Friday, March 7
Greenville, S.C.
10 AM
Michigan State University
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Cornell
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Cornell
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Michigan State
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Photo by: Jeremy Fleming
Spartans Sweep Friday’s First Pitch Invite Action As Coach Boss Collects Milestone 450th Victory For MSU
3/7/2025 11:23:00 PM | Baseball
MSU walks off Cornell, 3-2, in opener, before beating UAB, 5-2, in game two.
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Michigan State baseball head coach Jake Boss Jr. won his 450th and 451st games as Spartan head coach with a pair of Victories for MSU Friday in the opening day of play at the First Pitch Invitational at Fluor Field, home of the Greenville Drive.
MSU used a walk-off single by junior infielder Randy Seymour to defeat Cornell, 3-2, in the opener. The Spartans were boosted by the bat of senior infielder Sam Busch and the arm of junior pitcher Joseph Dzierwa to beat UAB, 5-2, in game two.
Coach Boss becomes the third MSU baseball coach to reach the 450 Victories for MSU milestone, joining Spartan coaching greats John Kobs with 576 wins and Danny Litwhiler with 489.
"I'm very humbled to have the job that I have and to be able to work with the great staff and the players that I've been fortunate to work with over the last 17 years, and makes this honor a total program effort," Boss said. "It's a tremendous honor to be associated with Spartan legendary coaches John Kobs and Danny Litwhiler, and I'm blessed to be able to join them."
With Friday's pair of wins, MSU is now 11-2 on the season, it's best start since 2016. Cornell slid to 3-3 with the loss, while UAB was 10-3 for a few hours, before defeating Winthrop, 9-7, in the nightcap to move to 11-3.
Saturday's action continues with UAB and Cornell playing at 12 p.m., before Michigan State faces Winthrop at 4 p.m.
In Friday's game two, Spartan southpaw standout junior Joseph Dzierwa pitched into the seventh, going 6.2 IP with eight strikeouts. Friday was the first of his four outings this season with single-digit strikeouts, after ringing up 10+ Ks in the previous three outings of the year and last four career outings dating back to last season. He held UAB to just three hits, yielding one run and four walks.
"Joe was good today. We pushed it a little bit in the seventh there, he was around 80 pitches going into the seventh and we really wanted him to finish the inning, but a couple walks here and there, and then all of a sudden, the next thing you know, we're pushing 110 pitches," Boss said. "I thought he was really sharp today, his velocity looked good and he threw three pitches for strikes, and I think that UAB can hit, so I think he really did a nice job of locating pitches and making big pitches in big counts."
In the opener, junior starter Nolan Higgins went 5.2 IP, scattering five hits while posting five punchouts.
"I thought Nolan was better today than he was last week, and I thought he was better last week than he was in week one, so he was able to go deeper in the game this week than he did last week," Boss said. "I thought his stuff was really good today. He's a really talented kid who I think has a bright future ahead of him."
Friday's twinbill are games two and three out of five games in a five-day stretch after one game Wednesday and ahead of single contests on Saturday and Sunday to conclude MSU's eight-game, 10-day stay in Greenville. Action got underway at 10 a.m. Friday, with a short break in between games, and battling tough all day.
"I'm really proud of our guys. I'm the one that set the schedule so I'm the one that put our guys in the tough spot and kind of challenged them a little bit with the schedule today, and to their credit, they responded. I thought we had a really good effort against Cornell and I thought Higgins threw well today, and I thought we made some plays when we needed to get a big hit at the end, and we're fortunate to walk them off."
The Spartans continued the momentum they gained with the thrilling walk-off Victory for MSU into game two, boosted by Dzierwa on the mound.
"Joe was really good in game two against a really good UAB team. I think they're going to win a lot of a games and their starter, (Cole) Cheatham was lights out as well. So that was a good win for us," Boss said. "It was a tough day, a long day, and we've done it before, and there's a chance that we'll have to play doubleheaders again if we get rained out. I think it's a good experience for the future, but credit to our guys for staying with it all day today. We were at the park at 7:30 this morning and they stayed mentally sharp the entire day and everybody contributed."
