
Photo by: Dale G. Young
Spartans Host Hoosiers In Weekend B1G Series
4/18/2019 5:55:00 PM | Baseball
MSU continues nine-game homestand hosting IU for first time since 2016.
MICHIGAN STATE (9-25, 0-8 B1G) vs. INDIANA (25-12, 7-2 B1G)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â |Â Â TICKETS | |
Location | McLANE STADIUM at KOBS FIELD || East Lansing, Mich. |
Weather | Fri - Hi / Low: 43°/ 37° || Sat - Hi / Low: 49°/ 37° || Sun - Hi / Low: 68°/ 50° |
Game Notes | Michigan State | Indiana |
Social Media | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Game 1Â Â | Friday, April 19 - 6:35 p.m. ETÂ |Â Â MSU Joe's Kids Night |
Probable Pitching Matchup | MSU: #30 RHP Mason Erla (SO) (1-6, 5.26 ERA) vs. IU: #15 RHP Pauly Milto (SR) (5-3, 1.93 ERA) |
Coverage | Live Stats | Listen Live | Watch Live |
Game 2 | Saturday, April 20 - 4:05 p.m. ETÂ |Â Â MSU Military Appreciation Day |
Probable Pitching Matchup | MSU: #36 LHP Mitchell Tyranski (JR) (0-7, 5.53 ERA) vs. IU: #5 RHP Tanner Gordon (JR) (4-3, 3.31 ERA) |
Coverage | Live Stats | Listen Live | Watch Live |
Game 3 | Sunday, April 21 - 1 p.m. ETÂ |Â Â MSU Strike Out MD Day |
Probable Pitching Matchup | MSU:Â MSU: #38 RHP Caleb Sleeman (2-2, 4.02 ERA) vs. IU: #23 LHP Andrew Saalfrank (JR) (4-1, 2.61 ERA) |
Coverage | Live Stats | Listen Live | Watch Live |
Leading Off...Â
• Michigan State hosts Indiana this weekend in a three-game Big Ten Conference series, Friday-Sunday, April 19-21, with the Spartans welcoming the Hoosiers to East Lansing for the first time since 2016, as MSU continues its season-long nine-game homestand ... Friday's series opener between the Spartans and Hoosiers is slated for a 6:35 p.m. first pitch, followed by Saturday's 4:05 p.m. start time. Sunday's series finale is slated for 1:05 p.m. ... Friday night is MSU's first-ever B1G home game under the lights, as Michigan State installed lights prior to this season ... Friday is also Joe's Kids Night at the ballpark, recognizing the local organization ... Saturday is MSU's Military Appreciation Day at the ballpark ... Note: any schedule updates will be posted on MSUSpartans.com and on twitter @statebaseball.
• MSU played two Big Ten Conference weekends before taking a break from league action for a non-conference series against Indiana State April 5-7, then resuming B1G play last weekend at Rutgers ... The Spartans opened B1G play at Nebraska March 22-24, and a home-away-home series with Michigan March 29-31, with the game on March 31 against the Wolverines getting postponed due to inclement weather ... After the three games vs. Indiana State, including the inaugural home night game in MSU's 135-year program history.
• The Hoosiers are the third different team from the state of Indiana, and with the completed series, the Spartans will have played seven games against teams from the Hoosier State, after playing four-straight games against teams from Indiana ... MSU hosted Indiana State in a three-game non-conference series, April 5-7, then played at Notre Dame on April 9.
• While MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr. hasn't faced first-year IU head coach Jeff Mercer as head coaches, Mercer was an assistant at Michigan in 2011 ... The Spartans swept the three-game series against the Wolverines that season, on MSU's march to the 2011 Big Ten Championship.
• Fans can follow this weekend's MSU action through "Live Stats," "Listen Live" and "Watch Live" links found at MSUSpartans.com ... The games will be video streamed on BTN2Go, and also carried on the Spartan Sports Network live audio stream, available exclusively at SpartanSportsNetwork.com and on the network's 24/7 app for mobile devices ... Broadcast veteran Scott Moore calls the action alongside former MSU manager/bullpen catcher David Greenberg in select games.
