Michigan State qualifies for B1G Tournament with 11-10 walk-off Victory for MSU, coupled with UCLA’s win over Northwestern.
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Randy Seymour's walk-off single with the bases loaded helped Michigan State to an 11-10 walk-off Victory for MSU Saturday afternoon at a jubilant Jeff Ishbia Field at McLane Stadium, propelling the Spartans to the Big Ten Tournament.
The Spartans will be the No. 12 seed in next week's Big Ten Conference Baseball Tournament, Presented by IFS.ai, which will be held May 20-25, 2025, at Charles Schwab Field Omaha in Omaha, Neb., site of the NCAA Men's College World Series. MSU secured the No. 12 seed with the win coupled with Northwestern's loss at UCLA Saturday evening.
With MSU trailing, 10-9, redshirt-junior infielder Jacob Anderson came to bat with the bases loaded and no outs in the bottom of the ninth and laced a single to center tie it in the bottom of the ninth, driving in junior Noah Bright who led off the frame with a single. After a Minnesota pitching change, sophomore outfielder Parker Picot drew a walk and senior outfielder JT Sokolove got hit by a pitch, preceding Anderson's RBI single. Following a strikeout for the first out of the inning, Seymour smacked a 1-1 pitch for a single to right center to plate Picot and ignite the Victory for MSU celebration.
VICTORY FOR MSU!!!!!
High fives & handshakes alllllll around!!
Seymour walks it off on the final day of MSU Senior Celebration Weekend, presented by Health Alliance Plan (HAP)
— Michigan State Baseball (@MSUBaseball) May 18, 2025
The Spartans improved to 28-25 and 13-17 in B1G play, making it to the B1G Tournament for the second time in last three years after making it as the No. 8 seed in 2023 when it was an eight-team tournament. Overall this is Michigan State's 16th all-time appearance and ninth under head coach Jake Boss Jr.
MSU season continues and the Spartans will play No. 8 seed Nebraska on Tuesday, May 20 at 7 p.m ET / 6 p.m. CT in the opening round of pool play, before taking on No. 1 seed and B1G regular-season co-champion Oregon on Thursday, May 22, also at 7 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. CT.
2025 Big Ten Baseball Tournament Bracket
Omaha will be hosting the tournament for the eighth time since 2014.
The 12-team tournament will determine the conference's automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament. Oregon and UCLA clinched a share of the Big Ten Championship on the last day of the season Saturday with Oregon earning the No. 1 seed based on a tiebreaker.
This year's tournament will incorporate pool play with four groups consisting of three teams each. The four pool winners will meet in the single-elimination semifinals on May 24, followed by the championship game on May 25.
Minnesota finishes its season with a 24-28 overall record and 10-20 in B1G action.
The Spartan win avoided a sweep after Minnesota won the series with a 4-3 win Thursday and an 11-5 triumph on Friday, before the walk-off Victory for MSU on Saturday.
"They're all fun to win. I'll take it either way," Boss said after the game. "I'm just really proud of our guys. That could have gone sideways a couple different times, and it kind of did there for a minute, but we got some good at-bats. I'm just proud of our guys, and just proud of them for hanging in there. It was a really good win, and after playing poorly the last two days, I'm proud of our guys for showing some resolve and winning when we needed to. And now we're off to Omaha."
Saturday's Omaha-clinching win capped MSU's Senior Celebration Weekend, presented by Health Alliance Plan (HAP). Michigan State honored some members of their 2025 Spartan Senior Class, in a pre-game ceremony before each game this weekend, and Saturday was the third and final recognition.
The third group of Spartan seniors honored included catcher/designated hitter Christian Williams, infielder Sam Busch, along with pitchers Dominic Pianto and Ryan Szczepaniak, in addition to student managers Jack Novick, Beau Belkowski and Griffin Novak.
After the Victory for MSU celebration, all 11 Spartan senior players fulfilled the MSU tradition of kissing the Spartan head in center field and posed for group photos.
The 2025 baseball Spartan seniors kissed the Spartan head after their final home game at Jeff Ishbia Field at McLane Stadium.
"Just a great group of guys," Boss said. "It's 11 guys, and I think seven of them have only been here for one year, which is a little bit different. But every one of them came in and acclimated themselves to East Lansing and to our program really quickly. The guys that have been here for four years, five years, we're just really appreciative of all their hard work. We tell each group when they get here: Your job is to leave it better than you found it. And I think these guys have done that. I think our program is in a really good place. Obviously, we want to win some more games, and you don't want it to come down to the last day. But if you get into our program and get to know our guys, the program's in a good place, for sure."