Game 1: MSU 3, Cornell 2
Friday's games started at 10 a.m., and while temps were a little on the chilly side, both the Spartan and Big Red offenses started hot, as MSU scored in its first at bat. Leadoff hitter, senior outfielder JT Sokolove led off by beating out an infield single, then stole second and moved to third on a throwing error on the play. Sophomore infielder Ryan McKay grounded out to move Sokolove to third and senior designated hitter Nick Williams followed with an RBI groundout to drive Sokolove in with the first run of the day and an early 1-0 Spartan lead.
Cornell countered with a run in the second on an RBI single and another in the third on a solo home run, to take a 2-1 lead.
N.Williams lead off the top of the fourth and knocked a hard liner down the right field line that bounced off the wall just past Pesky's Pole, as Fluor Field has the same dimensions as Fenway Park in Boston, and the ball bounced past Cornell right fielder, allowing the speedy Williams to dart around the bases for an inside-the-park home run and tie the game at 2-2.
That was the Spartans' first inside-the-park HR since March 10, 2023 when Dillon Kark did something very similar at Fluor Field with the exception of being a walk-off in a Victory for MSU over Western Carolina.
The manual scoreboard on the Green Monster in left field, stayed stuck at 2-2 from the fourth inning until the ninth.
Sophomore outfielder Parker Picot led off with a walk, and Cornell made a pitching change.
Two batters later, junior outfielder Jake Dresselhouse was hit-by-pitch, advancing Picot to second.
Seymour came to bat and laced a single to right and Picot scampered around third and slid into home well ahead of the tag with the game-winning run and sparking the Victory for MSU celebration.
The Spartans had six hits in the game, as Seymour and Sokolove were 2-for-4, while N.Williams was 1-for-3 with the two RBI and run scored, and Busch was 1-for-4. Sokolove had two stolen bases, while Seymour swiped one.
On the mound, junior starter Nolan Higgins went 5.2 IP, scattering five hits while yielding two runs, with three walks and five strikeouts. Graduate reliever Zach Maxey went 2.0 IP with two hits and two Ks without a run, then senior Dominic Pianto went 0.1 before graduate reliever Tyler Horvath came on and closed out the top of the ninth, working around one hit and chalking up a strikeout, while earning his second win of the season.
Game 2: MSU 5, UAB 2
Just like in the first game of the day, the Spartans struck first and got on the scoreboard in their first at bat. MSU plated a pair of runs on Busch's first home run of the game, a two-run blast to right, scoring N.Williams who drew a walk just ahead of Busch.
The two runs in game two and the one run in the opener give MSU 26 runs scored in the first frame, as the Spartans have now scored 28.0 percent of their 93 runs in the first inning, an average of 2.0 runs per game in the first inning.
MSU maintained its 2-0 through first four frames, as Dzierwa was stymieing the Blazer bats, while UAB starting pitcher Cole Cheatham was keeping the Spartans in check after the opening inning.
Dzierwa retired the first six UAB hitters he faced, striking out four of them, before yielding a leadoff error in the third and a walk followed for two on without an out, but a strikeout righted the ship for Dzierwa, as he got out of the jam with a flyout and groundout to end the inning. The Spartan southpaw allowed his first hit of the game with a one-out single to right in the fourth, and two batters later another single put two Blazers back on back, before Dzierwa slammed the door on a rally with a rally and inning-ending strikeout.
In the bottom of the fifth, graduate catcher Caleb Berry led off with a double off the wall, and Dresselhouse followed with an RBI single through the right side to bring Berry in to scores and 3-0 Spartan lead.
MSU moved its advantage to 4-0 in the sixth as Busch blasted a solo home run deep to right, sending the ball a whopping 428-feet that was scorching at 107 mph off the bat.
