Tuesday, April 26
Detroit, Mich.
6:35 PM
Michigan State University
vs
Notre Dame
Photo by: Jack Behan
MSU Meeting Notre Dame At Comerica Tuesday Before Hosting Purdue Fort Wayne Wednesday
4/25/2022 7:33:00 PM | Baseball
Spartans playing in fourth professional stadium this season.
| MICHIGAN STATE (16-21, 3-9 B1G) vs No. 12 NOTRE DAME (26-8, 11-7 ACC) | |
| Location | Comerica Park || Detroit, Mich. |
| Tickets | MSU Ticket Office |
| Weather | High/Low - Tue: 50° / 30° |
| Game Notes | MICHIGAN STATE | NOTRE DAME |
| Social Media |  @MSUbaseball |  MichiganStateBaseball  @msu_baseball |
| Television | None |
| Game 1 | Tuesday, April 26 - 6:35 p.m. ET |
| Probable Pitching Matchup | ND: #29 JR RHP Liam Simon (1-0, 6.43 ERA) MSU: #8 SO RHP Harrison Cook (0-4, 8.91 ERA) |
| Coverage | Live Stats | No Video Stream | Listen Live through Spartan Media Network |
| MICHIGAN STATE (16-21, 3-9 B1G) vs PURDUE FORT WAYNE (12-26, 9-10 Horizon) | |
| Location | McLane Stadium at Kobs Field || East Lansing, Mich. |
| Tickets | MSU Ticket Office |
| Weather | High/Low - Wed: 45° / 28° |
| Game Notes | MICHIGAN STATE | PURDUE |
| Social Media | @MSUbaseball | MichiganStateBaseball @msu_baseball |
| Television | None |
| Game 1 | Wednesday, April 27 - 6:35 p.m. ET |
| Probable Pitching Matchup | PFW: TBA (0-0, 0.00 ERA) MSU: #12 FR LHP Aidan Arbaugh (0-0, 7.90 ERA) |
| Coverage | Live Stats | Watch Live Through BTN+ | No Audio |
Leading Off... MSU Meeting Notre Dame At Comerica Tuesday Before Hosting Purdue Fort Wayne Wednesday
• Michigan State baseball takes on a pair of teams from the state of Indiana in midweek action, starting with playing Notre Dame on Tuesday, April 26 at Comerica Park, home of the Detroit Tigers, in a 6:35 p.m. first pitch ... MSU will then return home to host Purdue Fort Wayne on Wednesday, April 27 at McLane Stadium at Kobs Field, also a 6:35 p.m. start time.
• While there will be no video stream for Tuesday's game, fans can follow all the action from Comerica with "Listen Live" and "Live Stats" links at MSUSpartans.com, with audio streaming from the Spartan Media Network.
• For the sixth straight year, the Spartan Media Network will carry a live audio stream for all home and select road Spartan baseball games this season ... The broadcast will be available exclusively at MSUSpartans.com by clicking on "Listen Live" on the baseball schedule ... Broadcast veteran Scott Moore calls the action, with Spartan baseball alum Jim Cotter providing analysis.
• Fans can follow Wednesday's home game with "Watch Live" and "Live Stats" links at MSUSpartans.com, with video streaming available through Big Ten Network+, with a subscription fee ... There will be no audio stream for Wednesday.
PROFESSIONAL STADIUM EXPERIENCE
• MSU's game at Comerica on Tuesday is the Spartans' eight official game plus one exhibition, in playing in their fourth professional stadium ... The Spartans have played at US Bank Stadium, home of the Minnesota Vikings, for the Minnesota Cambria Classic, for the first meeting with Notre Dame on March 5, along with Kansas (March 4) and West Virginia (March 6) ... MSU also played at its home-away-from-home, Fluor Field, in Greenville, S.C., home of the Greenville Drive, March 9 & 10-13 ... The Spartans played the Lansing Lugnuts in the Crosstown Showdown on April 6 at Jackson Field, and then Michigan State returned to Jackson Field on April 15 to take on Michigan in the Capital Clash.
400 FOR BOSS
• MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr. collected career win No. 400 on Sunday in the Spartans' 11-7 Victory for MSU at Northwestern ... Boss has 375 wins in his 14th season at MSU (2009-pres.), and 25 wins in his lone season at Eastern Michigan (2008)).
