Michigan State University Athletics
Wednesday, April 8
Frank Eck Stadium | South Bend, Ind.
5 PM
Michigan State University
at
Notre Dame
Photo by: Jeremy Fleming
Michigan State Baseball Plays At Notre Dame Wednesday
4/7/2026 6:44:00 PM | Baseball
Spartans tangle with Fighting Irish in first of home-and-home.
Leading Off... Michigan State Plays At Notre Dame Wednesday
Spartans tangle with Fighting Irish in first of home-and-home.
• Michigan State baseball heads to South Bend, Indiana to take on Notre Dame on Wednesday, April 8 ... First pitch is slated for 5 p.m. from Jake Kline Field at Frank Eck Stadium ... Wednesday's match-up between the Spartans and Fighting Irish is the first half of a home-and-home between the two teams, with the second half on Wednesday, April 22 in East Lansing.
• MSU's schedule is subject to change, stay tuned to MSUSpartans.com and @MSUBaseball on X/Twitter for schedule updates.
• Fans can follow the action between the Spartans and Fighting Irish with "Watch Live," and "Live Stats" links, where available, at MSUSpartans.com.
• Michigan State enters the week currently 10-19 overall and 5-10 in Big Ten play, coming off losing two-of-three at Northwestern over the weekend in Evanston, Ill., as for the second B1G weekend series in a row, MSU won the opener on Friday before falling in both Saturday and Sunday's games ... the Spartans beat the Wildcats, 5-1, Friday afternoon, before losing, 10-9, on a walk-off in the bottom of the ninth on Saturday, and then were topped in the rubber match on Sunday, 8-6, as MSU's ninth-inning rally came up short, with the game ending with the bases loaded ... MSU is 5-5 in its last 10 games.
• Notre Dame is 15-12 overall and 6-9 in ACC action ... the Irish are coming off getting swept at NC State over the weekend, all three by football-like scores, falling in the opener and game two by identical 7-3 scores, before losing Sunday's finale, 7-6 ... ND has lost its last six games, all ACC contests, after beating Western Michigan, 14-3 in 7-innings on March 24, losing three home games vs. North Carolina, 6-5, 13-7 and 15-10, before the Irish made the trek to Raleigh, N.C. for the games at NC State.
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 478 Victories for MSU entering the week at Northwestern and vs. Michigan, 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.
BOSS 500 CAREER WINS
• MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr. won his 500th career win on Saturday vs. Iowa, with the 15-5 8-inning run-rule Victory for MSU, and last Tuesday's win at CMU was number 501 for Coach Boss ... he now has 503 career wins in his 19th overall season with 478 wins in 18+ seasons at Michigan State (2009-pres.), and 25 wins in one season at Eastern Michigan (2008).
SEASON 142 OF SPARTAN BASEBALL
• 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.
HOME SWEET HOME
• Along with winning two of three in MSU's home-opening series, the Spartans have won five of their last nine home games ... MSU was 11-10 at home last season, and are off to a 3-3 start at home this season.
100 YEARS OF SPARTANS
• One hundred years ago, on April 2, 1926, the name "Spartans" was first identified with Michigan State. "Spartans" initially appeared in a Lansing State Journal story about the baseball team, when LSJ editor George Alderton decided the established "Aggies" nickname no longer fit the recently renamed Michigan State College. Other publications would soon follow in utilizing the nickname, and eventually it was officially adopted by Michigan State. In the hundred years which have followed, "Spartans" has become more than just a moniker, it's an identity for decades of alumni, representing our uncommon will. Here's to another century of Spartans.
WHERE IN THE USA IS CARMEN SPARTANDIEGO
• The Spartans are doing their best Carmen Sandiego impression, having already played in six different states, and this week's trip to Indiana for game at Notre Dame marks the eighth different state that MSU has played in ... the Spartans have already played in the states of Kentucky, Texas, South Carolina and Nebraska, adding the Mitten State with the midweek match-up at Eastern Michigan on March 10 ... MSU then added New Jersey on March 13-15, as the Spartans played Rutgers at Piscataway, N.J. for a three-game Big Ten weekend series ... the Spartans added Illinois to the list with last weekend's games at Northwestern, April 3-5.
MSU will add its ninth different state next weekend with a trek to Washington, and its 10th different state on May 8-10 playing at Ohio State.
VANDY FAMILY MATTERS - THREE VAN AMEYDE'S
• Both Michigan State and Notre Dame have at least one Van Ameyde on their respective rosters on Wednesday night, with two for the Spartans and one for the Fighting Irish ... MSU assistant coach/pitching coach Mark Van Ameyde and his son, Cole Van Ameyde, a freshman infielder for MSU will be squaring off against Coach Van Ameyde's oldest son and Cole's older brother, Chase Van Ameyde, who is a sophomore right-handed relief pitcher/infielder for Notre Dame, and is the probable starter on the mound for Wednesday's Van Ameyde Cup clash.
Coach Van Ameyde is in his ninth year back on MSU's coaching staff and his 15th overall ... Van Ameyde was previously on the MSU bench from 2009-14, including associate head coach from 2011-14, before becoming the Eastern Michigan head coach in 2015.
Cole Van Ameyde has played in 11 games with seven starts, making three at third base and four at DH ... he made his Spartan and collegiate debut on Feb. 20 at Texas, and belted a triple for his collegiate hit on March 6 at Nebraska and added a double the next day ... he has scored five runs and drawn five walks on the season.
Chase Van Ameyde has made six appearances on the mound this season for the Irish, and Wednesday will be his first start of the season and sixth of his career ... this season Chase Van Ameyde has an 0-1 record, logging 13 strikeouts with five walks in 5.2 IP ... at the plate, he has 13 at bats with two singles and two walks.
Cole's twin brother, Cash, is a freshman outfielder at Oakland, who MSU plays next week on Tuesday, April 14 and Notre Dame plays in May.
COACH SIKES WITH BOTH IRISH AND SPARTANS
• Michigan State assistant coach Graham Sikes spent three seasons (2008-10) as the volunteer assistant coach at Notre Dame ... While at Notre Dame, Sikes primarily coached the catchers and outfielders ... He also oversaw UND's expansive baseball camp operations and helped coordinate the program's annual Opening Night Dinner ... Sikes coached 14 players who were drafted during his three seasons at Notre Dame ... In working with the Irish catchers, Sikes tutored Cameron McConnell, who threw out 26 base stealers in 2009 - the most by an Irish catcher since 1996 and seventh most in the nation ... McConnell threw out 36.1 percent (26 of 72) of attempted base stealers on the season, which was the second-highest percentage for an Irish catcher since 1996, and followed that effort by throwing out 12 more runners in 2010 ... In addition, Sikes coached Will Harford, who was selected in the 45th round (No. 1,357 overall) by the Cincinnati Reds in the 2010 Major League Baseball Draft.
SPARTANS AND IRISH HAVE SEVERAL COMMON OPPONENTS
• Michigan State and Notre Dame have three common opponents in Eastern Michigan, Louisville and Clemson, while both having games against Central Michigan cancelled due to inclement weather.
The Spartans opened the season by upsetting then-No. 8 Louisville, 4-3, on Feb. 13 in Louisville, then won game two, 13-4, to capture the series, before the Cardinals bounced back to win the finale, 9-1 ... the Irish also played at Louisville, winning one of three in the ACC series on March 13-15, winning the opener, 14-11, before falling 8-7 in game two, and then by a palindromic 21-12 in the finale.
Michigan State faced then-No. 10 Clemson on March 4 at Fluor Field in Greenville, S.C., falling 12-1 in 7 innings ... Notre Dame hosted and swept then-No. 19 Clemson in a three-game ACC series, March 20-22, with the Irish shutting out the Tigers, 6-0 in the opener, before winning the series with an 8-7 triumph in game two and completing the sweep with a 7-4 win on March 22.
MSU beat Eastern Michigan, 13-5, in Ypsilanti on March 10, one week after Notre Dame beat EMU, 11-1 in 8-innings, in South Bend on March 3.
Both the Spartans and Irish also have common opponents in upcoming games, as Notre Dame beat Western Michigan, 14-3 in 7-innings on March 24, while Michigan State is scheduled to play WMU on April 15 at LMCU Ballpark in Comstock Park, Michigan, home of the West Michigan Whitecaps, the High-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers ... Notre Dame will also host Oakland, and the third Van Ameyde son, Cash, who is Cole's twin brother, on May 8-10 in a three-game non-conference series in South Bend, while MSU completes the Van Ameyde Cup circuit by hosting Oakland on April 14.
MSU is Notre Dame's second Big Ten opponent, as the Irish played in-state foe Indiana ... despite South Bend and Bloomington being less than 200 miles apart, the Irish and Hoosiers played in Jacksonville, Fla., in the Live Like Lou Jax Baseball Classic, with ND beating IU, 9-8 in 11-innings, rallying from an 8-3 deficit entering the bottom of the seventh inning for the walk-off win in the bottom of the 11th.
MSU VS. INDIANA TEAMS
• Michigan State's match-up with Notre Dame on Wednesday is the Spartans' second opponent from the state of Indiana, and the fourth of five games against Indiana foes, as MSU hosted Purdue in East Lansing on March 27-29 in a three-game Big Ten weekend series, with the Spartans winning the opener, before the Boilermakers won the next two games of the series ... after Wednesday's match-up with the Irish, MSU hosts Notre Dame on Wednesday, April 22 at 6:02 p.m. and will be nationally televised on Big Ten Network ... MSU does not play B1G foe Indiana this season due to the league schedule.
SPARTANS FROM INDIANA
• Michigan State does not have any players from Indiana on its 2026 roster ... Notre Dame has six players from the state of Indiana.
MITTEN STATERS
• Michigan State has 21 players on its 2026 roster from the state of Michigan.
FIGHTING IRISH MICHIGANDER CONNECTIONS
Notre Dame has three Michigan natives on its 2026 roster: sophomore outfielder/infielder Bino Watters (Rochester Hills, Mich./Rochester Adams), sophomore infielder Parker Brzustewicz (Rochester Hills, Mich./Orchard Lake St. Mary's) and sophomore pitcher/infielder Chase Van Ameyde (Lake Orion, Mich./Brother Rice).
Along with Ameyde's father and brother on the Spartan roster, freshman pitcher Sam Beemer is a Lake Orion native, but went to Lake Orion Community HS ... MSU junior outfielder Parker Picot is a native of Rochester Hills, Mich. and is a Rochester Adams alum ... the Spartans have five players that are products of Orchard Lake St. Mary's HS in junior infielder Ryan McKay, freshman catcher Anthony Elezaj, sophomore pitcher Aidan Donovan, junior infielder Jasen Oliver and senior pitcher Nolan Higgins.
