 2016
• Michigan State's 32 wins in 2023 were the most since 2016 when the Spartans won 36 games.

• MSU 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 ... the Spartans' 25 wins on April 25 were its most wins at that point of the season since 2016, when MSU was 27-10 ... the Green & White won its 30th game of the season with the 9-2 win over Central Michigan on May 16, the first 30-win season since 2016 ... along with the most wins since 2016, the Spartans' current .604 winning percentage through 53 games is also the best winning percentage since 2016's 35-18 (.660) mark through 53 contests.

PUTTING THE SWEET IN HOME SWEET HOME
• MSU finished its home portion of the 2023 schedule with a 17-4 record at home, the Spartans' most home wins since 2004, topping 2012 when they also registered 15, and the Green & White also won 15 in 2010 ... Michigan State's best home record was 21-5 in 2004.

SPARTAN WINNING WAYS
• Michigan State had a five-game winning streak snapped with a loss at Illinois on May 5 ... that was the Spartans' fourth winning streak of at least five games in the 2023 season ... MSU won 15 of its last 25 and 27 of the last 40, going 25-12 since March 8 when MSU was 5-7 ... the Spartans topped the 2022 season's win total of 24 wins with their 25th win of the season on April 25 vs. Notre Dame.

BIG B1G IMPROVEMENT
• Michigan State finished Big Ten action with an even 12-12 B1G ledger, the Spartans' bestB1G record since 2016 when the Green & White posted a 13-11 B1G mark.

• 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.

• Overall, MSU won five of its eight B1G series ... MSU opened by winning series against Purdue, at Rutgers, and against Ohio State, in a "home" series relocated to Jackson Field in Lansing, home of the Lansing Lugnuts, the A-affiliate of the Oakland A's, due to flooding around McLane Stadium at Kobs Field ... after dropping the series at Michigan, the Spartans swept Northwestern, before losing the Illinois and Iowa series, but then bouncing back to knock off Indiana to clinch a B1G Tournament berth.

• Michigan State won 12 conference games in 2023, topping the 2022 season's B1G win total, as MSU was 8-16 in conference competition ... the Spartans' 12 B1G wins was also the their first double-digit league win total since 2021, when MSU won 17 in the B1G-only season due to COVID ... the 12 B1G wins was the first time in double-digit league wins in a non-COVID impacted schedule since 2018, when MSU was 11-12 in B1G action ... the Spartans registered their best B1G record since 2016 when the Green & White posted a 13-11 B1G mark.

MSU Baseball Returns To Greenville To Host First Pitch Invite II At Fluor Field

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Jacob Anderson

Noah Bright

Bryan Broecker

Sam Busch

Harrison Cook

Jake Dresselhouse

Joseph Dzierwa

Jack Frank

Nolan Higgins

Mitch Jebb

Dillon Kark

Robert Klann

Noah Matheny

Casey Mayes

Ryan McKay

Aaron Mishoulam

Dominic Pianto

Logan Pikur

Nick Powers

Wyatt Rush

Gavin Sitarz

Tommy Szczepanski

Sam Thompson

Brock Vradenburg

Christian Williams

Nick Williams

Greg Ziegler

MSU Baseball Returns To Greenville To Host First Pitch Invite II At Fluor Field

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Jacob Anderson

Noah Bright

Bryan Broecker

Sam Busch

Harrison Cook

Jake Dresselhouse

Joseph Dzierwa

Jack Frank

Nolan Higgins

Mitch Jebb

Dillon Kark

Robert Klann

Noah Matheny

Casey Mayes

Ryan McKay

Aaron Mishoulam

Dominic Pianto

Logan Pikur

Nick Powers

Wyatt Rush

Gavin Sitarz

Tommy Szczepanski

Sam Thompson

Brock Vradenburg

Christian Williams

Nick Williams

Greg Ziegler

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