QUICK HITTERS
• Last Wednesday night's 7-6 win over Eastern Michigan was MSU's fifth one-run win and the Spartans are now 5-3 in one-run games ... MSU won three one-run games in all of 2021 in 44 games, and already posted three one-runs wins in first 17 games this season.
• MSU came from behind in Sunday's 11-7 win at Northwestern, as well as both of last week's wins in Tuesday's 8-7 win over Oakland and Wednesday's 7-6 win over Eastern Michigan ... The Spartans now have seven come-from-behind wins on the season.
• Michigan State's 11 runs in Sunday's win at Northwestern improve the Spartans to 8-0 when posting double-digit runs this season ... Sunday was MSU's first 10+ outing since plating 10 runs in its last B1G come-from-behind win on April 10 at Ohio State.
• The Spartans are also 11-2 when leading after seven innings and 13-0 when leading after eight innings ... MSU has out-scored its opponents, 30-24 in the eighth inning and 23-16 in the ninth inning, the only two innings that MSU has more runs than the opposition.
• Graduate senior closer Kyle Bischoff picked up two saves and a win last week in three appearances ... He picked up his eighth save of the season on Wednesday, earning back-to-back saves in Tuesday and Wednesday's wins ... Bischoff's eight saves on the season are the most since Riley McCauley had nine in 2017 ... The eight saves also ties Bischoff for the B1G lead and tied for 11th in the NCAA ... Bischoff then came on in early relief in Sunday's game, coming on in the first inning with the bases loaded and pitched a career-high 6.1 IP of relief to earn the win.
• Sophomore outfielder Jack Frank and junior outfielder Casey Mayes have tied junior outfielder Zaid Walker for the active player HR lead ... Frank bashed his seventh HR of his career in last Tuesday's win over Oakland ... Frank leads the team with six HR this season ... Mayes knocked two HRs in consecutive days over the weekend at Northwestern, now with three round-trippers on the season.
• Sophomore infielder Mitch Jebb leads the Big Ten and ranks 29th in the NCAA in toughest to strikeout - with just one K every 12.5 ABs ... Jebb also has 26 walks, for a 2.2 walks-strikeout ratio.
SPARTANS FROM INDIANA
• Michigan State has two players from Indiana: redshirt-freshman catcher Christian Williams (Carmel/Carmel HS) and junior pitcher Conner Tomasic (Schererville/Lake Central HS/South Suburban CC).
MSU VS. INDIANA TEAMS
• Notre Dame (March 5 at Minneapolis/US Bank Stadium; Tuesday in Detroit/Comerica Park; May 10 at South Bend) and Purdue Fort Wayne (Wednesday in East Lansing/McLane Stadium at Kobs Field) are two of three teams from Indiana that Michigan State plays this season Evansville (April 1-3 in Evansville) ... MSU does not play the two Big Ten teams from Indiana this season in Purdue and Indiana due to the league schedule.
NO FIGHTING IRISH MICHIGANDERS
Notre Dame does not have any Michigan natives on its 2022 roster.
A GLANCE AT FIGHTING IRISH
Notre Dame totes a 26-8 record into Comerica Park, after improving to 11-7 in ACC play ... The Fighting Irish is coming off sweeping a three-game series with Wake Forest at home, including rallying for a wild, 13-12 walk-off win Sunday after trailing 8-2 heading to the bottom of the fifth and 12-8 going into the seventh-inning stretch ... ND is ranked as high as No. 12 in the USA Today Coaches Poll and the Perfect Game Poll, No. 15 in Collegiate Baseball Poll, No. 16 in the NCBWA Poll and No. 18 in the D1Baseball Poll.
Senior outfielder Jack Zyska leads five Notre Dame players hitting over .300, leading the way with a .367 average with 22 RBI, seven HR and six doubles ... Senior infielder Carter Putz adds a .353 average, leading ND in hits (48), RBI (33) and total bases (77), with five HR, three triples and eight doubles ... Senior outfielder Brooks Coetzee tops the Irish with eight HR, while graduate-senior Ryan Cole had a team-leading 12 stolen bases.
Tuesday's starting pitcher is junior right-hander Liam Simon, who brings a 1-0 record with a 6.43 ERA into the Comerica match-up ... Simon has two starts with nine appearances, logging 24 strikeouts with 12 walks in 14.0 IP, limiting the opposition to a .180 BAA.
