Saturday, February 15
Cary, N.C.
9:30 AM
Michigan State University
3-0
2
vs
0
Monmouth
2-1
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Michigan State
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
2
3
1
Monmouth
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
Photo by: Megan O'Brien/Monmouth Athletic Communications
MSU Baseball Sweeps Saturday’s Twinbill With Monmouth To Complete Four Wins In Two Days
2/15/2025 5:40:00 PM | Baseball
Spartans open season 4-0 for first time since 2020 after winning pair of DHs in 22 hours.
CARY, N.C. -- Michigan State baseball swept its second doubleheader in as many days, taking a twinbill with Monmouth, 2-0 and 4-1, Saturday morning and afternoon at the USA Baseball Complex in Cary, N.C.
After inclement weather altered the weekend schedule, MSU and Monmouth met in a 7/9-inning doubleheader starting at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, and when game two ended, the Spartans had played two twinbills in approximately 22 hours, to be the first Division I baseball team in the country to four wins. MSU opens the season 4-0 for the first time since 2020.
"I'm really proud of our guys. To play four games in a span of 22 hours is really challenging, and I thought our guys played hard both days," MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr. said. "I thought mentally, we were locked in, and that's tough to do in a doubleheader setting, not to mention back-to-back doubleheaders within a 22 hour span. So again, I'm just really proud of our guys."
In Saturday's game one, the Spartans took advantage of a pair of sacrifice flies in the sixth inning and got solid pitching to stymie the Monmouth bats. MSU's pitchers junior Nolan Higgins and sophomore Logan Pikur held the Hawks to just two hits in game one after they had 17 hits in Friday's DH as Monmouth also won both of its games the day before, taking two from Dayton, as the Spartan hurlers set the tone for the day.
"I thought we pitched it really, really well again today" Boss said.
In the second game, that started at 11:55 a.m., the Spartans sent sophomore Tate Farquhar to the mound to start, making his collegiate debut after missing the 2023 and 2024 seasons with injuries.
"I couldn't be happier for Tate Farquhar, who's been injured the last two years and made his first collegiate outing today and was really good."
The Spartans scored a run in the home half of the second stanza and then broke it open with a three-run sixth inning. Monmouth threatened in the ninth with a run, before graduate reliever Tyler Horvath closed the door on any rally thoughts the Hawks may have had, and the Spartan reliever picked up his second save in as many days after earning his first save in the Green & White Friday night. Just like in the opener and also Friday's games, Michigan State's pitchers were steady and resolute, keeping the Hawks in check.
"Nolan Higgins was really good in his start," Boss said. "The bullpen was solid all day as they were all weekend. Logan Pikur was outstanding, Tommy Szczepanski was really good with his stuff, and Tyler Horvath came in and threw three gutsy innings to get the save again today after throwing an inning and getting the save last night. I'm just really proud of not only our team, but really, really proud of our pitching staff in particular."
MSU won game two despite getting out-hit, 7-5, for the Spartans' second win of the weekend when getting fewer hits. One of Michigan State's biggest hits of game two was a two-run single by graduate designated hitter Will Shannon in the sixth inning to break the game open.
"Offensively, we took advantage of some opportunities and made them count when we needed them. I think we still left a few out there, but at the same time, you only need to score one more than your opponent, and fortunately, we were able to grab two more wins today."
Game 1: MSU 2, MON 0
In the 7-inning opener, MSU used a pair of sacrifice hits in the sixth inning for its two runs, while getting solid pitching on the mound from junior starter Nolan Higgins and sophomore reliever Logan Pikur.
Senior outfielder JT Sokolove led off by getting hit by pitch. He then stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch on the play. Sophomore infielder Ryan McKay followed with a sac fly to center to plate Sokolove for the Spartans' first run of the morning. Senior outfielder Nick Williams then followed with double to left center, moving to third on a passed ball and scored on a sac fly from senior infielder Sam Busch for a 2-0 Spartan lead.
Meanwhile, Higgins went 6.0 IP, chalking up four strikeouts while scattering two hits, working around two walk, while not allowing a run. The Spartans went to the bullpen for the seventh inning, bringing in Pikur to close it. The sophomore reliever book-ended the frame with a pair of strikeouts around a flyout, getting a called strike three to end the game and pick up his second save in as many days after earning the save in Friday's game one Victory for MSU, also a 2-0 win.
Busch finished 1-for-2 with an RBI, while N.Williams and Picot were both 1-for-3. N.Williams had MSU's first double of the season and the Spartans' second extra-base hit through three games, as sophomore outfielder Parker Picot knocked a triple in Friday's nightcap. McKay tallied an RBI on the sac fly.