One of those 11 senior players is Busch, who is a local talent growing up in East Lansing, and has been coming to Spartan baseball games since he was a little kid.
"He lived out a dream here, and I can relate to that," said Boss, who has lived in the Lansing area nearly his entire life. "I've known Sam since he was probably 10 years old. He and my son played Little League baseball together. He's a great kid, he's been through a lot. He's got an awesome family. Couldn't be happier for the year that he had, with his 15th home run last night. Just to watch his progress, coming in here, he had a tough freshman year with injuries and sickness, and he just kept getting better and better. He deserves all the successes that he's had."
Busch's final home game was memorable for him and came with a joyous ending.
"Just a lot of joy, honestly," Busch said about his feelings afterwards. "That was a great game. We wouldn't want it to happen any other way, especially for me, being it's my last game here, and coming out victorious, you can't ask for more than that."
Busch made sure his final game at Jeff Ishbia Field at McLane Stadium was one that will stick with him for awhile.
"Yeah, it's something I'm never going to forget, that's for sure," Busch said with a smile. "Just being out here every day with the guys, it's been amazing, and like you said, it's something I'm never going to forget. Like I said earlier, just pure joy. I'm just so happy for these guys. This group, and this senior group to go out the way we did. You can't beat it."
While it was Senior Weekend, Saturday's walk-off win was boosted by juniors, including Anderson and Seymour, who know the importance of the game.
"I mean, knowing what's at stake there, and potentially the season, I just knew I had to come through for the fellas," Seymour said. "I mean, we've all been in a lot of spots like that, and they don't always turn out that way. I mean, all glory to God at the end of the day."
At the end of Saturday, despite it being his second walk-off hit of the season, also doing so on March 7 with a walk-off single for a 3-2 Victory for MSU over Cornell at Fluor Field, Seymour still wasn't even for sure what all transpired with all the emotions.
"Honestly, my head was spinning. I didn't even know what had happened. I hit it and was like,'Wait, did this actually just happen?!' It was just incredible. I saw Stone's (first base coach Andrew Stone) reaction at first base, and he was yelling at me to touch the base. So, I go and touch it, and then I have all the fellas running around me. It's a special feeling."
Seymour knew that his walk-off hit was only part of the equation for the Spartans to make it to Omaha, that MSU still needed a favorable result from the UCLA-Northwestern game, which the Spartan team had to follow during their Senior Banquet.
"I mean, we're going to be watching that game like the Super Bowl, that's for sure. Grab your popcorn. Everybody is going to be watching the TV there," Seymour said.
When the UCLA win over Northwestern was confirmed and announced at the banquet, a loud eruption echoed throughout the room.
— Michigan State Baseball (@MSUBaseball) May 17, 2025
MSU's celebration came after a hard-fought battle in Saturday's game.
After Minnesota jumped out to an early big lead in games one and two, it was the Spartans that not only got on the board first but in a big way on Saturday, plating four runs in the first frame. MSU's big lead was quickly cut to 4-3 in the top of the second the Gophers countered with a rally of their own, only to see the Spartans match with three runs in the home half of the second.
Just like the teams matching runs in the second, the third was also mirrored run-scoring with both teams plating a pair to make the score 9-5. Minnesota pulled within, 9-7, with two runs in the top of the fifth.
The Gophers tied it up at 9-all in the top of the sixth with a two-run home run, then took a 10-9 lead in the top of the ninth on a solo homer.
That set up the Spartans bottom of the ninth heroics.
Bright's single was his third of the day, finishing 3-for-5 with two RBI and a run scored. Graduate designated hitter Caleb Berry and junior outfielder Nick Williams both had two hits, with N.Williams going 2-for-3 with two ribbies and a run scored, while Berry was 2-for-4 with a run scored.
Seymour finished with the one, big hit, going 1-for-4 with a run scored and three RBI, driving in a run in the second on a groundout and another in the third on a squeeze sac bunt, before his walk-off ribbie.
Busch, who was in the on deck circle for Seymour's walk-off and due up next, was 1-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI on single in the second.
Picot, Sokolove, sophomore infielder Ryan McKay and freshman infielder Dayton Murphy all added a hit apiece and all scored a run.
On the mound, junior starter Nolan Higgins scatter six runs on five hits over 4.2 IP, with three walks and five strikeouts. Sophomore Garrett Brewer went the final 4.1 IP, spraying four runs on five hits and chalking up a career-high seven strikeouts, and earning the win.
The Big Ten Network will broadcast every game of the tournament. Games will also be available on the FOX Sports App. Single-game and all-session packages are on sale at www.bigten.org/baseballtickets.
MSU's 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.