• Michigan State has 19 players on its 2019 roster from the state of Michigan, while Indiana has 25 natives of the Hoosier State ... The Spartans have one player from Indiana, while the Hoosiers do not have any Michigan natives on their roster
• MSU freshman pitcher Colten Panaranto is the lone native of the Hoosier State on the Spartan roster ... Panaranto is a native of Martinsville (Roncalli HS) ... While the Hoosiers don't have any Michigan natives on their roster, they do have a former high school teammate of Panaranto in IU right-hander Pauly Milto.Â
• Michigan State baseball celebrated the first-ever night baseball game at McLane Stadium at Kobs Field in grand fashion with a suicide squeeze bunt 1-0 walk-off win over Indiana State in 10 innings ... Senior catcher Nic Lacayo perfectly executed a suicide squeeze bunt to drive in fellow senior, infielder Royce Ando with the winning run, sparking off a jubilant celebration as the Spartans stormed the field and dogpiled on the infield, and the newly installed lights flickered in celebration ... The MSU lights project was completed in early March and Friday was the Spartans' first game played under the lights in 135 years of Michigan State baseball, and MSU made it a memorable one with the thrilling victory.
• MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr. has now been involved in all three Division I schools in the state of Michigan first night games, as he was an assistant at Eastern Michigan for their first night game in 2000 and an assistant at Michigan for their first night game in 2005, and now Friday night as head coach of Michigan State ... With the April 5 victory for MSU over Indiana State, Boss is now 3-0 in those first night games at a Michigan school.
• In the last 16 games, the Spartan bullpen has 64 Ks (4.0 pg) in 62.1 IP, with a paltry .197 batting average against and a 2.45 ERA ... The pen has a 5-0 record with four saves over that span as well ... The MSU relievers have combined to not allow an earned run in six of the last eight games, including four-straight with all three of the Indiana State series and the Notre Dame game, as part of nine times during that 16-game spurt, while only yielding one earned run in three other games ... Over that 16-game span, MSU's bullpen has allowed just a total of 21 runs after the fifth inning.
• Michigan State has a No. 34 non-conference strength of schedule ranking, which ranks second in the Big Ten behind this weekend's opponent, Indiana, which has a No. 17 non-conference strength of schedule as part of a No. 34 overall SOS
tops in the Big Ten ... MSU is the only team in the country to play the last two unbeaten teams in the country in NC State (29-4) and Arizona State (26-5).
Friday Night LightsÂ
Thanks in large part to an anonymous contribution of near $1.4 million from a Spartan alum, Michigan State University announced in January that lights were to be installed at McLane Stadium at Kobs Field and Secchia Stadium in preparation for the upcoming 2019 season. The lights project was completed in early March and the Spartans played their first game played under the lights in 135 years of MSU baseball on Friday, April 5.
The LED lights are identical to the lighting system currently at Spartan Stadium, home of Spartan football, and DeMartin Stadium, home of Spartan men and women's soccer, as well the Breslin Center, home of MSU men and women's basketball, Munn Ice Arena, home of Spartan hockey, and the Duffy Daugherty Indoor Practice Facility, utilized by MSU football and a majority of MSU athletics teams. Michigan State will be the first baseball and softball teams in the Big Ten Conference with this type of lighting system by Musco Lighting.
MSU baseball is slated to host a total of host nine games starting at 5 p.m. or later in 2019.
Home Staters
Michigan State has 19 players on its 2019 roster from the state of Michigan, while Indiana has 25 natives of the Hoosier State. The Spartans have one player from Indiana, while the Hoosiers do not have any Michigan natives on their roster
MSU freshman pitcher Colten Panaranto is the lone native of the Hoosier State on the Spartan roster. Panaranto is a native of Martinsville (Roncalli HS). While the Hoosiers don't have any Michigan natives on their roster, they do have a former high school teammate of Panaranto in IU senior right-hander Pauly Milto, who is slated as Friday's probable starter on the mound for the Hoosiers.
Coaching Match-Up
While MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr. hasn't faced first-year IU head coach Jeff Mercer as head coaches, Mercer was an assistant at Michigan in 2011. The Spartans swept the three-game series against the Wolverines that season, on MSU's march to the 2011 Big Ten Championship.
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Michigan State vs. Indiana Series Breakdown
Overall: MSU 104-89 / H: 54-37 / A: 46-47 / N: 4-5 / Series Streak: IU W2
First Met: May 7, 1918 - East Lansing, Mich. - IU W, 8-3
Last Meeting: May 24, 2019 - Omaha, Neb. - B1G Tournament - IU W, 6-5 (10 inn.)
