Friday, May 2
East Lansing, Mich.
6:02 PM
Michigan State University
24-19, 10-12
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No. 6 Oregon
31-13, 14-8
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9
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Oregon
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Michigan State
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Photo by: MSU Baseball Social Squad
Dzierwa’s Complete-Game Shutout Gem Helps Spartans Down No. 6 Ducks, 2-0
5/2/2025 10:16:00 PM | Baseball
Spartan southpaw strikes out 11 en route to Spartans’ biggest upset win since 2014 and MSU’s first complete-game shutout since 2016.
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Joseph Dzierwa's complete-game shutout spearheaded Michigan State baseball to take down No. 6 Oregon, 2-0, Friday night at Jeff Ishbia Field at McLane Stadium. The Spartan southpaw spearheaded MSU to its biggest upset since beating No. 1 Oregon State in 2014
The junior hurler Dzierwa chalked up 11 strikeouts and stymied the Oregon bats to just three hits over the 9.0 innings pitched, and didn't allow a walk. Dzierwa's complete game is the first this season by a Spartan pitcher and first since former teammate Nick Powers' CG vs. Marshall, Feb. 24, 2024.
While the complete game outing is only a year old, the official complete game shutout performance by a Spartan pitcher is a little further back, as Cam Vieaux was the last MSU hurler with a complete game shutout on April 15, 2016 at Purdue. Mason Erla had a full 9.0 IP outing of shutout baseball on April 7, 2019, in the first-ever night game at McLane Stadium, but the game went 10 innings, and Erla was replaced in the 10th, after allowing just two hits and striking out six.
Dzierwa's 11 strikeouts Friday night was his fourth double-digit strikeout outing of the season, but first since Feb. 28, as he opened the season with three-straight 10+ K outings.
The 11 Ks give Dzierwa 86 for the season, moving within three Ks of MSU's top 10 single-season list, and five shy from his season total of 91 punchouts last season.
With the win, Dzierwa is now 7-2 on the season, and Friday was his 19th career win, moving up to tie for No. 9 on MSU's career wins list, tying former teammate Nick Powers (2021-24) with 19 wins.
Dzierwa now has 236 Ks for his career, solidifying his hold on the No. 4 spot on the Spartans' career strikeout list, and just seven away from the No. 3 spot, held by Mason Erla (2017-21) with 243 Ks.
It was only the second time this season that Oregon has been shutout, falling 8-0 to Rutgers on March 22 at home, and by holding the Ducks to three hits Friday night, it was their second-fewest hits since that same loss.
MSU improved to 24-19 overall and 10-12 in Big Ten action with the win. Oregon is now a palindromic 31-13 overall and 14-8 in B1G play with the loss. The Spartans are now 5-0 all-time against the Ducks, including 2-0 in East Lansing.
Friday night was a true pitchers' duel, as Dzierwa was matched by Oregon starter Grayson Grinsell, who only yielded two hits to MSU, while striking out nine Spartans and walking two, in 8.0 IP.
The Spartans' first hit came on a single by senior infielder Will Shannon in the second, and he later scored on a fielding error off the bat of junior infielder Randy Seymour. MSU's other hit was a solo home run by sophomore outfielder Parker Picot in the fifth.
"I don't think it's any secret, our guy on the mound was really good tonight," MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr. said about the difference in the game Friday night. "That was a really well-pitched game, and a really well-played game. It was two really good arms going at it, their guy was outstanding. I think Joe is one of the best left-handed arms in the country, and I think he proved it tonight, so I'm really happy for him. He was probably not as pleased as he normally is after the last couple of outings, but man, he was really sharp tonight. He didn't have many 3-ball counts all night long, it was just lights out all night long."
Dzierwa was dealing all night Friday, facing one batter over the minimum through six innings, with just two hits, but erasing one with a double play in the second. At one point from the top from the third to the seventh, Dzierwa retired 13 Ducks in a row. He only allowed one Duck player to reach second base, yielding a one-out double in the third to Ryan Cooney, before setting down the next 13 Duck batters.
"Me and Coach Vandy (MSU pitching coach Mark Van Ameyde), we had an hour and half meeting," Dzierwa said. "We were kind of self-reflecting a little bit, seeing what we could do differently, approach a little differently. Like you said, the last three outings weren't as good as I want to be. We just really went through everything. I give credit to that dude."
Dzierwa allowed a leadoff single in the second, but a double play wiped it out and a strikeout set down the inning in a non-conventional 1-2-3 frame. Another single in the seventh and an error in the eighth, both with two outs, were quickly stymied with a flyout and a strikeout looking, respectively.
In fact, Dzierwa's last five outs came via the strikeout, as he rang up a K for out number two in the eighth, then the inning-ending KL. He then struck out the side in the ninth, sparking the Victory for MSU celebration, which included being mobbed by his jubilant teammates.
