Spartans Head To Columbus To Battle Buckeyes In B1G Weekend Series

MICHIGAN STATE (17-20, 5-7 B1G) at OHIO STATE (19-18, 6-6 B1G)
Location	Nick Swisher Field at Bill Davis Stadium \|\| Columbus, Ohio
Tickets	Ohio State Ticket Office
Weather	High/Low - Fri: 76^° / 61^° \| Sat: 81^° / 62^° \| Sun: 84^° / 63^°
Game Notes	MICHIGAN STATE \| OHIO STATE
Social Media	@MSUbaseball \| MichiganStateBaseball @msu_baseball
Television	None
Game 1	Friday, April 26 - 6 p.m. ET
Probable Pitching Match-Up	OSU: #35 SO LHP Landon Beidelschies (4-6, 3.86 ERA) MSU: #16 SO LHP Joseph Dzierwa (4-2, 3.88 ERA)
Coverage	Live Stats \| Watch Live \| Listen Live
Game 2	Saturday, April 27 - 2 p.m. ET
Probable Pitching Match-Up	OSU: #10 JR LHP Gavin Bruni (3-2, 4.60 ERA) MSU: #46 SR LHP Nick Powers (6-3, 3.98 ERA)
Coverage	Live Stats \| Watch Live \| Listen Live
Game 3	Sunday, April 28 - 1 p.m. ET
Probable Pitching Match-Up	OSU: TBA (0-0, 0.00 ERA) MSU: #37 GR RHP Nick Ferazzi (0-3, 7.82 ERA)
Coverage	Live Stats \| Watch Live \| Listen Live

• Michigan State hits the road for its penultimate conference road weekend series, heading to Columbus, Ohio to battle the Buckeyes of Ohio State in a three-game Big Ten Conference series, Friday-Sunday, April 26-28 at OSU's Nick Swisher Field at Bill Davis Stadium ... Friday's series opener is slated for a 6 p.m. start time, followed by Saturday's 2 p.m. first pitch, before wrapping up on with Sunday's series finale at 1 p.m.

• This weekend marks the third time in the last four seasons that MSU and OSU have played in Columbus.

• The Spartans' 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," "Live Stats" and "Listen Live" links, where available, 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 for select home games.

COACH VAN AMEYDE BACK WITH TEAM
• Michigan State veteran pitching coach Mark Van Ameyde (VAN-uh-mead) is returning to the dugout this weekend after behind away from the team since mid-March after undergoing a successful kidney transplant on March 20 ... Van Ameyde's wife, Melissa was his donor.

New kidney, who dis??

He's baaaaackkk!!! Cue the AC/DC cuz Coach Vandy is back in black with the team for first practice back since his kidney transplant on March 20!!#GoGreen pic.twitter.com/fcIjHJK4NI
— Michigan State Baseball (@MSUBaseball) April 25, 2024

RETURNING TO COLUMBUS
• After not traveling to Columbus from 2015 until 2021, Michigan State is now making its third trek to Columbus in the last four years ... the Spartans and Buckeyes played in Columbus in 2021 and 2022, after not playing there since 2015 ... the 2015 series was end of streak of 10 games there in a row, the longest stretch in the series history.

HEADIN' HOME TO THE BIRTHPLACE OF AVIATION
• The Spartans have two players who are from Ohio, the Birthplace of Aviation, on their roster, in senior outfielder Jack Frank (Strongsville/Strongsville HS) and sophomore pitcher Joseph Dzierwa (Haskins/Otsego HS) ... Frank is MSU's starting right fielder, while Dzierwa is Friday night's probable starter on the mound.

• MSU also has one member of its staff from Ohio in Director of Player Development Adam Eaton, who is a native of Springfield, Ohio (Kenton Ridge HS) and played at Miami, where he was a two-time All-Mid-American Conference honoree for the RedHawks, earning first-team accolades in 2009 and second-team honors in 2010 ... Eaton also earned second-team All-Mideast Region recognition in both 2009 and 2010, before being drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 19th round of the 2010 MLB Draft ... Eaton played Major League Baseball for 10 seasons (2012-21), before retiring prior to the 2022 season, including winning the World Series with the Washington Nationals in 2019 ... He was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 19th round of the 2010 MLB Draft out of Miami of Ohio.

