Spartans Tangle With Wildcats In Three-Game Weekend Series

• Michigan State continues its season-long nine-game homestand at Jeff Ishbia Field at McLane Stadium by hosting Northwestern in a three-game Big Ten Conference weekend series, Friday-Sunday, April 11-13. Friday's nationally televised game is on Big Ten Network with a 5:32 p.m. first pitch. Saturday's game two is slated for a 3:32 p.m. start time, followed by Sunday's series finale at 1:02 p.m.

• The Spartans' schedule is subject to change, stay tuned to MSUSpartans.com and @MSUBaseball on X/Twitter for schedule updates.

• Fans can follow this week's action with "Tickets," "Watch Live," "Live Stats" and "Listen Live" links, where available, at MSUSpartans.com.

• Michigan State is 17-14 overall and 4-8 in Big Ten action, coming off a tough weekend at Indiana, in which the weekend series originally scheduled to be played Friday, Saturday and Sunday, but inclement weather with thunderstorms and rain in the Bloomington area all day Friday and Saturday postponed the weekend series to Sunday and Monday. MSU and IU took the field for a single game Sunday afternoon and a doubleheader on Monday, and the Hoosiers swept the Spartans in all three games. MSU opened its nine-game homestand hosting in-state foe Central Michigan on Wednesday, and the Spartans were topped by the Chippewas, 6-5.

• MSU is in the midst of a season-long nine-game homestand at Jeff Ishbia Field at McLane Stadium that opened with Wednesday's game against Central Michigan. The Spartans host Northwestern in a three-game Big Ten weekend series, Friday-Sunday, April 11-13, with Friday's game being nationally televised on Big Ten Network. MSU then hosts Western Michigan on Tuesday, April 15, before hosting Ohio State in another three-game B1G series, Friday-Sunday, April 18-20. The homestand wraps up on Tuesday, April 22 against Purdue Fort Wayne. *All dates are subject to change.

• Northwestern brings an even 15-15 overall and a 6-6 B1G ledger in tow to East Lansing for the weekend series. The Wildcats have won two in a row, three of their last five and six of their last 10. Last time out, Northwestern beat Notre Dame, 9-7, Tuesday in South Bend, Indiana, as junior first baseman Trent Liolios tied the Wildcats' single-season home run record with his 15th HR of the season. In their last B1G action, the Wildcats hosted Iowa in a three-game weekend series, losing the opener, 12-1 in 7-innings via the run-rule, and lost game two, 7-1, before bouncing back to win Sunday's series finale, 5-4, on a walk-off single by sophomore shortstop Ryan Kucherak in a back-and-forth battle with the Hawkeyes.

• For the first time since the preseason polls, Michigan state is not ranked among others receiving votes in National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Poll, as the Spartans had a run of seven weeks in a row having either been ranked or including in among others receiving votes.

• UCLA and Oregon are the only two B1G teams ranked in the polls, while Iowa, Penn State and USC are among the others receiving votes in the NCBWA Poll, in addition to Iowa and USC as the other league teams among others receiving votes in the USA Today Coaches Poll.

• UCLA is No. 9 in the Perfect Game Poll, while Oregon is No. 17. In the D1Baseball.com Poll, the Bruins are No. 10, while the Ducks are No. 15. UCLA is No. 11 in the USA Today Coaches Poll and No. 12 in the NCBWA Poll, while Oregon is No. 17 in the USA Today Coaches Poll and No. 15 in the NCBWA Poll, and the Bruins are No. 17 in the Baseball America Poll and the Ducks are No. 23.

• For the ninth-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 for select home games and limited road games.

KICKIN' IT FOR FRIDAY'S FIRST PITCH
• Michigan State women's soccer team will be throwing out the ceremonial first pitch on Friday ... the Spartans posted a 14-3-5 (7-1-3 B1G) record in 2024 and were ranked every week in the United Soccer Coaches Poll ... MSU earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament for the third-straight year and advanced to its second-straight Sweet 16 to match a program-best finish.

FIRST RESPONDERS WEEKEND
• This weekend is MSU's First Responders Weekend with Complementary Admission for all first responders with a valid ID (Fire, Police, Military, Medical) for all three games.

SALUTE TO SERVICE GAME SATURDAY
• Saturday's game is MSU's "Salute To Service," as a veteran will be throwing out the ceremonial first pitch, a Color Guard for the National Anthem, and in-game recognition for those who have served or are currently serving.

IN THE RANKINGS
• Michigan State was ranked in the Feb. 24 rankings of the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Top 25 Poll, but slipped out of the following week's rankings and were among others receiving votes for the next five weeks, until not being listed in this week's poll (April 7).

Prior to the Feb. 24 ranking, the last time that MSU was ranked was No. 23 in the Baseball America Top 25 Poll and No. 30 in the NCWBA Poll on May 2, 2016. The Spartans made their season debut in the rankings that season at No. 25 in the March 14, 2016 ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll.

In this week's rankings, UCLA and Oregon are the only two B1G teams ranked in the polls, while Iowa, Penn State and USC are among the others receiving votes in the NCBWA Poll, in addition to Iowa and USC as the other league teams among others receiving votes in the USA Today Coaches Poll.

UCLA is No. 9 in the Perfect Game Poll, while Oregon is No. 17. In the D1Baseball.com Poll, the Bruins are No. 10, while the Ducks are No. 15. UCLA is No. 11 in the USA Today Coaches Poll and No. 12 in the NCBWA Poll, while Oregon is No. 17 in the USA Today Coaches Poll and No. 15 in the NCBWA Poll, and the Bruins are No. 17 in the Baseball America Poll and the Ducks are No. 23.

BOSS IN 17th SEASON WITH SPARTANS
• Head coach Jake Boss Jr. is in his 17th year at Michigan State and 18th overall as a collegiate head coach ... Boss entered the 2025 season at No. 3 on MSU's longest coaching list behind John H. Kobs (1935-63), the namesake for the formr historic Kobs Field, location of McLane Stadium, with 39 seasons, and legendary head coach Denny Litwhiler (1964-82) with 19 seasons.

BOSS 450th VICTORY FOR MSU
• Head coach Jake Boss Jr. won his 450th as Spartan head coach with a 3-2 walk-off Victory for MSU over Cornell on Friday, March 7 in the opening day of play at the First Pitch Invitational at Fluor Field, home of the Greenville Drive.

Coach Boss becomes the third MSU baseball coach to reach the 450 Victories for MSU milestone, joining Spartan coaching greats John Kobs with 576 wins and Danny Litwhiler with 489.