Dzierwa walked the first two UAB batters in the top of the seventh, before getting a lineout and a strikeout, before MSU made a pitching change, ending Dzierwa's day and bringing redshirt-sophomore Tate Farquhar on. After yielding an RBI single to put UAB on the board, Farquhar induced an inning-ending lineout to left, leaving the score, 4-1.
The Spartans quickly regained their four-run cushion as Berry came to bat after the singing and stretching was completed in the middle of the seventh, and belted a solo home run to right center for his second extra-base hit of the game and his third homer of the season for a 5-1 MSU advantage.
Farquhar recorded back-to-back groundouts before a single and a fielder's choice put Blazers on first and second, but another groundout ended the inning.
Graduate reliever George Viebrock III came on to open the ninth, and got the first two UAB batters out, before yielding a walk and two singles to drive in a run and the Blazers closed to 5-2. Viebrock gave UAB little time to keep their hope going, chalking up a strikeout to seal the Victory for MSU and secure the sweep.
Busch finished the game 2-for-4 with three RBI and a run scored, while Berry was 2-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI. Dresselhouse was 1-for-4 with the RBI, and Sokolove was 1-for-3. Seymour added a stolen base.
Dzierwa went 6.2 IP, with three hits, one run, four walks and eight strikeouts, marking his first outing this season with single-digit strikeouts after 10+ Ks in his previous three. The win improved the Spartan southpaw to 4-0.
Farquhar finished with 1.1 IP and two hits, while Viebrock went 1.0 IP, with two hits, two Ks, one run and one walk.
The Spartans conclude their Greenville residency with day two and three of the First Pitch Invitational, facing Winthrop on Saturday, March 8 at 4 p.m. and UAB again on Sunday, March 9 at 12 p.m. to conclude MSU's eight-game, 10-day residency at Fluor Field.
The weekend schedule is subject to further 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."
Michigan State baseball and softball's B1G Preview Special Radio Show, will air live from One North Kitchen & Bar East Lansing on Monday, March 10 from 12-1 p.m. ET.
Fans can hear from MSU baseball head coach Jake Boss Jr. and MSU softball head coach Sharonda McDonald-Kelley recap their respective seasons through the first few weeks, and preview the upcoming Big Ten portions of their schedules that start the weekend of Thursday-Sunday, March 13-16.
Those fans that cannot make it in person to One North Kitchen & Bar East Lansing, located at 1310 Abbot Rd., East Lansing, MI 48823, catch watch the B1G Preview Special: Baseball & Softball on MSU Baseball and Softball Facebook and X accounts.
The show can also be heard live on the Spartan Media Network locally on WJIM AM 1240/FM 106.9 in addition at msuspartans.com/watch under the "Live" tab, on the official Michigan State Athletics app. For more information, fans can visit msuspartans.com/feature/CoachesRadioShows.
Spartan baseball will open B1G action at Iowa City, Iowa in a three-game series at Iowa, Friday-Sunday, March 14-16.
Michigan State softball will head to Oklahoma City, Okla., Thursday-Sunday, March 13-16, taking on Minnesota (March 13-14) and Northwestern (March 15-16) for two games each.
MSU baseball is scheduled to host Michigan in a non-conference game at Jeff Ishbia Field at McLane Stadium on Wednesday, March 12 at 4:05 p.m.
Spartan softball is slated for its home opener at Secchia Stadium also against an in-state foe, taking on Oakland on Tuesday, March 18 at 5 p.m.
Michigan State baseball and softball tickets are available online at msuspartans.evenue.net, by contacting the Spartan Ticket Office at 517-355-1610 or by email at tickets@msu.edu for questions or more information.
MSU used a walk-off single by junior infielder Randy Seymour to defeat Cornell, 3-2, in the opener. The Spartans were boosted by the bat of senior infielder Sam Busch and the arm of junior pitcher Joseph Dzierwa to beat UAB, 5-2, in game two.