• Eaton is still Miami's single-season triples record holder with nine in 2010, along with the career record holder with 18 from 2008-10, in addition to several other career and single-season marks in the RedHawk record book ... Eaton also holds the Miami single-game record for both hits and runs, with six of each in a game at Furman on Feb. 20, 2010.

HOME STATERS
• The Spartans have 22 players on its 2024 roster from the state of Michigan, while the Buckeyes also have 22 Ohio natives on their roster ... MSU has the aforementioned three Ohio natives on its roster, while Ohio State has three Michiganders on its roster in freshman pitcher Gavin DeVooght (Walled Lake/Walled Lake Central HS), junior outfielder Trey Lipsey Southfield/Birmingham Grove HS) and sophomore pitcher Hunter Shaw (Chelsea/Chelsea HS/Lansing CC).

FROM STARS TO FOES
MSU junior catcher Hunter Bright and OSU sophomore pitcher Hunter Shaw were teammates at Lansing Community College last season for coach Steven Cutter ... Bright and Shaw helped LCC to the NJCAA Division II World Series for the second-straight season, advancing to national semi-finals, finishing third with a 50-12 overall record, winning back-to-back Region 12 championships.

BOSS 800
• MSU's game vs. Central Michigan on April 9 was MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr.'s 800th game at the helm of the Spartans, becoming the third MSU baseball head coach to coach 800 games leading the Spartans and also the third with 400+ wins, joining John Kobs and Danny Litwhiler.

Coach              Years               Gms.    W         L          T          Pct.
John H. Kobs 1935-63 (39)   969      576      377      16        .603
Daniel W. Litwhiler     1964-82 (19)   859      489      362      8          .574
Jake Boss Jr.    2009-pres. (16th)        807      433      374      0          .537

POWERS-ING WAY UP RECORD BOOK
• Spartan senior southpaw Nick Powers earned the win in Saturday's 11-5 Victory for MSU over Penn State ... the win was Powers' sixth of the season and 19th of his career, moving up to tie for No. 9 on MSU's career wins list, matching Tim Day (2002-05) and Andrew Waszak (2010-13).

• Powers is also just two strikeouts away from cracking the top 10 strikeouts list, as he enters the weekend with 178 career Ks, just two shy from tying Mick VanVossen (2012-15) and Mickey Sinks (1959-61) with 180 ... Powers is just 22 strikeouts away from becoming just the sixth Spartan pitcher to reach the 200 Ks plateau.

• Powers is third in the B1G and 73rd in the NCAA in strikeout-walk ratio (4.17).

NIFTY FIFTY FOR FRANK IN RECORD BOOK
• Senior outfielder Jack Frank swiped his 17th stolen base of the season and the 50th of his career, becoming the sixth Spartan to swipe 50 career stolen bases and the first since former teammate and fellow outfielder, Bryce Kelley (2017-21), who became MSU's stolen base king, breaking the record and finishing with 83 stolen bases.

• Frank is tied with Brandon Hughes (2015-17) for No. 5 on MSU's stolen base list.

FRANK-ING FAST ON THE BASEPATHS
• Senior outfielder Jack Frank is also third in the B1G and 68th in the NCAA with the 17 stolen bases ... he also is fourth in the conference and 75th in the country in stolen bases per game (0.46).

• The 17 swipes is just two shy of his single-season career-high of 19 stolen bases last season, and is his third-straight double-digit swipes season after 10 in 2022.

PUTTIN' THE SWEET IN HOME SWEET HOME
• Michigan State is off to a 9-6 ledger at home after winning the home-opening series over Evansville March 15-17, winning two of three, and beating Purdue Fort Wayne on March 19, before losing to Oakland on March 27 ... MSU went 17-4 at home last season and the Spartans have now won 32 of their last 45 home games (32-13) in their last 45 home games dating back to the 2022 season.