MITTEN STATE MARCH MADNESS
• Last week's Crosstown Showdown is now Michigan State's ninth game of nine-straight games in the state of Michigan, after last Tuesday's home game vs. Central Michigan was cancelled due to inclement weather in the forecast for Tuesday afternoon and evening ... the Spartans started the stretch on March 18 at Michigan, before their home opening series vs. Iowa on March 20-21, playing a DH on the 21st due to inclement weather ... MSU played at Central Michigan last Tuesday, before returning home to host Purdue last weekend in a three-game series ... the Spartans wrapped up the nine-game in-state stretch with the 2026 Crosstown Showdown, taking on the Lansing Lugnuts, the High-A affiliate of the Oakland A's, on Wednesday, April 1 at Jackson® Field™ in the annual exhibition game.
TOUGHEST SCHEDULE IN B1G TO OPEN SEASON
• MSU game against No. 10 Clemson on 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 of the season, MSU was No. 2 for the week of Feb. 23, behind UCLA in the Baseball Strength of Schedule (SOS) by warrennolan.com.
• Following three weeks in a row at No. 1 in the B1G (weeks of March 2, 9 and 16), MSU was at No. 2 in the B1G for the weeks of March 23 and 30, but behind Maryland at No. 1 in the conference, up from No. 3 in the league and No. 18 in the nation for the March 30 rankings.
• In this week's rankings, the Spartans are now at No. 4 in the B1G and No. 27 in the NCAA, while UCLA is No. 1 in the B1G and No. 7 in the NCAA ... Maryland is No. 2 in the B1G and No. 13 in the NCAA ... Michigan is now No. 3 in the B1G and No. 22 in the NCAA, ahead of MSU for the first time this season.
• Other B1G teams in the Top 50 in the nation include Indiana (No. 31) and USC (No. 49), while Northwestern is just outside the Top 50 at No. 52.
• Notre Dame is No. 42 in the NCAA.
• Several others of MSU's non-conference opponents also in the Top 75 include Texas (No. 10), Clemson (No. 53) and Louisville (No. 68),
STURGESS COLLECTING GAME-WINNING RBI
• Spartan sophomore outfielder Isaac Sturgess has half of MSU's game-winning RBI aka "The RBI that gives team the lead it never relinquishes" through the Spartans' 10 wins.
Sturgess started his game-winning RBI collection in the season-opener at then-No. 8 Louisville with a home run in the eighth inning that proved to be the winning run in the Spartans' 4-3 upset of the Cardinals ... he then knocked his second game-winning RBI in as many days with an RBI double in the fourth that put MSU ahead for good on the way to a 13-4 Victory for MSU.
He then posted his third game-winning RBI with a bases-loaded walk vs. Albany in the third inning in MSU's win on Feb. 28.
Sturgess collected the GW RBI in both of MSU's wins over Iowa, with a double in the first inning on March 20 and an RBI groundout the next day.
In last Friday's win at Northwestern, Sturgess had a 2-run single in the sixth that put MSU ahead for good.
DECKINGA COMPLETES HOME RUN CYCLE
• MSU freshman infielder CJ Deckinga hit a two-run home run on Saturday at Northwestern, completing his home run cycle in only four home runs.
The Spartan freshman hit the first home run of his collegiate career on March 14 at Rutgers with a solo homer to lead off the inning ... Deckinga then decked a grand slam and a three-run home run in the same game on March 28 vs. Purdue ... he then completed his home run cycle with a two-run homer on Saturday, April 4 at Northwestern.
SEYMOUR AMONG B1G LEADERS IN HR AND RBI
• Senior infielder Randy Seymour's three HR at CMU vaulted him up the B1G HR leaderboard ... now with 11 HR on the season, Seymour not only leads MSU, but ranks tied for fourth overall in the B1G HR list, part of a two-way tie for fourth, with UCLA's Roch Cholowsky, while Penn State's Michael Anderson, Maryland's Ryan Costello and UCLA's Will Gasparino are tied for the league-lead with 13 HR ... Seymour is tied for 36th in the NCAA in HR ... he also is tied for fourth in the league and tied for 36th in the nation in HR/game (0.38).
• Now with 32 RBI, Seymour is tied for 14th in the league in RBI, and tied for ninth in the conference in RBI/game (1.10).
DONOVAN ON B1G ERA LEADERBOARD
• Sophomore pitcher Aidan Donovan is tied for ninth in the Big Ten with a 3.00 ERA ... Donovan has yielded just four earned runs in his last three outings in 20.1 IP, for an ERA of 1.77 over those last three starts ... highlighting that spurt is no earned runs in 7.0 IP vs. Iowa on March 20 and one earned runs in 8.0 IP at Northwestern on April 3.
DECKINGA TABBED BIG TEN FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
• Michigan State baseball freshman infielder CJ Deckinga was named the Big Ten Conference Freshman of the Week, announced on the afternoon of Monday, March 30, by the conference office.
Deckinga, from Minooka, Illinois, slashed .500/.563/1.000 (avg./on-base pct./slug pct.) to go with a 1.563 OPS in MSU's four games last week. He bashed his first career two-home run game with a grand slam and a three-run HR for a season-high seven RBI outing in Saturday's slugfest vs. Purdue.
He is the first Spartan with seven RBI in a game since Bailey Peterson had seven on May 23, 2021 at Rutgers (4-for-5, 2 HR; W, 14-8). Additionally, Deckinga is the third Spartan this season with six or more RBI in a game, joining senior infielder Randy Seymour (6 RBI at Central Michigan on March 25) and junior outfielder Parker Picot (8 RBI at No. 8 Louisville on Feb. 14).
Deckinga had at least two hits in three of the four games of the week, highlighted by going 3-for-4 with the seven RBI on Saturday vs. Purdue. He started the week going 2-for-4 with two runs scored and a double in MSU's win at Central Michigan. Deckinga then went 2-for-3 with two RBI and a stolen base in Friday's 4-3 Victory for MSU over Purdue. He then erupted for 3-for-4 with the seven RBI, two runs scored on the two HR, and a walk in Saturday's 16-13 loss, running his hitting streak to a season-long six games, before it came to a halt in Sunday's loss, going 0-for-3 on a flyout and a pair of groundouts, but was hit-by-a-pitch once, keep his reached base streak active and extend it to eight games.
Deckinga is the first Spartan recognized as B1G Freshman of the Week since teammate Ryan McKay garnered the honor on May 6, 2024.
PROFESSIONAL STADIUM EXPERIENCE
• Last Wednesday's 2026 Crosstown Showdown at Jackson® Field™ was part of a total of 10 games and one exhibition contest in four different professional stadiums for the Spartans this season.
• 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.
• 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 on March 6-8 at Nebraska, in Lincoln, Nebraska, and the Spartans faced 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 tangled 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 Comstock 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.
PURDUE SERIES SNIPPETS
• Some tidbits from the weekend series vs. Purdue:
• With 13 runs in Saturday's loss, the Spartans have scored 10+ runs in three of the last five games after only doing so twice in the previous 18 games, as they scored 15 in the 15-5 Victory for MSU over Iowa on March 21, then 19 runs in the 19-8 rout at Central Michigan on Tuesday before the 13 runs on Saturday vs. Purdue.
• Saturday's 29 combined runs scored in the game came on a combined 32 hits, with 16 apiece, including three grand slams on the day, one from MSU by freshman infielder CJ Deckinga in the second inning for his first collegiate grand slam, while Purdue had the other two ... Deckinga also added a three-run home run in the ninth, finishing with a season-high three hits on a 3-for-4 outing at the plate with seven RBI and two runs scored.
• Deckinga belted the first grand slam of his Spartan career, and was MSU's first grand salami in barely a week, as redshirt-sophomore catcher Adam Broski had a grand slam on March 21 vs. Iowa, in a "walk-off" in the eighth that gave MSU the 15-5 run-rule win.
• Deckinga also had a three-run home run in Saturday's game for his first two-HR game in the Green & White, and is the second Spartan with two homers in a game and the third Spartan with multi-home runs in a game, joining teammate Parker Picot with two homers on Feb. 14 at No. 8 Louisville, and Randy Seymour's three HR last Tuesday at Central Michigan.
• Deckinga's seven RBI outing makes him the first Spartan with seven RBI in a game since Bailey Peterson had seven on May 23, 2021 at Rutgers (4-for-5, 2 HR; W, 14-8).
• Additionally, Deckinga is the third Spartan this season with six or more RBI in a game, joining senior infielder Randy Seymour (6 RBI at Central Michigan on March 25) and junior outfielder Parker Picot (8 RBI at No. 8 Louisville on Feb. 14).
MOUNTAIN OF STATS IN GAME AT MOUNT PLEASANT
• MSU trailed Tuesday's game at Central Michigan, 4-1 following the first inning and 7-5 after three innings, then pulled away from a 10-8 score after six stanzas, scoring nine runs in the final three frames for a 19-8 rout of CMU at Keilitz Field at Theunissen Stadium.
• The Spartans' 19 runs was the most they've hung on a scoreboard since 2024, matching 19 runs from a 19-6 7-inning run-rule Victory for MSU at Georgia on Feb. 28, 2024. MSU scored nine runs in the final three innings, pulling away from a 10-8 score after six innings, in which the Spartans trailed the Chippewas, 7-5, after three innings.
• Senior infielder Randy Seymour smacked three home runs to lead MSU.
• Seymour's first multi-home run game came in a big way, belting three home runs, all in the left center field area, coming in the third inning with a solo shot, followed by a three-run homer in the fourth and capped the hat trick of home runs with a two-run blast in the sixth.
• Seymour is the first Spartan with three home runs in the same game since Brandon Hughes belted three homers at Illinois on March 26, 2017.
• Seymour's three HR add to his team lead, now with 10 on the season. For perspective of Seymour's outburst of an outing on Tuesday, he didn't have any HR as a freshman in 2023 in limited action, then had three in all of 2024 in 54 games, then knocked four in 2025 in 58 games, and now has 10 HR this season in 23 games so far in 2026.
• The Spartans scored in eight of the nine innings, only being held off the scoreboard in one inning, without a run in the sixth stanza ... MSU scored in an alternating fashion in the first four frames with one run in the first, three in the second, one in the third and three in the fourth, while CMU scored four in the first and three in the second, and MSU had an 8-7 lead after four frames ... After both teams went scoreless in the fifth, the only frame that had both zeroes in the top and bottom of the inning.
• The 19 runs topped the previous season-high that lasted all of two games, after MSU's 15 runs in a 15-5 8-inning run rule over Iowa in game one of Saturday's DH ... that came on the heels of a four-game span in which the Spartans scored a combined 17 runs in those four previous games.
