Tuesday, May 10
Frank Eck Stadium | South Bend, Ind.
6 PM ET
Michigan State University
at
Notre Dame
Photo by: Sarah Smith
MSU Continues Hectic Stretch Playing At Notre Dame Tuesday, WMU Wednesday
5/9/2022 8:44:00 PM | Baseball
Spartans playing fourth and fifth games in four-day span.
| MICHIGAN STATE (21-24, 6-12 B1G) at No. 14 NOTRE DAME (28-10, 13-8 ACC) | |
| Location | Frank Eck Stadium || South Bend, Ind. |
| Tickets | Free Admission |
| Weather | High/Low - Tue: 84° / 67° |
| Game Notes | MICHIGAN STATE | NOTRE DAME |
| Social Media |  @MSUbaseball |  MichiganStateBaseball  @msu_baseball |
| Television | ACC Network |
| Game 1 | Tuesday, May 10 - 6 p.m. ET |
| Probable Pitching Matchup | ND: #24 FR LHP Jack Findlay (4-0, 0.72 ERA) MSU: #34 JR LHP Jack Brockhaus (0-0, 6.75 ERA) |
| Coverage | Live Stats | Watch Live Through Watch ESPN | No Audio |
| MICHIGAN STATE (21-24, 6-12 B1G) at WESTERN MICHIGAN (16-29, 13-18 MAC) | |
| Location | Robert J. Bobb Stadium at Hyames Field || Kalamazoo, Mich. |
| Tickets | WMU Ticket Office |
| Weather | High/Low - Wed: 85° / 62° |
| Game Notes | MICHIGAN STATE | WESTERN MICHIGAN |
| Social Media | @MSUbaseball | MichiganStateBaseball @msu_baseball |
| Television | None |
| Game 1 | Wednesday, May 11 - 4:05 p.m. ET |
| Probable Pitching Matchup | WMU: TBA (0-0, 0.00 ERA) MSU: TBA (0-0, 0.00 ERA) |
| Coverage | Live Stats | No Video | No Audio |
Leading Off... MSU Continues Hectic Stretch Playing At Notre Dame Tuesday, WMU Wednesday
• Michigan State baseball continues its hectic stretch of five games in a four-day span, playing in three different states, heading to play at No. 14 Notre Dame on Tuesday, May 10 in South Bend, Ind. and at Western Michigan on Wednesday, May 11 in Kalamazoo, Mich. ... First pitch from Notre Dame's Frank Eck Stadium Tuesday night is slated for 6 p.m., while Wednesday's game at WMU's Robert J. Bobb Stadium at Hyames Field has a 4:05 p.m. start time ... The week schedule is subject to change based on weather.
• Fans can watch Tuesday's game at Notre Dame on the ACC Network, with Mike Monaco handling play-by-play duties with analysis from Gaby Sanchez.
• Fans can follow the Spartan's action on the road with "Watch Live," "Listen Live" (when available) and "Live Stats" links at MSUSpartans.com, with video streaming for Tuesday's game at Notre Dame available through Watch ESPN, with a subscription fee, and no video streaming available for Wednesday's game at WMU.
• MSU is in the midst of five games in four days stretch ... The Spartans are coming off three games in just over 24 hours after the weekend schedule at Penn State was altered to a doubleheader on Sunday starting at 1 p.m. and a single game on Monday with an 11 a.m. start time to accommodate MSU's travel schedule ... Michigan State will arrive home in East Lansing late Monday night, then have a quick turnaround heading to South Bend via bus Tuesday afternoon, then return home afterwards, then bussing to Kalamazoo Wednesday afternoon.
• Michigan State has nine games left on its regular-season slate, and this week's games are the fourth and fifth of five-straight on the road in four-consecutive days, as part of nine road games overall in the final 12 games of the regular season, with only a three-game weekend series against Iowa at home.
• After this week's midweek action, MSU returns home to host Iowa, Friday-Sunday, May 13-15 in the final home games and Sunday, May 15 will be MSU's Senior Day ... The Spartans close out regular-season action with a three-game set at Nebraska, May 19-21.