Coach Boss becomes the third MSU baseball coach to reach the 450 Victories for MSU milestone, joining Spartan coaching greats John Kobs with 576 wins and Danny Litwhiler with 489.
"I'm very humbled to have the job that I have and to be able to work with the great staff and the players that I've been fortunate to work with over the last 17 years, and makes this honor a total program effort," Boss said. "It's a tremendous honor to be associated with Spartan legendary coaches John Kobs and Danny Litwhiler, and I'm blessed to be able to join them."
With Friday's pair of wins, MSU is now 11-2 on the season, it's best start since 2016. Cornell slid to 3-3 with the loss, while UAB was 10-3 for a few hours, before defeating Winthrop, 9-7, in the nightcap to move to 11-3.
Saturday's action continues with UAB and Cornell playing at 12 p.m., before Michigan State faces Winthrop at 4 p.m.
In Friday's game two, Spartan southpaw standout junior Joseph Dzierwa pitched into the seventh, going 6.2 IP with eight strikeouts. Friday was the first of his four outings this season with single-digit strikeouts, after ringing up 10+ Ks in the previous three outings of the year and last four career outings dating back to last season. He held UAB to just three hits, yielding one run and four walks.
"Joe was good today. We pushed it a little bit in the seventh there, he was around 80 pitches going into the seventh and we really wanted him to finish the inning, but a couple walks here and there, and then all of a sudden, the next thing you know, we're pushing 110 pitches," Boss said. "I thought he was really sharp today, his velocity looked good and he threw three pitches for strikes, and I think that UAB can hit, so I think he really did a nice job of locating pitches and making big pitches in big counts."
In the opener, junior starter Nolan Higgins went 5.2 IP, scattering five hits while posting five punchouts.
"I thought Nolan was better today than he was last week, and I thought he was better last week than he was in week one, so he was able to go deeper in the game this week than he did last week," Boss said. "I thought his stuff was really good today. He's a really talented kid who I think has a bright future ahead of him."
Friday's twinbill are games two and three out of five games in a five-day stretch after one game Wednesday and ahead of single contests on Saturday and Sunday to conclude MSU's eight-game, 10-day stay in Greenville. Action got underway at 10 a.m. Friday, with a short break in between games, and battling tough all day.
"I'm really proud of our guys. I'm the one that set the schedule so I'm the one that put our guys in the tough spot and kind of challenged them a little bit with the schedule today, and to their credit, they responded. I thought we had a really good effort against Cornell and I thought Higgins threw well today, and I thought we made some plays when we needed to get a big hit at the end, and we're fortunate to walk them off."
The Spartans continued the momentum they gained with the thrilling walk-off Victory for MSU into game two, boosted by Dzierwa on the mound.
"Joe was really good in game two against a really good UAB team. I think they're going to win a lot of a games and their starter, (Cole) Cheatham was lights out as well. So that was a good win for us," Boss said. "It was a tough day, a long day, and we've done it before, and there's a chance that we'll have to play doubleheaders again if we get rained out. I think it's a good experience for the future, but credit to our guys for staying with it all day today. We were at the park at 7:30 this morning and they stayed mentally sharp the entire day and everybody contributed."
Game 1: MSU 3, Cornell 2
Friday's games started at 10 a.m., and while temps were a little on the chilly side, both the Spartan and Big Red offenses started hot, as MSU scored in its first at bat. Leadoff hitter, senior outfielder JT Sokolove led off by beating out an infield single, then stole second and moved to third on a throwing error on the play. Sophomore infielder Ryan McKay grounded out to move Sokolove to third and senior designated hitter Nick Williams followed with an RBI groundout to drive Sokolove in with the first run of the day and an early 1-0 Spartan lead.
Cornell countered with a run in the second on an RBI single and another in the third on a solo home run, to take a 2-1 lead.
N.Williams lead off the top of the fourth and knocked a hard liner down the right field line that bounced off the wall just past Pesky's Pole, as Fluor Field has the same dimensions as Fenway Park in Boston, and the ball bounced past Cornell right fielder, allowing the speedy Williams to dart around the bases for an inside-the-park home run and tie the game at 2-2.