Now with 457 wins in 852 games, Boss is also No. 3 on the Spartan head coach list for wins and games coached, also behind Kobs with 576 wins in 969 games, and Litwhiler with 489 wins in 859 games.

141ST SEASON OF MICHIGAN STATE BASEBALL
Michigan State is playing its 141st season of baseball in 2025 ... Baseball was the first organized varsity sport on campus with the first season of Spartan baseball in 1884, going 4-2 in the six-game schedule, and baseball has been played every season since, with only no varsity in 1944 due to World War II. MSU entered 2025 with an all-time record of 2,475-2,196-30 (.530) in 4,701 games played.

MITTEN STATERS
• Michigan State has 23 players on its 2025 roster from the state of Michigan ... Northwestern does not have any Michiganders on its 2025 roster.

LAND OF LINCOLN
• MSU has five players from the state of Illinois ... the Wildcats have four players from their home state of Illinois on their roster.

SERIES HISTORY NOTES VS. THIS WEEKEND'S OPPONENT
• Michigan State and Northwestern started their series in 1931 and have played 159 games in the series entering this weekend, with the Spartans leading the all-time series, 103-55-1, including 54-22 in East Lansing. MSU has won the last four games in the series, including sweeping a three-game set in 2023, which was the last time MSU and Northwestern met on the diamond.

Overall: MSU leads, 103-55-1
In East Lansing: MSU leads, 54-22
In Evanston: MSU leads, 44-25-1
Neutral: NU leads, 8-5
Streak: MSU W4; 5-of-8
First meeting: NU 5, MSU 4; 5/27/1931 in Evanston
Last meeting: MSU 9, NU 2; 4/30/2023 in East Lansing
Series Notes: Spartans and Wildcats playing series in East Lansing for second-straight meeting, marking first time since 2003-04 that MSU hosted in back-to-back series meetings ... Northwestern has won two of last three series, as MSU's 2023 win snapped Wildcats series win streak ... Spartans and Wildcats played neutral series in 2021 in Greenville, S.C. on March 12-14 due to Big Ten's COVID-19-altered B1G-only schedule with pods ... Home team has won last three series played on campus, as MSU was last visiting team to win, sweeping the series in 2018 in Evanston ... MSU has won 11 of the last 17 and 19 of the last 27, with a six, five and current four-game win streak in the series.

DZIERWA K-BITS
• Junior pitcher Joseph Dzierwa has 59 strikeouts, which ranks second in the B1G and 25th in the NCAA.

• With 59 strikeouts, Dzierwa is second in the B1G in strikeouts for the first time this season, and is now six Ks behind league leader, Iowa's Cade Obermueller, who has 65 Ks.

• With an 1.89 ERA, Dzierwa also leads the B1G, as well as 12th in the NCAA.

• The Spartan southpaw Dzierwa is also second in the B1G and 44th in the NCAA in WHIP (1.01), as well as fourth in the B1G and 76th in the NCAA in strikeouts per nine innings (11.14).

• Dzierwa is also third in the league and 36th in the nation in fewest hits allowed per nine innings (6.04).

• Dzierwa is also among the league leaders for fewest overall runs allowed in the B1G, as he is second in fewest overall runs (12) and tied for first in fewest earned runs allowed (10), but has pitched 16.2 more innings than Purdue's Michael Vallone, who leads the league in total runs allowed (11) and is tied with Dzierwa for fewest earned runs allowed.

• After chalking up double-digit strikeouts in his first three outings, Dzierwa has rung up single-digit Ks in his last five, with eight strikeouts against UAB on March 7, and five his next two times out vs. Iowa on March 14 and at Penn State on March 21, before just three vs. Illinois on March 28, before ringing up five Ks at Indiana on April 6.

• Dzierwa rang up 10+ strikeouts in the first three outings this season and in his last four in a row dating back to last year's regular-season final outing ... his most recent double-digit strikeout outing was on Feb. 28 with 10 Ks against Harvard on Feb. 28.

• Dzierwa now has:
-- 23 career outing with five or more Ks (seven of his eight outings in 2025, 10 in 2024, including in first six-straight games, six in 2023).

-- 12 career outing with seven or more Ks (four in 2025, six in 2024, two in 2023).

-- Three-straight outings this season with 10+ strikeouts and four-straight double-digit strikeout total of career, joining the career-high 12 vs. Washington State (2/21/25), the 11 vs. Western Michigan in the 2025 season-opener (2/14/25) and the 11 vs. Nebraska in 2024 season finale (5/17/24).

MSU BASEBALL'S JOSEPH DZIERWA ON GOLDEN SPIKES MIDSEASON WATCH LIST
• Michigan State baseball's Joseph Dzierwa was named to the midseason watch list for the Golden Spikes Award, presented by Chinook Seedery, and announced on April 4.

Continuing the process of identifying the best amateur baseball player in the country for the 2025 season, the Golden Spikes Award list features 45 of the nation's top athletes from college and high school baseball.

Dzierwa, a junior pitcher from Haskins, Ohio, is one of six Big Ten Conference players on the 45-player list, but the only pitcher from the league on the list. He is joined by Maryland outfielder Alex Calarco, UCLA infielder Roch Cholowsky Indiana outfielders Korbyn Dickerson and Devin Tayler, along with Oregon outfielder Mason Neville. Dzierwa is one of 19 pitchers on the list, including one of nine left-handed pitchers.

The Spartan southpaw leads the B1G and ranked fifth in the nation in ERA at 1.27, as well as topping the conference and ranking 18th in the country in strikeouts at 54. Additionally, Dzierwa is first in the B1G and 14th in the NCAA in both WHIP (0.87) and hits allowed per nine innings (5.06).

Dzierwa rang up 10+ strikeouts in his first three outings this season, which was part of doing so in four outings in a row dating back to his final regular-season outing last year.

He opened the season with 11 Ks, vs. Western Michigan in the 2025 season-opener (2/14/25) then posted a career-high 12 strikeouts vs. Washington State (2/21/25), and 10 Ks vs. Harvard (2/28/25). He also posted 11 punchouts vs. Nebraska in 2024 season finale (5/17/24).

The Spartan southpaw has 12 outings in his career with seven or more Ks (four in 2025, six in 2024, two in 2023).

DZIERWA DZUMPING WAY INTO RECORD BOOK IN KS
• Last season, Spartan southpaw Joseph Dzierwa rang up 91 strikeouts, which were not only the most strikeouts since Dakota Mekkes chalked up 96 Ks in 2016, but Dzierwa's total was good for No. 8 on MSU's single-season strikeout total.

