Michigan State Baseball Meets Eastern Michigan Tuesday In Ypsilanti

Tuesday, March 10

Oestrike Stadium | Ypsilanti, Mich.

4 PM

Michigan State University

Eastern Michigan

Team line national anthem vs Clemson at Fluor Field, Greenville, S.C.

Photo by: Jeremy Fleming

Michigan State Baseball Meets Eastern Michigan Tuesday In Ypsilanti

3/9/2026 4:56:00 PM | Baseball

MSU BSB Notes - at EMU EMU Notes

Spartans playing first game in the Mitten State.

• After playing its first 11 games outside the state of Michigan, Michigan State baseball will play its first game in the Mitten State now on Tuesday, March 10, as the Spartans head to Ypsilanti to play at Eastern Michigan ... first pitch is slated for 4 p.m. at EMU's Oestrike Stadium ... MSU and EMU were scheduled to play on Wednesday, but the game was moved to Tuesday due to inclement weather predicted for the Ypsilanti area for Wednesday.

• The Spartans and Eagles will be tangling in Ypsilanti for the first time since 2019 ... MSU and EMU are meeting for the 165th all-time match-up, with Michigan State leading the all-time series, 102-61-1, including 42-29 in Ypsilanti.

• Michigan State has played in the states of Kentucky, Texas, South Carolina and Nebraska, adding Michigan on Tuesday, before adding New Jersey this weekend as the Spartans hit the road again, heading east to play Rutgers at Piscataway, N.J. for a three-game Big Ten weekend series.

• Fans can follow this week's action with "Watch Live," "Live Stats" and "Listen Live" links, where available, at MSUSpartans.com ... Live video streaming for Tuesday's game will be through EMU's livestream.

MICHIGAN STATE ATHLETICS ANNOUNCES JAKE BOSS JR. CONTRACT EXTENSION
• Michigan State athletics announced a contract extension for head baseball coach Jake Boss Jr. on Thursday, Feb. 12 on the eve of Opening Day ... With the extension, Boss' contract now runs through 2029.

• Boss is in his 18th year at Michigan State and 19th overall as a collegiate head coach ... Boss entered the 2026 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 ... Now at 470 wins entering the third weekend of the 2026 season, 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 142 OF SPARTAN BASEBALL LIKE TEXAS IN 1880
• Michigan State is in its 142nd season of baseball in 2026 and won its 2,500th all-time Victory for MSU vs. Eastern Michigan on May 6, 2025 ... Baseball was the first organized varsity sport on campus with the first season of Spartan baseball in 1884, winning its first recorded game on May 19, 1884, 20-9 over Olivet, 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.

PROFESSIONAL STADIUM EXPERIENCE
• Michigan State's five games over the end of February and first few days of March at Fluor Field, home of the Greenville Drive, the high-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox were the first five games the Spartans will play in professional stadiums this season, with three more on tap this weekend in Lincoln, Nebraska.

• Michigan State is slated for a total of 10 games and one exhibition contest in four different professional stadiums.

• The Spartans played five games at their home-away-from-home, Fluor Field, in Greenville, S.C., home of the Greenville Drive, the high-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. Fluor Field nearly replicates the dimensions of Fenway Park, home of the Red Sox. The Greenville ballpark has its own "Green Monster" replica, a 30-foot high wall in left field as opposed to the 37-foot one found at Fenway, and contains a manual scoreboard. Every other dimension is to the same specifications as Fenway Park, including "Pesky's Pole" in right field.

• Michigan State opened Big Ten play last weekend at Nebraska, in Lincoln, Nebraska, and the Spartans will face the Cornhuskers at Hawks Field at Haymarket Park in Lincoln, which the Huskers share with the Lincoln Saltdogs of the American Association of Professional Baseball.

• Michigan State will tangle with the Lansing Lugnuts, the High-A affiliate of the Oakland A's, in the 2026 Crosstown Showdown on Wednesday, April 1 at Jackson® Field™ in the annual exhibition game.

• MSU will also meet Western Michigan on Wednesday, April 15 at LMCU Ballpark in Comstark Park, Michigan, home of the West Michigan Whitecaps, the High-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers.