BUNCH OF FIRST TIMES SINCE... IN IOWA SERIES
• In MSU's weekend series win over Iowa, the Spartans had several new marks on their "The Last Time The Spartans..." list, including many from Saturday's game one of the DH with the 15-5 8-inning run-rule Victory for MSU, for playing an eight-inning game, winning by run-rule and scoring 15 or more runs, and all were the identical situation and score as the last time it happened:
* Played an 8-inning game May 10, 2025 at No. 25 USC (W, 15-5 - run-rule)
* Scored 15-19 Runs May 10, 2025 at No. 25 USC (W, 15-5 (8 inn. - run-rule))
* Won on Run-Rule May 10, 2025 at No. 25 USC (W, 15-5 (8 inn.))
• MSU also shutout Iowa, 2-0, on Friday night, behind pitchers Carter Monke and Nolan Higgins for a combined shutout, that was also the same breakdown as the Spartans' last shutout and combined shutout, as Monke went 7.0 IP and Higgins went 2.0 IP.
* Shut Out An Opponent May 9, 2025 at No. 25 USC (W, 5-0)
* Combined shutout Joseph Dzierwa (7.0) and Garrett Brewer (2.0), May 9, 2025 at No. 25 USC; W, 5-0
• Additionally, individually, redshirt-sophomore catcher Adam Broski belted a grand-slam to help MSU win on run-rule, marking MSU's second grand slam of the season and first since junior outfielder Parker Picot's grand slam in game two of the season on Feb. 14 in MSU's 13-4 upset win at No. 8 Louisville.
* Grand Slam Parker Picot, Feb. 14, 2026 at No. 8 Louisville (4th inn; W, 13-4)
EARLY HOME OPENER
• Last Friday's March 20 home opener date was the latest home opener in March in the last three years, after opening on March 12 in 2025, which was the earliest home-opening date in program history, an opening on March 15 in 2024 ... The 2023 home opener was on March 21 ... Friday's opponent, Iowa, was only the fifth out of state opponent for the Spartans in their last 15 home openers, joining Evansville (2024), Houston Baptist (2022), Indiana (2021), Niagara (2018) ... While the Hawkeyes ere the third overall Big Ten opponent to be MSU's home-opening foe, Iowa was the second B1G opponent in a conference game, joining 2021 when MSU played a B1G-only ledger due to COVID-19, while last year's home opener vs. Michigan was a non-conference contest ... Friday's first pitch temperature of 64 degrees, which was the warmest home-openers in the last 15 years, topping the previous warmest home opener of 54 degrees on March 15, 2024.
Last 15 Years Of Home-Openers
Year Date Result Game-Time Temp
2026 March 20 MSU 2, Iowa 0 64
2025 March 12$ Michigan 11, MSU 7 50
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 52
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
2014 April 2 MSU 5, Western Michigan 3 52
2013 March 27 ¶ / April 2 MSU 4, Central Michigan 2 38
2012 March 23 MSU 2, Oakland 1 37
$ = Earliest home-opening date in program history
* = Tied for previous earliest home-opening date in program history before the 2025 home opener on March 12
^ = B1G-only ledger due to COVID
¶ = scheduled date but postponed
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.
THREE TIMES A SEYMOUR ... SMACKING HOMER IN BACK-TO-BACK GAMES THRICE
• Prior to this season, MSU senior infielder Randy Seymour did not have a home run in consecutive games in his career, but he has now smacked in home run in consecutive games three times this season, including a stretch with a HR in four of five games, and with his three HR outburst on Tuesday at EMU, has four round-trippers in three games after one in game one of the DH on Saturday vs. Iowa.
• Seymour belted a home run in the season-opener at Louisville on Feb. 13, and adding another homer in game two of the season on Feb. 14
• Seymour blasted a solo, opposite field home run in the first inning of the series finale at Nebraska on March 8, then smacked a three-run home run to right center last Tuesday, March 10 at Eastern Michigan.
• In the weekend series at Rutgers, Seymour did not have a HR in the series opener on March 13, but bounced back with a solo homer to start the Spartans' scoring spree the next day, then added a solo homer to lead off the second inning in the series finale on March 15.
SEYMOUR'S FIRST HOME RUN OF SEASON WITH RUNNERS ON
• Seymour's three-run home run March 10 at Eastern Michigan was the first of his at the time six home runs this season with runners on base, as his previous three home runs this season were all solo homers, and his last two home runs were both solo shots.
• All three of Seymour's HRs at Central Michigan on March 24 were all of different runs, with a solo homer, than a three-run blast and a 2-run home run.
• Now with 10 HRs this season, Seymour has six solo homers, one two-run HR and three three-run round-trippers.
• For his career, Seymour now has 10 solo HRs out of his 17 career home runs.
• He also has two two-run HR, four three-run HR and one grand slam.
WILLIAMS WITH THE INSIDE-THE-PARK HOME RUN...AGAIN
• Senior outfielder Nick Williams hit an inside-the-park home run on March 10 at Eastern Michigan, after the EMU right fielder collided with the wall, initially appearing to make the catch, but the ball came loose on the collision and Williams darted around the bases for the inside-the-park home run.
• Williams' inside-the-park home run was eerily similar to Dillon Kark's walk-off inside-the-park HR on March 10, 2023 vs. Western Carolina at Fluor Field in Greenville, S.C., which has the same dimensions as Fenway Park, and Kark's fly ball was down the right field line and the WCU right field collided with the wall right at Pesky's Pole.
• Williams now has MSU's last two inside-the-park home runs, as he was the answer to the Jeopardy clue of "This Spartan had the last inside-the-park home run" - "Who is Nick Williams," which came on March 7, 2025 vs. Cornell, also in Greenville, S.C. at Fluor Field ... knocked a hard liner down the right field line that bounced off the wall just past Pesky's Pole, and the ball bounced past Cornell right fielder, allowing the speedy Williams to dart around the bases for an inside-the-park home run.
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 the season-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, as the Spartans upset No. 8 Louisville in winning the series in taking 2-of-3 from the Cardinals.
• The Spartan staff enter this week at 2.2-to-1 K/BB, with 220 strikeouts (7.6 K/game), while yielding 102 walks (3.5 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, adding two more on March 10 at Eastern Michigan.
• The Spartans then hit five home runs in the three games at Rutgers, including a season-high four homers in the 13-5 Victory for MSU over RU on March 14, but did not hit any HR on March 18 at Michigan.
• MSU has its first three-game stretch of home runs with two homers in game one of the DH vs. Iowa, then one in the nightcap, before eruptions for a season-high tying four homers at Central Michigan ... The Spartans hit three HR in the weekend series vs. Purdue, including a grand slam and 3-run HR by freshman infielder CJ Deckinga for not only his first collegiate grand slam but also his first two-HR outing as a Spartan.
• Michigan State now has 30 HR in the 29 games this season, for a 1.0 HR/game average.
• Last season, MSU had 51 home runs in 55 games, also 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.
DECKINGA DECKS FIRST HOME RUN
• Spartan freshman infielder CJ Deckinga decked his first collegiate home run in the fourth inning of MSU's game at Rutgers on March 14, with a solo shot to left center to lead off the fourth inning, part of the Spartans' three runs in the frame to open an 8-0 lead on the way to the 9-3 Victory for MSU.
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 series opener on Friday, March 6, giving MSU back-to-back losses in extra innings by the same score.
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 is second on MSU with the four stolen bases.
• For perspective of McKay's speed outburst and for comparison, he had five stolen bases in all of the 2024 season and 11 last season.
MIGHTY MONKE
• Graduate starting pitcher Carter Monke has gone at least 4.0 IP in each of his eight starts, including a then season-long 6.1 IP vs. No. 3 Texas on Feb. 21, scattering seven hits but only yielding two runs, while striking out three.
• Monke topped that season-long on March 14 with a masterful outing at Rutgers, going a season-long 7.0 IP, in tying a season-high with four strikeouts for the third-straight outing, scattering eight hits, while only allowing three runs and no walks, firing just 83 pitches with 64 strikes.
• Monke went 6.2 IP vs. Iowa on March 21, striking out a season-high five, while spraying five hits with three runs, yielding two walks. Monke was roughed up a bit on March 28 vs. Purdue, scattering seven runs, five earned, on nine hits in 4.0 IP, with three Ks.
• 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 eight starts with a 3-2 mark with a 4.32 ERA, ranking second on the MSU staff with 41.2 IP, tied for the team-lead with 29 strikeouts, while yielding 11 walks, allowing 24 runs, 20 earned.
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.
• He earned his second win of the season on March 24 at Central Michigan, going 1.1 IP with one K and just one hit, along with no runs.
• After redshirting last season while recovering from an injury in high school, Chambers now has a 2-1 record in 10 appearances with two starts, chalking up 12 Ks in 20.0 IP, spraying 17 hits and allowing 11 runs and five walks.
IT'S CRANE-ING
• True freshman Bobby Crane made his collegiate debut on Feb. 20 at Texas, with 1.0 IP of relief, with one hit.
• Crane earned the first win of his collegiate career on March 10 at Eastern Michigan, going 2.0 IP in relief with one strikeout and no hits or runs ... he came on with bases loaded and no outs, after EMU had already scored a run in the inning, and induced a double play, then a groundout to minimize the damage and keep the Eagles at bay.
• The 2.0 IP nearly doubled Crane's outing total entering the appearance at EMU, having pitching 3.1 IP in previous four appearances, with three outings of 1.0 IP each and 0.1 IP as well.
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 the Feb. 14 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 ... he then belted his fourth homer of the season with a three-run HR at Eastern Michigan on Tuesday, matching his homer total for all of 2025.
• 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.
UP NEXT
• The Spartans return home to host Michigan in a three-game B1G series, Friday-Sunday, April 10-12, opening with MSU's first home night game of the season with a 6:02 p.m. first pitch Friday evening ... MSU and UM then meet on Saturday at 3:32 p.m., before Sunday's series finale slated for 1:02 p.m. start time.
• MSU hosts Oakland on Tuesday, April 14 at 6:02 p.m., then is the host for a match-up with Western Michigan on Wednesday, April 15 at LMCU Ballpark in Comstock Park, Michigan, home of the West Michigan Whitecaps, the High-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers.
• Michigan State then heads to the Pacific Northwest to play at Washington on Friday-Sunday, April 17-19, in the Spartans' first-ever trip to Seattle ... MSU and UW have played four times before, but all on neutral fields, never before on campus ... the Spartans and Huskies first met in 1992 in El Paso, Texas, then played in Surprise, Arizona in 2014 and in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 2018.