• Dzierwa is already nearly halfway to last season's total, as he enters this week with 59 strikeouts.

200 KS FOR DZIERWA
• With his third strikeout in his outing at Penn State on March 21, Dzierwa registered his 200th career strikeouts, becoming just the sixth Spartan pitcher with 200 career Ks, and the first to do so since Mason Erla reached the milestone on April 9 2021.

• Dzierwa passed Dick Radatz (1957-59) with 193 Ks and Brian Murphy (1995-98) with 194 Ks, and is now tied with Cam Vieaux (2014-16) with 205 strikeouts.

• This season, Dzierwa has already passed David Garner (2011-13) with 192 Ks, Craig Brookes (2004-07) with 186 career punchouts, along with former teammate Nick Powers (2021-24) with 187.

• Dzierwa is also one win from cracking into the MSU Career Wins List.

MSU CAREER STRIKEOUTS LIST
1.         Bryan Gale      277      2001-04
2.         Tony Bucciferro          273      2009-12
3.         Mason Erla      243      2017-2021
4.         Ron Perranoski           223      ..1956-58
5.         Joseph Dzierwa          210      2023-pres.
            Cam Vieaux     .....205             .. 2014-16
7.         Brian Murphy ...194 .. 1995-98
8.         Dick Radatz     .....193             .. 1957-59
            David Garner ...192 .. 2011-13
10.       Nick Powers    187      2021-24

MSU CAREER Wins LIST
1.         Stuart Hirschman       28        1990-93
            Bryan Gale      28      2001-04
3.         Tony Bucciferro          26        2009-12
            Kurt Wunderlich         26        2008-11
5.         Larry Ike          23        1970-72
            Brian Wolcott 23        1977-80
7.         Mick VanVossen         21        2012-15
            Ron Perranoski           21        1956-58
9.         Nick Powers    19        2021-24
10.       Tim Day           18        2002-05
            Andrew Waszak          18        2010-13
12.       Nine tied with 17, most recently:
            Joseph Dzierwa          17        2023-pres.

ALL ABOARD THE McKAY TRAIN
• Michigan State sophomore infielder Ryan McKay was rolling at the plate during the series at Penn State, reaching base in 10-straight at bats as part of 11 in 12 at bats ... he went 4-for-4 in the win over Oakland on March 19, as well as drawing a walk in his last at bat in the series finale at Iowa on March 15, in addition to drawing a walk in his second at bat, with only a groundout in between to deny McKay from 12 in a row.

The 10-straight at bats was the most consecutive at bats reaching base for a Spartan since former teammate Jack Frank reached base in 13-straight at bats from April 21-27, 2024.

McKay currently leads MSU and ranks 17th in the B1G with a .469 on-base percentage.

WALK LIKE A MCKAY-IAN
Sophomore infielder Ryan McKay ranks tied for 10th in the B1G and ranks tied for 94th in the NCAA in walks (27) ... McKay is also 13th in the league and 102nd in the nation in walks/game (0.87).

BIG THINGS IN MINI PACKAGES
• McKay, nicknamed "Mini" by his teammates, went 4-for-4 vs. Oakland on March 19, and then 5-for-5 at Penn State on March 21, and is the first Spartan player to go 4-for-4 and 5-for-5 since Jack Frank did so last year ... Frank was 4-for-4 on May 4, 2024 vs. Michigan, while he was 5-for-5 on March 2, 2024 vs. Western Michigan, and McKay is the first MSU player with five hits since Frank's 5-for-5 outing vs. WMU.

RYAN MCKAY TABBED BIG TEN CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK
• Michigan State baseball's Ryan McKay was named the Big Ten Conference Co-Player of the Week, announced by the conference office on March 24.

McKay, a sophomore infielder from Clarkston, Michigan, earns not only his first B1G accolade of the season but of his career as well. It's his second overall B1G honor, as he was one of the Spartans' Big Ten Players to Watch before this season.

He also garnered MSU's first Player of the Week recognition this season. Overall, it is the Spartans' third conference accolade of the season, as junior pitcher Joseph Dzierwa collected back-to-back Pitcher of the Week honors on Feb. 17 and 24.

The Spartan sophomore McKay slashed .722 / .762 / .833 for the week, going 13-for-18 in four games on the week, leading MSU to a 3-1 mark, including helping the Spartans to their first series win over Penn State at University Park since 2016.

McKay reached base in 10-straight at bats and 11 of his last 12 after going 4-for-4 in last Wednesday's win over Oakland, as well as drawing a walk in his last at bat in the series finale at Iowa, in addition to drawing a walk in his second at bat, with only a groundout in between to deny McKay from 12 in a row.

He was 5-for-5 at the plate in the opening win, becoming the first Spartan to do so this season, and the first since former teammate Jack Frank had a hit in all five at bats on 3/2/24 vs. Western Michigan. The Spartan infielder knocked two doubles in the opener, with one RBI and two runs scored.

McKay started the week going 4-for-4 with one RBI and three runs scored, adding two stolen bases and one walk in win over Oakland. He was also 1-for-4 with a walk and run scored in Saturday's loss at PSU.

He then bounced back by going 3-for-5 with two RBI and a run scored in the series-clinching Victory for MSU. McKay sparked a Spartan rally in the fifth of the Spartans' big four-run inning, as MSU extended its 2-1 lead to 6-1, and added another RBI single in the ninth as Spartans broke the game open after PSU closed to 7-4, and MSU added three runs to open a 10-4 lead, securing the 10-5 series-clinching win.

FAB FIRST FRAME AND SCORING FIRST
• Michigan State has scored 198 runs on the season, with 40 (20.2 percent) coming in the first inning, through the first 31 games, averaging 1.3 runs in the first inning per game, and the 40 runs in the first frame are nine more than the next-highest scoring inning of the fifth with 31 runs.

MSU has scored in the first inning in a palindromic 13 of the 31 games, including two different stretches of four-games in a row.

The Spartans are 8-5 when scoring in the first inning, as well as 15-8 when scoring first, getting on the scoreboard first in all three games at Penn State and two of the three vs. Illinois.

The Spartans scored 17 runs in the first four-game stretch, plating four vs. Washington State (Feb. 21), one vs. TAMU-Corpus Christi (Feb. 22), four vs. UCLA (Feb. 23) then eight vs. Harvard (Feb. 28) in the opening game in Greenville.

After being held scoreless in game two of the Harvard series on March 1, MSU then scored a combined nine in the opening inning of the next four contests, with four vs. Harvard (March 2), two vs. Western Carolina (March 5), one vs. Cornell (March 7-G1) and two vs. UAB (March 7-G2).