POWERS NO. 125 ON D1BASEBALL'S TOP 150 STARTING PITCHERS
• Senior left-handed starting pitcher Nick Powers is No. 125 on D1Baseball.com's Top 150 Starting Pitchers and is the lone Spartan representative on the publication's mid-season player rankings.

• Powers currently leads MSU and ranks third in the B1G and 49th in the NCAA in victories with five ... he is also fifth in the conference in strikeout-to-walk ratio (4.09), and also fifth in the league in walks allowed per nine innings (1.76).

• Powers has a 5-3 record with a 4.15 ERA in nine starts, including one complete game ... he has 45 strikeouts to just 11 walks in a team-leading 56.1 IP.

• With the one complete game, Powers is one of six pitchers in the B1G to go the distance.

RACKING UP THE STRIKEOUTS
• MSU's pitching staff has been racking up the strikeouts to the tune of 8.6 Ks/nine innings, ranking sixth in the conference.

• Individually, sophomore southpaw starter Joseph Dzierwa is fifth in the B1G and 77th in the NCAA in strikeouts with 63, while senior lefty Nick Powers is 13th in the league with 50 punchouts ... Dzierwa is also eighth in the conference in total Ks/nine innings at 10.19 ... additionally, Dzierwa is tied for seventh in the league in strikeouts looking with 16, while Powers is tied for ninth with 15.

NUMBER 2 FOR 2-BAGS
• Senior infielder Dillon Kark is matching his jersey number of 2 for 2-baggers with a team-high 14 doubles, good for ranking tied for fifth in the B1G ... Kark is also fourth in the conference in doubles per game (0.38).

• Kark has knocked a double in two of the last three games with a 2-bagger in each of Friday and Saturday's games of the Penn State series ... he has a stretch of a double in five of the last 10 games ... he has had two streaks of three-straight games with a double, as well as a stretch of four in five games (March 15-22).

ONLY Ks IN THEIR NAMES
• Despite having Ks in their name, both junior outfielder/infielder Nick Williams and Ryan McKay, don't register a K in the score book very often, as N.Williams is fourth in the B1G in toughest to strike out (10.8), with just 14 strikeouts in 133 at bats ... McKay is close behind in eighth in the conference (9.5), with 12 Ks in 129 ABs.

SPARTANS IN SPOTLIGHT FROM LAST WEEKEND
• Senior pitcher Nick Powers went 7.0 innings, ringing up five strikeouts in scattering six hits while allowing just two runs in Saturday's win over Penn State, helped MSU secure series win over the Nittany Lions, MSU's first series win over PSU since 2016.

• After yielding a run in the first, Powers found his stride and leveled his control, retiring nine Nittany Lions in a row from the third to the sixth stanzas.

• He stymied PSU bats that came into weekend hitting .309 as a team, with 345 hits (10.5 pg) and 268 runs (8.1 pg), with 47 HR (1.4 pg), and held them to just six hits and two runs and one home run.

• Saturday was Powers' seventh game with 5+ Ks in 10 outings this season.

• Senior outfielder Jack Frank bashed a slash line of .444 / .450 / 1.000, highlighted by his first career two-HR game in with helping MSU clinch first series over Penn State since 2016, averaging two hits per game with at least one hit in each game.

• Frank started the week by going 3-for-5 with career-best two HR, with the two RBI and scored three runs in only seven innings in MSU's 12-2 win over Western Michigan at Jackson Field in Lansing, leading off bottom of the first with a solo home run to right field, then added another solo shot to lead off the sixth with a 431-foot homer to right center at the minor league ballpark.

• Frank became the first Spartan to homer twice in the same game since former teammate Brock Vradenburg had two round-trippers vs. Northwestern last season on April 29, 2023.

• Frank then opened weekend going 2-for-5 with an RBI triple and two runs scored with the 6-5 Victory for MSU over Penn State, as Friday's result snapped Penn State's seven-game winning streak in the series, and it was the Spartans' first win since 2021.