• MSU's schedule is subject to change, stay tuned to MSUSpartans.com and @MSUBaseball on X/Twitter for schedule updates.
SPARTAN BASEBALL 2026 PRESEASON NOTES
RETURN OF THE MACK-ay
• Michigan State has three of its top five battling average leaders from a year ago returning in 2026, led by junior infielder Ryan McKay, who led MSU and ranked 27th in the B1G with a .319 average last season, the lone Spartan and one of 46 players to hit over .300.
• McKay also led MSU and ranked tied for fifth in the B1G with 20 doubles.
• Additionally, McKay led the Spartans and ranked tied for 19th in the league in walks with 36 free passes, and was also among the league leaders in toughest to strikeout, with just 31 Ks in 210 at bats.
OTHER RETURNING NUMBERS
• Senior catcher Noah Bright was fourth for MSU last season with a .277 average ... Bright added 15 RBI and 18 walks.
• Senior infielder Randy Seymour was fifth, hitting .268 ... Seymour was second on the team and tied for sixth in the B1G in triples (3) last season ... He also ranked second on the Spartans in triples (3), while ranking third on the team in hits (53), RBI (36) and stolen bases (9) ... Also, he not only topped the team, but led the Big Ten and ranked 14th in the NCAA in sacrifice bunts (12) ... Additionally, Seymour led the Spartans in both games played and games started with 55, the only MSU player to start in all 55 games and also the only Spartan to play in every game.
• MSU also returns number seven and eight on its top 10 batting average list from a year ago in senior outfielder Nick Williams (.266) and junior outfielder Parker Picot (.261).
• Williams is second among returners and was third overall on the team in on-base percentage (.405), as well as fourth in runs scored (48) and fifth in RBI (29) ... He was also tied for fourth in HR (5) and third in triples (2).
• Picot led not only MSU but also shared the lead in the B1G last season in triples (5) ... He also is the top Spartan returner and was second overall on the team last season in slugging percentage (.500), RBI (37) and HR (8).
• The Spartans lost their second and third top hitters to graduation in catcher Caleb Berry (.297) and infielder Sam Busch (.289). Busch also led MSU in slugging percentage (.584), RBI (62), HR (15) and total bases (111).
• On the mound, returns senior right-hander Nolan Higgins, who is the Spartans' top returner and tied of the team lead in starts (15), tying with Joseph Dzierwa, who was named the Big Ten Pitcher of the Year last season ... Higgins also is MSU's top returner in strikeouts and was No. 3 overall on the team (39), as well as the top returner and No. 2 on the team in innings pitched (61.1).
• Sophomore right-hander Aidan Donovan was No. 3 on the MSU staff in games started (8), with 17 strikeouts, in 11 appearances, making eight starts.
• Senior righty reliever Tommy Szczepanski returns after leading MSU is opposing batting average (.188), and ranking fifth on the team in ERA (4.00).
NEW NUMBER, WHO DIS?
• Michigan State junior outfielder Parker Picot changed his jersey number from number 13 in 2025 to wearing number 11 in 2026.
NEWCOMERS
• Michigan State has 16 newcomers on the 2026 roster, with 10 freshmen and six transfers:
NO NAME POS HT HOMETOWN/PREVIOUS SCHOOL
29 Sam Beemer RHP FR Lake Orion, MI/Lake Orion Community HS
43 Bobby Crane LHP FR Grosse Pointe, MI/U of Detroit Jesuit HS
13 CJ Deckinga INF/OF FR Minooka, IL/Minooka HS
44 Isaiah Domey INF FR New Baltimore, MI/Anchor Bay HS
24 Anthony Elezaj C FR Rochester, MI/Orchard Lake St. Mary's HS
26 Andrew Everson RHP FR Brighton, MI/Brighton HS
32 Steve Fountain RHP FR West Bloomfield, MI/West Bloomfield HS
22 JD Greeley RHP GR Blakeslee, PA/Pocono Mountain West HS/Monmouth
31 Ben Kochany RHP JR Bay City, MI/Bay City Western HS/Saginaw Valley State
7 Carter Monke RHP GR Mount Olive, IL/Mount Olive HS/Illinois State
30 Jasen Oliver INF JR Almont, MI/Orchard Lake St. Mary's HS/Indiana
5 Trent Rice OF JR Macomb, MI/Marine City Cardinal Mooney Catholic HS/Oakland
38 Kyle Rudolph RHP FR Peachtree City, GA/Starr's Mill HS
42 Andrew Siler LHP GR Avon, OH/Avon HS/Tiffin
2 Cole Van Ameyde INF FR Lake Orion, MI/Brother Rice HS
6 Davis Weeks RHP/INF FR Edwards, IL/Dunlap HS
FROM FOE TO FRIEND
• One of MSU's 16 newcomers is graduate right-handed pitcher JD Greeley, who came to MSU from Monmouth and he was on the mound for last season's meeting between MSU and Monmouth on Feb. 15, 2025 in Cary, N.C. at the USA Baseball Complex ... Greeley went 6.0 IP, holding the Spartans to just two hits and two runs, one earned run, with four Ks and two walks, as MSU beat Greeley and Monmouth, 2-0.
DANDY VANDY FAMILY
• One of the 10 Spartan freshmen is infielder Cole Van Ameyde, who is the son of Spartan pitching coach Mark Van Ameyde ... Cole not only joined his father in college baseball, but also his two brothers ... His older brother, Chase, is a sophomore pitcher at Notre Dame, while his twin brother, Cash, is a freshman outfielder at Oakland.
• The Spartan Van Ameydes will face off against their family members three total times this season, as MSU plays at Notre Dame on Wednesday, April 8 and the Spartans host the Irish on Wednesday, April 22, while Michigan State hosts Oakland on Tuesday, April 14.
TRIO OF SPARTAN BASEBALL PLAYERS TABBED TO BIG TEN PLAYERS TO WATCH LIST
• Three Michigan State baseball players were tabbed to the Big Ten Conference Players To Watch List, announced Wednesday by the conference office ahead of this weekend's 2026 season opening across the country.
Senior pitcher Nolan Higgins, junior infielder Ryan McKay and senior infielder Randy Seymour were recognized. McKay and Seymour are now two-time B1G Players to Watch selections after both collecting the accolade last season, while Higgins was recognized with his first conference recognition.
A native of Wixom, Michigan, Higgins tied Joseph Dzierwa for the most starts in 2025 with 15, good for tying for fifth in the B1G and ranking tied for 73rd in the NCAA ... Higgins pitched 61.1 IP, which ranked second on the team behind Dzierwa's 91.2 IP, and ranked 34th in the B1G ... Along with leading the Spartan staff for returners in starts, he also is the top returner in strikeouts with 39 Ks ... Higgins fired three or more Ks in eight of the 15 outings, including the first four of the season all with four or more, highlighted by a season-high five Ks vs ... Cornell on March 7, and later matching that with five punchouts in the Spartans' B1G Tournament clinching Victory for MSU over Minnesota on May 17 ... He also went at least 5.0 IP in five starts, led by a season-high 6.0 IP on three different outings.
McKay, a native of Clarkston, Michigan, was not only a Preseason Player to Watch list, but he also earned postseason Second-Team All-B1G accolades in 2025 after leading the Spartans and ranking tied for 27th in the B1G with a .319 average ... He was the lone Spartan and only one of 46 players in the B1G to hit over .300 ... He also led MSU and ranked tied for fifth in the B1G with 20 doubles ... Additionally, he led the Spartans and ranked tied for 19th in the league in walks with 36 free passes, and was also among the league leaders in toughest to strikeout, with just 31 Ks in 210 at bats ... McKay also topped the team in on-base percentage (.421), while ranking third on team in slugging percentage (.495) ... Furthermore, McKay led MSU in multiple hit games with 18, including the only Spartan in the 2025 season with five hits in a game, which came in at Penn State (March 21), going 5-for-5 ... McKay started 54 games at second base, missing one game with illness, ranking second on team in both games played and games started, and led MSU in most games played at one position ... He was second on the team in both assists (117) and fielding double plays (25).
Seymour, a Frankfort, Illinois native, was second on the team and tied for sixth in the B1G in triples (3) last season ... He was also fifth on the team with a .268 average, also ranking second on the Spartans in triples (3), while ranking third on the team in hits (53), RBI (36) and stolen bases (9) ... He also not only topped the team, but led the Big Ten and ranked 14th in the NCAA in sacrifice bunts (12) ... Additionally, Seymour was second on the team in at bats (198) ... Seymour also led the Spartans in both games played and games started with 55, the only MSU player to start in all 55 games and also the only Spartan to play in every game ... He made 38 starts at shortstop and 17 at third base, leading the MSU defense with 128 assists and third in fielding double plays with 15.
McKAY COLLECTS THE PRESEASON ACCOLADES
• Along with being named a Big Ten Preseason Player to Watch, Spartan junior infielder Ryan McKay also collected a handful of other preseason accolades.
• McKay was also on D1Baseball's Top 50 Second Basemen list, coming in at No. 4 among second baseman in the B1G and No. 31 in the NCAA.
• McKay was also on Baseball Media's Top 100 College Prospect List.
McKay is No. 72 on the 100-player list and is one of nine players from the Big Ten Conference on the list ... The Spartan second baseman joins UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky (No. 1), Oregon shortstop Maddox Molony (16), UCLA first baseman Mulivai Levu (41), Northwestern shortstop Ryan Kucherak (53), USC pitcher Mason Edwards (55), UCLA third baseman/shortstop Roman Martin (73), UCLA outfielder Will Gasparino (92) and UCLA pitcher Logan Reddemann (95).
MSU BASEBALL'S DECKINGA NAMED TO D1BASEBALL'S PRESEASON TOP BIG TEN FRESHMEN LIST
• Michigan State baseball player CJ Deckinga was named one of the D1Baseball's Preseason Top Big Ten Freshmen list, announced by the platform ahead of the 2026 season kicking off this weekend.
• Deckinga, an infielder, was joined on the five-player list by UCLA pitcher Angel Cervantes, Iowa pitcher/outfielder Brody Irlbeck, Maryland infielder Ty Kaunas and Ohio State pitcher Jude Fisher.
• A native of Minooka, Illinois, Deckinga was a three-year letterwinner at Minooka High School, helping MHS to a 33-4 record in his senior season, and he was a two-time All-Southwest Prairie Conference honoree, registering a .400 batting average as a senior with 30 RBI, logging a .521 on-base percentage, .657 slugging percentage and a 1.179 OPS ... Deckinga was ranked as the No. 1 3B/OF and No. 8 overall player in the state of Illinois by Prep Baseball Report, and was selected to play in the Future Games as well as attend the Prep Baseball Report Super 60 and the PBR Illinois Preseason ProCase.