Link Jarrett is in his third season leading the Irish, with a 71-23 record at ND ... Jarrett is in his 10th year overall as head coach, posting a 286-189 mark.
LONG TIME, NO SEE
• MSU and Purdue Fort Wayne are meeting on the diamond for the first time since 2004, which was the end of four-straight seasons (2001-04) ... Michigan State has won all four previous match-ups, with three in East Lansing and one neutral contest ... The Spartans have won the last two by a combined score of 22-5 (an average of 11-3) ... Overall, MSU has outscored Purdue Fort Wayne 36-12 in the four games (average of 9-3), including 31-8 in East Lansing (10-3), as the lone neutral match-up, in Indianapolis in 2002 was a 5-4 Victory for MSU.
MASTADONS FROM MICHIGAN
• Purdue Fort Wayne has one player from the Mitten State in sophomore pitcher Sam Assaf (Flushing/Powers Catholic), who is from the same hometown as MSU sophomore pitcher Nick Powers, but Powers is an alum of Flushing HS.
A GLANCE AT PURDUE FORT WAYNE
The Mastadons are 12-26 overall and 9-10 in Horizon League play after splitting a pair of conference doubleheaders over the weekend ... Purdue Fort Wayne swept a twinbill with Northern Kentucky on Friday, winning 4-2 and 4-3, before losing a doubleheader Sunday with Oakland, falling 8-6 and 9-7.
Junior catcher Cade Fitzpatrick leads three Mastadons hitting over .300, with a .351 average, asharing the team-lead with 25 RBI, adding seven HR, two triples and five doubles for a team-leading .614 slugging percentage ... Graduate senior utility player Alex Evenson is hitting .311, while fellow graduate senior, infielder Jack Lang has a .303 average, and shares the team HR lead with eight, joined by junior outfielder Ben Higgins, and Lang tops the team with nine stolen bases.
Purdue Fort Wayne's starter for Wednesday's game us TBA as of Monday afternoon.
The Mastodons head coach is Doug Schreiber, who is in his third year at Purdue Fort Wayne with an 28-71 record ... Schreiber has a 513-582 overall record and he is in his 21st year as a collegiate head coach, coaching 18 seasons at Purdue (1999-2016), earning 2012 Big Ten Coach of the Year honors after leading Purdue to the Big Ten Regular Season and Tournament championship that season.
400 FOR BOSS
• MSU head coach Jake Boss picked up career win No. 400 on Sunday with the Spartans' 11-7 Victory for MSU at Northwestern ... Boss now has 400 career wins with 375 in his 14th year at MSU (2009-pres.) after 25 wins in his lone season at Eastern Michigan (2008) ... Boss became the seventh active Big Ten head coach to reach 400 career wins, as well as the second NCAA Division I head coach in the state of Michigan, joining close friend and former assistant coach Billy Gernon at Western Michigan (246 in 12 seasons at WMU (2011-pres.) and 157 in nine seasons at Purdue Fort Wayne (2000-08) ... Boss also became the 103rd active Division I head coach to reach 400 career wins.
Current Big Ten Head Coaches By Career Wins
John Anderson - Minnesota 1,342
Steve Owens - Rutgers 973
Rich Heller - Iowa 953
Greg Beals - Ohio State 582
Dan Hartleb - Illinois 496
Rob Cooper - Penn State 450
Jake Boss Jr. - Michigan State 400
BISCH-SAVE, BISCH-WIN
• MSU graduate-senior reliever Kyle Bischoff posted back-to-back saves in Tuesday and Wednesday nights wins, registering his eighth save of the season ... The eight saves are the most by a Spartan reliever since Riley McCauley had nine in 2017 ... Bischoff is also now tied for No. 6 on MSU's single-season saves list ... With the eight saves, Bischoff shares the B1G lead and is also tied for 11th in the NCAA.
Tuesday and Wednesday marked Bischoff's first saves in back-to-back games, while he picked up a save and a win in back-to-back games with both coming in the same day, in a doubleheader vs. Houston Baptist on March 20, picking up the save in the opener and earned the win in the second game.
Bischoff then came on early in Sunday's game at Northwestern, entering game in the first inning with no outs and the bases loaded ... Bischoff went on to pitch a career-high 6.1 IP, more than three times longer than his previous season-high outing of 2.0 IP and nearly double of previous collegiate career-high of 3.1 IP during his time at Toledo.
