Photo by: MSU Baseball Social Squad
MSU Baseball’s Dzierwa Drafted In Second Round By The Baltimore Orioles
7/13/2025 10:16:00 PM | Baseball
Spartan southpaw highest Spartan pitcher drafted since 1998 when Mark Mulder drafted as No. 2 pick.
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan State baseball player Joseph Dzierwa was drafted in the second round with the 58th overall pick by the Baltimore Orioles in the Major League Baseball Draft on Sunday night.
Dzierwa is the highest drafted Spartan pitcher since Mark Mulder was drafted as the No. 2 pick of the first round in the 1998 MLB Draft. Dzierwa is the second MSU player selected in the second round in the last three MLB Drafts, as shortstop Mitch Jebb was selected in the second round and the 41st overall pick in the 2023 Draft.
The Spartan southpaw is also MSU's first selection by the Baltimore Orioles since infielder Torsten Boss was picked by the Orioles in the 2012 MLB Draft.
Overall, Dzierwa is the eighth Spartan selected by the Orioles, including the first-ever MSU player selected in the draft, infielder Bob Bird in the 1906 Draft.
With Dzierwa's selection in the 2025 MLB Draft, Michigan State has now had 39 draft selections under head coach Jake Boss Jr. Jebb was the highest selection and Dzierwa is now the second-highest in the 17 seasons under Coach Boss.
A native of Haskins, Ohio, Dzierwa recently became just the third-ever MSU baseball student-athlete to earn both Athletic and Academic All-American Honors in the same season, joining Brock Vradenburg, who earned First-Team CSC Academic All-America® accolades and also named a Third-Team All-American by Collegiate Baseball, NCBWA, Baseball America and D1Baseball. The first Spartan to earn both academic and athletic All-America accolades was Dale Frietch in 1974.
Along with garnering CSC Academic All-America® accolades, Dzierwa was named a National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Second-Team All-America honoree, in addition to garnering Perfect Game Second-Team All-American accolades, and also receiving American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/Rawlings Third-Team All-America honors and named to D1Baseball's Third-Team All-America list.
Overall, Dzierwa is MSU baseball's 16th Academic All-America accolade and the 13th different Spartan baseball player to earn Academic All-American honors.
On the diamond, the Spartan southpaw was named a national semifinalist for three major awards, including USA Baseball's Golden Spikes Award and NCBWA's Dick Howser Trophy and College Baseball Foundation's National Pitcher of the Year Award, as presented by the College Baseball Foundation.
The Spartan southpaw was also named the Big Ten Pitcher of the Year and also garnered First Team All-B1G accolades. He was the only player that was a unanimous selection to the First Team.
Dzierwa became the second Spartan to be named B1G Pitcher of the Year, joining Kurt Wunderlich in 2011. He is the sixth Spartan player to earn a major player award from the B1G, joining Player of the Year Award winners Bob Malek in 2002 and Jeff Holm in 2011, along with B1G Freshman of the Year Ryan Sontag in 2005 and Ryan Jones in 2010. MSU Baseball has also won three Coach of the Year Awards with Tom Smith in both 1988 and 1992, and Jake Boss Jr. in 2011.
Dzierwa posted an 8-3 record with a 2.36 ERA, firing 104 strikeouts in 91.2 innings pitched in 15 starts. The 104 strikeouts was second in the B1G and 23rd in the NCAA. He threw one complete game shutout, as part of four combined shutouts, in holding the opposition to .201 against him this season.
The Spartan southpaw was also second in the B1G and 23rd in the NCAA in WHIP (0.98), along with fourth in the league and 44th in the nation in fewest hits allowed per nine innings (6.41).
Dzierwa continued to establish new program top marks, as he was the first Spartan player in program history to be a four-time Big Ten Pitcher of the Week, doing so in back-to-back weeks twice. No MSU player had picked up back-to-back B1G weekly honors of any kind before Dzierwa did it the first two weeks of the season, earning the award Feb. 17 and 24, an again on May 5 and 12.