Spartans tangle with Fighting Irish in first of home-and-home.
• Michigan State baseball heads to South Bend, Indiana to take on Notre Dame on Wednesday, April 8 ... First pitch is slated for 5 p.m. from Jake Kline Field at Frank Eck Stadium ... Wednesday's match-up between the Spartans and Fighting Irish is the first half of a home-and-home between the two teams, with the second half on Wednesday, April 22 in East Lansing.
• MSU's schedule is subject to change, stay tuned to MSUSpartans.com and @MSUBaseball on X/Twitter for schedule updates.
• Fans can follow the action between the Spartans and Fighting Irish with "Watch Live," and "Live Stats" links, where available, at MSUSpartans.com.
• Michigan State enters the week currently 10-19 overall and 5-10 in Big Ten play, coming off losing two-of-three at Northwestern over the weekend in Evanston, Ill., as for the second B1G weekend series in a row, MSU won the opener on Friday before falling in both Saturday and Sunday's games ... the Spartans beat the Wildcats, 5-1, Friday afternoon, before losing, 10-9, on a walk-off in the bottom of the ninth on Saturday, and then were topped in the rubber match on Sunday, 8-6, as MSU's ninth-inning rally came up short, with the game ending with the bases loaded ... MSU is 5-5 in its last 10 games.
• Notre Dame is 15-12 overall and 6-9 in ACC action ... the Irish are coming off getting swept at NC State over the weekend, all three by football-like scores, falling in the opener and game two by identical 7-3 scores, before losing Sunday's finale, 7-6 ... ND has lost its last six games, all ACC contests, after beating Western Michigan, 14-3 in 7-innings on March 24, losing three home games vs. North Carolina, 6-5, 13-7 and 15-10, before the Irish made the trek to Raleigh, N.C. for the games at NC State.
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 478 Victories for MSU entering the week at Northwestern and vs. Michigan, 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.
BOSS 500 CAREER WINS
• MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr. won his 500th career win on Saturday vs. Iowa, with the 15-5 8-inning run-rule Victory for MSU, and last Tuesday's win at CMU was number 501 for Coach Boss ... he now has 503 career wins in his 19th overall season with 478 wins in 18+ seasons at Michigan State (2009-pres.), and 25 wins in one season at Eastern Michigan (2008).
SEASON 142 OF SPARTAN BASEBALL
• 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.
HOME SWEET HOME
• Along with winning two of three in MSU's home-opening series, the Spartans have won five of their last nine home games ... MSU was 11-10 at home last season, and are off to a 3-3 start at home this season.
100 YEARS OF SPARTANS
• One hundred years ago, on April 2, 1926, the name "Spartans" was first identified with Michigan State. "Spartans" initially appeared in a Lansing State Journal story about the baseball team, when LSJ editor George Alderton decided the established "Aggies" nickname no longer fit the recently renamed Michigan State College. Other publications would soon follow in utilizing the nickname, and eventually it was officially adopted by Michigan State. In the hundred years which have followed, "Spartans" has become more than just a moniker, it's an identity for decades of alumni, representing our uncommon will. Here's to another century of Spartans.
WHERE IN THE USA IS CARMEN SPARTANDIEGO
• The Spartans are doing their best Carmen Sandiego impression, having already played in six different states, and this week's trip to Indiana for game at Notre Dame marks the eighth different state that MSU has played in ... the Spartans have already played in the states of Kentucky, Texas, South Carolina and Nebraska, adding the Mitten State with the midweek match-up at Eastern Michigan on March 10 ... MSU then added New Jersey on March 13-15, as the Spartans played Rutgers at Piscataway, N.J. for a three-game Big Ten weekend series ... the Spartans added Illinois to the list with last weekend's games at Northwestern, April 3-5.
MSU will add its ninth different state next weekend with a trek to Washington, and its 10th different state on May 8-10 playing at Ohio State.
VANDY FAMILY MATTERS - THREE VAN AMEYDE'S
• Both Michigan State and Notre Dame have at least one Van Ameyde on their respective rosters on Wednesday night, with two for the Spartans and one for the Fighting Irish ... MSU assistant coach/pitching coach Mark Van Ameyde and his son, Cole Van Ameyde, a freshman infielder for MSU will be squaring off against Coach Van Ameyde's oldest son and Cole's older brother, Chase Van Ameyde, who is a sophomore right-handed relief pitcher/infielder for Notre Dame, and is the probable starter on the mound for Wednesday's Van Ameyde Cup clash.
Coach Van Ameyde is in his ninth year back on MSU's coaching staff and his 15th overall ... Van Ameyde was previously on the MSU bench from 2009-14, including associate head coach from 2011-14, before becoming the Eastern Michigan head coach in 2015.
Cole Van Ameyde has played in 11 games with seven starts, making three at third base and four at DH ... he made his Spartan and collegiate debut on Feb. 20 at Texas, and belted a triple for his collegiate hit on March 6 at Nebraska and added a double the next day ... he has scored five runs and drawn five walks on the season.
Chase Van Ameyde has made six appearances on the mound this season for the Irish, and Wednesday will be his first start of the season and sixth of his career ... this season Chase Van Ameyde has an 0-1 record, logging 13 strikeouts with five walks in 5.2 IP ... at the plate, he has 13 at bats with two singles and two walks.
Cole's twin brother, Cash, is a freshman outfielder at Oakland, who MSU plays next week on Tuesday, April 14 and Notre Dame plays in May.
COACH SIKES WITH BOTH IRISH AND SPARTANS
• Michigan State assistant coach Graham Sikes spent three seasons (2008-10) as the volunteer assistant coach at Notre Dame ... While at Notre Dame, Sikes primarily coached the catchers and outfielders ... He also oversaw UND's expansive baseball camp operations and helped coordinate the program's annual Opening Night Dinner ... Sikes coached 14 players who were drafted during his three seasons at Notre Dame ... In working with the Irish catchers, Sikes tutored Cameron McConnell, who threw out 26 base stealers in 2009 - the most by an Irish catcher since 1996 and seventh most in the nation ... McConnell threw out 36.1 percent (26 of 72) of attempted base stealers on the season, which was the second-highest percentage for an Irish catcher since 1996, and followed that effort by throwing out 12 more runners in 2010 ... In addition, Sikes coached Will Harford, who was selected in the 45th round (No. 1,357 overall) by the Cincinnati Reds in the 2010 Major League Baseball Draft.
SPARTANS AND IRISH HAVE SEVERAL COMMON OPPONENTS
• Michigan State and Notre Dame have three common opponents in Eastern Michigan, Louisville and Clemson, while both having games against Central Michigan cancelled due to inclement weather.
The Spartans opened the season by upsetting then-No. 8 Louisville, 4-3, on Feb. 13 in Louisville, then won game two, 13-4, to capture the series, before the Cardinals bounced back to win the finale, 9-1 ... the Irish also played at Louisville, winning one of three in the ACC series on March 13-15, winning the opener, 14-11, before falling 8-7 in game two, and then by a palindromic 21-12 in the finale.
Michigan State faced then-No. 10 Clemson on March 4 at Fluor Field in Greenville, S.C., falling 12-1 in 7 innings ... Notre Dame hosted and swept then-No. 19 Clemson in a three-game ACC series, March 20-22, with the Irish shutting out the Tigers, 6-0 in the opener, before winning the series with an 8-7 triumph in game two and completing the sweep with a 7-4 win on March 22.
MSU beat Eastern Michigan, 13-5, in Ypsilanti on March 10, one week after Notre Dame beat EMU, 11-1 in 8-innings, in South Bend on March 3.
Both the Spartans and Irish also have common opponents in upcoming games, as Notre Dame beat Western Michigan, 14-3 in 7-innings on March 24, while Michigan State is scheduled to play WMU on April 15 at LMCU Ballpark in Comstock Park, Michigan, home of the West Michigan Whitecaps, the High-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers ... Notre Dame will also host Oakland, and the third Van Ameyde son, Cash, who is Cole's twin brother, on May 8-10 in a three-game non-conference series in South Bend, while MSU completes the Van Ameyde Cup circuit by hosting Oakland on April 14.
MSU is Notre Dame's second Big Ten opponent, as the Irish played in-state foe Indiana ... despite South Bend and Bloomington being less than 200 miles apart, the Irish and Hoosiers played in Jacksonville, Fla., in the Live Like Lou Jax Baseball Classic, with ND beating IU, 9-8 in 11-innings, rallying from an 8-3 deficit entering the bottom of the seventh inning for the walk-off win in the bottom of the 11th.
MSU VS. INDIANA TEAMS
• Michigan State's match-up with Notre Dame on Wednesday is the Spartans' second opponent from the state of Indiana, and the fourth of five games against Indiana foes, as MSU hosted Purdue in East Lansing on March 27-29 in a three-game Big Ten weekend series, with the Spartans winning the opener, before the Boilermakers won the next two games of the series ... after Wednesday's match-up with the Irish, MSU hosts Notre Dame on Wednesday, April 22 at 6:02 p.m. and will be nationally televised on Big Ten Network ... MSU does not play B1G foe Indiana this season due to the league schedule.
SPARTANS FROM INDIANA
• Michigan State does not have any players from Indiana on its 2026 roster ... Notre Dame has six players from the state of Indiana.
MITTEN STATERS
• Michigan State has 21 players on its 2026 roster from the state of Michigan.
FIGHTING IRISH MICHIGANDER CONNECTIONS
Notre Dame has three Michigan natives on its 2026 roster: sophomore outfielder/infielder Bino Watters (Rochester Hills, Mich./Rochester Adams), sophomore infielder Parker Brzustewicz (Rochester Hills, Mich./Orchard Lake St. Mary's) and sophomore pitcher/infielder Chase Van Ameyde (Lake Orion, Mich./Brother Rice).
Along with Ameyde's father and brother on the Spartan roster, freshman pitcher Sam Beemer is a Lake Orion native, but went to Lake Orion Community HS ... MSU junior outfielder Parker Picot is a native of Rochester Hills, Mich. and is a Rochester Adams alum ... the Spartans have five players that are products of Orchard Lake St. Mary's HS in junior infielder Ryan McKay, freshman catcher Anthony Elezaj, sophomore pitcher Aidan Donovan, junior infielder Jasen Oliver and senior pitcher Nolan Higgins.
