Spartans Head To L.A. To Square Off With No. 25 Trojans In First-Ever Series With USC

• Michigan State baseball makes the cross-country trek to Los Angeles this weekend for a three-game Big Ten Conference series at No. 25 USC, Friday-Sunday, May 9-11, as the Spartans and Trojans are meeting for the first time ever on the baseball diamond. MSU and USC open action at Great Park in Irvine, Calif., on Friday at 9:32 p.m. ET / 6:32 p.m. PT in game one and the first-ever Spartans vs. Trojans. Saturday's second game is slated for a 5:02 p.m. ET / 2:02 p.m. PT first pitch. The Spartans and Trojans wrap up their series on Sunday at 4:02 p.m. ET / 1:02 p.m. PT. MSU and USC are playing at Great Park, while construction continues on the Trojans' home, on-campus home field, Dedeaux Field.

• 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 "Watch Live," "Live Stats" and "Listen Live" links, where available, at MSUSpartans.com.

• Michigan State totes a 25-22 overall and 10-14 B1G record on its trek to Los Angeles. MSU is coming off its final midweek action, finishing up against a pair of in-state foes, beating Eastern Michigan on Tuesday night at Jeff Ishbia Field at McLane Stadium for MSU's 2,500th all-time win in program history, becoming the 35th NCAA Division I baseball team to reach 2,500 all-time wins, as well as the seventh Big Ten team.

• 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, winning its first recorded game on May 19, 1884, 20-9 over Olivet, 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 now has an all-time record of 2,500-2,218-30 (.530) in 4,748 games played after Wednesday's loss at Western Michigan, falling 6-5 in 12-innings.

• In B1G action, MSU is coming off a home weekend series against No. 6 Oregon. The Spartans downed the Ducks, 2-0, last Friday night in the series opener, behind Spartan southpaw hurler Joseph Dzierwa's 11-strikeout, complete-game shutout. Oregon stormed back to win Saturday's game, 13-5, rapping out 18 hits, setting up Sunday's rubber match. Oregon topped MSU, 3-1, in a hard-fought game Sunday to capture the series.

• USC is 32-16 overall and 16-8 in B1G action. The Trojans' record is balanced, posting a 16-9 home record and a 16-7 away record.

• The Trojans have won their last eight-straight series, the program's longest streak since 1978, after taking two of three from No. 14 UCLA at Great Park in Irvine, Calif. Overall, USC has won 11 of its 12 weekend series overall this season. The Trojans are No. 25 in the D1Baseball Top 25, their first time in the rankings since 2023. USC dropped the opener with UCLA, 7-6, before bouncing back with a 7-5 win in game two to force the rubber match, then captured the series with an 11-5 win on Sunday. In its last action, USC lost on the road at UC Santa Barbara, 3-2, on Tuesday night.

• MSU is entering its final two weekends of the regular-season, opening making the cross-country trek to Los Angeles, to play a B1G weekend series at No. 25 USC, Friday-Sunday, May 9-11. MSU wraps up regular-season action against Minnesota in a three-game B1G series, Thursday-Saturday, May 15-17, in which will be MSU Senior Weekend Celebrations, presented by HAP.

• For the first time since the preseason polls, Michigan State was not ranked among others receiving votes in the April 7 National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Poll and MSU is again not in this week's (April 28) poll, marking the fourth week in row MSU hasn't been included in receiving votes in the rankings. The Spartans had a run of seven weeks in a row having either been ranked or including in among others receiving votes.

• Oregon and UCLA are the only two B1G teams ranked in all the polls, while USC is in the d1Baseball.com poll. Iowa, Michigan, Purdue along with USC are among the others receiving votes in the NCBWA Poll, in addition to USC and Iowa as the other league teams among others receiving votes in the USA Today Coaches Poll.

• 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 ... *Note: this weekend's games at USC will not be broadcast.

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 the last five weeks' polls (April 7, 14, 21 & 28; May 5).

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.

Once again, UCLA and Oregon are the only two B1G teams ranked in all the polls, while USC is in the d1baseball.com poll. Iowa, Michigan, Purdue along with USC are among the others receiving votes in the NCBWA Poll, in addition to USC and Iowa as the other league teams among others receiving votes in the USA Today Coaches Poll.