Bischoff did not yield a run until his 10th appearance of the season, now with 15 appearances, ringing up 24 strikeouts in 25.0 IP (8.64 K/9).
ACTIVE HR LEADERS
• Sophomore outfielder Jack Frank smacked his team-leading sixth home run of the season in Tuesday's win ... Frank now has seven round-trippers for his career after one last season ... The seven home runs is tied junior outfielder Zaid Walker for the most among active Spartans, and junior outfielder Casey Mayes joined the leader group over the weekend, as he bashed two home runs in successive days, as he now has three round-trippers this season and seven for his career.
HITS AND RUNS AND HITS AND RUUUUUNNNNNSSSSS
• Michigan State knocked 12 hits in Sunday's win at Northwestern, after logging 10 hits on Wednesday vs. Eastern Michigan and 11 knocks vs. Oakland on Tuesday ... MSU also posted 10 hits in the game vs. Michigan on April 17 and also knocked 12 hits in game two of the doubleheader at Ohio State on April 10 ... MSU now has 20 games with double-digit hits, as the Spartans are now 12-8 when registering 10 or more hits, winning their last three outings with double-figures in the hits column.
• The Spartans' 11 runs in Sunday's win at Northwestern was MSU's eighth contest this season with 10 or more runs ... Michigan State improved to 8-0 when scoring double-figure runs.
WALK-OFF SPARTANS TIMES THREE
• Michigan State has three walk-off wins, including two walk-off home runs ... The Spartans started their walk-off ways with a 10-8 win over Cincinnati on March 11 in Greenville on sophomore infielder Mitch Jebb's 2-run walk-off home run, then continued it the next Friday, with a solo home run by sophomore infielder Dillon Kark for a 4-3 Victory for MSU over Houston Baptist on March 18, when won the second game of a twinbill with HBU on Sunday, March 20 on an error on the play off the bat of junior outfielder Casey Mayes, scoring redshirt-freshman catcher Christian Williams.
The three Spartan walk-offs in a season is the most since the 2015 season, when MSU beat Western Michigan, 5-4, on April 8; Northwestern, 7-6, on April 11, and Penn State, 5-4, on May 9.
SPARTANS IN THE CLOSE ONES
• Michigan State won both of last week's midweek games over Oakland and Eastern Michigan, respectively, by one-run each, beating Oakland, 6-5, Tuesday before edging Eastern Michigan, 8-7, Wednesday.
Those two wins give MSU five one-run wins overall this season, as Michigan State also swept the three-game series with Houston Baptist in its home-opening series March 18-20, winning all three games by one run, 4-3, 1-0 and 6-5 ... Those three 1-run wins through the first 17 games of the season already exceeded last season's 1-run wins in 44 games, as MSU only had two 1-run wins, 5-4 over Maryland on March 6 in game three of the season, and 7-6 over Minnesota on April 2 in game 16 ... MSU also has three other 1-run losses, 2-1, vs. No. 3 Notre Dame on March 5 in Minneapolis, and 5-4 in 10 innings at Evansville on April 3 and 8-7 at Ohio State on April 10 ... The Spartans are now 5-3 in 1-run contests.
With MSU's 10-8 comeback win at Ohio State on April 10, the Spartans are now also 3-3 in 2-run games.
DOUBLE PLAYS A PLENTY
• The Spartans had one double play Saturday at Northwestern, and one in last Wednesday's win over Eastern Michigan, along with flipping three double plays vs. Michigan on April 17, and also turned a total of six double plays in the three game at Ohio State, highlighted by three on April 9 ... MSU leads the Big Ten and ranks 50th in the NCAA in double plays per game (0.81), as well as leading the league and ranking 55th in the nation with 30 total double plays.
THREE-BAGGERS GALORE
• Michigan State is now second in the Big Ten and ranks 42nd in the NCAA in triples with 12 ... The Spartans also rank second in the league and 44th in the nation in triples per game with 0.32.
Individually, junior outfielder Casey Mayes is tied for third in the B1G with three triples, ranking tied for 64th in the NCAA, while junior outfielder Peter Ahn, sophomore infielder Mitch Jebb and redshirt-freshman catcher Christian Williams are tied for seventh in the league with a pair of three-baggers each.