BASE-SWIPING SPARTANS
Michigan State is seventh in the Big Ten and ranks 109th in the NCAA in stolen bases with 45 swipes. MSU's 1.45 stolen bases per game is also seventh in the B1G and is 106th in the NCAA.

The Spartans were a perfect 14-for-14 on stolen bases in the three games of the Harvard series.

Individually, senior outfielder JT Sokolove is tied for fifth in the B1G with 11 swipes, while sophomore infielder Ryan McKay is tied for 17th in the conference with eight stolen bases and senior outfielder/infielder Nick Williams is tied for 22nd in the league with seven bags stolen.

EARNING THE ICE BAGS
Michigan State is keeping Athletic Trainer Justin Waas busy with the ice bags, as the Spartans are ninth in the B1G and 114th in the NCAA in hit by pitch, getting plunked 48 times so far this season, an average of 1.5 HBP pg.

MSU drew 12 HBP in the three-game Harvard series Feb. 28-March 2, including three each by senior outfielder JT Sokolove and junior outfielder Jake Dresselhouse.

Individually, Sokolove is second in the B1G and is tied for 25th in the NCAA with 14 HBP. Dresselhouse is tied for 16th in the B1G with eight. Sokolove is also third in the league and 32nd in the nation in HBP/game (0.47), while Dresselhouse is just outside the top 10 in the league (0.33).

Sokolove has been HBP more than he has drawn a base on balls, as he has 14 HBP compared to drawing nine walks.

SACRIFICING SEYMOUR
• Junior infielder Randy Seymour is third in the B1G and tied for 56th in the NCAA in sacrifice bunts with five. Seymour also is third in the conference and 85th in the country in sac bunts/game (0.16). He had two sac bunts in the weekend series at Penn State.

As a team, MSU is second in the B1G in sacrifice bunts with 16 (0.5 pg).

WALK IT OFF SEYMOUR
• Junior infielder Randy Seymour laced a walk-off RBI single for the 3-2 walk-off Victory for MSU over Cornell on March 7 in Greenville ... It was MSU's first walk-off hit since last season on March 31, 2024 when Ryan McKay also had an RBI single to right field for an identical 3-2 walk-off win, coming against Rutgers in a B1G weekend series in East Lansing.

ONLY Ks IN THEIR NAME
• Despite having a K in his name, sophomore infielder Ryan McKay doesn't register a K in the score book very often, as McKay was tied for the lead in the B1G and NCAA in toughest to strikeout after the first week of the season, as he was not retired on strikes in any of his 10 at bats in the opening weekend.

McKay was one of three B1G players and one of 155 players who did not strike out through the first week.

McKay now has just 16 Ks in 112 at bats (7.0) through 31 games.

Last season, McKay was second in the B1G and 13th in the NCAA in toughest to strike out (13.5), with just 14 strikeouts in 189 at bats.

• Teammate Nick Williams is the team leader with just 10 Ks in 88 at bats, ranking 11th in the B1G in toughest to strikeout (8.8).

Last season, N.Williams had just 25 strikeouts in 181 at bats (7.24).

EXTRA, EXTRA, READ ALL ABOUT IT
• Michigan State played an 11-inning game on March 14 at Iowa, winning 12-8 ... It was MSU's first extra-inning game of the season, and was the Spartans' first game going extras since May 5, 2024 in a 12-inning loss vs. Michigan ... It was MSU's first 11-inning game since March 16 of last season, going 11 in a loss vs. Evansville ... While both of those extra-inning games were at home, it was MSU's first 11-inning game on the road since April 11, 2023 with a 7-6 win at Notre Dame.

SPARTANS SMACK SIX HOMERS AGAINST HARVARD AND IOWA
• After not hitting six home runs in a game from March 26, 2017 until Feb. 28, 2024, doing so in the 14-1 7-inning Victory for MSU over Harvard in Greenville earlier this season, the Spartans have now done so twice in a span of 10 games ... MSU smacked a half dozen home runs at Iowa on March 14 in a 12-8 11-inning win, taking advantage of windy conditions at Iowa's Duane Banks Field, blowing 20-25 mph with gusts up to 35-40 mph.

Michigan State also smacked six home runs in the 14-1 7-inning Victory for MSU over Harvard on Feb. 28 at Fluor Field in Greenville, S.C. ... the six homers against Harvard was the most HR hit by the Spartans in a game since March 26, 2017 when MSU hit eight round-trippers at Illinois, winning 17-6.

BUSCH BELTS FIRST TWO-HR OUTING OF CAREER, GREENVILLE DRIVIN' THE BALL
• Senior infielder Sam Busch had his first two-HR game of his career on Friday, March 7 vs. UAB, in game two of the first day of the First Pitch Invitational action in Greenville.

Those two round-trippers were half of Busch's four homers during the 8-game, 10-day residency at Fluor Field, home of the Greenville Drive ... Busch start off with a three-run homer in the first inning against Harvard on March 2, in the first half of back-to-back blasts by the Spartans, as graduate catcher Caleb Berry followed Busch's three-run round-tripper with a solo shot ... Busch also smacked a solo shot to lead off the third inning against Western Carolina on March 5 ... He then knocked two round-trippers against UAB on March 7.

Busch then added two more HR in a game in the 12-8 11-inning Victory for MSU at Iowa on March 14, smacking a solo homer in the fourth to break a scoreless tie and start the scoring in the game. He then added a three-run home run in the top of the 11th, breaking the game open from a 9-8 MSU lead to an 11-8 advantage.

BUSCH BLASTS TO START THIRD INNING
• With his home run to lead off the third inning on vs. Western Carolina on March 5, senior infielder Sam Busch blasted his second home run to lead off an inning of the season, and both occasions have come in the third inning.

On March 5 vs. Western Carolina, Busch went yard to right center at Fluor Field to start off the third inning.

Busch also started off the third frame against UCLA on Feb. 23 in Corpus Christi with a home run to right field.

BUSCH BLASTS TO NEW CAREER-HIGH
• Senior infielder Sam Busch blasted his eighth home run of the season on March 29 vs. Illinois, giving him a new career-high for a season, after seven in each of the 2023 and 2024 season.