MITTEN STATE MARCH MADNESS
• Last week's Crosstown Showdown is now Michigan State's ninth game of nine-straight games in the state of Michigan, after last Tuesday's home game vs. Central Michigan was cancelled due to inclement weather in the forecast for Tuesday afternoon and evening ... the Spartans started the stretch on March 18 at Michigan, before their home opening series vs. Iowa on March 20-21, playing a DH on the 21st due to inclement weather ... MSU played at Central Michigan last Tuesday, before returning home to host Purdue last weekend in a three-game series ... the Spartans wrapped up the nine-game in-state stretch with the 2026 Crosstown Showdown, taking on the Lansing Lugnuts, the High-A affiliate of the Oakland A's, on Wednesday, April 1 at Jackson® Field™ in the annual exhibition game.
TOUGHEST SCHEDULE IN B1G TO OPEN SEASON
• MSU game against No. 10 Clemson on 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 of the season, MSU was No. 2 for the week of Feb. 23, behind UCLA in the Baseball Strength of Schedule (SOS) by warrennolan.com.
• Following three weeks in a row at No. 1 in the B1G (weeks of March 2, 9 and 16), MSU was at No. 2 in the B1G for the weeks of March 23 and 30, but behind Maryland at No. 1 in the conference, up from No. 3 in the league and No. 18 in the nation for the March 30 rankings.
• In this week's rankings, the Spartans are now at No. 4 in the B1G and No. 27 in the NCAA, while UCLA is No. 1 in the B1G and No. 7 in the NCAA ... Maryland is No. 2 in the B1G and No. 13 in the NCAA ... Michigan is now No. 3 in the B1G and No. 22 in the NCAA, ahead of MSU for the first time this season.
• Other B1G teams in the Top 50 in the nation include Indiana (No. 31) and USC (No. 49), while Northwestern is just outside the Top 50 at No. 52.
• Notre Dame is No. 42 in the NCAA.
• Several others of MSU's non-conference opponents also in the Top 75 include Texas (No. 10), Clemson (No. 53) and Louisville (No. 68),
STURGESS COLLECTING GAME-WINNING RBI
• Spartan sophomore outfielder Isaac Sturgess has half of MSU's game-winning RBI aka "The RBI that gives team the lead it never relinquishes" through the Spartans' 10 wins.
Sturgess started his game-winning RBI collection in the season-opener at then-No. 8 Louisville with a home run in the eighth inning that proved to be the winning run in the Spartans' 4-3 upset of the Cardinals ... he then knocked his second game-winning RBI in as many days with an RBI double in the fourth that put MSU ahead for good on the way to a 13-4 Victory for MSU.
He then posted his third game-winning RBI with a bases-loaded walk vs. Albany in the third inning in MSU's win on Feb. 28.
Sturgess collected the GW RBI in both of MSU's wins over Iowa, with a double in the first inning on March 20 and an RBI groundout the next day.
In last Friday's win at Northwestern, Sturgess had a 2-run single in the sixth that put MSU ahead for good.
DECKINGA COMPLETES HOME RUN CYCLE
• MSU freshman infielder CJ Deckinga hit a two-run home run on Saturday at Northwestern, completing his home run cycle in only four home runs.
The Spartan freshman hit the first home run of his collegiate career on March 14 at Rutgers with a solo homer to lead off the inning ... Deckinga then decked a grand slam and a three-run home run in the same game on March 28 vs. Purdue ... he then completed his home run cycle with a two-run homer on Saturday, April 4 at Northwestern.
SEYMOUR AMONG B1G LEADERS IN HR AND RBI
• Senior infielder Randy Seymour's three HR at CMU vaulted him up the B1G HR leaderboard ... now with 11 HR on the season, Seymour not only leads MSU, but ranks tied for fourth overall in the B1G HR list, part of a two-way tie for fourth, with UCLA's Roch Cholowsky, while Penn State's Michael Anderson, Maryland's Ryan Costello and UCLA's Will Gasparino are tied for the league-lead with 13 HR ... Seymour is tied for 36th in the NCAA in HR ... he also is tied for fourth in the league and tied for 36th in the nation in HR/game (0.38).
• Now with 32 RBI, Seymour is tied for 14th in the league in RBI, and tied for ninth in the conference in RBI/game (1.10).
DONOVAN ON B1G ERA LEADERBOARD
• Sophomore pitcher Aidan Donovan is tied for ninth in the Big Ten with a 3.00 ERA ... Donovan has yielded just four earned runs in his last three outings in 20.1 IP, for an ERA of 1.77 over those last three starts ... highlighting that spurt is no earned runs in 7.0 IP vs. Iowa on March 20 and one earned runs in 8.0 IP at Northwestern on April 3.
DECKINGA TABBED BIG TEN FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
• Michigan State baseball freshman infielder CJ Deckinga was named the Big Ten Conference Freshman of the Week, announced on the afternoon of Monday, March 30, by the conference office.
Deckinga, from Minooka, Illinois, slashed .500/.563/1.000 (avg./on-base pct./slug pct.) to go with a 1.563 OPS in MSU's four games last week. He bashed his first career two-home run game with a grand slam and a three-run HR for a season-high seven RBI outing in Saturday's slugfest vs. Purdue.
He is the first Spartan with seven RBI in a game since Bailey Peterson had seven on May 23, 2021 at Rutgers (4-for-5, 2 HR; W, 14-8). Additionally, Deckinga is the third Spartan this season with six or more RBI in a game, joining senior infielder Randy Seymour (6 RBI at Central Michigan on March 25) and junior outfielder Parker Picot (8 RBI at No. 8 Louisville on Feb. 14).
Deckinga had at least two hits in three of the four games of the week, highlighted by going 3-for-4 with the seven RBI on Saturday vs. Purdue. He started the week going 2-for-4 with two runs scored and a double in MSU's win at Central Michigan. Deckinga then went 2-for-3 with two RBI and a stolen base in Friday's 4-3 Victory for MSU over Purdue. He then erupted for 3-for-4 with the seven RBI, two runs scored on the two HR, and a walk in Saturday's 16-13 loss, running his hitting streak to a season-long six games, before it came to a halt in Sunday's loss, going 0-for-3 on a flyout and a pair of groundouts, but was hit-by-a-pitch once, keep his reached base streak active and extend it to eight games.
Deckinga is the first Spartan recognized as B1G Freshman of the Week since teammate Ryan McKay garnered the honor on May 6, 2024.
PROFESSIONAL STADIUM EXPERIENCE
• Last Wednesday's 2026 Crosstown Showdown at Jackson® Field™ was part of a total of 10 games and one exhibition contest in four different professional stadiums for the Spartans this season.
• 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.
• 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 on March 6-8 at Nebraska, in Lincoln, Nebraska, and the Spartans faced 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 tangled 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 Comstock 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.
PURDUE SERIES SNIPPETS
• Some tidbits from the weekend series vs. Purdue:
• With 13 runs in Saturday's loss, the Spartans have scored 10+ runs in three of the last five games after only doing so twice in the previous 18 games, as they scored 15 in the 15-5 Victory for MSU over Iowa on March 21, then 19 runs in the 19-8 rout at Central Michigan on Tuesday before the 13 runs on Saturday vs. Purdue.
• Saturday's 29 combined runs scored in the game came on a combined 32 hits, with 16 apiece, including three grand slams on the day, one from MSU by freshman infielder CJ Deckinga in the second inning for his first collegiate grand slam, while Purdue had the other two ... Deckinga also added a three-run home run in the ninth, finishing with a season-high three hits on a 3-for-4 outing at the plate with seven RBI and two runs scored.
• Deckinga belted the first grand slam of his Spartan career, and was MSU's first grand salami in barely a week, as redshirt-sophomore catcher Adam Broski had a grand slam on March 21 vs. Iowa, in a "walk-off" in the eighth that gave MSU the 15-5 run-rule win.
• Deckinga also had a three-run home run in Saturday's game for his first two-HR game in the Green & White, and is the second Spartan with two homers in a game and the third Spartan with multi-home runs in a game, joining teammate Parker Picot with two homers on Feb. 14 at No. 8 Louisville, and Randy Seymour's three HR last Tuesday at Central Michigan.
• Deckinga's seven RBI outing makes him the first Spartan with seven RBI in a game since Bailey Peterson had seven on May 23, 2021 at Rutgers (4-for-5, 2 HR; W, 14-8).
• Additionally, Deckinga is the third Spartan this season with six or more RBI in a game, joining senior infielder Randy Seymour (6 RBI at Central Michigan on March 25) and junior outfielder Parker Picot (8 RBI at No. 8 Louisville on Feb. 14).
MOUNTAIN OF STATS IN GAME AT MOUNT PLEASANT
• MSU trailed Tuesday's game at Central Michigan, 4-1 following the first inning and 7-5 after three innings, then pulled away from a 10-8 score after six stanzas, scoring nine runs in the final three frames for a 19-8 rout of CMU at Keilitz Field at Theunissen Stadium.
• The Spartans' 19 runs was the most they've hung on a scoreboard since 2024, matching 19 runs from a 19-6 7-inning run-rule Victory for MSU at Georgia on Feb. 28, 2024. MSU scored nine runs in the final three innings, pulling away from a 10-8 score after six innings, in which the Spartans trailed the Chippewas, 7-5, after three innings.
• Senior infielder Randy Seymour smacked three home runs to lead MSU.
• Seymour's first multi-home run game came in a big way, belting three home runs, all in the left center field area, coming in the third inning with a solo shot, followed by a three-run homer in the fourth and capped the hat trick of home runs with a two-run blast in the sixth.
• Seymour is the first Spartan with three home runs in the same game since Brandon Hughes belted three homers at Illinois on March 26, 2017.
• Seymour's three HR add to his team lead, now with 10 on the season. For perspective of Seymour's outburst of an outing on Tuesday, he didn't have any HR as a freshman in 2023 in limited action, then had three in all of 2024 in 54 games, then knocked four in 2025 in 58 games, and now has 10 HR this season in 23 games so far in 2026.
• The Spartans scored in eight of the nine innings, only being held off the scoreboard in one inning, without a run in the sixth stanza ... MSU scored in an alternating fashion in the first four frames with one run in the first, three in the second, one in the third and three in the fourth, while CMU scored four in the first and three in the second, and MSU had an 8-7 lead after four frames ... After both teams went scoreless in the fifth, the only frame that had both zeroes in the top and bottom of the inning.
• The 19 runs topped the previous season-high that lasted all of two games, after MSU's 15 runs in a 15-5 8-inning run rule over Iowa in game one of Saturday's DH ... that came on the heels of a four-game span in which the Spartans scored a combined 17 runs in those four previous games.