NO Ks IN MITCH JEBB
• Sophomore infielder Mitch Jebb leads the Big Ten and ranks 29th in the NCAA as toughest to strike out, with just 12 Ks in 150 ABs (12.5 AB/strikeout).
JEBBIN' ON THE BASEPATHS
• Jebb leads MSU and ranks sixth in the B1G with 13 stolen bases ... Jebb's 13 swipes are the most by a Spartan since 2019 when Bryce Kelley had 18 and Marty Bechina had 13.
HOME RUNS UP
• MSU's home runs per game average is almost twice as much as last season's total, as the Spartans have bashed 27 home runs in 37 games, an average of 0.73 home runs per game ... Last season, the Green & White had 21 round-trippers in 44 games, an average of 0.47 HR/game.
A total of nine different Spartans have hit a home run in 2022 Spartans, topping last year's squad of eight different players ... Additionally, this year's Green & White roster already has six different players with multiple home runs, while last year's squad only had five different players hit multi-round trippers.
Ks UP, ERA EVEN
• On the mound, the Spartans' strikeouts per game is also up from last year, currently with 286 Ks in 37 games, an average of 7.7 K/game, compared to 346 strikeouts in 44 games last season, an average of 7.86 K/game.
MSU's ERA is also nearly even from a season ago, posting a 5.95 ERA through 37 games in 2022 after a 5.84 ERA in 44 games in 2021.
AHN MADE FIRST START AT HOME
• Redshirt-junior Peter Ahn is in his fourth season in a Spartan uniform and has made 32 starts in his career, however, of those 32 starts, none had come at home, until he started last Friday, March 18 vs. Houston Baptist ... Ahn was a reserve in 2019, making 13 appearances off the bench ... In 2020, Ahn started in 14 of the 15 games played, all on the road, as the remainder of the season was cancelled due to COVID-19 before MSU played at home ... Last season, Ahn started the first five games of the season, all played at neutral sites, before suffering an injury and was on limited action the rest of the season.
SPARTANS EARN BACK-TO-BACK B1G AWARDS
• Michigan State players garnered weekly Big Ten Conference honors in consecutive weeks, as sophomore infielder Mitch Jebb was tabbed the Player of the Week on March 16, while freshman pitcher Ryan Szczepaniak was named the Freshman of the Week on March 9.
MITCH JEBB TABBED BIG TEN PLAYER OF THE WEEK
• Michigan State baseball sophomore infielder Mitch Jebb was named the Big Ten Conference Player of the Week, announced by the conference office on March 16.
Jebb, a native of Saginaw, Michigan, earns his first career B1G weekly honor and his third overall B1G accolade, as he was on was this year's Big Ten Preseason Players to Watch list, as well as being named to Big Ten All-Freshman Team last season.
This is MSU's second B1G honor in as many weeks, as pitcher Ryan Szczepaniak was tabbed as the B1G Freshman of the Week on March 9.
Jebb was recognized for his performance during MSU's four games during the week of March 7-13, in Greenville, South Carolina, at Fluor Field, home of the Greenville Drive.
He belted two HR in the same game, including a two-run walk-off HR to cap MSU's comeback in a 10-8 win over Cincinnati on Friday, March 11, as the Spartans rallied from an 8-5 deficit entering the ninth. Jebb bookended the game by also bashing a HR to lead off the Spartan home half of the first inning. He finished 3-for-4 with four RBI and two runs scored.
The walk-off was MSU's first walk-off HR since Feb. 23, 2020, also in Greenville, also by a left-handed hitter, by Peter Ahn, vs. Merrimack, and also over the right field wall of Fluor Field. Jebb's two-home run game was also the first Spartan with two HR in the same game since Bailey Peterson bashed a pair of round-trippers last season on May 23, 2021 at Rutgers.
For the week, Jebb registered a .412 average (7-for-17) in the four games, highlighted by going 3-for-4 with four RBI and two runs scored vs. Cincinnati. He added a double as part of 2-for-5 outing vs. Western Carolina. He also notched at least one hit in all four games, as he now has at least one hit in all 14 games this season and a 21-game hitting streak dating back to last season, tied for the third-longest hitting streak by a Spartan in the last 20 years.
RYAN SZCZEPANIAK NAMED BIG TEN FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
• Michigan State baseball pitcher Ryan Szczepaniak was named the Big Ten Conference Freshman of the Week, for games played Feb. 28-March 6, the conference office announced on Wednesday, March 9.
