Michigan State University
33-22
Nebraska
33-22-1
MSU’s B1G Tournament Run Comes To Close With Loss To Nebraska
5/26/2023 11:59:00 PM | Baseball
Spartans topped by Huskers in quarterfinal; Vradenburg finishes with .400 average, becoming 28th player in program history to join MSU’s “.400 Club.”
The Spartans' B1G Tournament run comes to a close, after opening with a 3-2 loss to No. 1 seed and B1G regular-season champion Maryland on Tuesday, but then bouncing back for a 6-4 Victory for MSU over No. 5 seed Rutgers on Thursday to advance to Friday's match-up Nebraska, who lost to Maryland, 2-1 in 10 innings on a walk-off HR in a game that also included a weather delay of approximately an hour and a half.
The Spartans won at least one game in six of the eight visits under head coach Jake Boss Jr., as Michigan State was making its first appearance in the B1G Tournament since 2018, and no player on the Spartans' roster had been to the conference tournament. Overall, MSU made its 15 appearance including its eighth under Coach Boss.
Michigan State concludes its 2023 season with a 33-22 record. MSU's 33 wins are its most since 36 in 2016.
The Green & White also say farewell to seven Spartan seniors: players Andrew Carson, Zach Hopman, John Malcom, Brian Martin, Casey Mayes and Wyatt Rush, along with student manager Josh Wolf.
The Spartans and Huskers were locked in a scoreless gridlock for the first three innings, before Nebraska broke through with a run in the top of the fourth. Nebraska then plated three runs in the eighth on two hits to expand its lead and MSU couldn't rally in the eighth or ninth to end the game and the Spartans' tourney run.
Michigan State had four hits, but had a handful of hits taken away by nice defensive plays by the Nebraska defense, and were stymied by Husker pitcher Will Walsh, who threw a complete game with four hits and no walks.
Junior infielder Brock Vradenburg was one of those Spartans that was denied a hit, as Nebraska shortstop Brice Matthews made a spectacular running catch in shallow left field to deny Vradenburg, marking the second time in the tournament he had a hit wiped out after Maryland's shortstop and B1G Player of the Year Matt Shaw took a hit away from Vradenburg on Tuesday with a diving catch.
Vradenburg did end the night 1-for-4, to finish the season with exactly a .400 average, becoming the first Spartan to hit .400 or better since 2002 and becoming the 28th member of MSU's ".400 Club." The Spartan first baseman is the first member of the club since 2002 when Brady Burrill (.414), Chris McCuiston (.404) and Bob Malek (.402) all hit over .400.
NUMBER 28 is NO. 28!!!
— Michigan State Baseball (@MSUBaseball) May 27, 2023
Brock Vradenburg finished the season with exactly a .400 average, becoming 28th member of MSU's ".400 Club," and the first Spartan to hit .400 since 2002!!
Congrats Brock!! 👏👏👏#GoGreen | #SpartanStrong | @VradenburgBrock pic.twitter.com/WNPT2x0xDB
Redshirt-sophomore catcher Bryan Broecker went 2-for-3, while junior infielder Trent Farquhar had MSU's other hit.
Freshman Joseph Dzierwa started and went 4.2 IP, scattering six hits and yielding just one run and one walk, while striking out six, his most against the B1G opponent and second-most of the season overall behind eight Ks at Indiana State on March 19 and matching six Ks at Charleston on March 3.
Mid 4th |
— Michigan State Baseball (@MSUBaseball) May 27, 2023
NEB 1
MSU 0
Huskers score first on a 1-out RBI single, before Dzierwa induces a 5-4-3, 2-outs, 1-play, from Kark to Farquhar to Vradenburg to end frame.
Farquhar to lead off B4th.#GoGreen | #SpartanStrong | @KarkDillon | @trentjf7 | @VradenburgBrock pic.twitter.com/L7P8YVJTAS
Junior Harrison Cook took over for Dzierwa in the top of the fifth and got the Spartans out of a jam, and went on to pitch 3.0 innings, spraying three hits, three runs, two walks and two Ks. Freshman Nolan Higgins finished it out with 1.1 IP without a hit, run or walk, and one strikeout, in his B1G debut.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Walsh, Will (5-3)
L: Dzierwa, Joseph (6-4)
Batting:
3B: Burnham, Casey 1
RBI: Columbus, Ben 2 ; Burnham, Casey 2
SH: Carey, Dylan 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Fischer, Charlie 1 ; Sartori, Luke 1 ; Columbus, Ben 1 ; Anglim, Garrett 1
SB: Sartori, Luke 1
HBP: Fischer, Charlie 1