Oregon moved up one spot to No. 5 in the D1Baseball Poll, while holding at No. 6 in the Perfect Game Top 25 Polls, while ranking No. 7 in the USA Today Coaches Poll, No. 10 in both the Baseball America Poll and the NCBWA Poll.

UCLA is No. 17 in both the NCBWA and the USA Today Coaches Polls, while ranking No. 18 in the
D1Baseball Poll, while No. 17 in the NCBWA Poll and No. 19 in the Perfect Game Poll, in addition to No. 24 in the Baseball America Poll.

USC is No. 25 in the D1Baseball Poll, the Trojans first ranking in the poll since 2023, while among others receiving votes in the NCBWA and USA Today Coaches Polls.

BATTLE OF B1G HONOREES
• This weekend's series between the Spartans and Trojans features two of the four Big Ten Baseball Weekly Awards, as Spartan southpaw Joseph Dzierwa was the Pitcher of the Week, while Trojan outfielder Andrew Lamb was Co-Player of the Week.

Dzierwa threw a complete-game shutout against No. 6 Oregon, chalking up 11 strikeouts, while only yeilding three hits and no walks, spearheading the Spartans' biggest upset win since 2014 when MSU beat No. 1 Oregon. This was Dzierwa's third B1G Pitcher of the Week award this season.

Lamb batted .444 with three home runs and seven RBI in helping the Trojans go 3-1 for the week. Six of his eight hits on the week went for extra bases, and he finished a single shy of the cycle in a USC's 8-0 win over Cal State Northridge on Tuesday. Lamb then stretched his hitting streak to seven-straight games in helping USC take two of three from No. 14 UCLA.

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 former 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 465 wins in 868 games, Boss is also No. 3 on the Spartan head coach list for wins and No. 2 in games coached, also behind Kobs with 576 wins in 969 games, and Litwhiler with 489 wins, while recently passing Litwhiler in games coaches, as Litwhiler coached 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 currently has an all-time record of 2,500-2,218-30 (.530) in 4,748 games played.

35TH WITH 2,500
Michigan State became the 35th Division I team to reach 2,500 all-time wins with the 3-1 Victory for MSU over in-state foe Eastern Michigan on Tuesday, May 6. MSU became the seventh B1G team to reach 2,500 wins, joining Michigan, USC, Illinois, Minnesota, Ohio State and UCLA.

MILESTONE VICTORIES
Here's a closer look of MSU's milestone wins:
1st Win                        May 19, 1884
100th Win       May 26, 1905
500th Win       April 25, 1945
1,000th Win    May 13, 1972
1,500th Win    April 27, 1991
2,000th Win    April 6, 2010
2,300th Win    Feb. 17, 2017
2,500th Win    May 6, 2025

MITTEN STATERS
• Michigan State has 23 players on its 2025 roster from the state of Michigan ... USC has one Michigander on its roster, in sophomore outfielder Brayden Dowd, who is from Clarkston, Michigan, the same hometown as Spartan sophomore infielder Ryan McKay, but McKay went to Orchard Lake St. Mary's HS, while Dowd went to Brother Rice HS.

FROM THE HOME OF IN-N-OUT
• The Spartans do not have any California natives on their roster ... USC has 33 players from its home state of California on its roster.

CALIFORNIA TRAVELIN'
• This weekend marks Michigan State's first visit to the state of California since 2018 when the Spartans traveled to the Golden State in back-to-back weekends to open the season, playing a four-game series at Fresno State, losing all four on Feb. 16-18, 2018, and a three-game series at Pepperdine, winning two of three, on Feb. 23-25, 2018.

SERIES HISTORY NOTES VS. WEEKEND OPPONENT
• Michigan State is playing USC for the first time in program history.

MSU vs. USC
Overall: 0-0
In East Lansing: 0-0
In Los Angeles: 0-0
Neutral: 0-0
Streak: First Meeting
First meeting: Friday, May 9, 2025 in Los Angeles
Last meeting: None

Series Notes: The Spartans and Trojans have no previous meetings before this weekend ... MSU has played the other 15 Big Ten baseball teams before, and USC is only B1G team that MSU hasn't ever played before, completing the B1G circuit.