Last Meeting In East Lansing: April 24, 2016 - East Lansing, Mich. - IU W, 8-4
Series Notes: MSU and IU are meeting for the first time since last season's B1G Tournament, with the Hoosiers winning, 6-5, in 10 innings, eliminating the Spartans ... MSU and Indiana have not met in the regular-season since the 2016 season ... The Spartans and Hoosiers did meet in an exhibition game in the fall of 2016 in Bloomington, in a day-night doubleheader with MSU football playing at Indiana on Oct. 1, 2016, and Spartans beat the Hoosiers on the diamond, 4-3, in a pre-determined 12-inning contest ... In games officially "on the books," MSU leads the all-time series with Indiana, 104-89, including 54-37 in East Lansing ... This weekend is the first regular-season meeting since April 22-24, 2016, when the Spartans and Hoosiers met in East Lansing, with IU winning the three-game series ... MSU and IU have split the last six meetings with three of those six match-ups being decided by one run.Â
Last Meeting - IU 6, MSU 5 (10 innings) - Omaha, Neb. - May 24, 2018
Eighth-seeded Michigan State fell to fifth-seeded Indiana, in a heart-breaking 6-5 loss in 10 innings, on May 24, 2018 in an elimination game of the Big Ten Baseball Tournament at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Nebraska. Indiana tied it at 5-5 in the bottom of the ninth and won it in the bottom of the 10th.Â
While getting key contributions from veteran players at the plate and in the field, it was redshirt-freshman Mason Erla who shone on the mound for the Spartans, with a no-hitter going for five-and-a-third innings. He gave up a hit in the sixth that drove in Indiana's first run of the game. Erla went 6.0 IP with one hit, one run and four strikeouts. MSU's staff ended the day with nine strikeouts, giving them 407 for the season, marking the fourth-straight season that the Spartans have topped the 400 K plateau.Â
Senior first baseman Zack McGuire was 2-for-3 with a run scored and a run driven in, while fellow senior, designated hitter Chad Roskelly was 2-for-5 with a run score and an RBI. Sophomore left fielder Bryce Kelley was 3-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI. Junior right fielder Marty Bechina was 1-for-3, while sophomore second baseman Justin Antoncic, sophomore center fielder Danny Gleaves and freshman third baseman Zach Iverson were all 1-for-5. Antoncic added a run and an RBI, and Iverson also posted an RBI.
After a scoreless first three frames of the ballgame, the Spartans broke through with a three-run fourth inning, batting around with four hits. Kelley led off with an infield single, then Roskelly hit a ground-rule double to left center that bounced over the wall. Antoncic followed with an RBI single to left, driving in Kelley and getting the Spartans on the board. Iverson rapped MSU's fourth-straight hit with a single to right and not only plating Roskelly, but chasing Indiana starter Pauly Milto. Bechina drew a walk off reliever Cam Beauchamp to load the bases, and two batters later, McGuire drew an RBI walk to bring Antoncic in and put MSU ahead 3-0, but left the bases loaded.
The Spartans added to their lead in the fourth, as again Kelley led off with a hit, this time a double down the left field line. Roskelly was the next batter and laced an RBI single to right to plate Kelley.
Michigan State added another run in the top of the sixth, with McGuire sparking the rally with a single, moving to second on a sac bunt by classmate, shortstop Kory Young, and later scoring on a single by Kelley.
Indiana got on the board with its first hit off Erla, an RBI single by Matt Lloyd, driving in Jeremy Houston who reached on a walk. The Hoosiers added a run in the eighth, then tied it in the ninth on a three-run home run by Matt Gorski. IU won it in the 10th on an RBI single to left.
Quick Look At IndianaÂ
The Hoosiers tote an eight-game winning streak into this weekend, fresh off sweeping Evansville in a four-game non-conference series over the weekend and beating in-state foe Ball State Tuesday night. Indiana has an overall record of 25-12 and 7-2 in B1G action. IU has a 6-7 road record, the only mark below .500 for the Hoosiers as they're 16-3 at home and 3-2 on neutral fields. Â Indiana beat Ball State, 14-3, which came on the heels of out-scoring Evansville, 25-9, in the four games, winning Friday's opener, 5-0, then sweeping Saturday's twinbill, 5-1 and 9-3, then completing the sweep with a 6-5 triumph on Sunday.