BUSCH CLOSING IN ON CAREER HR LIST
• Now with eight home runs this season, senior infielder Sam Busch now has 22 career home runs, needing just two more to tie for the No. 11 spot on MSU's Career Home Runs list:

Home Runs
1.         Kyle Geswein 36        1999-02
2.         Matt Riggins   34        1993-96
3.         Travis Gulick   30        2002-04
4.         Bob Malek      29        2000-02
5.         Scott Makarewicz       28        1987-89
6.         Mike Davidson            27        1985-88
7.         Jack Frank       26        2020-24
            Sean Walker   26        2004-07
            Scott Ayotte    26        1992-95
            James Moreno 26        2001-04
11.       Bob Goodheart           24        1982-85
            Dan Masteller 24        1987-89
            Eric Sumpter   24        1991-94
--          Sam Busch      22        2021-pres.

WHEN YOU CARE ENOUGH TO SEND THE BERRY BEST, SEND IT ON THE 7TH
Michigan State graduate catcher/designated hitter Caleb Berry has five home runs this season, belting his most recent one on Monday, April 7th at Indiana.

Of Berry's five homers, two have come on the seventh day of the month, as he hit his third round-tripper of the season on March 7th, and he hit his fifth homer of the year on Monday, April 7th.

BUSCH BASHING WEEK RECAP
• Senior infielder Sam Busch was bashing in the midweek against Notre Dame and weekend series vs. Illinois, as he slashed . 500 / .533 / .929 in four games on the week, going 7-of-14, including 4-for-5, finishing a triple shy of the cycle, with five RBI in Sunday's win over Illinois.

• Busch started the week with a two-run single in his lone plate appearance on Wednesday at Notre Dame, after getting night off, came off bench in ninth inning and delivered two-run single off Notre Dame's closer, pulling MSU within 9-6, before rally and game ended with next batter.

• He then went 2-for-4 with pair of doubles and two ribbies and a run scored in Friday's series opening loss to the Illini.

• Busch finished the weekend going 4-for-5 with five RBI and three runs scored, knocking a home run into the Red Cedar River along with a double, finishing a triple shy of the cycle, including a "walk-off" single in the eighth for the 14-4 run-rule Victory for MSU.

SHUTOUT SPARTANS
Michigan State's pitching staff has combined for four shutouts this season. MSU blanked Western Michigan in the season-opener on Feb. 14 in Cary, N.C., then shut out Monmouth the next day by an identical, 2-0 score.

The Spartans then walloped Winthrop, 7-0, on March 8 in Greenville.

Michigan State posted its fourth blanking of the season on March 21 at Penn State with a 4-0 Victory for MSU.

MSU's four shutouts this season through 23 games are its most since 2021, when the Spartans also posted four shutouts.

PROFESSIONAL STADIUM EXPERIENCE
• Michigan State is slated for 17 total games and one exhibition contests in four different professional stadiums.

MSU played in the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Kleberg Bank College Classic on the weekend of weekend Feb. 21-23 that was played at Whataburger Field, home of the Corpus Christi Hooks, Double-A affiliate of the Houston Astros.

• The Spartans also played eight games at their home-away-from-home, Fluor Field, in Greenville, S.C., home of the Greenville Drive, the high-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. Fluor Field nearly replicates the dimensions of Fenway Park, home of the Red Sox. The Greenville ballpark has its own "Green Monster" replica, a 30-foot high wall in left field as opposed to the 37-foot one found at Fenway, and contains a manual scoreboard. Every other dimension is to the same specifications as Fenway Park, including "Pesky's Pole" in right field.

• MSU hosted Harvard in a three-game series last weekend, Friday-Sunday, Feb. 28-March 2. The Spartans played Western Carolina on Wednesday, March 5 in a single midweek contest, before hosting 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.

• Michigan State tangled with the Lansing Lugnuts, the High-A affiliate of the Oakland A's, in the 2025 Crosstown Showdown on April 1 at Jackson® Field™ in the annual exhibition game, with MSU winning, 1-0, in the seven-inning contest using modified rules, including Lugnuts pitchers throwing to both teams, and were on limited pitch counts as some innings ended early.

• MSU also played a three-game Big Ten Conference series at Penn State, March 21-23, winning two of three. The Nittany Lions' home field is Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, home of the MLB Draft League's State College Spikes.

• Additionally, the Spartans also play a three-game conference series at B1G newcomer USC, Friday-Sunday, March 9-11, which plays a majority of its home games at Orange County Great Park in Irvine, Calif., while construction continues on the Trojans' home, on-campus Dedeaux Field.

PICOT SMASHING HOMER DEBUT
Spartan sophomore outfielder Parker Picot had a smashing memory for his first collegiate home run, crushing a grand slam home run in the first inning of the game vs. Harvard on Feb. 28.

Picot then bashed his second homer of the night with a solo home run in the fourth inning to record his first two-HR outing to go with his first HR as a Spartan and collegiate baseball player after transferring to MSU after one season at Alabama.

With five RBI on the night, Picot also became the first Spartan with five RBI in a single game since Greg Ziegler had five ribbies on May 4, 2024 vs. Michigan.

GRAND SLAM SEYMOUR FOR GRAND SLAM HOMER CYCLE
MSU sophomore infielder Randy Seymour joined Picot in belting a grand slam over the weekend, with his coming in the win over Harvard on March 2.

The grand slam completes the career home run cycle for Seymour, as he now has a solo, two-run, three-run and grand slam during his Spartan career, with the first three coming last year as part of his three home runs in 2024.

Seymour is tied for fourth among the active Spartans in career home runs with four, behind leader Sam Busch with 16, Christian Williams (7), Nick Williams (5), and tied with Noah Bright (4).

STRIKIN' OUT WAZZU
• Michigan State's pitching staff rang up a season-high 15 strikeouts against Washington State on Feb. 21, with sophomore Joseph Dzierwa firing 12 Ks, followed by two by sophomore reliever Tate Farquhar and one by senior reliever Dominic Pianto to end the game.

The 15 vs. Washington State was the most by the Spartan pitching staff since ringing up 15 Ks vs. Western Carolina on March 11, 2023 in a 7-2 Victory for MSU at Fluor Field in Greenville, South Carolina.

DOUBLE-DIGIT Ks
MSU's season-high 15 Ks vs. Washington State on Feb. 21 is one of eight outings ringing up double-digit strikeout totals:

15 - vs. Washington State (Feb. 21)
13 - at Iowa (March 14)
12 - vs. Western Michigan (Feb. 14-G1)
12 - vs. Western Michigan (Feb. 14-G2)
12 - vs. Harvard (Feb. 28)
11 - vs. Western Carolina (March 5)
10 - vs. UAB (March 7-G2)
10 - at Penn State (March 21)

DZIERWA GARNERS SECOND-STRAIGHT B1G PITCHER OF THE WEEK HONOR ON FEB. 24
Spartan southpaw becomes first MSU baseball player to earn B1G weekly award in consecutive weeks.