Szczepaniak, a native of Woodhaven, Michigan, earns not only the first Big Ten accolade of his Spartan career, but also the first B1G honor of the season for Michigan State, for his performance last Sunday, March 6. He earned the win on the mound in the 9-3 Victory for MSU over nationally-ranked West Virginia in Minneapolis at the Cambria Classic played at U.S. Bank Stadium, home of the Minnesota Vikings.
The Spartan right-hander fired 5.0 IP with four strikeouts, yielding three hits and one earned run to improve to 2-0, stymieing WVU bats. After a leadoff single and later a hit batter in the first inning, settled in and retired seven Mountaineers in a row.
Szczepaniak improved to 2-0 with the victory and is the first B1G freshman pitcher to earn two wins this season, and only one of 11 pitchers in the league overall with two or more wins.
THREE SPARTANS TABBED TO CAMBRIA COLLEGE CLASSIC ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
• Three Michigan State baseball players were tabbed to the Cambria College Classic All-Tournament Team, announced late Sunday night following the conclusion of the three-day tournament.
Sophomore infielders Trent Farquhar and Mitch Jebb, along with junior outfielder Zaid Walker were the three Spartan representatives on the 13-player list, as MSU went 2-1 in the Classic, with the lone loss to No. 12 Notre Dame, 2-1, on Saturday. The Fighting Irish finished 3-0 and were the tournament champion.
The three Spartan players tied host Minnesota for the second-most on the All-Tournament Team list, while tournament winner Notre Dame had four players, including pitcher Austin Temple earning MVP honors.
Farquhar hit .462 (6-for-13) for the weekend with two RBI and two runs scored, as well as solid play all weekend at second base, featuring a running, somersaulting catch in shallow center field in the second inning of Friday's win over Kansas. He had multiple hits in the Kansas and West Virginia games as Farquhar now has a five-game hitting streak.
Jebb logged a .429 average (6-for-14) in the three games, including a career-high four hits and four RBI in Sunday's 9-3 win over nationally-ranked West Virginia. Jebb was a home run shy of the cycle Sunday, finishing with two triples and a double for the weekend, with 11 total bases and six RBI, adding one stolen base. Jebb joined his keystone corner mate Farquhar in solid defense all weekend as well, including snaring a line drive and stepping on second for a double play to end a bases-loaded threat in Sunday's win over WVU. Jebb has at least one hit in all 10 games this season and a 17-game hitting streak dating back to last season.
Walker posted a .455 average (5-of-11) with one double and a home run, coming on a two-run blast to left field in the second inning Friday vs. Kansas, sparking the Spartan offense on the way to an 11-2 win over the Jayhawks. Walker also had standout defense, highlighted by throwing out a runner in Sunday's win over West Virginia. Walker also had at least one hit in all three games this weekend and has a four-game hitting streak.
MSU BASEBALL TO WEAR "JP" UNIFORM PATCH TRIBUTE TO JIM PIGNATARO
Michigan State baseball head coach Jake Boss Jr. announced Thursday that the Spartans will be wearing a "JP" patch on all of their jerseys during the 2022 season as a tribute to long-time MSU administrator Jim Pignataro, who passed away this past August.
Pignataro served as the Executive Associate Athletic Director for Student-Athlete Services at Michigan State, and he was the sport administrator for Spartan baseball.
"Jim was just a special guy to our program," Boss said. "His leadership was phenomenal, and his passion for Michigan State and our baseball program was second-to-none. He poured his heart and soul into everything that he did with our program. We're proud to honor him and his legacy. His family, his wife Alana, and his kids Alison and Jimmy, will always have a special place in our hearts and in our program. We're proud to carry Jim's spirit with us onto the field."
The JP patch is located on the back collar of all of the Spartans' game jerseys that they will wear throughout the season.
Prior to being elevated to his most recent position, Pignataro served as the Associate Athletic Director for Student-Athlete Services (2008-15) and Director of Student-Athlete Support Services (SASS) from 2002-17. He oversaw the directors of Student-Athlete Engagement, Academic Services, Athletic Training, Strength and Conditioning and Sports Nutrition in addition to serving as a sport administrator for several Spartan programs.