Game 2: MSU 4, MON 1
In game two, Michigan State threatened in its first at bat, loading the bases with two outs, but were unable to get the early run. The Spartans broke through in the second inning as sophomore infielder Randy Seymour led off the second stanza with a double to left field. Three batters later, Sokolove traded places with Seymour on a double up the middle, giving MSU the early 1-0 advantage.
Michigan State threatened in each inning, getting runners on in every inning except the eighth, but were unable to push across any more runs, until the sixth inning. Junior outfielder Jake Dresselhouse drew a one-out walk and later stole second.
Sokolove and N.Williams then both reached after getting hit by pitch, to load the bases. After a Monmouth pitching change, McKay drew a walk off new Hawk reliever, Jimmy Wigo to bring Dresselhouse in to score.
Shannon was up next and he smacked a single to center to plate Sokolove and N.Williams for a 4-0 lead.
Just as it had in the previous three-and-a-half games to that point, the Spartan bullpen made the lead hold up, as Horvath took over in the seventh, and went 3.0 IP in scattering three hits with one K and one run to pick up save number two of the weekend. Farquhar threw 4.0 IP, spraying three hits with two strikeouts and didn't allow a run. Szczepanski went 2.0 IP with one hit while ringing up four Ks and walking one to earn his first win of the season, capping the Spartans' fourth win in two days.
MSU's 4-0 start is its third under Coach Boss, opening 6-0 in 2016 and 4-0 in 2020.
Next weekend, Michigan State heads to Corpus Christi, Texas for the Texas A&M-Corpus Christ Kleberg Bank College Classic at Whataburger Field. MSU will play Washington State on Friday, Feb. 21 at 3 p.m. ET/2 p.m. CT, before facing the host Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Saturday, Feb. 22 at 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT. The Spartans then wrap up the weekend by taking on new fellow B1G team UCLA in a non-conference game on Sunday, Feb. 23 at 11:30 a.m. ET/10:30 am CT.
The Spartans' schedule is subject to change, fans can stay tuned to MSUSpartans.com and @MSUBaseball on Twitter for schedule updates, along with follow this weekend's action with "Watch Live" and "Live Stats."
After inclement weather altered the weekend schedule, MSU and Monmouth met in a 7/9-inning doubleheader starting at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, and when game two ended, the Spartans had played two twinbills in approximately 22 hours, to be the first Division I baseball team in the country to four wins. MSU opens the season 4-0 for the first time since 2020.
"I'm really proud of our guys. To play four games in a span of 22 hours is really challenging, and I thought our guys played hard both days," MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr. said. "I thought mentally, we were locked in, and that's tough to do in a doubleheader setting, not to mention back-to-back doubleheaders within a 22 hour span. So again, I'm just really proud of our guys."
In Saturday's game one, the Spartans took advantage of a pair of sacrifice flies in the sixth inning and got solid pitching to stymie the Monmouth bats. MSU's pitchers junior Nolan Higgins and sophomore Logan Pikur held the Hawks to just two hits in game one after they had 17 hits in Friday's DH as Monmouth also won both of its games the day before, taking two from Dayton, as the Spartan hurlers set the tone for the day.
"I thought we pitched it really, really well again today" Boss said.
In the second game, that started at 11:55 a.m., the Spartans sent sophomore Tate Farquhar to the mound to start, making his collegiate debut after missing the 2023 and 2024 seasons with injuries.
"I couldn't be happier for Tate Farquhar, who's been injured the last two years and made his first collegiate outing today and was really good."
The Spartans scored a run in the home half of the second stanza and then broke it open with a three-run sixth inning. Monmouth threatened in the ninth with a run, before graduate reliever Tyler Horvath closed the door on any rally thoughts the Hawks may have had, and the Spartan reliever picked up his second save in as many days after earning his first save in the Green & White Friday night. Just like in the opener and also Friday's games, Michigan State's pitchers were steady and resolute, keeping the Hawks in check.
"Nolan Higgins was really good in his start," Boss said. "The bullpen was solid all day as they were all weekend. Logan Pikur was outstanding, Tommy Szczepanski was really good with his stuff, and Tyler Horvath came in and threw three gutsy innings to get the save again today after throwing an inning and getting the save last night. I'm just really proud of not only our team, but really, really proud of our pitching staff in particular."
MSU won game two despite getting out-hit, 7-5, for the Spartans' second win of the weekend when getting fewer hits. One of Michigan State's biggest hits of game two was a two-run single by graduate designated hitter Will Shannon in the sixth inning to break the game open.
"Offensively, we took advantage of some opportunities and made them count when we needed them. I think we still left a few out there, but at the same time, you only need to score one more than your opponent, and fortunately, we were able to grab two more wins today."