• Michigan State baseball's junior pitcher Joseph Dzierwa was named the Big Ten Pitcher of the Week for the second-straight week, announced on Feb. 24 evening by the conference office.

Dzierwa becomes the first Michigan State baseball player to earn a B1G weekly award of any kind in consecutive weeks in program history.

Twice before a Spartan pitcher has earned the Pitcher of the Week award in a span of three weeks, as Cam Vieaux earned the accolades on March 31 and April 14, 2014, and Andrew Waszak collected the awards on April 15 and 29, but not in successive weeks.

Along with his second-consecutive Big Ten Pitcher of the Week Award, this is Dzierwa's sixth overall conference recognition, including his third weekly award, as he was also Big Ten Freshman of the Week once (April 10, 2023). Dzierwa was a 2024 All-Big Ten Second Team selection, as well as a two-time B1G Preseason Player to Watch List member (2024 and 2025).

Making his second start of the season last Friday vs. Washington State in the opening game of the Kleberg Bank College Classic in Corpus Christi, Texas, Dzierwa chalked up a career-high 12 strikeouts in 7.0 IP, with one hit and one walk, and those both came in the first frame, and he was nearly perfect after that until the sixth.

After striking out the first seven batters faced last week vs. Western Michigan, Dzierwa appeared to be starting Friday afternoon's contest the same way, ringing up Ks on the first two WSU batters. However, he then yielded a two-out walk followed by a single, but then chalked up his third punchout of the inning to slam the door on any thoughts of a rally the Cougars might have had.

Dzierwa then retired the next 14 Cougar batters faced with a total of 10 Ks through five innings, before hitting a batter in the sixth inning. In the seventh, he induced a popup and then fired back-to-back strikeouts looking to end his day with the 12 punchouts in 7.0 IP, with only one hit, one walk and one hit-by-pitch, in only 83 pitches.

It marked the third-straight outing of his career setting or tying career-best, dating back to last year, after he fired 11 Ks vs. Nebraska in the 2024 season-finale, then 11 Ks last Friday in Cary, N.C. vs. Western Michigan, before Friday's dozen punchouts.

The 12 strikeouts by the Spartan southpaw were the most by an MSU pitcher since Sam Benschoter rang up 17 Ks in 9.1 IP of relief on April 21, 2021 vs. Nebraska.

Additionally, the 12 Ks were also the most in the Big Ten to date, and he now has two of the top five single-game pitching performances in the league in the midst of the second weekend of the season.

Dzierwa is the sixth Spartan pitcher to earn the B1G Pitcher of the Week honors twice in a season, as along with Vieaux and Waszak, Kurt Wunderlich did so in 2011 (Feb. 28 and May 23), Bryan Gale in 2004 (March 29 and May 17) and Tim Crabtree in 1992 (April 7 and May 5).

Additionally, Dzierwa was also named the Big Ten Loud! Performance of the Day by D1Baseball for Friday's performances around the league.

He helped MSU to a 6-1 start to the season, it's best record since 2016, and the Spartans are ranked in this week's NCBWA Top-25 Poll, coming in at No. 23.

MSU'S JACOB ANDERSON NAMED TO LOU GEHRIG COMMUNITY IMPACT TEAM
Lone Big Ten player on list and one of only Power 4 schools.

Michigan State baseball's Jacob Anderson has been named to the 2025 Lou Gehrig Community Impact Team, announced Wednesday, Feb. 19.

A redshirt-junior infielder, Anderson is the only player from the Big Ten Conference on the nine-player list and only of only two players from a Power 4 conference team.

Anderson, a native of Oakland Township, Michigan, has demonstrated remarkable success both on the baseball field and within his community, establishing himself as a dedicated and compassionate leader.

"Jacob Anderson is the consummate student-athlete who represents our athletics department in the most incredible manner on the field, in the classroom, and in the community," said MSU Associate Director of Student-Athlete Support Services Melissa Tallant. "He carries a 3.54 GPA and will graduate with a degree in kinesiology. He has a genuine desire to make his community a better place and consistently puts others ahead of himself while realizing the platform he has to impact those in need."

On the field, Anderson played an important role last season as the fifth infielder, dealing with an early-season injury, finishing with a .255 batting average. This season, he was elected one of two team captains in a vote by his teammates, and he stepped into the starting role at third base, where his skills, leadership, and determination will be vital to the team's success.

Off the field, Anderson's involvement in the community is equally impressive. He serves as the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) Representative for the baseball team, actively participating in various initiatives aimed at giving back to others. Anderson has contributed to events like Teams for Toys, the Student-Athlete Food Drive, and the Student-Athlete Career Mixer, all of which serve to support both the local community and his fellow student-athletes.

Anderson's leadership shines through in his work with organizations that support individuals with special needs. Through the baseball team, he has played a pivotal role in helping out with the Miracle League of Mid-Michigan, where he assists special needs youth as their 'buddy' during games on an adaptive rubberized surface. Additionally, Anderson has been involved with the Beautiful Lives Project, helping host a clinic for special needs youth, and with Team Impact, where the team adopted a six-year-old boy battling cancer, offering him love and support through a difficult journey.

Anderson is also a member of Athletes in Action on campus, participating in their Operation Christmas Child initiative, where he helps pack and send shoeboxes with Christmas gifts to children in need around the world. Looking ahead, Anderson plans to contribute to the City Rescue Mission, where he will assist in feeding and housing homeless individuals in the East Lansing area.

2025 Lou Gehrig Community Impact Team
Cole Fellows – Columbia University - Captain
Jacob Anderson – Michigan State University
Javier Cardoso – Point Park University
Bobby Dingel – DeSales University
Alex Fitz-Hugh – Hampden-Sydney College
Jake McKee – Florida Gulf Coast University
Kamau Neighbors – University of Louisville
Alex Levesque – William Peace University
Eli Paton – Grand Canyon University

EARLY HOME OPENER
• Wednesday's March 12 home opener date was the earliest home opener in program history ... The 2025 home opener dethroned the 2024 and 2018 Home Openers that shared the honor of a March 15 date ... Michigan was the seventh in-state opponent for the Spartans in their last 12 home openers, joining Western Michigan (2023, 2019 and 2014), Central Michigan (2017, 2016 and 2015) ... Wednesday's game-time temp was 50 degrees, which put it among the warmest home-openers in the last 12 years.