Pignataro served as the Assistant to the Director and Athletics Academic Coordinator at Michigan State from 1996-2000. He left MSU to serve as the Assistant Athletics Director for Academics at Eastern Michigan University from June 2000 to June 2002. Prior to his arrival at MSU he worked in Athletic Academic Services at Florida State University (1995-96) and the University of Tennessee (1994-1995).
SPARTAN LEGEND BOB APISA TALKED TO TEAM PRIOR TO UNLV SERIES
Michigan State football legend Bob Apisa met with and spoke to the MSU baseball team on Thursday, Feb. 17 after the Spartans' practice at UNLV's Earl E. Wilson Stadium, and also posed for several pictures, then met each player.
Recruited by Duffy Daugherty, Apisa was a two-time All-American in 1965 and 1966 during his time at Michigan State. He was the starting fullback on back-to-back Big Ten and National Champion teams in 1965 and 1966, scoring a combined 18 touchdowns over the two seasons, and was a 1966 consensus first-team All-Big Ten selection. Apisa finished his career as MSU's most prolific rushing fullback with 1,343 yards, in addition to being a great blocker for Spartan tailbacks.
Apisa was born in American Samoa as part of eleven children, moving to Hawaii at the age of seven, and went on to earn a football scholarship at MSU, and became the first player of Samoan ancestry to be named All-American. He played in the 1966 "Game of the Century" against Notre Dame, which was also the first-ever live television sports broadcast in Hawaii. Apisa was also part of Daugherty's integration of college football, and will be part of a statue tribute as part of the upcoming renovations to the Duffy Daugherty Building for MSU Athletics in the upcoming.
In 2017, Apisa was inducted into the Michigan State Athletics Hall of Fame. In 2018, he was inducted into the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame.
After football, Apisa went into acting, and was in the Sandlot (home plate umpire), as well as many other roles, including movies (Hard Target and The Nutty Professor), and television (Magnum P.I., Hawaii 5-0 and Airwolf).
Apisa's grandson, Jacob Isaia, was a three-year letterwinner on the Spartan football team, playing offensive line. Apisa resides in Las Vegas.
THREE SPARTANS GARNER BIG TEN PRESEASON PLAYERS TO WATCH RECOGNITION
Farquhar, Jebb, Walker collect kudos ahead of Friday's season-opener.
Three Michigan State baseball players earned Big Ten Preseason Players to Watch honors, as the conference announced its preseason honors list and preseason poll.
The conference coaches voted on the top six teams and also selected three student-athletes from their own squads to a Preseason Honors list.
Sophomore infielders Trent Farquhar and Mitch Jebb were joined by junior outfielder Zaid Walker in earning preseason honors.
Farquhar, a native of Highland, Mich., earned the Danny Litwhiler Defensive Player of the Year MSU team award last season, as he made 38 starts, with 37 coming at second base and one at shortstop, posting 100 assists, 85 putouts. He was a part of 21 double plays, as MSU led the Big Ten with 41 double plays turned, ranking 45th in the NCAA, as well as leading the B1G and ranking 11th in the NCAA with 0.93 double plays per game. He posted a season-high seven assists vs. Penn State on April 9, the most by an individual fielder during the season, including having at least three putouts in 14 games, including a season-high five vs. Nebraska on April 23.
At the plate, Farquhar was the Spartans' leadoff batter in 32 games, hitting .272, including sharing the team-lead and ranking tied for 21st in the B1G in doubles with 10. He also tied for third on the team with total extra base hits with 12 on 10 doubles, one triple, and one home run, belting first collegiate home run in the Purdue game on April 12, blasting a solo shot down the right field line and into the Red Cedar River. Farquhar led MSU with a .381 on-base percentage, ranking second on the team and tied for 14th in the B1G with 24 walks, as well as ranking tied for second on the team with four hit-by-pitch.
Farquhar had a team-high 18-game on-base streak, reaching base in every game that he had an at bat from March 12-April 12, snapping the streak on April 16 by not reaching base at Illinois. He finished the 2021 season logging at least one hit in 12 of the last 16 games, having a five-game hit streak halted without a hit on May 8, but bounced back with three hits on May 9 and two knocks on May 14, then adding three hits on May 21 at Rutgers. For the season, his longest hitting streak was seven games (March 12-21), finishing with at least one hit in 28 of 39 games with an at bat. Farquhar was tied for second on the team with 11 multiple hit games, including a team-best tying nine games with two hits, as well as two games with a season-high three hits, coming on May 9 vs. Michigan, then matching it on May 21 at Rutgers. The sophomore infielder also had three multi-RBI games, which tied for third on the team, with three games with two ribbies each, most recently on April 25 vs. Nebraska.