"I think on the last one I just really tried to focus on the process," Dzierwa said. "I think you couldn't get ahead of yourself, and I kind of took myself back a little bit and just realized I had to execute this pitch and that's all it was."
Dzierwa and Grinsell entered Friday's match-up among the top three in the B1G and among the national leaders in both strikeouts and ERA, and both southpaws lived up to the billing, with approximately 20 scouts in attendance for the pitchers' duel.
"He's a good pitcher, give him credit," Dzierwa said about Grinsell "I try to make everything just me vs. me because I think that's what baseball is. If you execute, you get your pitch and everything, I think it's you vs you. I think if you can control the things you can control, you'll be better off."
The Spartans were better off by getting on the board first with a run in the home half of the second inning, as Shannon sparked the rally with a one-out single to right center. Two batters later, Seymour lofted a ball into right center that Oregon's center fielder misplayed, allowing Shannon to storm around the bases and score, just before Seymour was thrown out at third.
MSU's second inning was indicative of the Spartans' offensive approach throughout the whole game against Grinsell.
"I think there's no question, and I think not only the left hander Grinsell on the mound, but that entire lineup. The ranking is really good and Oregon is obviously a very talented ball club. I thought Joe, especially was locked in, but everybody from one to nine was locked in. We knew we had our work cut out for us with their left hander on the mound. We got a break on the dropped fly ball there, and fortunately for us, Will Shannon was running hard and was able to score before we were out at third base. But then we ran into one, Parker Picot's got a lot of talent, and we capitalized on a mistake and that's what he's capable of doing. So that's what it takes against a really good ballclub, you've got to get a couple of breaks, and fortunately, we got them."
Picot doubled MSU's lead with a solo home run into the trees beyond the left field wall. It was the sophomore outfielder's seventh round-tripper of the season, and gave MSU a comfortable 2-0 lead, and Dzierwa secured the Victory for MSU.
Oregon and Michigan State continue their B1G weekend series on Saturday at 3:32 p.m. before wrapping up on Sunday at 11:30 a.m.
It is Michigan State University Commencement Weekend, so fans are reminded to please allot plenty of time for parking as MSU's campus will be busy all weekend.
The Spartans' 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," "Listen Live" and "Live Stats" links where available.
Michigan State baseball tickets are available online at msuspartans.evenue.net, by contacting the Spartan Ticket Office at 517-355-1610 or by email at tickets@msu.edu for questions or more information.
The junior hurler Dzierwa chalked up 11 strikeouts and stymied the Oregon bats to just three hits over the 9.0 innings pitched, and didn't allow a walk. Dzierwa's complete game is the first this season by a Spartan pitcher and first since former teammate Nick Powers' CG vs. Marshall, Feb. 24, 2024.
While the complete game outing is only a year old, the official complete game shutout performance by a Spartan pitcher is a little further back, as Cam Vieaux was the last MSU hurler with a complete game shutout on April 15, 2016 at Purdue. Mason Erla had a full 9.0 IP outing of shutout baseball on April 7, 2019, in the first-ever night game at McLane Stadium, but the game went 10 innings, and Erla was replaced in the 10th, after allowing just two hits and striking out six.
Dzierwa's 11 strikeouts Friday night was his fourth double-digit strikeout outing of the season, but first since Feb. 28, as he opened the season with three-straight 10+ K outings.
The 11 Ks give Dzierwa 86 for the season, moving within three Ks of MSU's top 10 single-season list, and five shy from his season total of 91 punchouts last season.
With the win, Dzierwa is now 7-2 on the season, and Friday was his 19th career win, moving up to tie for No. 9 on MSU's career wins list, tying former teammate Nick Powers (2021-24) with 19 wins.
Dzierwa now has 236 Ks for his career, solidifying his hold on the No. 4 spot on the Spartans' career strikeout list, and just seven away from the No. 3 spot, held by Mason Erla (2017-21) with 243 Ks.
It was only the second time this season that Oregon has been shutout, falling 8-0 to Rutgers on March 22 at home, and by holding the Ducks to three hits Friday night, it was their second-fewest hits since that same loss.
MSU improved to 24-19 overall and 10-12 in Big Ten action with the win. Oregon is now a palindromic 31-13 overall and 14-8 in B1G play with the loss. The Spartans are now 5-0 all-time against the Ducks, including 2-0 in East Lansing.
Friday night was a true pitchers' duel, as Dzierwa was matched by Oregon starter Grayson Grinsell, who only yielded two hits to MSU, while striking out nine Spartans and walking two, in 8.0 IP.
The Spartans' first hit came on a single by senior infielder Will Shannon in the second, and he later scored on a fielding error off the bat of junior infielder Randy Seymour. MSU's other hit was a solo home run by sophomore outfielder Parker Picot in the fifth.