• In the sixth stanza, Frank bashed a triple to center to drive in the Spartans' fifth run of the game, and on the next batter, scored on a sac fly for MSU's sixth run, which proved to be the winning run.

• In Saturday's win, he went 1-for-4 with three RBI and a run scored, including knocking an RBI sac fly, helping MSU erupt for a five-run sixth inning, their most runs in an inning in a Big Ten game this season ... added a two-run double in the seventh and scored on the next batter.

• Saturday's win clinched the Spartans' series win over the Nittany Lions, MSU's first series win over PSU since 2016. After Friday night's 6-5 Victory for MSU snapped a seven-game losing skein to PSU, MSU has now won two in a row over PSU to extend its series lead to 56-44, with a 25-17 mark in East Lansing.

• On Sunday, went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI, adding a stolen base, for his 17th stolen base of the season and 50th of his career, becoming the fifth player in program history with 50 career stolen bases, tying for No. 5 on MSU's career stolen base list with Brandon Hughes (2015-17).

ABOUT OHIO STATE
• The Buckeyes have a 19-18 overall and 6-6 B1G ledger ... OSU is 2-3 in its last five games and 6-4 in its last 10 ... the Buckeyes are coming off a wild 14-13 loss at Wright State on Tuesday, getting overtaken and walked off in the bottom of the ninth after taking a 13-12 lead in the top of the ninth ... the 14-13 score was identical to OSU beating Wright State in Columbus the previous Tuesday on April 16.

• Last weekend Ohio State lost a weekend series at Michigan, dropping the opener, 4-0, before bouncing back in a big way with a 16-1 walloping of the Wolverines, but dropped the rubber match on Sunday, 7-5.

• Ohio State is hitting .277 as a team, with 349 hits (9.4 pg) and 253 runs (6.8 pg), with 36 HR (0.97 pg) ... the Buckeyes are also 67-of-90 on the basepaths (1.8 stolen bases per game) ... OSU leads the B1G and ranks 36th in the NCAA in stolen bases per game, while ranking second in the league and 45th in the nation in total stolen bases, trailing league-leader Rutgers with 70.
• The Ohio State pitching staff has a combined ERA of 5.70, with 298 strikeouts (8.1 pg) and 176 walks (4.8 pg), with no shutouts ... the opposition has a .272 average.

• OSU head coach Bill Mosiello is in his second season leading the Buckeyes, with a 50-43 record ... Mosiello came to Columbus following nine seasons as the associate head coach at TCU for nine seasons (2014-22).

OSU TEAM LEADERS
STAT    VALUE NO NAME (YR, POS)
AVG     .329     #6 Henry Kaczmar (SO, INF)
SLG      .571     #7 Nick Giamarusti (OF)
OB %    .458     #1 Joseph Mershon (GR, INF)
H          48        #6 Henry Kaczmar (SO, INF)
HR       5          #42 Tyler Pettorini (JR, INF) & #28 Trey Lipsey (JR, OF)
RBI       34        #42 Tyler Pettorini (JR, INF)
SB        13        #1 Joseph Mershon (GR, INF)

ERA      1.59     #11 Gavin DeVooght (FR, RHP)
Ws       4          #35 Landon Beidelschies (SO, LHP) & #31 Jacob Morin (GR, RHP)
SO        65        #35 Landon Beidelschies (SO, LHP)
IP         56.0     #35 Landon Beidelschies (SO, LHP)
SV        6          #4 Justin Eckhardt (GR, RHP)

COMMON OPPONENTS
• Michigan State and Ohio State have two common opponents in Michigan and Purdue.

• The Spartans played Michigan in a non-conference game on March 26 in Ann Arbor, with a deluge of runs and rain in a 16-6 Victory for MSU ... Michigan State hosts UM next weekend, Friday-Sunday May 3-5 in a B1G series ... the Buckeyes are coming off a weekend series at UM in Ann Arbor, dropping the opener, 4-0, before bouncing back in a big way with a 16-1 walloping of the Wolverines, but dropped the rubber match on Sunday, 7-5

• OSU hosted Purdue March 29-31, and the Buckeyes won the series, winning the first two games, 8-2 and 12-10, before falling in the finale, 7-1, to deny Ohio State the sweep ... MSU played at Purdue on April 12-14, losing 7-2, 14-0 and 21-1 in the weekend series in West Lafayette.