IU has a team batting average of .261, which is eighth in the B1G, but leads the conference and is 12th in the NCAA in slugging percentage at .481. Indiana leads the nation with 66 home runs and home runs per game at 1.78. IU also tops the conference and ranks 34th in the country in scoring at 7.1 runs per game.
Freshman outfielder Grant Richardson leads the Hoosiers with a .352 average, which would rank fifth in the B1G, but he doesn't have enough at bats to reach the minimum. Richardson adds 27 RBI. Senior utility player/pitcher Matt Lloyd is hitting .318, while leading the B1G and ranking 27th in the NCAA with a .689 slugging percentage, belting 13 home runs, sharing the league lead and tied for 12th in the nation with teammate sophomore infielder Cole Barr. Lloyd also tops the league in RBI (38), while ranking second in total bases (91) and tied for ninth in the B1G in doubles (10).
On the mound, Indiana has a team ERA of 3.35, which tops the B1G and ranks 19th in the NCAA. The Hoosiers are second in the league and 15th in the nation in hits allowed per nine innings (7.33).
Friday's probable starter is senior right-hander Pauly Milto, who has a 1.93 ERA with a 5-3 record. Milto is second in the league and 18th in the nation in strikeout-to-walk ratio at 6.89, ranking third in the conference with 62 Ks to go with just nine BB in 63.2 IP, with an opposition batting average against of .204. Junior righty Tanner Gordon is Saturday's probable starter, with a 4-3 record and 3.31 ERA, posting 57 Ks and 16 BB in 51.2 IP, limiting opponents to just a .194 batting average against. Sunday's series finale probable starter is junior lefty Andrew Saalfrank, who has a 4-1 record with a 2.61 ERA. Saalfrank tops the B1G and ranks 11th in the NCAA in strikeouts per nine at 13.50, firing 57 Ks and 13 BB in 38.0 IP with a .245 batting average against. Gordon and Saalfrank are tied for sixth in the league with the 57 Ks. Lloyd also doubles as IU's closer, with four saves, posting a 1.42 ERA in 10 appearances with 16 Ks and seven walks in 12.2 IP, yielding the opponent to hit .245.
Indiana head coach Jeff Mercer is in his first season at the helm of the Hoosiers, posting a 25-12 record so far this season. Mercer is in his third season as a collegiate head coach, posting a 102-60 record, after two seasons at Wright State.
Common Opponents
Michigan State and Indiana have not played any of the same Big Ten opponents, but have three common non-conference foes, both playing UConn, Coastal Carolina and Indiana State. The Hoosiers went 2-1 against those three common foes, while the Spartans were 2-7 against the same opponents.
IU played single games against all three, beating then-No. 21 UConn, 9-6, on March 2 before losing to then-No. 11 Coastal Carolina the next day on a walk-off, at the Coastal Carolina Tournament. The Hoosiers beat in-state foe Indiana State, 15-14, on March 19 in Terre Haute.
MSU lost to then-No. 22 Coastal Carolina in a doubleheader, 13-0 and 12-5, on Feb. 22 at CCU's Brittain Resorts Baseball at the Beach Tournament. The Spartans took on UConn in a four-game series at Fluor Field in Greenville, S.C., on March 15-17, dropping the series by scores of 10-6, 17-4, 9-3 and 6-1. Michigan State took two of three from Indiana State on April 5-7, winning the series opener which was the inaugural home night game at MSU, 1-0 in 10 innings on a walk-off suicide squeeze bunt. After the Sycamores won thee series' second game, 2-1, the Spartans bounced back to win the series with a 6-0 victory for MSU in the finale.Â
About Michigan State
The Spartans are 9-25 overall and looking for first B1G win. Last time out, Michigan State beat in-state foe, Eastern Michigan, 5-3, Wednesday night, out-lasting the Eagles as well as a 95-minute rain/lightning delay. Last weekend in league action, the Spartans were defeated in all three games at Rutgers over the weekend, falling 4-2, 6-3 and 8-0, after MSU had won two of the previous three and four of the previous six games. Last week, the Spartans continued their winning ways with a 3-2 victory for MSU at Notre Dame Tuesday night, before the trip to Piscataway for the weekend.
Junior outfielder Bryce Kelley leads the Spartans with a .295 average, and also leads the Spartans with 14 stolen bases, including eight in the last 10 games. Kelley leads the B1G with the 14 swipes.