Last 12 Years Of Home-Openers
Year     Date    Result Game-Time Temp
2025    March 12$       Michigan 11, MSU 7   50
2024    March 15*       MSU 11, Evansville 3 54
2023    March 21         MSU 8, Western Michigan 3   50
2022    March 18         MSU 4, Houston Baptist 3      48
2021    March 26         Indiana 8, MSU 2        49
                        (B1G-only ledger due to COVID)
2020    No home-opener due to COVID         --
2019    March 20^ / March 27            MSU 3, Western Michigan 2   52
2018    March 15*       MSU 10, Niagara 1      34
2017    March 21         MSU 11, Central Michigan 2   52
2016    March 23         MSU 4, Central Michigan 1     38
2015    March 24         MSU 8, Central Michigan 3     40
2014    April 2 MSU 5, Western Michigan 3   52

$ = Earliest home-opening date in program history
* = Tied for previous earliest home-opening date in program history before the 2025 home opener on March 12
^ = Scheduled date but postponed

HOME OPENER SUCCESS
• Despite last Wednesday's loss, MSU has still won 11 of its last 13 home openers and the Spartans are 14-3 in their first game of the year played at Jeff Ishbia Field at McLane Stadium under head coach Jake Boss Jr. ... The 2021 season's home opening loss to Indiana snapped MSU's eight-game home opener winning streak, but the Spartans won the next three since, before Wednesday's loss ... The Green & White are averaging over five runs per game (5.5 rpg) in the last 12 home openers, including scoring double-digit runs in three of the last 12 home openers, including last year in an 11-3 Victory for MSU over Evansville.

2-0 IN GAME ONE
• Michigan State played a doubleheader on both Friday and Saturday of the opening weekend, Feb. 14 and 15, winning the opener both days by 2-0 scores, needing only three total hits to do so, scoring all four runs on non-hit plays.

In the season-opening Victory for MSU on Feb. 14, the Spartans scored two runs in the fifth inning on a two-run sac bunt by redshirt-junior infielder Jacob Anderson.

In the win over Monmouth the next day, Michigan State capitalized on two sacrifice flies a few batters apart in the sixth inning, for the triumph.

PAIR OF TWO-SAVERS
• MSU had two different closers both pick up two saves in the opening weekend.

Sophomore Logan Pikur picked up the first save of not just the season, but also his career. Graduate transfer Tyler Horvath had a successful Spartan debut weekend, picking up two saves.

In game one on Feb. 14, Pikur came on in the seventh after junior standout starter Joseph Dzierwa stymied the WMU bats to the tune of 11 Ks and one hit in 6.0 IP, then Pikur kept the Broncos at bay with one K, while inducing two groundouts in yielding one hit while facing four batters.

Pikur picked up his second save in as many days on Feb. 15, again sealing a 2-0 win, this time over Monmouth.

The night cap on Feb. 14 saw Horvath came out of the bullpen to open the ninth, making his Spartan debut. He worked around a leadoff double, before settling in and inducing a flyout, then fanning the next two Broncos to slam the door and secure the Victory for MSU and the doubleheader sweep in his Spartan debut

Horvath took over in the seventh inning of the nine-inning game two on Feb. 15, and went 3.0 IP in scattering three hits with one K and one run to pick up save number two of the weekend.

DZIERWA COLLECTS B1G PITCHER OF THE WEEK ACCOLADES - FEB 17
• Michigan State baseball's junior pitcher Joseph Dzierwa was named the Big Ten Pitcher of the Week for the opening week of the season, announced on Feb. 17by the conference office.

This is Dzierwa's first career Big Ten weekly accolade, but his fourth overall league recognition. He was a 2024 All-Big Ten Second Team selection, as well as a two-time B1G Preseason Player to Watch List member (2024 and 2025).

Dzierwa is the first Michigan State pitcher to earn B1G Pitcher of the Week honors since May 1, 2023 when former teammate Harrison Cook earned the accolade.

The Spartan southpaw burst out of the gates in Friday's 2025 season-opener in Cary, N.C., against Western Michigan, tying a career-high by firing 11 strikeouts in 6.0 IP, good for a 1.8 K/inning and a 16.5 K/9 average). Dzierwa opened the game with seven straight strikeouts in the first seven batters faced, and did not allow a run of any kind in holding Western Michigan to just one hit.

Dzierwa, a native of Haskins, Ohio, was named one of D1Baseball.com's Friday standouts and his photo was the lead for the Friday's standouts, as the 11 Ks was second-most by a D1 pitcher on Friday. His D1Baseball.com game score of 80 was the highest in the B1G and second in the NCAA for Friday's games, and also tops in the B1G and holding at second overall for both Friday and Saturday's games.

The 11 Ks was tied for the most in the B1G in the opening weekend. Dzierwa was one of five pitchers in the conference to post 10 or more strikeouts in the opening weekend, but he was the only pitcher in the B1G that didn't yield a run of any kind, and his 0.33 WHIP was the lowest of any B1G pitcher with 10+ strikeouts.

Dzierwa's 11 strikeouts Friday night tied his career-best punchout total in back-to-back outings, as his previous time with 11 Ks came in his final outing of 2024 against Nebraska on May 17, 2024.

MSU's junior starting pitcher rang up seven-straight Ks to open Friday's game one of the season, striking out the side in the first and second innings and the first batter of the third, on the way to a perfect game through 4.2 IP, retiring his first 14 batters faced.

After a pair of groundouts ended the third, a lineout and another grounder started the fourth, before another strikeout to end the inning. He started the fifth frame with two more Ks before yielding a single to WMU's Chris Akers, but then thwarted any threat the Broncos had with another strikeout, his 11th through 5.0 innings. Dzierwa worked around a two-out walk and a stolen base by inducing a groundout to end the sixth and his day, as the Spartans corralled the Broncos, 2-0, in the 2025 season lid-lifter. MSU won its season-opener for the sixth time in the last seven seasons, as well as improving to 14-3 in the 17 season-openers under head coach Jake Boss Jr.

MICHIGAN STATE BASEBALL WAS AMONG OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES IN NCBWA TOP-25 POLL
• For the first time since 2016, Michigan State baseball was ranked the national Top 25 Poll, as the Spartans were No. 23 in last week's National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCWBA) Top 25 Poll on Feb. 24, but slipped out of this week's rankings and are among others receiving votes.

Prior to last week's ranking, the last time that MSU was ranked was No. 23 in the Baseball America Top 25 Poll and No. 30 in the NCWBA Poll on May 2, 2016. The Spartans made their season debut in the rankings that season at No. 25 in the March 14 ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll.