DZIERWA TABBED NCBWA DICK HOWSER TROPHY NATIONAL PITCHER OF THE WEEK AND BIG TEN PITCHER OF THE WEEK
• Michigan State junior pitcher Joseph Dzierwa was honored for his complete-game shutout of No. 6 Oregon on May 2, earning NCBWA Dick Howser Trophy National Pitcher Of The Week as well as being tabbed Big Ten Conference Pitcher of the Week.

Dzierwa's NCBWA Dick Howser Trophy National Pitcher of the Week Award is MSU's first national player of the week award since Bryan Broecker earned Collegiate Baseball's National Player of the Week on April 17, 2023.

Dzierwa, a native of Haskins, Ohio, spearheaded MSU's biggest upset since beating No. 1 Oregon State in 2014 with last Friday night's takedown of the Ducks.

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.

It was only the second time this season that Oregon has been shutout, falling 8-0 to Rutgers on March 22 at home. By holding the Ducks to three hits Friday night, it was their second-fewest hits since that same loss, that was done by four Rutgers pitchers, while Dzierwa single-handedly blanked the Ducks.

DZIERWA'S WEEKLY AWARD COLLECTION
The Spartan southpaw made the weekly awards list sound like Ben Stein standing in front of class taking attendance during a particular movie scene: "Dzierwa... Dzierwa... Dzierwa... Dzierwa?"

MSU junior pitcher Joseph Dzierwa collected a bevy of honors for his performance vs. Oregon:

• NCBWA Dick Howser Trophy National Pitcher Of The Week (5/6/25)
• Big Ten Pitcher Of The Week (5/5/25)
• One of D1Baseball.com's Friday standouts (5/2/25)
• D1Baseball's Big Ten Loud! Performance of the Day (5/2/25)
• Baseball America NCAA Ace Report (5/4/25)
• 64Analytics Top 10 DI Pitchers of the Week (4/28-5/4)
• Just Baseball and On The Clock Pitcher of the Week (5/5/25)

GATHERIN' 'EM UP DZIERWA
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.

DZIERWA FOR THREEEEEEEEE
• This is Dzierwa's third B1G Pitcher of the Week Award this season, collecting the first two honors of the season in back-to-back weeks (Feb. 17 and 24), to become the first MSU player with back-to-back B1G weekly awards of any kind in program history. He is also the first Spartan player to earn any kind of B1G weekly honor three times in a season.

DZIERWA DZOINING SPARTAN THREE+ B1G PITCHER OF WEEK COLLECTORS
• Dzierwa is the fifth MSU pitcher to collect at least three Big Ten Pitcher of the Week honors in their career. He joins Bryan Gale with five from 2001-04, Kurt Wunderlich with three in 2010 and 11, along with Tony Bucciferro with three in 2011 and 2012, and Andrew Waszak with three in 2012 and 2013.

Overall, this is Dzierwa's fourth career B1G weekly honor, as he was tabbed B1G Freshman of the Week on April 10, 2023.

DZIERWA K-BITS
• Junior pitcher Joseph Dzierwa has 86 strikeouts, which ranks second in the B1G and 23rd in the NCAA.

• With 86 strikeouts, Dzierwa is second in the B1G in strikeouts for the third week this season, and is now eight Ks behind league leader, Iowa's Cade Obermueller, who has 94 Ks.

• With an 2.20 ERA, Dzierwa is second in the B1G and 13th in the NCAA. Dzierwa's counterpart on May 2 in the pitchers' duel was Oregon starter Grayson Grinsell, who is third in the B1G in both ERA and strikeouts, with a 2.77 ERA and 77 strikeouts. Oregon's Ian Umlandt has a 1.97 ERA with 11 earned runs in 50.1 IP, compared to Dzierwa's 18 earned runs in 73.2 IP, over 23 more IP.

• The Spartan southpaw Dzierwa also leads the B1G and is 27th in WHIP (0.99), as well as fourth in the B1G and 88th in the NCAA in strikeouts per nine innings (10.51).

• Dzierwa is also sixth in the league and 47th in the nation in fewest hits allowed per nine innings (6.60).

