Saturday, February 22
Corpus Christi, Texas
7:35 PM ET / 6:35 PM CT
Michigan State University
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Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
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Michigan State
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A&M-Corpus Christi
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Photo by: Jamie Mondragon
Spartans Ground Islanders, 8-3, Saturday For First 6-0 Start Since 2016
2/22/2025 11:59:00 PM | Baseball
McKay leads MSU offense reaching base in all five at-bats.
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas -- Michigan State baseball is 6-0 for the first time since 2016 after the Spartans grounded the Islanders of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 8-3, Saturday night at a damp Whataburger Field at Corpus Christi, Texas to conclude the second day of action at the Kleberg Bank College Classic.
Ironically, 2016 is also the last time that MSU played in the Kleberg Bank College Classic in Corpus Christi, and also like 2016, the streak included a win over TAMU-CC, with a near-identical 9-3 Victory for MSU on Feb. 27, 2016, and the Spartans moved to 6-0 the next day with a 6-2 win over UCF.
Just like Friday's opening day, Saturday's game time temperature in Corpus Christi was 42 degrees, but unlike Friday's windy, dry conditions, Saturday was damp as the game was played in a continual mist that fell throughout the game.
Michigan State will conclude the 2025 visit to Corpus Christi and the Kleberg Bank College Classic on Sunday morning at 11:30 a.m. ET / 10:30 a.m. CT against new Big Ten Conference member UCLA in a non-conference contest, as the Spartans and Bruins don't play each other during the regular-season.
MSU will be attempting to go for a 7-0 record to start the 2025 season on Sunday, which would be the first 7-0 start since 1964.
While Sunday's battle against the Bruins is a non-conference game, Michigan State and UCLA also have the distinction of being the first match-up of B1G teams, giving the first-year league member Bruins their first taste of B1G baseball, even if Sunday's game won't count in the conference standings as a league contest. Neither USC, Oregon or Washington have played any other B1G foes this season.
The Spartan offense was paced Saturday night by sophomore infielder Ryan McKay reached base all five times he was at the plate, going 2-for-2 with a pair of singles, along with two walks and getting hit-by-pitch once, and scored three runs.
Senior catcher Noah Bright joined McKay with multiple hits, going 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored, while senior infielder Nick Williams was 1-for-2 with two RBI and two runs scored and three walks.
Junior outfielder Jake Dresselhouse was 1-for-4 with two RBI and one run scored, while junior infielder Randy Seymour was 1-for-3 with an RBI, and senior outfielder JT Sokolove was 1-for-5 with a run scored. Senior designated hitter Christian Williams had an RBI and a walk in two AB.
Junior starting pitcher Nolan Higgins went 4.1 IP, scattering four hits and yielding three runs, while striking out four and walking one. Graduate reliever Zach Maxey went 2.2 IP with two hits, one walk and three Ks, coming on with the bases loaded and limited the damage. Sophomore reliever Logan Pikur finished out the final 2.0 IP with just one-hit, scoreless ball.
For the second time in as many games, MSU struck first in its opening at bat, after a four-run first frame on Friday, the Spartans plated one run in the top of the first on Saturday night.
McKay drew a 1-out walk and moved to second on a passed ball. After N.Williams walk, Bright tapped an infield single to load the bases. C.Williams then chopped a fielder's choice to short to drive in McKay for the 1-0 lead.
In the third, MSU doubled up its lead, manufacturing a run after loading the bases on a pair of fielder's choice plays and a walk, before Dresselhouse beat out an infield single to third to drive in N.Williams and a 2-0 Spartan advantage.
TAMU-CC got on the board in the home half of the fifth with a solo home run in the fourth, to pull within 2-1.
The Spartans didn't waste any time countering, as Sokolove sparked the Spartan rally in the fifth frame, leading off with a single up the middle. McKay followed by getting hit by a pitch, to bring N.Williams to bat, and the senior outfielder roped a triple to the left-center gap to score the speedy Spartan duo of Sokolove and McKay. The Islanders made a pitching change and brought in Saline, Michigan native Braden LaRusso, whose first batter faced was his former Lansing Community College teammate from 2023 in Spartan senior Noah Bright, and Bright rudely welcomed his former teammate with an RBI single to right to plate N.Williams. Later in the inning, Picot reached on an error to bring Bright in to score, and Seymour followed by laying down a sac bunt to drive Dresselhouse in and a 7-1 Michigan State lead.