SPARTAN TRIO TABBED TO B1G BASEBALL PRESEASON PLAYERS TO WATCH LIST
• Three Michigan State baseball players earned Big Ten Preseason Players to Watch honors, as the conference announced its preseason honors list and preseason poll on Feb. 12, ahead of the 2025 season-opening action around the league.

The conference coaches voted on the top six teams and also selected three student-athletes from their own squads to a Preseason Honors list.

Junior pitcher Joseph Dzierwa, junior infielder Randy Seymour and sophomore infielder Ryan McKay garnered preseason recognition for the Spartans.

Dzierwa, a Haskins, Ohio native, is a B1G Preseason Player to Watch for the second year in a row. The Spartan southpaw adds to his preseason honors list, which includes being tabbed Baseball America's Big Ten Conference Preseason Pitcher of the Year, as well as being named Perfect Game's Preseason Third-Team All-American and also tabbed to D1Baseball's Top 150 College Draft Prospect list at No. 121.

Dzierwa was second in the B1G in both innings pitched (84.0) and strikeouts (91) last season, along with third in the B1G overall in WHIP (1.19), third in B1G only in IP (48.2), sixth in B1G only in strikeouts (43), eighth overall in K/9 (9.7), ninth in the B1G overall in ERA (4.07) and tied for 14th in the B1G overall in BB/9 (2.9).

In his final outing of the 2024 season, Dzierwa rang up a career-high 11 strikeouts against Nebraska on May 17, topping his previous career-best of nine Ks done four previous times this season, most recently vs Michigan on May 3. Dzierwa was the only Spartan pitcher to chalk up double-digit strikeouts this season and the first since March 11, 2023 when Adam Berghorst rang up 11 Ks vs. Western Carolina at Fluor Field in Greenville, S.C.

Dzierwa's 11 Ks was the first double-digit strikeout outing by a Spartan pitcher at home since April 25, 2021 when Sam Benschoter chalked up 17 strikeouts in 9.1 IP of relief that was also against Nebraska.

With the 91 strikeouts on the season, Dzierwa had a big role in the Spartan pitching staff amassing 420 total strikeouts in 2024, finishing No. 3 on MSU's team strikeouts list and the most since 445 in 2019.

Dzierwa made his mark in MSU's record books, as the 91 strikeouts are No. 8 on MSU's single-season Top 10 strikeouts list, the most by a Spartan pitcher since 2016 when Dakota Mekkes rang up 96.

Entering his junior season in 2025, Dzierwa has 151 career strikeouts, needing just 19 more to crack MSU's career top 10 strikeouts list, as Mick VanVossen (2012-15) and Mickey Sinks (1959-61) are tied for No. 10 with 180 strikeouts.

Seymour, a native of Frankfort, Ill., was one of three Spartans to both start and play in all 51 games, starting all 51 games at shortstop. He posted a .257 average with 46 hits, seven doubles and three HR, with 19 RBI, adding 41 runs scored, 15 walks and nine steals. Along with leading the team in sac bunts (5), Seymour also ranked tied for second on the team in runs scored (41), second in hit by pitch (9), third in stolen bases (9), tied for fifth in doubles (7) and fifth in both hits (46) and at bats (179)

The Spartan infielder logged a season-long six-game hitting streak (Feb. 24-March 8), with a total of 10 hits in the six games, with three hits at Georgia (Feb. 28), along with book-ending streak with two in first game of spurt, vs. Marshall (Feb. 24) and last game, vs. Western Michigan (March 8), adding one hit each vs. Western Michigan (March 2), vs. Florida State (March 2) and vs. Illinois (March 3). Seymour posted 15 multiple hit games, with two hits in 13 contests while knocking a career-high three hits in two games, first in the Victory for MSU at Georgia (Feb. 28), going 3-for-4, and then at Minnesota (May 12), going 3-for-6 with two RBI and a run scored. He also scored a career-high four runs in game at Georgia, part of 11 multiple-run outings

In the field, Seymour led the Spartan defense with 146 assists and added 70 putouts, highlighted by career-high eight assists vs. Western Michigan (April 17) and career-high four putouts vs. Ball State (Feb. 17) at Charleston, S.C., and was part of 28 fielding double plays, which ranked tied for second on the team.

McKay, a Clarkston, Mich. native, played in 47 games last year, making 46 starts, all at second base. He was second in the B1G and 13th in the NCAA in toughest to strikeout (13.5), with just 14 strikeouts in 189 at bats. McKay hit .302 with a .381 slugging percentage and .348 on-base percentage, logging seven doubles, one triple and two home runs, adding 31 RBI, along with 12 walks and four stolen bases.

He was third on team in RBI, tied for fourth in RBI and fourth in stolen bases, also ranking fourth in total bases (72). McKay also had the longest hitting streak on team at 16 games (April 14 - May 14), part of at least one hit in 17 of final 19 games of season, also bursting onto the scene with a seven-game hitting streak (Feb. 17-March 3) in first seven games, finishing the season with at least one hit in 36 of 47 games played.

McKay belted the first home run of collegiate career on May 10 at Minnesota and added his second homer two days later (May 12), both going to right center at Minnesota's Siebert Field, and both bouncing over the scoreboard at the softball field beyond the wall.

One of McKay's other highlights from his first as a Spartan was knocking an RBI walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth against Rutgers to drive in teammate Nick Williams for the 3-2 Victory for MSU on March 31 and clinch the series for Michigan State.

In the field, McKay led the Spartan defense in being a part of team-high 29 double plays, including a pair of double plays in six games, while making 117 assists and 86 putouts.

UP NEXT
• MSU continues the nine-game homestand at Jeff Ishbia Field at McLane Stadium by hosting Western Michigan on Tuesday, April 15 at 6:02 p.m., before hosting Ohio State in another three-game B1G series, Friday-Sunday, April 18-20. The homestand wraps up on Tuesday, April 22 against Purdue Fort Wayne.

• The Spartans' schedule is subject to 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," "Listen Live" and "Live Stats" links where available.

Spartans Tangle With Wildcats In Three-Game Weekend Series

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Players Mentioned

Jacob Anderson

Caleb Berry

Noah Bright

Sam Busch

Harrison Cook

Jake Dresselhouse

Joseph Dzierwa

Tate Farquhar

Jack Frank

Tyler Horvath

Ryan McKay

Dominic Pianto

Parker Picot

Logan Pikur

Nick Powers

Randy Seymour

JT Sokolove

Christian Williams

Nick Williams

Greg Ziegler