MSU AND WMU BASEBALL TEAMS PARTNER ON DAY OF MIRACLES IN SUPPORT OF SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN MIRACLE LEAGUE
• Western Michigan University and Michigan State University Baseball teams have partnered up to host the "Day of Miracles" game to benefit Southwest Michigan Miracle League (SMML).
The game will be played on Wednesday, May 11, 2022 at 4:05 pm and hosted at Robert J. Bobb Stadium at Hyames Field. Entry for the game is by donation only, with all proceeds going to support SMML.
The event will include:
An appearance by Tennessee Walking Horse "Johnny Cash" and rider Abby Stanek prior to the national anthem
A silent auction
Miracle League players will be invited on the field with the college athletes for the national anthem in addition to being invited to run the bases with the teams after the game. Both WMU and MSU Baseball teams have a history of partnering with their local Miracle League organizations.
When asked about this event, Michigan State baseball head coach Jake Boss Jr. said "Our partnership with the Miracle League of Mid-Michigan has been one of the bright spots of our program over the past 14 years. It's an honor to be associated with such a special group of young people…they certainly make our day better with the smiles on their faces when we all take the field."
WMU Baseball Coach, Billy Gernon shared ""Being part of the Southwest Michigan Miracle League has been a blessing for me and my team and we are fortunate and privileged to have the opportunity to serve this wonderful group of kids because every child deserves a chance to play baseball."
Jud Hoff, President of SMML, noted that attending The Day of Miracles is a great way to learn more about the Miracle League and help support this great cause.
The Miracle League is a national organization that provides opportunities for kids with disabilities to play baseball. A Miracle League Field is a custom-designed field with a cushioned, rubberized surface to help prevent injuries and a flat playing surface to eliminate any barriers to wheelchairs or visually impaired players. SMML's field is located at 12935 US-131, in Schoolcraft, MI – next to The Dome. The spring 2022 season will be played on Saturdays from April 30 to June 11. Please view the full schedule here.
To learn more about SMML, visit the website at www.swmimiracle.org or the Southwest Michigan Miracle League Facebook page, or contact the organization at info@swmimiracle.org.
PROFESSIONAL STADIUM EXPERIENCE
• Last weekend's games at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, home of the State College Spikes minor league team, were the Spartans' 10th, 11th and 12th official games plus one exhibition, in playing in their fifth 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), going 2-1 ... MSU also played at its home-away-from-home, Fluor Field, in Greenville, S.C., home of the Greenville Drive, March 9 & 10-13, going 2-2 ... The Spartans played the Lansing Lugnuts in the Crosstown Showdown on April 6 at Jackson Field (L, 3-2 in exhibition), and then Michigan State returned to Jackson Field on April 15 to take on Michigan in the Capital Clash, losing the in-state battle ... MSU also played No. 12 Notre Dame at Comeria Park, home of the Detroit Tigers on April 26, winning 6-2 ... The Spartans are now 5-7 in their 12 games in professional stadiums so far ... MSU has three games left this season in professional stadiums, playing Nebraska at Hawks Field at Haymarket Park in Lincoln, Nebraska on May 19-21 to close out regular-season action.
400 FOR BOSS
• MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr. collected career win No. 400 on April 24 in the Spartans' 11-7 Victory for MSU at Northwestern ... Boss now has 405 career wins, with 380 wins in his 14th season at MSU (2009-pres.), and 25 wins in his lone season at Eastern Michigan (2008)).
QUICK HITTERS
• Michigan State had it's season-long six game win streak snapped with Sunday's loss at Penn State ... MSU's six-game win streak matched the Spartans' longest since a six-game win spurt April 18-27, 2018 ... The loss at Penn State cooled off the Spartans, who had won eight of their previous 10, and MSU is now 6-4 in its last 10 games and have won eight of its last 13, including a 6-2 upset of No. 12 Notre Dame on April 26 at Comerica Park in Detroit.
