Softball Back at Home Against Illini

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State softball returns to the banks of the Red Cedar this weekend for a three-game series against Illinois on April 19-21. The Spartans are set to host a reunion for the 2004 B1G Championship team on Saturday, April 20 with numerous alumni expected to return to campus.

All three games this weekend will be streamed on B1G+. For live coverage links visit the softball schedule page here.

ABOUT THE 2004 SPARTANS
The 2004 Michigan State B1G Tournament championship team was one of underdogs. MSU finished 36-26 that season with an 8-12 mark in regular season conference play to earn the No. 8 seed at the B1G Tournament.

Against all odds, the Spartans upset top-seeded and No. 6-ranked Michigan (5-1), fourth-seeded Northwestern (2-0) and second-seeded Illinois (7-5) to win the title and earn a trip to an NCAA Regional.

The Spartans were led by All-B1G first team selections Jessica Beech and Angel Merren, along with third team honorees Dayna Feenstra and Natalie Furrow. Beech, Feenstra and Furrow were named NFCA All-Region selections, and Beech was a second team NFCA All-American.

Beech, Furrow and Merren were named to the All-B1G Tournament team alongside Brittney Green who was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament. Alongside Green, Elizabeth Peterson was named to the All-Tournament team at the NCAA Regional. MSU went 2-2 at the regional with wins over Texas A&M and Massachusetts.

SPARTANS DROP MIDWEEK AT MICHIGAN
Michigan State was defeated in the second half of its two-game season series with Michigan on Tuesday night on Big Ten Network, 5-1. The Wolverines scored all five of their runs in the first inning.

Junior Madison Taylor came on to pitch in relief and tossed a career-best 5.2 scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and a walk. Taylor entered the game with one out in the first before recording outs on 17 of the next 21 batters she faced. One Michigan baserunner reached on an error.

Sophomore Hannah Hawley provided the offense with her 11th home run of the season. That long ball tied Hawley for the team lead in homers.

ABOUT ILLINOIS
Illinois is 16-25 overall and 3-10 in the B1G this season. The Illini took the series victory against Maryland, 2-1 on April 5-7. Illinois is No. 96 in the latest NCAA RPI with a season-best victory over No. 35 in the RPI Liberty, 5-1. The Illini have three Top 50 RPI wins.

Illinois ranks #66 nationally in batting average (.298), #250 in ERA (5.01), #227 in fielding (.954), #107 in OBP (.364), #123 in scoring (4.51) and #119 in SLG (.415).

Kelly Ryono is #23 nationally in doubles (14) and is hitting a team-high .348. Ryono leads the Illini in home runs (7) and OPS (.994). Five total Illini batters are hitting over .320 (Ryono, Caryl, Ryniec, Berkmeyer, Ward).

Paige Berkmeyer has a team-high 32 RBI and a best .418 OBP. Berkmeyer is #3 nationally in caught stealing with 14 runners caught this season.

Tori McQueen is #47 nationally with 120 strikeouts and her 5.22 k:bb ratio ranks #19. McQueen leads Illinois with 130 innings pitched and a 3.39 ERA alongside a 1.18 WHIP and a .260 batting average against.

SEEING DOUBLE
Sophomore Hannah Hawley (11) and Britain Beshears (11) have each hit double digit home runs this season. They are the first Spartan duo to hit 10+ homers in the same season since 2017.

Four Spartans hit 10+ home runs in 2017 (Lea Foerster, Kelcey Carrasco, Sarah Gutknecht, Kaitlyn Eveland).

With 11 home runs, Hawley and Beshears are each tied for fifth all-time for single season home runs at MSU.

PRODIGIOUS POP
MSU has hit 41 home runs through 41 games, which marks the most home runs by the program since the 2019 season (44 in 50 games). In 2024 Michigan State ranks No. 42 nationally in home runs per game (1.00).

Britain Beshears (11) and Hannah Hawley (11) mark the first Spartan duo since 2017 to hit double-digit home runs in the same season. Four Spartans hit that mark in 2017 (Lea Foerster, Kelcey Carrasco, Sarah Gutknecht, Kaitlyn Eveland).

The Spartans are now #6 in program history for single season home runs.

#1 - 66, 2017
#2 - 53, 2011
#3 - 50, 2007
#4 - 46, 2009
#5 - 44, 2019
#6 - 41, 2024/2016

TAYLOR TURNING IT UP A NOTCH
In her last 10 appearances, junior pitcher Madison Taylor has posted a 3.26 ERA over 43.0 innings of work, far lower than her season-long ERA of 4.49. Taylor had a 6.00 ERA over her first 35.0 innings this season.

Taylor has tossed three complete games during that stretch and twice has struck out a career-high eight batters (at Northwestern, vs. Indiana). Dating back to 4/13, Taylor has recorded 11.0 shutout innings consecutively.

HAULING IN HITS
Sophomore Hannah Hawley leads the Spartans with a .341 batting average, a .445 on-base percentage, a .691 slugging percentage and a 1.136 OPS. Hawley is #5 in the B1G in slugging percentage and #5 in OPS.

Hawley leads the team with 42 hits, 25 runs scored, 21 extra-base hits and 19 walks drawn. She also leads the Spartans with 12 multi-hit games (five three-hit games, seven two-hit games) and is second with five multi-RBI games (Britain Beshears, 7). Hawley is currently riding a six-game reached base streak.

DOLOSZYCKI DOING DAMAGE
Sophomore outfielder Sydney Doloszycki has been a bright spot in the Spartan lineup over the last 11 games, reaching base in 10 of the last 11.

Over her last 11 games, Doloszycki is hitting a team-high .353 (12-for-34) with three home runs, seven runs scored, six RBI and five walks. In that span, Doloszycki is second on the team in OBP (.436), SLG (.647) and OPS (1.083).

UP NEXT
Michigan State will remain at home next weekend, welcoming Rutgers to East Lansing for a three-game series on April 26-28.

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Players Mentioned

Britain Beshears

Sydney Doloszycki

Hannah Hawley

Madison Taylor