BUNCH OF FIRST TIMES SINCE... IN IOWA SERIES
• In MSU's weekend series win over Iowa, the Spartans had several new marks on their "The Last Time The Spartans..." list, including many from Saturday's game one of the DH with the 15-5 8-inning run-rule Victory for MSU, for playing an eight-inning game, winning by run-rule and scoring 15 or more runs, and all were the identical situation and score as the last time it happened:
* Played an 8-inning game May 10, 2025 at No. 25 USC (W, 15-5 - run-rule)
* Scored 15-19 Runs May 10, 2025 at No. 25 USC (W, 15-5 (8 inn. - run-rule))
* Won on Run-Rule May 10, 2025 at No. 25 USC (W, 15-5 (8 inn.))
• MSU also shutout Iowa, 2-0, on Friday night, behind pitchers Carter Monke and Nolan Higgins for a combined shutout, that was also the same breakdown as the Spartans' last shutout and combined shutout, as Monke went 7.0 IP and Higgins went 2.0 IP.
* Shut Out An Opponent May 9, 2025 at No. 25 USC (W, 5-0)
* Combined shutout Joseph Dzierwa (7.0) and Garrett Brewer (2.0), May 9, 2025 at No. 25 USC; W, 5-0
• Additionally, individually, redshirt-sophomore catcher Adam Broski belted a grand-slam to help MSU win on run-rule, marking MSU's second grand slam of the season and first since junior outfielder Parker Picot's grand slam in game two of the season on Feb. 14 in MSU's 13-4 upset win at No. 8 Louisville.
* Grand Slam Parker Picot, Feb. 14, 2026 at No. 8 Louisville (4th inn; W, 13-4)
EARLY HOME OPENER
• Last Friday's March 20 home opener date was the latest home opener in March in the last three years, after opening on March 12 in 2025, which was the earliest home-opening date in program history, an opening on March 15 in 2024 ... The 2023 home opener was on March 21 ... Friday's opponent, Iowa, was only the fifth out of state opponent for the Spartans in their last 15 home openers, joining Evansville (2024), Houston Baptist (2022), Indiana (2021), Niagara (2018) ... While the Hawkeyes ere the third overall Big Ten opponent to be MSU's home-opening foe, Iowa was the second B1G opponent in a conference game, joining 2021 when MSU played a B1G-only ledger due to COVID-19, while last year's home opener vs. Michigan was a non-conference contest ... Friday's first pitch temperature of 64 degrees, which was the warmest home-openers in the last 15 years, topping the previous warmest home opener of 54 degrees on March 15, 2024.
Last 15 Years Of Home-Openers
Year Date Result Game-Time Temp
2026 March 20 MSU 2, Iowa 0 64
2025 March 12$ Michigan 11, MSU 7 50
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 52
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
2014 April 2 MSU 5, Western Michigan 3 52
2013 March 27 ¶ / April 2 MSU 4, Central Michigan 2 38
2012 March 23 MSU 2, Oakland 1 37
$ = Earliest home-opening date in program history
* = Tied for previous earliest home-opening date in program history before the 2025 home opener on March 12
^ = B1G-only ledger due to COVID
¶ = scheduled date but postponed
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.
THREE TIMES A SEYMOUR ... SMACKING HOMER IN BACK-TO-BACK GAMES THRICE
• Prior to this season, MSU senior infielder Randy Seymour did not have a home run in consecutive games in his career, but he has now smacked in home run in consecutive games three times this season, including a stretch with a HR in four of five games, and with his three HR outburst on Tuesday at EMU, has four round-trippers in three games after one in game one of the DH on Saturday vs. Iowa.
• Seymour belted a home run in the season-opener at Louisville on Feb. 13, and adding another homer in game two of the season on Feb. 14
• Seymour blasted a solo, opposite field home run in the first inning of the series finale at Nebraska on March 8, then smacked a three-run home run to right center last Tuesday, March 10 at Eastern Michigan.
• In the weekend series at Rutgers, Seymour did not have a HR in the series opener on March 13, but bounced back with a solo homer to start the Spartans' scoring spree the next day, then added a solo homer to lead off the second inning in the series finale on March 15.
SEYMOUR'S FIRST HOME RUN OF SEASON WITH RUNNERS ON
• Seymour's three-run home run March 10 at Eastern Michigan was the first of his at the time six home runs this season with runners on base, as his previous three home runs this season were all solo homers, and his last two home runs were both solo shots.
• All three of Seymour's HRs at Central Michigan on March 24 were all of different runs, with a solo homer, than a three-run blast and a 2-run home run.
• Now with 10 HRs this season, Seymour has six solo homers, one two-run HR and three three-run round-trippers.
• For his career, Seymour now has 10 solo HRs out of his 17 career home runs.
• He also has two two-run HR, four three-run HR and one grand slam.
WILLIAMS WITH THE INSIDE-THE-PARK HOME RUN...AGAIN
• Senior outfielder Nick Williams hit an inside-the-park home run on March 10 at Eastern Michigan, after the EMU right fielder collided with the wall, initially appearing to make the catch, but the ball came loose on the collision and Williams darted around the bases for the inside-the-park home run.
• Williams' inside-the-park home run was eerily similar to Dillon Kark's walk-off inside-the-park HR on March 10, 2023 vs. Western Carolina at Fluor Field in Greenville, S.C., which has the same dimensions as Fenway Park, and Kark's fly ball was down the right field line and the WCU right field collided with the wall right at Pesky's Pole.
• Williams now has MSU's last two inside-the-park home runs, as he was the answer to the Jeopardy clue of "This Spartan had the last inside-the-park home run" - "Who is Nick Williams," which came on March 7, 2025 vs. Cornell, also in Greenville, S.C. at Fluor Field ... knocked a hard liner down the right field line that bounced off the wall just past Pesky's Pole, and the ball bounced past Cornell right fielder, allowing the speedy Williams to dart around the bases for an inside-the-park home run.
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 the season-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, as the Spartans upset No. 8 Louisville in winning the series in taking 2-of-3 from the Cardinals.
• The Spartan staff enter this week at 2.2-to-1 K/BB, with 220 strikeouts (7.6 K/game), while yielding 102 walks (3.5 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, adding two more on March 10 at Eastern Michigan.
• The Spartans then hit five home runs in the three games at Rutgers, including a season-high four homers in the 13-5 Victory for MSU over RU on March 14, but did not hit any HR on March 18 at Michigan.
• MSU has its first three-game stretch of home runs with two homers in game one of the DH vs. Iowa, then one in the nightcap, before eruptions for a season-high tying four homers at Central Michigan ... The Spartans hit three HR in the weekend series vs. Purdue, including a grand slam and 3-run HR by freshman infielder CJ Deckinga for not only his first collegiate grand slam but also his first two-HR outing as a Spartan.
• Michigan State now has 30 HR in the 29 games this season, for a 1.0 HR/game average.
• Last season, MSU had 51 home runs in 55 games, also 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.
DECKINGA DECKS FIRST HOME RUN
• Spartan freshman infielder CJ Deckinga decked his first collegiate home run in the fourth inning of MSU's game at Rutgers on March 14, with a solo shot to left center to lead off the fourth inning, part of the Spartans' three runs in the frame to open an 8-0 lead on the way to the 9-3 Victory for MSU.
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 series opener on Friday, March 6, giving MSU back-to-back losses in extra innings by the same score.
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 is second on MSU with the four stolen bases.
• For perspective of McKay's speed outburst and for comparison, he had five stolen bases in all of the 2024 season and 11 last season.
MIGHTY MONKE
• Graduate starting pitcher Carter Monke has gone at least 4.0 IP in each of his eight starts, including a then season-long 6.1 IP vs. No. 3 Texas on Feb. 21, scattering seven hits but only yielding two runs, while striking out three.
• Monke topped that season-long on March 14 with a masterful outing at Rutgers, going a season-long 7.0 IP, in tying a season-high with four strikeouts for the third-straight outing, scattering eight hits, while only allowing three runs and no walks, firing just 83 pitches with 64 strikes.
• Monke went 6.2 IP vs. Iowa on March 21, striking out a season-high five, while spraying five hits with three runs, yielding two walks. Monke was roughed up a bit on March 28 vs. Purdue, scattering seven runs, five earned, on nine hits in 4.0 IP, with three Ks.
• 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 eight starts with a 3-2 mark with a 4.32 ERA, ranking second on the MSU staff with 41.2 IP, tied for the team-lead with 29 strikeouts, while yielding 11 walks, allowing 24 runs, 20 earned.
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.
• He earned his second win of the season on March 24 at Central Michigan, going 1.1 IP with one K and just one hit, along with no runs.
• After redshirting last season while recovering from an injury in high school, Chambers now has a 2-1 record in 10 appearances with two starts, chalking up 12 Ks in 20.0 IP, spraying 17 hits and allowing 11 runs and five walks.
IT'S CRANE-ING
• True freshman Bobby Crane made his collegiate debut on Feb. 20 at Texas, with 1.0 IP of relief, with one hit.
• Crane earned the first win of his collegiate career on March 10 at Eastern Michigan, going 2.0 IP in relief with one strikeout and no hits or runs ... he came on with bases loaded and no outs, after EMU had already scored a run in the inning, and induced a double play, then a groundout to minimize the damage and keep the Eagles at bay.
• The 2.0 IP nearly doubled Crane's outing total entering the appearance at EMU, having pitching 3.1 IP in previous four appearances, with three outings of 1.0 IP each and 0.1 IP as well.
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 the Feb. 14 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 ... he then belted his fourth homer of the season with a three-run HR at Eastern Michigan on Tuesday, matching his homer total for all of 2025.
• 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.
UP NEXT
• The Spartans return home to host Michigan in a three-game B1G series, Friday-Sunday, April 10-12, opening with MSU's first home night game of the season with a 6:02 p.m. first pitch Friday evening ... MSU and UM then meet on Saturday at 3:32 p.m., before Sunday's series finale slated for 1:02 p.m. start time.
• MSU hosts Oakland on Tuesday, April 14 at 6:02 p.m., then is the host for a match-up with Western Michigan on Wednesday, April 15 at LMCU Ballpark in Comstock Park, Michigan, home of the West Michigan Whitecaps, the High-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers.
• Michigan State then heads to the Pacific Northwest to play at Washington on Friday-Sunday, April 17-19, in the Spartans' first-ever trip to Seattle ... MSU and UW have played four times before, but all on neutral fields, never before on campus ... the Spartans and Huskies first met in 1992 in El Paso, Texas, then played in Surprise, Arizona in 2014 and in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 2018.
• MSU's schedule is subject to change, stay tuned to MSUSpartans.com and @MSUBaseball on X/Twitter for schedule updates.