• MSU's recent six-game win streak came against four different teams with the 11-7 win at Northwestern on April 24, a 6-2 victory over No. 12 Notre Dame at Comerica Park in Detroit on April 26, a 7-4 win over Purdue Fort Wayne on April 27, then a three-game sweep (8-4, 2-1, 9-7) over Minnesota on April 29-May 1.
• The 2-1 win over Minnesota on April 30 was the Spartans' sixth one-run win of the year, and Monday's 10-9 loss in 11 innings at Penn State was Michigan State's 10th one-run game ... MSU is now 6-4 in one-run games ... Michigan State 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 the 9-7 win over Minnesota on May 1, marking the Spartans' fourth comeback win in the last two weeks, along with the 11-7 win at Northwestern on April 24, as well as both of the previous week's wins in the 8-7 win over Oakland on April 19 and the 7-6 victory over Eastern Michigan a night later ... The Spartans now have eight come-from-behind wins on the season.
• Michigan State's 11 runs in the April 24 win at Northwestern improve the Spartans to 8-0 when posting double-digit runs this season ... The 11 runs on April 24 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 15-3 when leading after seven innings and 18-1 when leading after eight innings, suffering the first loss when doing so Monday at Penn State, as the Spartans had an 8-6 lead heading into the ninth ... MSU has out-scored its opponents, 36-34 in the eighth inning and 25-20 in the ninth inning, the only two innings that MSU has more runs than the opposition.
• Graduate senior closer Kyle Bischoff was named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Stopper of the Year Award Midseason Watch List ... Bischoff currently shares the B1G lead in saves and ranks tied for 10th in the NCAA with 10 saves.
• Bischoff collected one save in MSU's win over Minnesota on April 30, for his 10th save of the season, taking over sole possession of No. 3 on the Spartans' single-season saves list, the most since 2014 when Jeff Kinley fired a school-record 13 saves ... Bischoff is just one behind Jeff Ericson with 11 in 1990.
• Bischoff also picked up two saves and a win in three appearances in the span of a week ... He earned his eighth save of the season on April 20, earning back-to-back saves in MSU's wins over Oakland on April 19 and over Eastern Michigan a night later ... Bischoff then collected the save in MSU's win over Purdue Fort Wayne on April 27 for his ninth of the season ... He then came on in early relief in MSU's win at Northwestern on April 24, coming on in the first inning with the bases loaded and pitched a career-high 6.1 IP of relief to earn the win.
• Junior outfielder Casey Mayes rejoined teammates sophomore outfielder Jack Frank and junior outfielder Zaid Walker for the active player HR lead after Mayes mashed his eighth HR of his career on Monday at Penn State ... Frank bashed his seventh HR of his career in the April 19 win over Oakland and added his eighth in the April 29 win over Minnesota ... Frank leads the team with seven HR this season ... Walked also belted his eighth career HR in the April 29 win over Minnesota for his third round-tripper of the season ... Mayes now has four homers on the season after Monday's shot, as he also knocked two HRs in consecutive days in the weekend at Northwestern on April 23-24.
• Sophomore infielder Mitch Jebb leads the Big Ten and ranks 17th in the NCAA in toughest to strikeout - with just one K every 13.1 ABs - on just 14 Ks in 183 ABs ... Jebb also has 32 walks, for a 2.3 walks-strikeout ratio, as well as drawing a free pass in 17.5 percent of his at bats, with a walk every 5.7 ABs.
• Jebb hit .500 (7-of-14) in the three games at Penn State, with four RBI ... Boosted by going 4-for-5 in Monday's game, Jebb had multiple hits in two of the three games, adding a 2-for-5 outing in the series opener ... Jebb has a six-game hitting streak, the longest active streak on the Spartans, and has four multi hits during the current hitting streak, as part of his 17 games with multiple hits, ranking second on the team ... Jebb also tops the team with 12 multiple RBI outings, including three during his current six-game hit streak, led by three ribbies on Monday ... Jebb has a team-best 12 RBI over the last 10 games.