Jebb, a native of Saginaw, Mich., was named to Big Ten All-Freshman Team last season after he posted a .276 average, sharing the team lead with two triples as part of ranking second on the team in hits (45). He also ranked third on the team with 44 starts, just one of five Spartans to play in 40+ games, missing just one game in the 2021 season.
Last season, Jebb also shared the team lead in doubles (10), while also ranking third in total bases (59), tied for third in extra-base hits with 12 on 10 doubles and two triples, fourth in runs scored (25), tied for fourth in stolen bases (4) and tied for sixth in RBI (15). He also ranked second on squad with 11 multi-hit outings, logging nine games with two hits apiece to go with season-high three hits in two contests.
With four multiple RBI games, Jebb also ranked third on MSU. He also tied for the second-longest hitting streak of the season at eight, from March 28-April 12, while ranking tied for fifth on the team in reached base streak at eight over the same span. Jebb logged a seven-game hitting streak to close out the season (May 16-30), with four multi-hit outings in that six-game span, going 12-for-28 (.429) with four doubles and two RBI.
In the field, Jebb was the Spartans' primary shortstop all season long, making all 44 of starts at short. He made 62 putouts and had a team-high 125 assists, along with being a part of 33 of MSU's 41 double plays, as the Spartans shared the B1G-lead and were tied for 11th in the NCAA in double plays per game (0.93), with the 41 DPs ranking second in the B1G.
A native of Homewood, Ill., Walker is looking to build off a successful 2021 season that saw him earn Third Team All-Big Ten accolades, as well as selected as the John Kobs Most Valuable Player Award recipient as well as the Kirk Gibson Offensive Player of the Year MSU team awards.
Last season, Walker was one of two Spartans to start and play in all 44 games, along with outfielder Bryce Kelley. He led MSU and ranked 22nd in the B1G with a .308 average, also leading the team and ranking 20th in the B1G with 31 RBI. Additionally, Walker led the team in hits (52), runs scored (29) and total bases (71), while ranking second on the team in stolen bases (7), third in both home runs (3) and on-base percentage (.367), and fifth in slugging percentage (.420). He also tied for third in total extra base hits with 12 on eight doubles, one triple and three home runs. In the 44-game season, Walker had at least one hit in 31 of the 44 games played, and also led the team with 14 multiple hit games.
Walker also led MSU with nine multiple RBI games, logging five games with two RBI and four games with three RBI. He had a stretch of three RBI twice in three games, April 11 vs. Purdue and April 16 at Illinois, also logging three ribbies on March 6 vs. Maryland.
Walker garnered the first Big Ten Player of the Week honors of his career on March 10 for his performance in the opening weekend after hitting a team-leading .462 (6-13), with five RBI and one double, logging a .538 slugging percentage and scoring three runs in helping MSU win three of four games against Maryland in Greenville in the opening weekend of the season. He had at least one hit in all four games, including going 3-for-3 with three RBI and two runs scored in MSU's 7-4 win in game one of the March 6 doubleheader, and also beat out an infield single to keep Michigan State's rally going in the seventh inning of the March 6 nightcap of the twinbill, to drive in what turned out to be the game-winning run, completing the Spartans' comeback after a 4-0 lead by Maryland, in the 5-4 Victory for MSU.
Walker also owned the longest hitting streak of the season, hitting safely in nine-straight games (March 13-27), and also owned the second-longest reached base streak of 14 in a row (March 13-April 9).
UP NEXT:
Michigan State returns home to host Purdue Fort Wayne in make-up game from March 23, on Wednesday, April 27 in a 6:35 p.m. start time at McLane Stadium at Kobs Field.
The Spartans then host Minnesota in a three-game B1G weekend series, Friday-Sunday April 29-May 1 ... The series between the Spartans and Golden Gophers opens Friday at 6:35 p.m., before Saturday's second game of the series at 4:05 p.m. and wraps up on Sunday at 1:05 p.m.
The week schedule is subject to change based on weather.
Along with any further schedule updates, fans can follow the games with links for live stats, live audio (when available) and live streaming of home games from Big Ten Network+ at MSUSpartans.com.
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