• On Friday, May 8, the Spartans open their three-game Big Ten weekend series at Ohio State by playing at Huntington Park, home of the Columbus Clippers, the Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians.

TOUGH SCHEDULE TO OPEN SEASON
• MSU game against No. 10 Clemson on Wednesday, March 4 was Michigan State's seventh game already this season against a ranked opponent, going 2-5 so far.

• Michigan State opened the season with a three-game series at No. 8 Louisville, taking 2-of-3 and then a three-game series at No. 3 Texas, falling in all three.

• After being at No. 1 in the Big Ten in the first two weeks, MSU was No. 2 for the week of Feb. 23., behind UCLA in the Baseball Current Strength of Schedule (SOS) by warrennolan.com ... the Spartans were No. 28 in the NCAA, while the Bruins are No. 24.

• MSU is remains at No. 1 in the B1G for the second week in a row, and the Spartans are up seven spots to No. 12 in the NCAA, after being at No. 19 last week ... UCLA is now No. 4 in the B1G and No. 48 in the NCAA.

• Other B1G teams including Ohio State (No. 33), USC (No. 4), Illinois (No. 45)

NIGHTMARE IN SEASON-OPENERS
• With the 4-3 Victory for MSU over No. 8 Louisville in the 2026 season-opener on Friday the 13th of February, the Spartans have been victorious in their season-opener in seven of the last eight seasons ... overall, MSU is now 15-3 in the 18 season-openers under Coach Boss, only losing in 2013 vs. Furman, 2018 at Fresno State and 2022 at UNLV.

RANKED WINS
• Michigan State opened the season with a 4-3 upset at No. 8 Louisville on Feb. 13 ... The Victory for MSU was the Spartans' second Top-10 win in as many seasons, after upsetting No. 6 Oregon, 2-0, last year in East Lansing on May 2, 2025 ... It was MSU's highest-ranked upset win away from home since beating No. 1 Oregon State, 8-7, on Feb. 22, 2014 in Surprise, Ariz.

• The win was also MSU's first win at Louisville since 1993, as Friday was also the first meeting between MSU and UofL since 2012.

RANKED SERIES WIN
• MSU took two out of three games to win the series with the 8th-ranked Cardinals, for the Spartans' highest-ranked series win in Coach Boss' 18 seasons at the helm.

• Michigan State dealt Louisville consecutive losses to start the year for just the third time in the 20 years under head coach Dan McDonnell.

LOUISVILLE SLUGGERS
• MSU slugged five home runs in the opening weekend in Louisville, with all five coming in the first two games, starting off with two homers in Friday's opener, from senior infielder Randy Seymour and redshirt-sophomore catcher Adam Broski each knocking solo shots ... In Saturday's slamming of the Cardinals, the Spartans blasted three round-trippers, including two from junior outfielder Parker Picot, with a grand slam and a three-run shot, while Seymour smacked his second in as many games.

• The Spartans had 23 hits on the weekend, including nine extra-base hits, with the five home runs and four doubles, on the way to hitting .237 and scoring 18 runs (6.0 rpg).

• Last season, the Spartans were hitting .163 after the first weekend, with 14 runs on 16 hits in four games played at the USA Baseball Complex at Cary, N.C.

STRIKING 'EM OUT
• MSU's pitching staff opened the season with a 2-to-1 strikeout-walk-ratio with 23 strikeouts on the weekend (7.7 Ks/game), while only yielding 12 walks.

• The Spartan staff enter this week vs. Eastern Michigan and at Rutgers at 2.2-to-1 K/BB, with 99 strikeouts (7.1 K/game), while yielding 45 walks (3.2 BB/game).

ROUND-TRIPPERS
• MSU only needed two games to hit five home runs in the opening weekend ... last season, the Spartans didn't have any home runs for the first six games, and MSU's fifth HR didn't come until game number eight, on Feb. 28 vs. Harvard, when the Spartan bats erupted for six homers.

• With five home runs through the first three games, the Spartans were averaging 1.7 HR/game through the first weekend ... MSU did not hit a HR in the series at Texas, facing a tough Longhorn staff combined with a Texas wind blowing in from left field in all three games, to drop to 0.8 HR/game.