• Junior outfielder Casey Mayes has a five-game hit streak, as part of multiple hits in seven of the last 10 games ... Mayes is hitting .405 (17-for-42) over the last 10 games, including hitting for the double cycle over that span, with a team-leading six extra base hits with two doubles, two triples and two HRs, also topping the team with a .690 slugging percentage over the last 10 games, adding 10 RBI.
• Sophomore infielder Brock Vradenburg was as hot as the Spartans were during their six game win streak, as he hit a scorching .571 (12-for-21) in the six games, along with a .654 on-base percentage and a .667 slugging percentage ... Vradenburg posted multiple hits in five of the six games, highlighted by a season-best and a career-high tying three hits vs. Minnesota on April 29 ... Additionally, Vradenburg had eight RBI over the six games, including three-straight multi-RBI outings, paced by three vs. Purdue Fort Wayne (Apr. 27), after two each vs. Notre Dame (Apr. 26) and Northwestern (Apr. 24), adding one vs. Minnesota (Apr. 29) ... Despite limited to 3-for-12 over the weekend, Vradenburg is still hitting a team-best .441 (15-for-34) over the last 10 games.
BISCHOFF NAMED TO NCBWA STOPPER OF THE YEAR MIDSEASON WATCH LIST
Michigan State reliever Kyle Bischoff was named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Stopper of the Year Award Midseason Watch List.
Bischoff is a graduate senior transfer from Toledo and a native of Macomb, Michigan (Eisenhower HS) ... He currently shares the lead in the Big Ten Conference and ranks tied for eighth in the NCAA with nine saves ... The Spartan reliever collected save number 10 on April 30 vs. Minnesota, his second save of the week after picked up his ninth save on April 27 vs Purdue Fort Wayne, ringing up his second strikeout of the ninth inning to end the game and seal the Victory for MSU ... For the season, Bischoff has a 2-1 record with a 1.88 ERA in 18 appearances, registering 28 strikeouts and nine walks in 28.2 IP.
Bischoff recently picked up a pair of saves and a win in three appearances during less than a week of action ... He collected two saves in as many days, against Eastern Michigan on April 19 and Oakland the next night on April 20 ... He then came on in relief in the first inning of the April 24 game at Northwestern and went on to throw a career-high 6.1 IP and earned the win ... The 6.1 IP was more than three times longer than his season-high of 2.0 IP and nearly double of his previous career-long outing of 3.1 IP during his time at Toledo.
NOTRE DAME CONNECTIONS
• 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.
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.
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).
NO FIGHTING IRISH MICHIGANDERS
Notre Dame does not have any Michigan natives on its 2022 roster.
SPARTAN-BRONCO CONNECTIONS
Wednesday's game has connections galore between Michigan State and Western Michigan:
• Spartan freshman pitcher Ryan Szczepaniak will be matching up against his brother, WMU sophomore pitcher Drew Szczepaniak ... Both Szczepaniak brothers were the pitchers of record at the same time during this season's first meeting on April 13 in East Lansing, with Drew pitching the bottom of the fifth, while Ryan pitched the top of the sixth ... Ryan had a three-up, three-down inning with one strikeout, while Drew faced four Spartan batters without a hit, allowing one walk.
• Current MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr., WMU head coach Billy Gernon and MSU assistant coach/pitching coach Mark Van Ameyde were together on the Spartans' staff from 2009-10, before Gernon left to become head coach at WMU.
• Current MSU volunteer assistant coach Andrew Stone was a four-year letterwinner at Western Michigan (2015-19) ... For his career, Stone finished with a .304 average with a .402 on-base percentage in 155 games played, making 104 starts ... Stone helped WMU to the 2016 MAC Tournament title and helped the Broncos advance to the NCAA Regionals for the first time since 1989 ... Stone was a three-time Academic All-MAC selection and a MAC Distinguished Scholar Athlete ... He earned his bachelor's degree in sports management from Western Michigan in 2018, and his master's degree also in sports management from WMU in 2019 ... Stone's father is Jeff Stone, Western Michigan's Senior Associate Athletic Director, overseeing academic and compliance services.