NIAGARA WEEKEND SHUT OUT RECAP
• Michigan State blanked Niagara, 9-nil on April 5 in the opener of the weekend's series opener, as MSU posted its first shutout since March 20, 2022 when the Spartans beat Houston Baptist, 1-0.

• Spartan starter sophomore southpaw Joseph Dzierwa went 7.0 IP, before senior reliever Aaron Mishoulam (1.0 IP) and freshman reliever Garrett Brewer (1.0 IP) finished it off for the combined shutout ... in the last blanking, three Spartans pitchers also combined for the shutout as well, with Nick Powers (6.1 IP), Andrew Carson (1.2 IP), Kyle Bischoff (1.0 IP) vs. Houston Baptist, March 20, 2022.

• Dzierwa was dominant, as he tied his career-high for third time this season with nine strikeouts in 7.0 IP as MSU snapped hot-hitting Niagara's eight-game win streak Friday.

• He retired 11-straight Niagara batters with six strikeouts in that span, covering the first through the fourth innings.

• After allowing two singles to open the game, Dzierwa got out of the inning with a flyout, then back-to-back Ks ... He opened the second with two more strikeouts in a row for four in a row, part of the 11-straight retired Purple Aces, until a single in the top of the fourth.

• Dzierwa, Mishoulam and Brewer combined to stymie Niagara's bats as they came into game ranking No. 16 in the NCAA with a team average of .321, averaging over 11 hits and nine runs per game, and were held in check to five hits and no runs Friday night ... Two Purple Eagles were in the top 15 in the nation in average, as Eric Rataczak was No. 13 at .446, while Nick Monile was hitting .438 coming into Friday ... They were a combined 1-for-8 with a strikeout apiece, with Monile lacing a two-out single in the fourth for the lone hit between them ... Rataczak had a season-long 13-game hitting streak snapped by going hitless for just the fourth time this season.

LIGHTING UP SCOREBOARD LIGHT A LITE BRITE
• A deluge of runs by Michigan State before and after a rain delay propelled the Spartans to a 16-6 Victory for MSU at Michigan on March 26 ... MSU plated seven runs in the top of the ninth, tying the season-high for most runs in an inning, matching a 7-run frame in the fifth inning at Georgia on Feb. 28 during the Spartans' 19-6, 7-inning, run-rule rout of the Bulldogs.

• The Spartans have beaten the Wolverines in the last two meetings overall, while Michigan State has scored 14 or more runs in its last three wins over Michigan, opening the 2023 season with a 15-8 win out in Phoenix at the MLB Desert Invite. MSU then won the series finale, 14-2 on April 23, avoiding a sweep after UM had won the first two games of the Big Ten weekend series, 5-3 and 8-3.

• Along with matching the second-high for most runs in a frame, MSU's 7-run ninth inning at UM on Tuesday was the Spartans' second 7-run inning in the last two seasons against Michigan and the third big inning of four or more runs, as the Spartans plated seven runs in the eighth after a 5-run sixth inning in the aforementioned 15-8 Victory for MSU over Michigan in the 2023 season-opener.

OPRAH-LIKE DISTRIBUTION OF HITS, RUNS AND RBI
• Michigan State rapped out 19 hits in the win at Michigan, with all nine starters plus the lone pinch hitter knocking at least one hit, while seven Spartans had multiple hits ... All nine starters plus the one pinch hitter all scored at least one run each and eight of the nine starters in addition to the lone pinch hitter had at least one RBI ... Eight of the nine starters also drew at least one walk, as the Spartans earned a season-high 13 free passes and their second double-digit walk outing of the season.