"I don't think it's any secret, our guy on the mound was really good tonight," MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr. said about the difference in the game Friday night. "That was a really well-pitched game, and a really well-played game. It was two really good arms going at it, their guy was outstanding. I think Joe is one of the best left-handed arms in the country, and I think he proved it tonight, so I'm really happy for him. He was probably not as pleased as he normally is after the last couple of outings, but man, he was really sharp tonight. He didn't have many 3-ball counts all night long, it was just lights out all night long."
Dzierwa was dealing all night Friday, facing one batter over the minimum through six innings, with just two hits, but erasing one with a double play in the second. At one point from the top from the third to the seventh, Dzierwa retired 13 Ducks in a row. He only allowed one Duck player to reach second base, yielding a one-out double in the third to Ryan Cooney, before setting down the next 13 Duck batters.
"Me and Coach Vandy (MSU pitching coach Mark Van Ameyde), we had an hour and half meeting," Dzierwa said. "We were kind of self-reflecting a little bit, seeing what we could do differently, approach a little differently. Like you said, the last three outings weren't as good as I want to be. We just really went through everything. I give credit to that dude."
Dzierwa allowed a leadoff single in the second, but a double play wiped it out and a strikeout set down the inning in a non-conventional 1-2-3 frame. Another single in the seventh and an error in the eighth, both with two outs, were quickly stymied with a flyout and a strikeout looking, respectively.
In fact, Dzierwa's last five outs came via the strikeout, as he rang up a K for out number two in the eighth, then the inning-ending KL. He then struck out the side in the ninth, sparking the Victory for MSU celebration, which included being mobbed by his jubilant teammates.
"I think on the last one I just really tried to focus on the process," Dzierwa said. "I think you couldn't get ahead of yourself, and I kind of took myself back a little bit and just realized I had to execute this pitch and that's all it was."
Dzierwa and Grinsell entered Friday's match-up among the top three in the B1G and among the national leaders in both strikeouts and ERA, and both southpaws lived up to the billing, with approximately 20 scouts in attendance for the pitchers' duel.
"He's a good pitcher, give him credit," Dzierwa said about Grinsell "I try to make everything just me vs. me because I think that's what baseball is. If you execute, you get your pitch and everything, I think it's you vs you. I think if you can control the things you can control, you'll be better off."
The Spartans were better off by getting on the board first with a run in the home half of the second inning, as Shannon sparked the rally with a one-out single to right center. Two batters later, Seymour lofted a ball into right center that Oregon's center fielder misplayed, allowing Shannon to storm around the bases and score, just before Seymour was thrown out at third.
MSU's second inning was indicative of the Spartans' offensive approach throughout the whole game against Grinsell.
"I think there's no question, and I think not only the left hander Grinsell on the mound, but that entire lineup. The ranking is really good and Oregon is obviously a very talented ball club. I thought Joe, especially was locked in, but everybody from one to nine was locked in. We knew we had our work cut out for us with their left hander on the mound. We got a break on the dropped fly ball there, and fortunately for us, Will Shannon was running hard and was able to score before we were out at third base. But then we ran into one, Parker Picot's got a lot of talent, and we capitalized on a mistake and that's what he's capable of doing. So that's what it takes against a really good ballclub, you've got to get a couple of breaks, and fortunately, we got them."
Picot doubled MSU's lead with a solo home run into the trees beyond the left field wall. It was the sophomore outfielder's seventh round-tripper of the season, and gave MSU a comfortable 2-0 lead, and Dzierwa secured the Victory for MSU.
Oregon and Michigan State continue their B1G weekend series on Saturday at 3:32 p.m. before wrapping up on Sunday at 11:30 a.m.
It is Michigan State University Commencement Weekend, so fans are reminded to please allot plenty of time for parking as MSU's campus will be busy all weekend.
The Spartans' 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," "Listen Live" and "Live Stats" links where available.
Michigan State baseball tickets are available online at msuspartans.evenue.net, by contacting the Spartan Ticket Office at 517-355-1610 or by email at tickets@msu.edu for questions or more information.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Dzierwa, Joseph (7-2)
L: Grinsell, Grayson (7-2)
Batting:
2B: Cooney, Ryan 1
Batting:
HR: Picot, Parker 1
RBI: Picot, Parker 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Shannon, Will 1 ; Picot, Parker 1
SB: Sokolove, JT 1
PO: Sokolove, JT 1 ; Busch, Sam 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
1
AB
3
R
0
H
0
RBI
0
AB
2
R
0
H
0
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
LHP
/ BaseballOF
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ BaseballOF/INF
/ BaseballPursuit to Greatness | Spartans All-Access
Monday, May 19
Jake Boss | Baseball Press Conference | April 17, 2025
Thursday, April 17
Jake Boss | Baseball Press Conference | Mar. 25 2025
Tuesday, March 25
Jake Boss | Baseball Press Conference | Mar. 11 2025
Tuesday, March 11