• Current WMU assistant coach Jordan Keur was on the Spartan staff for four seasons (2016-19) and also was a four-year letterwinner at Michigan State (2010-13), playing in Gernon's final year on the Spartan staff ... Keur left the MSU staff in 2019 to be head coach at Lansing Community College, where he earned conference Coach of the Year accolades for both 2019 and 2021, along with Region XII Coach of the Year, leading the Starts to a 47-3 record inn 2021, reaching the NJCAA Region XII Baseball Championship Series after finishing the regular-season ranked No. 1 in the nation ... While at MSU, Keur started over 150 games and posted a career .315 batting average as four-year letterwinner at Michigan State from 2010-13 ... As team captain his senior season, Keur led the team with a .337 average and 20 RBI, before tearing his Achilles ... Despite the injury, Keur was awarded MSU's Kirk Gibson Offensive Player of the Year award ... He also earned First-Team All-Big Ten accolades as a junior, as he started all 60 games and led MSU to a NCAA Regional appearance ... Keur played in 53 games as a sophomore in 2011, helping MSU to the Big Ten Championship ... Keur graduated from Michigan State with a bachelor's degree in advertising.
400 FOR BOSS
• MSU head coach Jake Boss picked up career win No. 400 on April 24 with the Spartans' 11-7 Victory for MSU at Northwestern ... Boss now has 405 career wins with 380 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, now with 406 (247 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.
Last weekend at Penn State was the second of back-to-back weekend's against fellow active Big Ten head coaches with 400+ career wins, after the previous week facing the coach with the most in the Big Ten with 1,343 in Minnesota's John Anderson, followed by last weekend at Penn State and Ron Cooper, now at 456 wins.
Current Big Ten Head Coaches By Career Wins
John Anderson - Minnesota 1,345
Steve Owens - Rutgers 978
Rich Heller - Iowa 958
Greg Beals - Ohio State 585
Dan Hartleb - Illinois 502
Rob Cooper - Penn State 456
Jake Boss Jr. - Michigan State 405
THIS IS SPARTA... 300 Ks FOR SPARTANS
• The Spartan pitching staff topped the 300 strikeouts mark with six punchouts in the April 27 win over Purdue Fort Wayne, now with 318 strikeouts this season, marking the 19th time in program history to reach the 300-K plateau.
SINGLE-SEASON STRIKEOUTS
1. 2016 466
2. 2019 445
3. 2017 420
4. 2015 409
5. 2018 407
6. 2002 390
7. 2012 389
8. 1998 380
9. 2004 378
10. 2014 355
11. 2021 346
12. 2010 335
13. 2011 332
14. 1987 324
15. 1971 322
16. 2022 318
17. 1993 315
18. 2001 312
19. 1988 306
BISCH-SAVE, BISCH-WIN
• MSU graduate-senior reliever Kyle Bischoff posted back-to-back saves in MSU's wins on April 19 and 20, registering his seventh and eighth saves of the season at the time ... Bischoff then earned the save in Michigan State's 7-4 win over Purdue Fort Wayne on Wednesday night for his ninth save ... The nine saves are the most by a Spartan reliever since Riley McCauley had nine in 2017 ... Bischoff is also now tied for No. 3 on MSU's single-season saves list ... With the nine saves, Bischoff shares the B1G lead and is also tied for 10th in the NCAA.
The saves on April 19 and 20 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 MSU's game at Northwestern on April 24, 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 19 appearances, ringing up 31 strikeouts in 33.2 IP (8.29 K/9).
ACTIVE HR LEADERS
• Junior outfielder Casey Mayes rejoined teammates sophomore outfielder Jack Frank and junior outfielder Zaid Walker for the active player HR lead after Mayes mashed his eighth HR of his career on Monday at Penn State ... Frank bashed his seventh HR of his career in the April 19 win over Oakland and added his eighth in the April 29 win over Minnesota ... Frank leads the team with seven HR this season ... Walked also belted his eighth career HR in the April 29 win over Minnesota for his third round-tripper of the season ... Mayes now has four homers on the season after Monday's shot, as he also knocked two HRs in consecutive days in the weekend at Northwestern on April 23-24.