In the home half of the fifth frame, the Islanders plated a pair of runs, but graduate relief pitcher Zach Maxey stranded the Islanders with the bases loaded, keeping the home team at bay and the score 7-3, and they never threatened again.
MSU added an insurance run in the top of the ninth. Again, McKay ignited the rally with a leadoff walk, N.Williams followed with a walk of his own. Bright then moved his Spartan teammates up a base with a sac bunt. After freshman pinch-hitter Isaac Sturgess was hit-by-pitch to load the bases, Dresselhouse reached on a fielder's choice to short, plating McKay for MSU's eighth and final run of the game.
The Spartans then wrap up the Kleberg Bank College Classic weekend by taking on new fellow B1G team UCLA in a non-conference game on Sunday, Feb. 23 at 11:30 a.m. ET/10:30 am CT.
Michigan State will then play eight games in 10 days at its home-away-from-home, Fluor Field, in Greenville, S.C., home of the Greenville Drive, the high-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, for MSU's Spring Break trip to Greenville, Feb. 31-March 9.
MSU hosts Harvard in a three-game series, Friday-Sunday, Feb. 28-March 2, then play Western Carolina on Wednesday, March 5 in a single midweek contest.
The Spartans then host the First Pitch Invitational on Friday-Sunday, March 7-9, tangling with Cornell and UAB on March 7, then Winthrop on March 8 and UAB again on March 9.
The weekend schedule is subject to further change, fans can stay tuned to MSUSpartans.com and @MSUBaseball on Twitter for schedule updates, along with follow this weekend's action with "Watch Live" and "Live Stats."
Ironically, 2016 is also the last time that MSU played in the Kleberg Bank College Classic in Corpus Christi, and also like 2016, the streak included a win over TAMU-CC, with a near-identical 9-3 Victory for MSU on Feb. 27, 2016, and the Spartans moved to 6-0 the next day with a 6-2 win over UCF.
Just like Friday's opening day, Saturday's game time temperature in Corpus Christi was 42 degrees, but unlike Friday's windy, dry conditions, Saturday was damp as the game was played in a continual mist that fell throughout the game.
Michigan State will conclude the 2025 visit to Corpus Christi and the Kleberg Bank College Classic on Sunday morning at 11:30 a.m. ET / 10:30 a.m. CT against new Big Ten Conference member UCLA in a non-conference contest, as the Spartans and Bruins don't play each other during the regular-season.
MSU will be attempting to go for a 7-0 record to start the 2025 season on Sunday, which would be the first 7-0 start since 1964.
While Sunday's battle against the Bruins is a non-conference game, Michigan State and UCLA also have the distinction of being the first match-up of B1G teams, giving the first-year league member Bruins their first taste of B1G baseball, even if Sunday's game won't count in the conference standings as a league contest. Neither USC, Oregon or Washington have played any other B1G foes this season.
The Spartan offense was paced Saturday night by sophomore infielder Ryan McKay reached base all five times he was at the plate, going 2-for-2 with a pair of singles, along with two walks and getting hit-by-pitch once, and scored three runs.
Senior catcher Noah Bright joined McKay with multiple hits, going 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored, while senior infielder Nick Williams was 1-for-2 with two RBI and two runs scored and three walks.
Junior outfielder Jake Dresselhouse was 1-for-4 with two RBI and one run scored, while junior infielder Randy Seymour was 1-for-3 with an RBI, and senior outfielder JT Sokolove was 1-for-5 with a run scored. Senior designated hitter Christian Williams had an RBI and a walk in two AB.
Junior starting pitcher Nolan Higgins went 4.1 IP, scattering four hits and yielding three runs, while striking out four and walking one. Graduate reliever Zach Maxey went 2.2 IP with two hits, one walk and three Ks, coming on with the bases loaded and limited the damage. Sophomore reliever Logan Pikur finished out the final 2.0 IP with just one-hit, scoreless ball.
For the second time in as many games, MSU struck first in its opening at bat, after a four-run first frame on Friday, the Spartans plated one run in the top of the first on Saturday night.
McKay drew a 1-out walk and moved to second on a passed ball. After N.Williams walk, Bright tapped an infield single to load the bases. C.Williams then chopped a fielder's choice to short to drive in McKay for the 1-0 lead.