• The Spartans were right at that average with two homers in the three games of the First Pitch Invitational at Fluor Field in Greenville, with two HR in the loss to Illinois on Friday, but no round-trippers during the midweeks in Greenville, and went into the Nebraska weekend with a slurpee-wielding convenience store resemblance of seven HR through 11 games, averaging 0.6 HR/game.

• MSU hit two home runs in the three games at Nebraska, and now have nine homers in the 14 games this season, still at the 0.6 HR/game average.

• Last season, MSU had 51 home runs in 55 games for a 0.9 HR/game average.

FIRST CAREER HOMER FOR STURGESS
• MSU sophomore outfielder Issac Sturgess smacked the first home run of his career on Feb. 27 vs. Illinois, going to deep left-center field at Fluor Field, home of the Greenville Drive, which has the same specs as Fenway Park.

• Sturgess sent the ball on a 388-foot adventure that was 106 mph off the bat.

FAMILIAR OUTCOME
• Michigan State has lost its last three extra-inning games by the same score and in playing 10 innings in all three.

• MSU lost 5-4 in 10-innings to Illinois on Feb. 27 in the Spartans' opening game of the First Pitch Invitational at Fluor Field in Greenville, S.C.

• That was the same score as the Spartans' last extra-inning game, a 5-4 10-inning loss to Nebraska in the opening round game of the 2025 Big Ten Tournament last season.

• The Spartans then lost at Nebraska by the same, 5-4, 10-inning score in the opener on Friday night, March 6, giving MSU

WILLIE MAYS MCKAY
• After entering the game on Feb. 28 vs. Albany without a stolen base in the first seven games played, junior infielder Ryan McKay unleashed his inner Willie Mays Hayes over the rest of the weekend, swiping four stolen bases, coming in the last two games, with two each on Feb. 28 vs. Albany and James Madison on March 1.

• McKay now leads MSU and ranks tied for 19th in the B1G with the four stolen bases.

• For perspective of McKay's speed outburst and for comparison, McKay had five stolen bases in all of the 2024 season and 11 last season.

CHUCKIN' CHAMBERS
• Redshirt-freshman Brady Chambers chalked up season highs of four strikeouts in 4.0 IP of relief, with only one hit and no runs or walks, on Saturday vs. UAlbany, earning the first save of his collegiate career.

• Chambers earned his first win in the Victory for MSU over No. 8 Louisville on Feb. 14, going 2.0 IP, scattering two hits with one K.

• The Spartan righty then made the first start of his college career on March 4 vs. No. 10 Clemson in Greenville, S.C., going 2.0 IP with one hit, one run and one K.

• Chambers pitched 2.1 IP of relief in game 2 of the series at Nebraska on March 7, with two his, one run, two walks and three strikeouts.

• After redshirting last season while recovering from an injury in high school, Chambers now has five appearances with one start, chalking up nine Ks in 12.1 IP, spraying seven hits and only allowing three runs and three walks.

MIGHTY MONKE
• Graduate starting pitcher Carter Monke has gone at least 4.0 IP in each of his four starts, including a season-long 6.1 IP vs. No. 3 Texas on Feb. 21, scattering seven hits but only yielding two runs, while striking out three.

• On Feb. 28 vs. UAlbany, Monke went 5.0 IP with a season-high four Ks, with three hits and one run.

• In his Big Ten debut on March 7 at Nebraska, Monke went 4.2 IP, spraying six hits with two runs, two walks and four strikeouts.

• For the season, Monke has four starts with a 1-2 mark with a 2.25 ERA, topping the team with 20.0 IP, with 14 strikeouts and eight walks, allowing seven runs, five earned.

EIGHT RIBBIES
• MSU junior outfielder Parker Picot posted eight RBI in Michigan State's 13-4 win at Louisville on Feb. 14 ... He knocked in a sacrifice fly in the first inning, then blasted a grand slam in the fourth and added a three-run homer in the sixth for eight RBI on the day, becoming the first Spartan with eight RBI in a game since Bob Malek had eight ribbies on April 19, 2000 vs. Detroit Mercy.

