Photo by: Steve Branscombe
Spartans Downed By Ducks In Season Finale
5/22/2025 11:59:00 PM | Baseball
MSU concludes Big Ten Tournament action against top-ranked and national-ranked Oregon.
OMAHA, Neb. -- Twelfth-seeded Michigan State baseball gave top-seeded and Top 10 nationally ranked Oregon all it could handle and then some Thursday night during pool play at the 2025 Big Ten Conference Baseball Tournament, Presented by IFS.ai, at Charles Schwab Field Omaha in Omaha, Neb., site of the NCAA Men's College World Series, with the Spartans coming up short in a 4-2 loss to the Ducks.
The Spartans finish the 2025 season with a 28-27 record. The Ducks improve to 42-13, having now won 15 of their last 16, including their last 11 games, with Oregon's last loss coming at Michigan State on May 2. Oregon will play eighth-seeded Nebraska on Friday evening with the winner advancing to the semifinals.
MSU scored a run in the first inning, before Oregon countered with two runs in the bottom of the opening frame. The scored stayed 2-1 in the Ducks' favor until the top of the seventh when the Spartans tied it up with a run. MSU's lead lasted only a little longer than the seventh-inning stretch, as Oregon scored the go-ahead run and an insurance run in the bottom of the seventh, and MSU was unable to get any closer.
It's always tough to see the season come to an end, but really proud of our guys. I thought they competed their tails off just like we asked them to and know that they would, and it's a great group," MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr. said. "Oregon is a really good ball club, and it wouldn't surprise any of us to see them back here in a few weeks, so obviously, the more Big Ten representation we have in the (NCAA) Tournament, the better, but I think they have a realistic chance to keep playing for a long time."
Coach Boss was joined at the post-game press conference by senior infielder Sam Busch and sophomore infielder Ryan McKay.Â
"As far as our guys are concerned, I mean, these to guys sitting next to me are what college baseball is all about," Boss said. "I'm just really proud of our group and proud of our kids, just the way that they represent Michigan State and each other, makes them one of the more impressive groups that I've ever been around, so it's tough to say goodbye, but at the same time, I'm really proud of the group and proud to be associated with them."Â
Busch played his final game in the Green & White and leaves his mark all over the Spartan program, as the local product from East Lansing has been coming to Spartan games since he was a kid and getting to live out his childhood dream of playing for the Spartans.Â
"You know, it's meant everything," Busch said. "As a senior group, we talked about how we wanted to leave this place better now than when we found it and I can firmly say that we did that. It's just been an honor to put on this uniform and do this the past five years every day, and it's just been a dream come true."
For McKay, he's not just losing a teammate departing, he's losing a role model, but gained a lifelong friend.
"I take away all the lifts and all the hard work we did behind the scenes, especially with all the older guys," McKay said about what he takes away from this season. "You know, this guy (Busch), last year when I was a freshman, I didn't even really know who he was, and now, I know he's going to be my brother for life. So big thanks to him for bringing me in and all the moments we had hanging out together, that's definitely what we will remember. It's no necessarily the wins and losses, it's just hugging him goodbye and knowing that I have him for the rest of my life as a brother."
The Spartan brothers Busch and McKay each had a hit Thursday night, with McKay leading off the game with a double, and later scoring on an RBI sacrifice fly by Busch for an early 1-0 MSU lead. McKay finished 1-for-4 with the run scored, while Busch was 1-for-3 with the RBI. Junior outfielder Nick Williams and sophomore outfielder Parker Picot were both 1-for-4, with Picot scoring a run.
On the mound, junior Nolan Higgins went 1.2 IP, with two hits, two runs, two walks and one strikeout, before turning the ball over to the relief staff, starting with graduate George Viebrock III (2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 1 K), graduate Tyler Horvath (2.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 3 K), graduate Zach Maxey (1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R , 1 K) and freshman Aidan Donovan (0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 K).
Just like Tuesday's Tournament opener and like they've done most of the season, the Spartans got on the board in their first at bat, as leadoff McKay cracking a leadoff double to the left-center gap.
It was McKay's 20th two-bagger of the season, moving up to No. 5 on MSU's single-season doubles list.
After McKay moved up to third on a flyout by graduate catcher Caleb Berry, Busch flew out to left field, but was deep enough for a sacrifice fly to bring McKay in to score and an early 1-0 Spartan advantage.Â
It was a short-lived lead for the Spartans, as the Ducks plated a pair of runs in the home half of the first inning. After all the first inning scoring, there wasn't any more runs scored until the seventh, when Picot led off with a double and made it to third on a fielding error on the play. Two batters later, senior outfielder JT Sokolove reached on a fielder's choice after a second Oregon error in the frame, and Picot scampered home to tie it up.Â
However, just the MSU's lead in the first, the Spartan lead didn't last long, as the Ducks scored two runs in the home half of the seventh for the 4-2 lead, to conclude the scoring for the game and conclude MSU's 2025 season.