• After chalking up double-digit strikeouts in his first three outings, Dzierwa rung up single-digit Ks in his next eight outings, 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. He got back on track with eight against Northwestern on April 12, before five vs. Ohio State on April 19 and three at Michigan on April 26.

• Dzierwa rang up 10+ strikeouts in the first three outings this season and in a stretch of 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, until getting back on track with 11 strikeouts vs. No. 6 Oregon on May 2.

• Dzierwa now has:
-- 26 career outing with five or more Ks (10 of his 11 outings in 2025, 10 in 2024, including in first six-straight games, six in 2023).

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

-- Four total outings this season with 10 or more strikeouts, including three-straight games to open 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) ... He added his fourth of the season with 11 Ks vs. No. 6 Oregon on May 2.

DZIERWA NAMED TO COLLEGE BASEBALL FOUNDATION TOP 55 PITCHERS OF THE YEAR WATCH LIST
• Michigan State baseball junior pitcher Joseph Dzierwa was named to the College Baseball Foundation's Pitcher of the Year Watch List, released on April 18.

Dzierwa is one of four Big Ten pitchers on the 55-player list, joined by Cole Giley of Indiana, Cade Obermueller of Iowa and Ian Umlandt of Oregon.

With a 2.30 ERA at the time, Dzierwa was also one of 38 pitchers on the list sport an ERA below 2.50, including Jack Ohman (Yale) who had a microscopic 0.23 ERA.

The Pitcher of the Year Award will be presented later this year by the College Baseball Foundation.

For more information on the Pitcher of the Year Award, visit the College Baseball Foundation website at www.collegebaseballhall.org.

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.

At the time of the announcement, the Spartan southpaw led 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 as first in the B1G and 14th in the NCAA at the time in both WHIP (0.87) and hits allowed per nine innings (5.06).

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 has already nearly caught last season's total, as he enters this weekend with 86 strikeouts, needing just three more to crack the Top 10.

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. Dzierwa now has 237 career strikeouts for his, taking over sole possession of the No. 4 spot on MSU's career strikeout list, passing Ron Perranoski's 223 Ks from 1956-58. Earlier this season, Dzeirwa passed Cam Vieaux (2014-16) with 205 strikeouts. Dzierwa needs six Ks to reach the Top 3, as Mason Erla (2017-21) is currently No. 3 with 243 Ks.

• 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.

19 FOR 16
• The win over Northwestern on April 12 was Dzierwa's 18th career win, cracking into the MSU Career Wins Top 10 list, and his win over No. 6 Oregon on May 2 was Victory for MSU number 19, tying former teammate Nick Powers (2021-24) for No. 9 on MSU's 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.         Joseph Dzierwa           237      2023-pres.
5.         Ron Perranoski            223      ..1956-58
6.         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.         Joseph Dzierwa           19        2023-pres.
            Nick Powers    19        2021-24
10.       Andrew Waszak          18        2010-13
            Tim Day           18        2002-05

D&D DUO FOR THE SHUTOUT AGAIN
• The Dzierwa and Dom duo of junior starting pitcher Joseph Dzierwa and Dominic Pianto posted their second-straight combined shutout together, as Dzierwa went 7.0 IP and Pianto pitched 1.0 IP in MSU's 10-8, 8-inning run-rule Victory for MSU over Northwestern on Saturday. Dzierwa and Pianto were part of MSU's previous shutout, coming on March 21 at Penn State, winning 4-0, with graduate reliever Tyler Horvath picking up the final out for the combined shutout.

STAFF STRIKEOUTS
• The 2025 Spartan pitching staff enters the weekend with 360 strikeouts on the season, needing just 18 more to crack the MSU season team list:

STRIKEOUTS
            1.         2016    466
            2.         2019    445
            3.         2024    420
                        2017    420
            4.         2015    409
            5.         2018    407
            6.         2023    403
            7.         2002    390
            8.         2012    389
            9.         1998    380
            10.       2004    378
            --          2025    360

BUSCH CLIMBING UP CAREER HR LIST
• Now with 12 home runs this season, senior infielder Sam Busch has 26 career home runs, becoming part of a five-way tie for the No. 7 spot on MSU's Career Home Runs list that includes former teammate Jack Frank (2020-24), in addition to Sean Walker (2004-07), James Moreno (2001-04) and Scott Ayotte (1992-95):

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.         Sam Busch       26        2021-pres.
            Jack Frank        26        2020-24
            Sean Walker    26        2004-07
            James Moreno 26        2001-04
            Scott Ayotte    26        1992-95
12.       Bob Goodheart            24        1982-85
            Dan Masteller 24        1987-89
            Eric Sumpter   24        1991-94

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. He added his ninth of the year on April 11 vs. Northwestern, before belting homers in back-to-back games against the Buckeyes of Ohio State on April 18 and 19, now with 11 on the season.