That was the Spartans' first inside-the-park HR since March 10, 2023 when Dillon Kark did something very similar at Fluor Field with the exception of being a walk-off in a Victory for MSU over Western Carolina.
The manual scoreboard on the Green Monster in left field, stayed stuck at 2-2 from the fourth inning until the ninth.
Sophomore outfielder Parker Picot led off with a walk, and Cornell made a pitching change.
Two batters later, junior outfielder Jake Dresselhouse was hit-by-pitch, advancing Picot to second.
Seymour came to bat and laced a single to right and Picot scampered around third and slid into home well ahead of the tag with the game-winning run and sparking the Victory for MSU celebration.
The Spartans had six hits in the game, as Seymour and Sokolove were 2-for-4, while N.Williams was 1-for-3 with the two RBI and run scored, and Busch was 1-for-4. Sokolove had two stolen bases, while Seymour swiped one.
On the mound, junior starter Nolan Higgins went 5.2 IP, scattering five hits while yielding two runs, with three walks and five strikeouts. Graduate reliever Zach Maxey went 2.0 IP with two hits and two Ks without a run, then senior Dominic Pianto went 0.1 before graduate reliever Tyler Horvath came on and closed out the top of the ninth, working around one hit and chalking up a strikeout, while earning his second win of the season.
Game 2: MSU 5, UAB 2
Just like in the first game of the day, the Spartans struck first and got on the scoreboard in their first at bat. MSU plated a pair of runs on Busch's first home run of the game, a two-run blast to right, scoring N.Williams who drew a walk just ahead of Busch.
The two runs in game two and the one run in the opener give MSU 26 runs scored in the first frame, as the Spartans have now scored 28.0 percent of their 93 runs in the first inning, an average of 2.0 runs per game in the first inning.
MSU maintained its 2-0 through first four frames, as Dzierwa was stymieing the Blazer bats, while UAB starting pitcher Cole Cheatham was keeping the Spartans in check after the opening inning.
Dzierwa retired the first six UAB hitters he faced, striking out four of them, before yielding a leadoff error in the third and a walk followed for two on without an out, but a strikeout righted the ship for Dzierwa, as he got out of the jam with a flyout and groundout to end the inning. The Spartan southpaw allowed his first hit of the game with a one-out single to right in the fourth, and two batters later another single put two Blazers back on back, before Dzierwa slammed the door on a rally with a rally and inning-ending strikeout.
In the bottom of the fifth, graduate catcher Caleb Berry led off with a double off the wall, and Dresselhouse followed with an RBI single through the right side to bring Berry in to scores and 3-0 Spartan lead.
MSU moved its advantage to 4-0 in the sixth as Busch blasted a solo home run deep to right, sending the ball a whopping 428-feet that was scorching at 107 mph off the bat.
Dzierwa walked the first two UAB batters in the top of the seventh, before getting a lineout and a strikeout, before MSU made a pitching change, ending Dzierwa's day and bringing redshirt-sophomore Tate Farquhar on. After yielding an RBI single to put UAB on the board, Farquhar induced an inning-ending lineout to left, leaving the score, 4-1.
The Spartans quickly regained their four-run cushion as Berry came to bat after the singing and stretching was completed in the middle of the seventh, and belted a solo home run to right center for his second extra-base hit of the game and his third homer of the season for a 5-1 MSU advantage.
Farquhar recorded back-to-back groundouts before a single and a fielder's choice put Blazers on first and second, but another groundout ended the inning.
Graduate reliever George Viebrock III came on to open the ninth, and got the first two UAB batters out, before yielding a walk and two singles to drive in a run and the Blazers closed to 5-2. Viebrock gave UAB little time to keep their hope going, chalking up a strikeout to seal the Victory for MSU and secure the sweep.