HITS AND RUNS AND HITS AND RUUUUUNNNNNSSSSS
• Michigan State knocked double-digit hits in two of the three games over the weekend against Minnesota with 11 on April 29 and 10 on May 1 ... The Spartans had also recently posted 12 hits in the April 24 win at Northwestern, after logging 10 hits on April 20 vs. Eastern Michigan and 11 knocks vs. Oakland on April 19 ... 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 22 games with double-digit hits, as the Spartans are now 14-8 when registering 10 or more hits, winning their last five contests with double-figures in the hits column.
• The Spartans' 11 runs in the April 24 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 edged Minnesota, 2-1, on April 30, after winning a pair of midweek games over Oakland and Eastern Michigan, respectively, by one-run each, beating Oakland, 6-5, on April 19 before edging Eastern Michigan, 8-7, on April 20.
With those three recent one-run wins, Michigan State has a total of six one-run wins overall this season, improving to 6-3 in one-run contests this season, before Monday's 10-9 11-inning loss at Penn State moved MSU to 6-4 in one-run games.
The Spartans also swept the three-game series with Houston Baptist in their 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.
With MSU's 10-8 comeback win at Ohio State on April 10 and the 9-7 come-from-behind win over Minnesota, the Spartans are now also 4-3 in 2-run games.
DOUBLE PLAYS A PLENTY
• Michigan State turned six double plays in the three games at Penn State, now with 41 total double plays turned on the season ... MSU leads the Big Ten and is tied for 16th in the NCAA with 41 total double plays, as well as also leading the league and ranking tied for 17th in the nation in double plays per game (0.91).
With the six DPs in the Penn State series, the Spartans have turned 16 double plays in the last 14 games ... MSU has had at least one double play in a total of 24 games, including 13 contests with multiple double plays, highlighted by three a total of four games, on March 20 vs. Houston Baptist, April 9 at Ohio State, April 17 vs Michigan and May 8 at Penn State.
THREE-BAGGERS GALORE
• Michigan State has slid to fourth in the Big Ten and ranks tied for 34th in the NCAA in triples with 15 ... The Spartans also rank second in the league and 35th in the nation in triples per game with 0.33.
Individually, junior outfielder Casey Mayes is back atop the B1G stats, now tied for the league lead with five triples, including over the weekend at Penn State ... Mayes is now tied for 11th in the NCAA.
Junior outfielder Peter Ahn, sophomore infielder Mitch Jebb, sophomore outfielder Jack Frank and redshirt-freshman catcher Christian Williams are all 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 17th in the NCAA in toughest to strikeout - with just one K every 13.1 ABs - on just 14 Ks in 183 ABs ... Jebb also has 32 walks, for a 2.3 walks-strikeout ratio, as well as drawing a free pass in 17.5 percent of his at bats, with a walk every 5.7 ABs.
JEBBIN' ON THE BASEPATHS
• Jebb leads MSU and ranks tied for fourth in the B1G with 18 stolen bases ... Jebb's 18 swipes are the most by a Spartan since 2019 when Bryce Kelley also had 18.
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 33 home runs in 45 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 has eight 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 334 Ks in 45 games, an average of 7.4 K/game, compared to 346 strikeouts in the 44 Big Ten games played last season, an average of 7.86 K/game.
MSU's ERA is also nearly even from a season ago, posting a 5.81 ERA through 45 games in 2022, after a 5.84 ERA in 44 games in 2021.
AHN MADE FIRST START AT HOME
• Senior outfielder/infielder 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.
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.
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.
UP NEXT:
Michigan State returns home to host Iowa, Friday-Sunday, May 13-15 in the final home games and Sunday will be MSU's Senior Day ... The Spartans and Hawkeyes open the series on Friday evening at 6:35 p.m., before Saturday's 4:05 p.m. first pitch and the series finale on Spartan Senior Day with a 1:05 p.m. start time in MSU's final home game of the 2022 season ... MSU wraps up regular-season action at Nebraska, Thursday-Saturday, May 19-21.
The Spartans' 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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