Busch now has 12 round-trippers on the year after his solo homer last weekend at Michigan. The dozen dingers makes Busch the second Spartan to blast double-digit homers in the last three seasons, joining former teammate Brock Vradenburg with 13 HR in 2023.

GW RBI BY BUSCH
• Senior infielder Sam Busch has knocked in the "game-winning" RBI as in the RBI that gives the Spartans the lead they never relinquish in four-straight wins from March 30-April 15, as part of a team-leading nine times this season.

Busch knocked in the GW RBI in two of the three wins over Harvard, along with doing so in both wins of the Northwestern series, after doing so in the win over Illinois on March 30, as well as the win over Western Michigan on April 15, which was his second GW RBI against WMU, with one in game two of both the season and the DH vs. WMU on Opening Day. {See pg. 5 of notes for full details of GW RBI}

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.

HORVATH ON NCBWA STOPPER OF THE YEAR MIDSEASON WATCH LIST
• Michigan State baseball graduate relief pitcher Tyler Horvath has been named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Stopper of the Year Midseason Watch List, announced on April 23.

Horvath is one of three pitchers from the Big Ten Conference on the 56-player list, joined by Ethan Hedges of USC and Luke Broderick of Nebraska.

The NCBWA will announce the finalists on Wednesday, June 4, with the winner being named on Friday, June 13 at the 2025 College World Series.

A native of Twinsburg, Ohio, Horvath is in his first year on the Spartans' pitching staff, coming to MSU as a grad transfer from Case Western Reserve University. Horvath is currently tied for fifth in the B1G with six saves, along with fourth in the B1G in strikeout/walk ratio (4.14), with 29 strikeouts against only seven walks. Horvath has a team-leading 16 appearances with 27.1 IP, logging three wins.

The six saves are the most by a Spartan reliever since Wyatt Rush had 10 in 2023. With the six saves, Horvath needs one more to tie for No. 10 on MSU's single-season saves list, joining six other Spartan pitchers, most recently Indigo Diaz in 2019.

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 tops MSU and ranks 31st in the B1G with a .436 on-base percentage.

WALK LIKE A MCKAY-IAN
• Sophomore infielder Ryan McKay also ranks tied for 14th in the B1G in walks (35) ... McKay is also ninth in the league in walks/game (0.81).

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 the 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 the 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.

11 INNINGS IS IN
• MSU has played four extra-inning games this season and the first three all went 11 innings, winning 12-8 at Iowa in 11 frames on March 14, while losing to Northwestern 11-10, at home on April 11, but then bouncing back to beat Ohio State, 10-9 in 11 innings, on April 19.

The Spartans played their fourth extra inning game on May 7, in their final midweek contest of the season, going 12 innings in a 6-5 loss at Western Michigan.

LIGHTING UP SCOREBOARD FOR DOUBLE-DIGITS
• The Spartans posted back-to-back games with 10 or more runs in the first two games of the Northwestern series, falling 11-10 in 11 innings in Friday's opener, before bouncing back to blank the Wildcats, 10-8 in 8 innings on Saturday. It was MSU's second time this season with 10+ runs in consecutive games, first doing so on March 1-2, with 11 and 13 runs vs. Harvard, respectively.

MSU scored double-digits in all four games in week of April 14, doing so in the midweek match-up with Western Michigan on April 15, and then in all three games against Ohio State (April 18-20), and now have hung 10+ runs on the scoreboard a total of 12 times and the Spartans are 11-1 when scoring in double-digits.

FAB FIRST FRAME AND SCORING FIRST
• Michigan State has scored 296 runs on the season, with 47 (16.8 percent) coming in the first inning, through the 47 games played, averaging 1.0 runs in the first inning per game, and the 47 runs in the first frame are two more than the next-highest scoring inning of the sixth with 45 runs.