FRESHMEN DRIVING IN THE WINNING RBI
• The Spartans had a stretch where three of their four official game-winning RBI were driven in by freshmen, most recently with freshman infielder Ryan McKay's walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth in the 3-2 Victory for MSU over Rutgers on March 31.

• Spartan freshman outfielder Landen Lozier drove in the Spartans' two winning runs with official game-winning RBI in the wins over Purdue Fort Wayne on March 19 and at Michigan on March 26 ... Lozier drew a bases-loaded walk for the Spartans second run in the 11-1 win over Purdue Fort Wayne on March 19, and laced an RBI single in the seventh for Michigan State's seventh run at Michigan for the difference-maker run in the 16-6 deluge of runs in the win over the Wolverines.

RED CEDAR RIVER BUSCH BLAST AND FRANK JACK
• Junior infielder Sam Busch blasted his team-leading fourth home run for his first homer at home and belted it over the wall in right field and into the Red Cedar River on March 19 vs. Purdue Fort Wayne.

• Senior outfielder Jack Frank hit a three-run jack into the Red Cedar River in the third inning of Saturday's win over Rutgers ... it was Frank's third HR of the season, but first of the year in a home game.

RANDY SEY-MORE HOME RUNS
• MSU sophomore infielder Randy Seymour belted the first two home runs of his career, and both came not only at Fluor Field in Greenville, S.C., but they both were against Western Michigan ... He hit his first career home run in MSU's 13-3, 8-inning run-rule walloping of WMU on March 2, smacking it over the Green Monster in left field ... Seymour then smacked a 375-foot blast to left center in the 5-3 Victory for MSU over WMU on March 8.

• Seymour smacked his third homer of the season for his first homer at McLane Stadium at Kobs Field, knocking a three-run opposite-field round-tripper over the wall in right field and into the Red Cedar River on March 15 in the loss to Evansville.

SHOE ON BOTH FEET
• MSU senior pitcher Aaron Mishoulam made two appearances during the week of March 26-31, with one as a starter and one as a reliever.

• Mishoulam earned a save and started with a solid performance, going 4.0 IP at Michigan in non-conference win on March 26 and added a save in the 5-2 Victory for MSU over Rutgers on March 30 for his first career save as a Spartan.

• He started at Michigan and went 4.0 IP with four strikeouts.

• Mishoulam then came on and sealed the win over Rutgers on March 30, chalking up three strikeouts with just one hit in 2.0 IP, working a 1-2-3 inning in the eighth, then working around a single and error, with all three strikeouts coming in the ninth, ringing up third and final K to seal the victory for MSU.

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 6-1 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.

• MSU started the season with 10 runs in the season-opener, then added 10 runs in the loss to Marshall on Feb. 23, before bouncing back with a three-game win streak when plating 10 or more runs, starting with double-digit runs in back-to-back games with 19 runs in 7-innings at Georgia on Feb. 28 and 13 runs in 8-innings two days later vs. Western Michigan on March 2 at Greenville ... the Green & White then scored 11 runs in the home and series opener vs. Evansville on March 15, and added 11 runs in the 11-1 8-inning run-rule Victory for MSU over Purdue Fort Wayne on March 19 in the first home midweek game of the season ... the Spartans erupted for a 16-6 Victory for MSU at Michigan on March 26.

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 on March 4 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 ... Was 1-for-4 with a double vs. Florida State.

• 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 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.

EARLY HOME OPENER
• MSU's March 15 home-opener date was tied for 2018 for the earliest home openers in program history ... Evansville was only the third out-of-state opponent for the Spartans in their last 10 home openers, playing Niagara in 2018 ... the home-opener game-time temperature was 54 degrees, making it the warmest home-opener in the last 10 years.

Last 10 Years Of Home-Openers
Year     Date    Result Game-Time Temp
2024    March 15*       MSU 11, Evansville 3 54
2023    March 21         MSU 8, Western Michigan 3   50
2022    March 18         MSU 4, Houston Baptist 3      48
2021    March 26 ^      Indiana 8, MSU 2         49
2020    No home-opener due to COVID         --
2019    March 20< march="" 27           ="" msu="" 3,="" western="" michigan="" 2  ="">
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
^ = B1G-only ledger due to COVID
< =="" scheduled="" date="" but="">

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-rule 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.