Busch finished the game 2-for-4 with three RBI and a run scored, while Berry was 2-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI. Dresselhouse was 1-for-4 with the RBI, and Sokolove was 1-for-3. Seymour added a stolen base.
Dzierwa went 6.2 IP, with three hits, one run, four walks and eight strikeouts, marking his first outing this season with single-digit strikeouts after 10+ Ks in his previous three. The win improved the Spartan southpaw to 4-0.
Farquhar finished with 1.1 IP and two hits, while Viebrock went 1.0 IP, with two hits, two Ks, one run and one walk.
The Spartans conclude their Greenville residency with day two and three of the First Pitch Invitational, facing Winthrop on Saturday, March 8 at 4 p.m. and UAB again on Sunday, March 9 at 12 p.m. to conclude MSU's eight-game, 10-day residency at Fluor Field.
The weekend schedule is subject to further 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."
Michigan State baseball and softball's B1G Preview Special Radio Show, will air live from One North Kitchen & Bar East Lansing on Monday, March 10 from 12-1 p.m. ET.
Fans can hear from MSU baseball head coach Jake Boss Jr. and MSU softball head coach Sharonda McDonald-Kelley recap their respective seasons through the first few weeks, and preview the upcoming Big Ten portions of their schedules that start the weekend of Thursday-Sunday, March 13-16.
Those fans that cannot make it in person to One North Kitchen & Bar East Lansing, located at 1310 Abbot Rd., East Lansing, MI 48823, catch watch the B1G Preview Special: Baseball & Softball on MSU Baseball and Softball Facebook and X accounts.
The show can also be heard live on the Spartan Media Network locally on WJIM AM 1240/FM 106.9 in addition at msuspartans.com/watch under the "Live" tab, on the official Michigan State Athletics app. For more information, fans can visit msuspartans.com/feature/CoachesRadioShows.
Spartan baseball will open B1G action at Iowa City, Iowa in a three-game series at Iowa, Friday-Sunday, March 14-16.
Michigan State softball will head to Oklahoma City, Okla., Thursday-Sunday, March 13-16, taking on Minnesota (March 13-14) and Northwestern (March 15-16) for two games each.
MSU baseball is scheduled to host Michigan in a non-conference game at Jeff Ishbia Field at McLane Stadium on Wednesday, March 12 at 4:05 p.m.
Spartan softball is slated for its home opener at Secchia Stadium also against an in-state foe, taking on Oakland on Tuesday, March 18 at 5 p.m.
Michigan State baseball and softball tickets are available online at msuspartans.evenue.net, by contacting the Spartan Ticket Office at 517-355-1610 or by email at tickets@msu.edu for questions or more information.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Horvath, Tyler (2-1)
L: William Jaun (0-1)
Batting:
2B: Kyle Musser 1
HR: John Quinlan 1
RBI: John Quinlan 1 ; Owen Carlson 1
SH: John Quinlan 1
Base Running:
RUNS: John Quinlan 1 ; Mark Quatrani 1
CS: Max Jensen 1
HBP: Mark Quatrani 1 ; Kevin Hager 1
PO: Max Jensen 1
Batting:
HR: Williams, Nick 1
RBI: Williams, Nick 2 ; Seymour, Randy 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Sokolove, JT 1 ; Williams, Nick 1 ; Picot, Parker 1
SB: Sokolove, JT 2 ; Seymour, Randy 1
HBP: Dresselhouse, Jake 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
0
H
2
RBI
1
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
2
Players Mentioned
C
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
OF
/ BaseballINF
/ BaseballOF
/ Baseball
LHP
/ BaseballOF
/ BaseballPursuit to Greatness | Spartans All-Access
Monday, May 19
Jake Boss | Baseball Press Conference | April 17, 2025
Thursday, April 17
Jake Boss | Baseball Press Conference | Mar. 25 2025
Tuesday, March 25
Jake Boss | Baseball Press Conference | Mar. 11 2025
Tuesday, March 11