MSU has scored in the first inning in 18 of the 47 games, including three different stretches of four-games in a row, most recently with the Western Michigan game on April 15 and all three games of the Ohio State series (April 18-20).

The Spartans are 12-6 when scoring in the first inning, as well as 22-8 when scoring first.

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).

SENSATIONAL SIXTH STANZAS
• The sixth stanza was MSU's lucky inning in both of its wins in the Northwestern series, as nine of the Spartans' combined 13 runs in those two games came in the sixth inning.

In the 10-0 8-inning run-rule Victory for MSU on April 12, the Spartans were held hitless and scoreless through the first 5.0 innings, before breaking through with five hits and scoring seven runs in the frame, to open a 7-0 lead.

The next day, MSU was down 1-0 going into the bottom of the sixth, and had just two hits to that point. The Spartans again knocked five hits and scored all three of their runs in the home half of the sixth, winning 3-1.

SHUTOUT SPARTANS
Michigan State's pitching staff has combined for five 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.

The Green & White chalked up their fifth clean sheet on April 12 with a 10-0 8-inning run-rule win.

MSU's five shutouts this season through 34 games are now the most by a Spartan pitching staff since 2016 when they also tallied five shutouts.

DOUBLE-DIGIT Ks
MSU's season-high 15 Ks vs. Washington State on Feb. 21 is one of 11 outings ringing up double-digit strikeout totals ... MSU has posting back-to-back 10+ K outings twice this season, doing so first in games one of two of the season, in both games of the season-opening DH on Opening Day on Feb. 14, and again in two of the three games of the Northwestern series, with 14 on April 11 and 10 the next day on April 12 ... Overall, MSU has posted 10+ punchouts in 11 games, including three vs. Western Michigan, as wefl as four against Big Ten opponents:

15 - vs. Washington State (Feb. 21)
14 - vs. Northwestern (April 11)
13 - at Iowa (March 14)
12 - vs. Western Michigan (Feb. 14-G1)
12 - vs. Western Michigan (Feb. 14-G2)
12 - vs. Harvard (Feb. 28)
12 - vs. Ohio State (April 19)
12 - at Western Michigan (May 7)
11 - vs. Western Carolina (March 5)
10 - vs. UAB (March 7-G2)
10 - at Penn State (March 21)
10 - vs. Northwestern (April 12)

HOME RUNNIN'
MSU enters the weekend with 46 home runs this season, needing one more to crack into the Top 10 of the single-season HR team list, now matching last season's 46 homers:

HOME RUNS
            1.         2002    95
            2.         2004    75
            3.         1994    59
                        1984    59
            5.         1985    57
            6.         1988    54
            7.         2023    52
            8.         1990    49
            9.         1987    47
                        2017    47
            11.       2025    46
                        2024    46
            13.       2015    45
                        1993    45

DON'T CALL IT A COMEBACK, WE'VE BEEN HERE BEFORE
MSU made LL Cool J proud on April 19 when MSU rallied from down against Ohio State, 6-2 in the fourth and came back to win, 10-9 ... It was the Spartans' first comeback win from more than three runs since April 14, 2023 vs. Western Illinois when Michigan State was down 8-3 in the sixth and also came back to win by an identical, 10-9 score.

LIGHTING UP THE SCOREBOARD WITH DOUBLE-DIGIT RUNS
• MSU plated 10 or more runs in four-straight games from April 15-20, the Spartans' longest stretch of scoring double-digit in a row since 2017 when they also had four in a row from March 21-26, including sweeping a series at Illinois with 12, 12 and 17 runs, coming after plating 11 in the previous game vs. Central Michigan, and as a span of doing so in five times out of six games, with 13 runs on March 18 ... the 2002 Spartans had two different stretches of scoring 10+ runs in four games in a row.

SOKOLOVE-IN' A WALK-OFF HR
• Senior outfielder JT Sokolove hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 11th inning on Saturday, April 19 for the 10-9 Victory for MSU over Ohio State ... it was MSU's first walk-off home run of any kind since March 10, 2023 when Dillon Kark had an inside-the-park home run at Fluor Field in Greenville, S.C. against Western Carolina in the bottom of the ninth ... ironically, Kark also had MSU's previous walk-off HR over the fence since March 18, 2022 when he belted a walk-off homer vs. Houston Baptist in a home game.