• Picot's collection of eight RBI was identical to Malek's 26 years ago, just in a different order with a three-run HR in the first inning, then a sac fly in the fifth before a grand slam in the sixth in the Spartans' 19-6 win over Detroit Mercy.

PICOT GRAND SLAMMIN'
• Picot was the first Spartan to hit a grand slam since teammate Randy Seymour smacked a grand slam on March 2, 2025 vs. Harvard at Greenville, S.C., coming in the third inning of MSU's 13-3 crushing of the Crimson.

DOUBLING UP THE HR
• Picot's two HR's in Saturday's game marked the first time for a Spartan to hit two HR in the same game since former teammate Sam Busch hit two at No. 25 USC last year on May 10, 2025 in the Spartans' 15-5 (8 inn.) win over the Trojans.

• It marked the second year in a row that Picot's first two HR of the season came in the same game, as he hit his first two homers as a Spartan last season on Feb. 28 vs. Harvard, but not until game seven of the season.

SEY-MOUR HOME RUNS
• Senior infielder Randy Seymour joined Picot in smacking two homers in the opening weekend, with a solo shot in each of the first two games at Louisville on Feb. 13 and 14.

• Seymour hit his third homer of the season over the weekend at Nebraska, slugging an opposite-field home run to right field in the first inning of Sunday's series finale on March 8.

• Last season, Seymour hit four HR for the whole season, with his first homer of the season coming in game 10 on March 2 vs. Harvard, and his second round-tripper of the season didn't come until game 17 on March 14 at Iowa.

TOP OF THE LINE...UP
• In MSU's 13-4 win at No. 8 Louisville on Feb. 14, eight of the nine Spartan batters had at least one hit on the day, with a total of six Spartans posting multiple hits ... Batters 1-4 in the MSU lineup combined to go 8-for-16 with 12 RBI and scoring 10 runs.

• Leadoff hitter senior outfielder Nick Williams was 2-for-4 with three runs scored and adding one walk, while No. 2 hitter junior infielder Ryan McKay was 2-for-4 with three runs scored and one RBI ... No. 3 hitter senior infielder Randy Seymour was 2-for-5 with three RBI and two runs scored, hitting his second HR in as many days, ahead of junior outfielder Parker Picot, who went 2-for-3 with two HR and eight RBI total, knocking a sac fly and also drawing a walk.

MOUND DEBUTS
• On the mound in MSU's rout of No. 8 Louisville on Feb. 14, four Spartan pitchers all made smashing debuts, as graduate starting pitcher Carter Monke, who is in his first year at MSU after transferring from Illinois State, went 4.0 IP, scattering five hits and yielding two runs, while ringing up three strikeouts.

• Redshirt-freshman reliever Brady Chambers earned his first collegiate win in his college debut after missing last season with an injury ... The righty went 2.0 IP with one run and one punchout.

• Two other transfers also made their Spartan debuts, in junior reliever Ben Kochany and graduate reliever JD Greeley finished it out from there ... Kochany went 1.2 IP with four hits and a run, while Greeley went 1.1 IP with two hits, no runs and one K.

• In the series at Texas, two Spartan freshmen pitchers made their debuts for the Green & White, with Kyle Rudolph and Bobby Crane seeing their first action as Spartans ... Rudolph came on in with one out in the bottom of the sixth and yielded an RBI groundout, then later chalked up his first collegiate strikeout to end the inning and the Texas rally ... He then fired a three-up, three-down seventh inning, the lone inning that the Spartan defense retired the Longhorns in order with another strikeout, then a flyout and a groundout ... Crane took over in the eighth and worked around a one-out hit, inducing a groundout and flyout to finish the frame unscathed.

MITTEN STATERS
• Michigan State has 21 players on its 2026 roster from the state of Michigan.

• Eastern Michigan has nine Michiganders on its roster.

UP NEXT
• The Spartans head east to Piscataway, New Jersey for a B1G three-game weekend series at Rutgers, Friday-Sunday, March 13-15 ... the series opens on Friday at 4 p.m., followed by a 2 p.m. start on Saturday, before concluding on Sunday at 1 p.m.