The Spartans say goodbye to the 11 members of the Spartan senior class that played their final game for MSU: Caleb Berry, Sam Busch, Tyler Horvath, Zach Maxey, Dominic Pianto, Will Shannon, JT Sokolove, Ryan Szczepaniak, George Viebrock III, Christian Williams and Ryan Zimmer.
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The Spartans finish the 2025 season with a 28-27 record. The Ducks improve to 42-13, having now won 15 of their last 16, including their last 11 games, with Oregon's last loss coming at Michigan State on May 2. Oregon will play eighth-seeded Nebraska on Friday evening with the winner advancing to the semifinals.
MSU scored a run in the first inning, before Oregon countered with two runs in the bottom of the opening frame. The scored stayed 2-1 in the Ducks' favor until the top of the seventh when the Spartans tied it up with a run. MSU's lead lasted only a little longer than the seventh-inning stretch, as Oregon scored the go-ahead run and an insurance run in the bottom of the seventh, and MSU was unable to get any closer.
It's always tough to see the season come to an end, but really proud of our guys. I thought they competed their tails off just like we asked them to and know that they would, and it's a great group," MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr. said. "Oregon is a really good ball club, and it wouldn't surprise any of us to see them back here in a few weeks, so obviously, the more Big Ten representation we have in the (NCAA) Tournament, the better, but I think they have a realistic chance to keep playing for a long time."
Coach Boss was joined at the post-game press conference by senior infielder Sam Busch and sophomore infielder Ryan McKay.Â
"As far as our guys are concerned, I mean, these to guys sitting next to me are what college baseball is all about," Boss said. "I'm just really proud of our group and proud of our kids, just the way that they represent Michigan State and each other, makes them one of the more impressive groups that I've ever been around, so it's tough to say goodbye, but at the same time, I'm really proud of the group and proud to be associated with them."Â
Busch played his final game in the Green & White and leaves his mark all over the Spartan program, as the local product from East Lansing has been coming to Spartan games since he was a kid and getting to live out his childhood dream of playing for the Spartans.Â
"You know, it's meant everything," Busch said. "As a senior group, we talked about how we wanted to leave this place better now than when we found it and I can firmly say that we did that. It's just been an honor to put on this uniform and do this the past five years every day, and it's just been a dream come true."
For McKay, he's not just losing a teammate departing, he's losing a role model, but gained a lifelong friend.
"I take away all the lifts and all the hard work we did behind the scenes, especially with all the older guys," McKay said about what he takes away from this season. "You know, this guy (Busch), last year when I was a freshman, I didn't even really know who he was, and now, I know he's going to be my brother for life. So big thanks to him for bringing me in and all the moments we had hanging out together, that's definitely what we will remember. It's no necessarily the wins and losses, it's just hugging him goodbye and knowing that I have him for the rest of my life as a brother."
The Spartan brothers Busch and McKay each had a hit Thursday night, with McKay leading off the game with a double, and later scoring on an RBI sacrifice fly by Busch for an early 1-0 MSU lead. McKay finished 1-for-4 with the run scored, while Busch was 1-for-3 with the RBI. Junior outfielder Nick Williams and sophomore outfielder Parker Picot were both 1-for-4, with Picot scoring a run.
On the mound, junior Nolan Higgins went 1.2 IP, with two hits, two runs, two walks and one strikeout, before turning the ball over to the relief staff, starting with graduate George Viebrock III (2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 1 K), graduate Tyler Horvath (2.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 3 K), graduate Zach Maxey (1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R , 1 K) and freshman Aidan Donovan (0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 K).
Just like Tuesday's Tournament opener and like they've done most of the season, the Spartans got on the board in their first at bat, as leadoff McKay cracking a leadoff double to the left-center gap.
It was McKay's 20th two-bagger of the season, moving up to No. 5 on MSU's single-season doubles list.
After McKay moved up to third on a flyout by graduate catcher Caleb Berry, Busch flew out to left field, but was deep enough for a sacrifice fly to bring McKay in to score and an early 1-0 Spartan advantage.Â
It was a short-lived lead for the Spartans, as the Ducks plated a pair of runs in the home half of the first inning. After all the first inning scoring, there wasn't any more runs scored until the seventh, when Picot led off with a double and made it to third on a fielding error on the play. Two batters later, senior outfielder JT Sokolove reached on a fielder's choice after a second Oregon error in the frame, and Picot scampered home to tie it up.Â
However, just the MSU's lead in the first, the Spartan lead didn't last long, as the Ducks scored two runs in the home half of the seventh for the 4-2 lead, to conclude the scoring for the game and conclude MSU's 2025 season.
The Spartans say goodbye to the 11 members of the Spartan senior class that played their final game for MSU: Caleb Berry, Sam Busch, Tyler Horvath, Zach Maxey, Dominic Pianto, Will Shannon, JT Sokolove, Ryan Szczepaniak, George Viebrock III, Christian Williams and Ryan Zimmer.
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