Senior infielders Marty Bechina and Royce Ando are tied for second on the team, hitting .261. Bechina tops the team with 19 RBI and 12 doubles. The 12 doubles ranks Bechina tied for third in the B1G. Ando adds 12 RBI.
Sophomore catcher Adam Proctor has belted five home runs, while Bechina has three round-trippers and freshman outfielder Casey Mayes has two.Â
On the mound, MSU's bullpen has been stellar of late. In the last 16 games, the Spartan bullpen has 64 Ks (4.0 pg) in 62.1 IP, with a paltry .197 batting average against and a 2.45 ERA. The pen has a 5-0 record with four saves over that span as well. The MSU relievers have combined to not allow an earned run in six of the last eight games, including four-straight with all three of the Indiana State series and the Notre Dame game, as part of nine times during that 16-game spurt, while only yielding one earned run in three other games. Over that 16-game span, MSU's bullpen has allowed just a total of 21 runs after the fifth inning.
Sophomore right-hander Mason Erla is slated to get the starting nod for Friday's series opener. In 53.0 IP, which leads the team and ranks ninth in the B1G, Erla has 41 Ks and 21 BB, posting a 1-6 mark with a 5.26 ERA. Erla was flat dealing in his start against Indiana State on April 5. Erla went 9.0 innings and stymied the Sycamore bats to just two hits, as ISU entered Friday hitting .282 as a team and had four players hitting over .300. Erla limited the Sycamores to just two hits while striking out six and walking just three, in firing a career-long outing as well as his second-fewest hits in his career.Â
Junior lefty Mitchell Tyranski is Saturday's probable starter. Tyranski has a deceiving and hard-luck 0-7 mark with a 5.53 ERA, but was solid his last two times out, setting a career-long with 7.0 IP against Indiana State on April 6 and then matching it at Rutgers last Saturday to go with a career-high 10 strikeouts. In the match-up with the Sycamores, Tyranski chalked up six strikeouts, one shy of his season-high, while scattering just three hits, including none after the third inning. At one stretch, Tyranski had a streak of 15 batters set down in conventional and non-conventional order, working around a single in the third with a double play. The Sycamores scored their two runs in the first inning, before Tyranski settled in and was rolling. Last Saturday at Rutgers, Tyranski struck out a career-high 10 in throwing a career-high 7.0 IP, while scattering nine hits and yielding two earned runs. Tyranski's 10 Ks is the second double-digit strikeout total this season for a Spartan pitcher, joining junior Mike Mokma's 11 Ks vs. Ohio State on March 9 in Greenville, S.C. Tyranski has a team-leading 48 strikeouts, which is 17th in the B1G, to just 13 walks in 40.2 IP.
Junior right-hander Caleb Sleeman is the Spartans' probable starter for Sunday's series finale, bringing a 2-2 record and a 4.02 ERA into the weekend. After a short outing at Rutgers, going less than two innings, before bouncing back with 2.0 IP of work Wednesday vs. Eastern Michigan, striking out two. Sleeman earned two wins on the week of April 2-7 in both a reliever role and a starter role, ending the week with 9.2 IP with 0 ER and nine strikeouts and just four hits. He threw 3.0 IP of relief on April 2 vs. Western Michigan at Comerica Park in Detroit, leading MSU to a 5-2 victory, limiting WMU to just one hit while striking out four. Against Indiana State on April 7, Sleeman made his first start of the season and his first since freshman season of 2017 and went a career-long 6.2 IP, tying career-high with five Ks and stymieing Indiana State to just three hits in a combined shutout. For the season, Sleeman has 28 Ks and 20 BB.
Out of the bullpen, senior southpaw Evan Flohr has a team-high 18 appearances, ranking tied for fifth in the B1G, and has a 2-0 record with 26 strikeouts and 18 walks. Flohr earned his first win for the Green & White against Western Michigan on March 27. Junior righty Indigo Diaz has 37 Ks in 28.2 IP, now with four saves on the season. Diaz is tied for seventh in the B1G with 15 strikeouts looking, as well as tied for ninth with the four saves. Diaz earned his first save of his MSU career against Western Michigan on March 27, after recently shifting from the starting rotation to the bullpen. Diaz also picked up the save in the win over WMU on April 2 at Comerica and at Notre Dame on April 9, ending both contests with strikeouts.Â
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