SPARTAN BASEBALL 2026 PRESEASON NOTES
RETURN OF THE MACK-ay
• Michigan State has three of its top five battling average leaders from a year ago returning in 2026, led by junior infielder Ryan McKay, who led MSU and ranked 27th in the B1G with a .319 average last season, the lone Spartan and one of 46 players to hit over .300.
• McKay also led MSU and ranked tied for fifth in the B1G with 20 doubles.
• Additionally, McKay led the Spartans and ranked tied for 19th in the league in walks with 36 free passes, and was also among the league leaders in toughest to strikeout, with just 31 Ks in 210 at bats.
OTHER RETURNING NUMBERS
• Senior catcher Noah Bright was fourth for MSU last season with a .277 average ... Bright added 15 RBI and 18 walks.
• Senior infielder Randy Seymour was fifth, hitting .268 ... Seymour was second on the team and tied for sixth in the B1G in triples (3) last season ... He also ranked second on the Spartans in triples (3), while ranking third on the team in hits (53), RBI (36) and stolen bases (9) ... Also, he not only topped the team, but led the Big Ten and ranked 14th in the NCAA in sacrifice bunts (12) ... Additionally, Seymour led the Spartans in both games played and games started with 55, the only MSU player to start in all 55 games and also the only Spartan to play in every game.
• MSU also returns number seven and eight on its top 10 batting average list from a year ago in senior outfielder Nick Williams (.266) and junior outfielder Parker Picot (.261).
• Williams is second among returners and was third overall on the team in on-base percentage (.405), as well as fourth in runs scored (48) and fifth in RBI (29) ... He was also tied for fourth in HR (5) and third in triples (2).
• Picot led not only MSU but also shared the lead in the B1G last season in triples (5) ... He also is the top Spartan returner and was second overall on the team last season in slugging percentage (.500), RBI (37) and HR (8).
• The Spartans lost their second and third top hitters to graduation in catcher Caleb Berry (.297) and infielder Sam Busch (.289). Busch also led MSU in slugging percentage (.584), RBI (62), HR (15) and total bases (111).
• On the mound, returns senior right-hander Nolan Higgins, who is the Spartans' top returner and tied of the team lead in starts (15), tying with Joseph Dzierwa, who was named the Big Ten Pitcher of the Year last season ... Higgins also is MSU's top returner in strikeouts and was No. 3 overall on the team (39), as well as the top returner and No. 2 on the team in innings pitched (61.1).
• Sophomore right-hander Aidan Donovan was No. 3 on the MSU staff in games started (8), with 17 strikeouts, in 11 appearances, making eight starts.
• Senior righty reliever Tommy Szczepanski returns after leading MSU is opposing batting average (.188), and ranking fifth on the team in ERA (4.00).
NEW NUMBER, WHO DIS?
• Michigan State junior outfielder Parker Picot changed his jersey number from number 13 in 2025 to wearing number 11 in 2026.
NEWCOMERS
• Michigan State has 16 newcomers on the 2026 roster, with 10 freshmen and six transfers:
NO NAME POS HT HOMETOWN/PREVIOUS SCHOOL
29 Sam Beemer RHP FR Lake Orion, MI/Lake Orion Community HS
43 Bobby Crane LHP FR Grosse Pointe, MI/U of Detroit Jesuit HS
13 CJ Deckinga INF/OF FR Minooka, IL/Minooka HS
44 Isaiah Domey INF FR New Baltimore, MI/Anchor Bay HS
24 Anthony Elezaj C FR Rochester, MI/Orchard Lake St. Mary's HS
26 Andrew Everson RHP FR Brighton, MI/Brighton HS
32 Steve Fountain RHP FR West Bloomfield, MI/West Bloomfield HS
22 JD Greeley RHP GR Blakeslee, PA/Pocono Mountain West HS/Monmouth
31 Ben Kochany RHP JR Bay City, MI/Bay City Western HS/Saginaw Valley State
7 Carter Monke RHP GR Mount Olive, IL/Mount Olive HS/Illinois State
30 Jasen Oliver INF JR Almont, MI/Orchard Lake St. Mary's HS/Indiana
5 Trent Rice OF JR Macomb, MI/Marine City Cardinal Mooney Catholic HS/Oakland
38 Kyle Rudolph RHP FR Peachtree City, GA/Starr's Mill HS
42 Andrew Siler LHP GR Avon, OH/Avon HS/Tiffin
2 Cole Van Ameyde INF FR Lake Orion, MI/Brother Rice HS
6 Davis Weeks RHP/INF FR Edwards, IL/Dunlap HS
FROM FOE TO FRIEND
• One of MSU's 16 newcomers is graduate right-handed pitcher JD Greeley, who came to MSU from Monmouth and he was on the mound for last season's meeting between MSU and Monmouth on Feb. 15, 2025 in Cary, N.C. at the USA Baseball Complex ... Greeley went 6.0 IP, holding the Spartans to just two hits and two runs, one earned run, with four Ks and two walks, as MSU beat Greeley and Monmouth, 2-0.
DANDY VANDY FAMILY
• One of the 10 Spartan freshmen is infielder Cole Van Ameyde, who is the son of Spartan pitching coach Mark Van Ameyde ... Cole not only joined his father in college baseball, but also his two brothers ... His older brother, Chase, is a sophomore pitcher at Notre Dame, while his twin brother, Cash, is a freshman outfielder at Oakland.
• The Spartan Van Ameydes will face off against their family members three total times this season, as MSU plays at Notre Dame on Wednesday, April 8 and the Spartans host the Irish on Wednesday, April 22, while Michigan State hosts Oakland on Tuesday, April 14.
TRIO OF SPARTAN BASEBALL PLAYERS TABBED TO BIG TEN PLAYERS TO WATCH LIST
• Three Michigan State baseball players were tabbed to the Big Ten Conference Players To Watch List, announced Wednesday by the conference office ahead of this weekend's 2026 season opening across the country.
Senior pitcher Nolan Higgins, junior infielder Ryan McKay and senior infielder Randy Seymour were recognized. McKay and Seymour are now two-time B1G Players to Watch selections after both collecting the accolade last season, while Higgins was recognized with his first conference recognition.
A native of Wixom, Michigan, Higgins tied Joseph Dzierwa for the most starts in 2025 with 15, good for tying for fifth in the B1G and ranking tied for 73rd in the NCAA ... Higgins pitched 61.1 IP, which ranked second on the team behind Dzierwa's 91.2 IP, and ranked 34th in the B1G ... Along with leading the Spartan staff for returners in starts, he also is the top returner in strikeouts with 39 Ks ... Higgins fired three or more Ks in eight of the 15 outings, including the first four of the season all with four or more, highlighted by a season-high five Ks vs ... Cornell on March 7, and later matching that with five punchouts in the Spartans' B1G Tournament clinching Victory for MSU over Minnesota on May 17 ... He also went at least 5.0 IP in five starts, led by a season-high 6.0 IP on three different outings.
McKay, a native of Clarkston, Michigan, was not only a Preseason Player to Watch list, but he also earned postseason Second-Team All-B1G accolades in 2025 after leading the Spartans and ranking tied for 27th in the B1G with a .319 average ... He was the lone Spartan and only one of 46 players in the B1G to hit over .300 ... He also led MSU and ranked tied for fifth in the B1G with 20 doubles ... Additionally, he led the Spartans and ranked tied for 19th in the league in walks with 36 free passes, and was also among the league leaders in toughest to strikeout, with just 31 Ks in 210 at bats ... McKay also topped the team in on-base percentage (.421), while ranking third on team in slugging percentage (.495) ... Furthermore, McKay led MSU in multiple hit games with 18, including the only Spartan in the 2025 season with five hits in a game, which came in at Penn State (March 21), going 5-for-5 ... McKay started 54 games at second base, missing one game with illness, ranking second on team in both games played and games started, and led MSU in most games played at one position ... He was second on the team in both assists (117) and fielding double plays (25).
Seymour, a Frankfort, Illinois native, was second on the team and tied for sixth in the B1G in triples (3) last season ... He was also fifth on the team with a .268 average, also ranking second on the Spartans in triples (3), while ranking third on the team in hits (53), RBI (36) and stolen bases (9) ... He also not only topped the team, but led the Big Ten and ranked 14th in the NCAA in sacrifice bunts (12) ... Additionally, Seymour was second on the team in at bats (198) ... Seymour also led the Spartans in both games played and games started with 55, the only MSU player to start in all 55 games and also the only Spartan to play in every game ... He made 38 starts at shortstop and 17 at third base, leading the MSU defense with 128 assists and third in fielding double plays with 15.
McKAY COLLECTS THE PRESEASON ACCOLADES
• Along with being named a Big Ten Preseason Player to Watch, Spartan junior infielder Ryan McKay also collected a handful of other preseason accolades.
• McKay was also on D1Baseball's Top 50 Second Basemen list, coming in at No. 4 among second baseman in the B1G and No. 31 in the NCAA.
• McKay was also on Baseball Media's Top 100 College Prospect List.
McKay is No. 72 on the 100-player list and is one of nine players from the Big Ten Conference on the list ... The Spartan second baseman joins UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky (No. 1), Oregon shortstop Maddox Molony (16), UCLA first baseman Mulivai Levu (41), Northwestern shortstop Ryan Kucherak (53), USC pitcher Mason Edwards (55), UCLA third baseman/shortstop Roman Martin (73), UCLA outfielder Will Gasparino (92) and UCLA pitcher Logan Reddemann (95).
MSU BASEBALL'S DECKINGA NAMED TO D1BASEBALL'S PRESEASON TOP BIG TEN FRESHMEN LIST
• Michigan State baseball player CJ Deckinga was named one of the D1Baseball's Preseason Top Big Ten Freshmen list, announced by the platform ahead of the 2026 season kicking off this weekend.
• Deckinga, an infielder, was joined on the five-player list by UCLA pitcher Angel Cervantes, Iowa pitcher/outfielder Brody Irlbeck, Maryland infielder Ty Kaunas and Ohio State pitcher Jude Fisher.
• A native of Minooka, Illinois, Deckinga was a three-year letterwinner at Minooka High School, helping MHS to a 33-4 record in his senior season, and he was a two-time All-Southwest Prairie Conference honoree, registering a .400 batting average as a senior with 30 RBI, logging a .521 on-base percentage, .657 slugging percentage and a 1.179 OPS ... Deckinga was ranked as the No. 1 3B/OF and No. 8 overall player in the state of Illinois by Prep Baseball Report, and was selected to play in the Future Games as well as attend the Prep Baseball Report Super 60 and the PBR Illinois Preseason ProCase.
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/ BaseballJake Boss | Baseball Press Conference | Feb. 24 2026
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