14-4 RUN-RULE LUCKY RESULTS
• Michigan State has now won three games by a 14-4 run-rule score with the win over Ohio State on Sunday, April 20 the most recent win by that score and all three have come at home at Jeff Ishbia Field at McLane Stadium ... MSU beat Illinois, 14-4 in an 8-inning run-rule on March 29 and beat Western Michigan also by the 14-4 score and also in an 8-inning run-rule Victory for MSU on April 15.

RUN-RULIN'
• MSU has now had 10 games end early due to the 10-run run-rule, as the Spartans have run-ruled their opposition seven times, while losing three games early via the run-rule, as MSU is 7-3 in run-rule games.

BASE-SWIPING SPARTANS
Michigan State is eighth in the Big Ten in stolen bases with 58 swipes. MSU's 1.23 stolen bases per game is also eighth in the B1G.

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 10th in the B1G with 13 swipes, while sophomore infielder Ryan McKay is tied for 19th in the conference with 11 stolen bases and senior outfielder/infielder Nick Williams is tied for 36th in the league with eight bags stolen.

EARNING THE ICE BAGS
Michigan State is keeping Athletic Trainer Justin Waas busy with the ice bags, as the Spartans are 12th in the B1G in hit by pitch, getting plunked 66 times so far this season, an average of 1.4 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.

Sokolove and junior infielder Randy Seymour were both hit twice in the Northwestern series (April 11-13), part of MSU drawing eight HBP, as Northwestern entered the weekend leading the B1G.

Individually, Sokolove is fourth in the B1G and is tied for 63rd in the NCAA with 17 HBP. Sokolove is also seventh in the league and 88th in the nation in HBP/game (0.37). Senior outfielder Nick Williams has earned nine HBP, while Dresselhouse has eight and graduate catcher Caleb Berry has been hit six times.

Sokolove has been HBP nearly the same amount as he has drawn a base on balls, as he has 16 HBP compared to drawing 17 walks.

SACRIFICING SEYMOUR
• Junior infielder Randy Seymour leads the B1G and ranks 23rd in the NCAA in total sacrifice bunts with nine, and Seymour also leads the league and ranked 39th in the nation in sacrifice bunts/game (0.19). He had two sac bunts in the weekend series at Penn State as well as a pair of sac bunts in the Oregon series.

As a team, MSU leads the B1G in sacrifice bunts with 28 (0.6 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 their names, sophomore infielder Ryan McKay and senior outfielder Nick Williams don't register a K in the score book very often.

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.

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

McKay now has just 26 Ks in 177 at bats (6.8) through 47 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 17 Ks in 135 at bats, just outside the top 10 in the B1G in toughest to strikeout (7.9).

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

TRIPLE THE PICOT-DE-GALLO
• Sophomore outfielder Parker Picot is tied for the Big Ten lead and tied for 13th in the NCAA in triples with five. Picot is also tied for first in the league and tied for 19th in the nation in triples per game (0.11).

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.

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.

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

Of Berry's five homers at the time, 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.

MSU is scheduled to play on Wednesday, May 7th, playing at Western Michigan.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 17 by 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.

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.

UP NEXT
• Michigan State wraps up regular-season action against Minnesota in a three-game B1G series, Thursday-Saturday, May 15-17, in which will be MSU Senior Weekend Celebrations, presented by HAP. Thursday and Saturday's games are both 6:02 p.m. start times, with Saturday's regular-season finale slated for 1:02 p.m.

• 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.

• 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.

Spartans Head To L.A. To Square Off With No. 25 Trojans In First-Ever Series With USC

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Jacob Anderson

Caleb Berry

Noah Bright

Sam Busch

Harrison Cook

Jake Dresselhouse

Joseph Dzierwa

Tate Farquhar

Jack Frank

Tyler Horvath

Dillon Kark

Ryan McKay

Dominic Pianto

Parker Picot

Nick Powers

Randy Seymour

JT Sokolove

Christian Williams

Nick Williams

Greg Ziegler