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.

-- As of April 18, that was one of just two home losses that Georgia had, and was the Bulldogs' only home loss until a 6-5 (10 inn.) loss to Missouri on April 12, and UGA is now 22-2 at home.

-- 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.

PROFESSIONAL STADIUM EXPERIENCE
• The previous two weekends in Greenville, S.C., the Spartans played six of their eight total official games and one exhibition contest in two different professional stadiums.

• The Spartans also played six games at their home-away-from-home, Fluor Field, in Greenville, S.C., home of the Greenville Drive. MSU hosted the First Pitch Invitational I on March 2-3, beating Western Michigan, 13-3 (8 innings), before losing to Florida State , 11-2, on March 2, and losing to Illinois, 12-6 on March 3.

• MSU hosted the First Pitch Invitational II, again beating Western Michigan, 5-3, on March 8, before falling to Western Carolins (9-5) on March 9 and to VCU (8-4) on 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), leaving him just one from former teammate Mitch Jebb (2021-23) at No. 9 with 38 swipes ... Frank passed Jebb with two stolen bases at Georgia on Feb. 28 and added two more stolen bases the next game vs. Western Michigan on Feb. 2.

• Frank now has nine stolen bases this season for 42 career stolen bases, holding the No. 9 spot on MSU's stolen bases list, just three from tying Cam Gibson (2013-15) with 45 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
• 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 in his third outing, before posting six Ks in outing number four and eight in his fifth and most recent outing on March 15.

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 and was the first varsity sport on campus. 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 has played over 4,500 games in program history.

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 lone 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.

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.

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
• The Spartans return home to McLane Stadium at Kobs Field for a season-long five-game home stand.

• MSU opens against Notre Dame on Tuesday, April 30 in a 7:05 p.m. first pitch in a non-conference clash.

• The Spartans then host Michigan in a three-game B1G weekend series, Friday-Sunday, May 3-5 ... Friday's series opener is slated for 6:05 p.m., before game two of the series on Saturday at 3:35 p.m. ... the MSU-UM series wraps up on Sunday at 2:05 p.m.

• Michigan State then hosts Bowling Green on Tuesday, May 7 at 6:05 p.m. in another non-conference match-up.

• Fans can follow this week's action with "Tickets," "Watch Live," "Listen Live" and "Live Stats" links at MSUSpartans.com.

• Michigan State's schedule is subject to change, stay tuned to MSUSpartans.com and @MSUBaseball on Twitter for schedule updates.

Spartans Head To Columbus To Battle Buckeyes In B1G Weekend Series

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Jacob Anderson

Garrett Brewer

Noah Bright

Bryan Broecker

Sam Busch

Andrew Carson

Jake Dresselhouse

Joseph Dzierwa

Nick Ferazzi

Jack Frank

Nolan Higgins

Mitch Jebb

Dillon Kark

Robert Klann

Landen Lozier

Noah Matheny

Ryan McKay

Aaron Mishoulam

Dominic Pianto

Logan Pikur

Nick Powers

Wyatt Rush

Randy Seymour

Tommy Szczepanski

Brock Vradenburg

Christian Williams

Nick Williams

Spartans Head To Columbus To Battle Buckeyes In B1G Weekend Series

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Jacob Anderson

Garrett Brewer

Noah Bright

Bryan Broecker

Sam Busch

Andrew Carson

Jake Dresselhouse

Joseph Dzierwa

Nick Ferazzi

Jack Frank

Nolan Higgins

Mitch Jebb

Dillon Kark

Robert Klann

Landen Lozier

Noah Matheny

Ryan McKay

Aaron Mishoulam

Dominic Pianto

Logan Pikur

Nick Powers

Wyatt Rush

Randy Seymour

Tommy Szczepanski

Brock Vradenburg

Christian Williams

Nick Williams

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