In the third, MSU doubled up its lead, manufacturing a run after loading the bases on a pair of fielder's choice plays and a walk, before Dresselhouse beat out an infield single to third to drive in N.Williams and a 2-0 Spartan advantage.
TAMU-CC got on the board in the home half of the fifth with a solo home run in the fourth, to pull within 2-1.
The Spartans didn't waste any time countering, as Sokolove sparked the Spartan rally in the fifth frame, leading off with a single up the middle. McKay followed by getting hit by a pitch, to bring N.Williams to bat, and the senior outfielder roped a triple to the left-center gap to score the speedy Spartan duo of Sokolove and McKay. The Islanders made a pitching change and brought in Saline, Michigan native Braden LaRusso, whose first batter faced was his former Lansing Community College teammate from 2023 in Spartan senior Noah Bright, and Bright rudely welcomed his former teammate with an RBI single to right to plate N.Williams. Later in the inning, Picot reached on an error to bring Bright in to score, and Seymour followed by laying down a sac bunt to drive Dresselhouse in and a 7-1 Michigan State lead.
In the home half of the fifth frame, the Islanders plated a pair of runs, but graduate relief pitcher Zach Maxey stranded the Islanders with the bases loaded, keeping the home team at bay and the score 7-3, and they never threatened again.
MSU added an insurance run in the top of the ninth. Again, McKay ignited the rally with a leadoff walk, N.Williams followed with a walk of his own. Bright then moved his Spartan teammates up a base with a sac bunt. After freshman pinch-hitter Isaac Sturgess was hit-by-pitch to load the bases, Dresselhouse reached on a fielder's choice to short, plating McKay for MSU's eighth and final run of the game.
The Spartans then wrap up the Kleberg Bank College Classic weekend by taking on new fellow B1G team UCLA in a non-conference game on Sunday, Feb. 23 at 11:30 a.m. ET/10:30 am CT.
Michigan State will then play eight games in 10 days at its home-away-from-home, Fluor Field, in Greenville, S.C., home of the Greenville Drive, the high-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, for MSU's Spring Break trip to Greenville, Feb. 31-March 9.
MSU hosts Harvard in a three-game series, Friday-Sunday, Feb. 28-March 2, then play Western Carolina on Wednesday, March 5 in a single midweek contest.
The Spartans then host the First Pitch Invitational on Friday-Sunday, March 7-9, tangling with Cornell and UAB on March 7, then Winthrop on March 8 and UAB again on March 9.
The weekend schedule is subject to further change, fans can stay tuned to MSUSpartans.com and @MSUBaseball on Twitter for schedule updates, along with follow this weekend's action with "Watch Live" and "Live Stats."
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Maxey, Zach (2-0)
L: Singleton, Luke (0-2)
Batting:
3B: Williams, Nick 1
RBI: Williams, Nick 2 ; Bright, Noah 1 ; Williams, Christian 1 ; Dresselhouse, Jake 2 ; Seymour, Randy 1
SH: Bright, Noah 1 ; Seymour, Randy 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Sokolove, JT 1 ; McKay, Ryan 3 ; Williams, Nick 2 ; Bright, Noah 1 ; Dresselhouse, Jake 1
SB: Williams, Nick 1 ; Williams, Christian 1
CS: McKay, Ryan 1 ; Williams, Nick 1
HBP: McKay, Ryan 1 ; Sturgess, Isaac 1 ; Dresselhouse, Jake 1
Batting:
2B: Krowka, Karson 1
HR: Vaughan, Logan 1
RBI: Smith, Jackson 1 ; Sanchez, Cade 1 ; Vaughan, Logan 1
SF: Sanchez, Cade 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Vaughan, Logan 1 ; S-Johnson, Christian 1 ; Krowka, Karson 1
CS: Webb, Isaac 1
HBP: Webb, Isaac 2 ; Krowka, Karson 1
Game Leaders
AB
2
R
3
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
AB
5
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
AB
2
R
2
H
1
RBI
2
Players Mentioned
C
/ Baseball
OF/C
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ BaseballOF
/ Baseball
OF/LHP
/ Baseball
C
/ Baseball
OF
/ BaseballPursuit to Greatness | Spartans All-Access
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