Game 1: MSU 2, MON 0
In the 7-inning opener, MSU used a pair of sacrifice hits in the sixth inning for its two runs, while getting solid pitching on the mound from junior starter Nolan Higgins and sophomore reliever Logan Pikur.
Senior outfielder JT Sokolove led off by getting hit by pitch. He then stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch on the play. Sophomore infielder Ryan McKay followed with a sac fly to center to plate Sokolove for the Spartans' first run of the morning. Senior outfielder Nick Williams then followed with double to left center, moving to third on a passed ball and scored on a sac fly from senior infielder Sam Busch for a 2-0 Spartan lead.
Meanwhile, Higgins went 6.0 IP, chalking up four strikeouts while scattering two hits, working around two walk, while not allowing a run. The Spartans went to the bullpen for the seventh inning, bringing in Pikur to close it. The sophomore reliever book-ended the frame with a pair of strikeouts around a flyout, getting a called strike three to end the game and pick up his second save in as many days after earning the save in Friday's game one Victory for MSU, also a 2-0 win.
Busch finished 1-for-2 with an RBI, while N.Williams and Picot were both 1-for-3. N.Williams had MSU's first double of the season and the Spartans' second extra-base hit through three games, as sophomore outfielder Parker Picot knocked a triple in Friday's nightcap. McKay tallied an RBI on the sac fly.
Game 2: MSU 4, MON 1
In game two, Michigan State threatened in its first at bat, loading the bases with two outs, but were unable to get the early run. The Spartans broke through in the second inning as sophomore infielder Randy Seymour led off the second stanza with a double to left field. Three batters later, Sokolove traded places with Seymour on a double up the middle, giving MSU the early 1-0 advantage.
Michigan State threatened in each inning, getting runners on in every inning except the eighth, but were unable to push across any more runs, until the sixth inning. Junior outfielder Jake Dresselhouse drew a one-out walk and later stole second.
Sokolove and N.Williams then both reached after getting hit by pitch, to load the bases. After a Monmouth pitching change, McKay drew a walk off new Hawk reliever, Jimmy Wigo to bring Dresselhouse in to score.
Shannon was up next and he smacked a single to center to plate Sokolove and N.Williams for a 4-0 lead.
Just as it had in the previous three-and-a-half games to that point, the Spartan bullpen made the lead hold up, as Horvath took over in the seventh, and went 3.0 IP in scattering three hits with one K and one run to pick up save number two of the weekend. Farquhar threw 4.0 IP, spraying three hits with two strikeouts and didn't allow a run. Szczepanski went 2.0 IP with one hit while ringing up four Ks and walking one to earn his first win of the season, capping the Spartans' fourth win in two days.
MSU's 4-0 start is its third under Coach Boss, opening 6-0 in 2016 and 4-0 in 2020.
Next weekend, Michigan State heads to Corpus Christi, Texas for the Texas A&M-Corpus Christ Kleberg Bank College Classic at Whataburger Field. MSU will play Washington State on Friday, Feb. 21 at 3 p.m. ET/2 p.m. CT, before facing the host Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Saturday, Feb. 22 at 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT. The Spartans then wrap up the weekend by taking on new fellow B1G team UCLA in a non-conference game on Sunday, Feb. 23 at 11:30 a.m. ET/10:30 am CT.
The Spartans' schedule is subject to change, fans can stay tuned to MSUSpartans.com and @MSUBaseball on Twitter for schedule updates, along with follow this weekend's action with "Watch Live" and "Live Stats."
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Szczepanski, Tommy (1-0)
L: Tamburro, Nick (0-1)
S: Horvath, Tyler (2)
Batting:
3B: Walsh, Chris 1
RBI: Dux, Shane 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Bretschneider, Aidan 1
CS: Andrews, Chris 1 ; Padden, Harry 1
HBP: Andrews, Chris 1
Batting:
2B: Sokolove, JT 1 ; Seymour, Randy 1
RBI: Sokolove, JT 1 ; McKay, Ryan 1 ; Shannon, Will 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Sokolove, JT 1 ; Williams, Nick 1 ; Seymour, Randy 1 ; Dresselhouse, Jake 1
SB: McKay, Ryan 1 ; Dresselhouse, Jake 1
CS: McKay, Ryan 1
HBP: Sokolove, JT 1 ; Williams, Nick 1 ; Dresselhouse, Jake 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
3
R
0
H
2
RBI
2
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
1
AB
2
R
0
H
1
RBI
1
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
OF/C
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RHP
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RHP
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INF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
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/ Baseball
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/ BaseballOF/INF
/ BaseballOF
/ Baseball
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/ Baseball
OF
/ BaseballPursuit to Greatness | Spartans All-Access
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