By earning B1G Pitcher of the Week four times this season, Dzierwa was the first B1G pitcher to earn the award four times in a season since 2009 when Ohio State's Alex Wimmers was a four-time winner.
With the 104 strikeouts for the season, Dzierwa became the fifth Spartan pitcher in program history to reach the 100 K milestone, and the first since Nick Bates in 2002 with 100. Dzierwa passed Bates and finishes at No. 4 on MSU's single-season strikeout list.
It also gives him 255 for his career, holding at No. 3 on MSU's career strikeout list.
Dzierwa's selection marks the fourth Spartan drafted in the last three years. A trio of Spartans were drafted in 2023, marking the first time that MSU had three draft selections in the same draft since 2019, with Mitch Jebb (2nd round, Pittsburgh Pirates), Brock Vradenburg (3rd round, Miami Marlins) and Bryan Broecker (13th round, Tampa Bay Rays).
The three Spartans selected in the first 13 rounds in the most since 2016 when three MSU players were selected in the first 10 rounds. Jebb's second-round selection and Vradenburg's third-round selection marked the first time that two Spartans were selected in the first three rounds of the June Amateur MLB Draft since 1969 when Rick Miller and Harry Kendrick were both chosen in the second round.
A trio of Spartans were selected in the 2023 draft: Mitch Jebb (2nd round, Pittsburgh Pirates), Brock Vradenburg (3rd round, Miami Marlins) and Bryan Broecker (13th round, Tampa Bay Rays).
One Michigan State player was selected in the 2021 draft: Mason Erla (17th round, Los Angeles Angels). Three Spartans were selected in the 2019 draft: Mitchell Tyranski (12th round, Los Angeles Dodgers), pitcher Indigo Diaz (27th round, Atlanta Braves) and infielder Marty Bechina (32nd round, Oakland Athletics). One MSU player was selected in the 2018 draft: Riley McCauley (14th round, Chicago Cubs), after four Spartans were selected the 2017 draft: Alex Troop (ninth round, Washington), Brandon Hughes (16th round, Chicago Cubs), Nathan Witt (17th round, Los Angeles Dodgers) and Joe Mockbee (29th round, Chicago White Sox). Michigan State had four juniors selected in the 2016 draft: Cam Vieaux (sixth round, Pittsburgh), Jordan Zimmerman (seventh round, Los Angeles Angles), Dakota Mekkes (10th round, Chicago Cubs) and Matt Byars (24th round, Minnesota). The 2015 draft saw a school-record eight players taken: Cam Gibson (fifth round, Detroit), Ryan Krill (ninth round, New York Yankees), Anthony Misiewicz (18th round, Seattle), Cam Vieaux (19th round, Detroit), Jeff Kinley (28th round, Miami), Mick VanVossen (28th round, Washington), Blaise Salter (31st round, Detroit) and Mark Weist (37th round, San Francisco).
Dzierwa is the highest drafted Spartan pitcher since Mark Mulder was drafted as the No. 2 pick of the first round in the 1998 MLB Draft. Dzierwa is the second MSU player selected in the second round in the last three MLB Drafts, as shortstop Mitch Jebb was selected in the second round and the 41st overall pick in the 2023 Draft.
Done. Deal. Dzierwa. Drafted!!
— Michigan State Baseball (@MSUBaseball) July 14, 2025
Joseph Dzierwa was selected by the Baltimore @Orioles in the 2nd round, pick No. 58 of the @MLBDraft!!!#GoGreen | #DzierwaDay | @DzierwaJoseph pic.twitter.com/uAxn9ViSEm
The Spartan southpaw is also MSU's first selection by the Baltimore Orioles since infielder Torsten Boss was picked by the Orioles in the 2012 MLB Draft.
Overall, Dzierwa is the eighth Spartan selected by the Orioles, including the first-ever MSU player selected in the draft, infielder Bob Bird in the 1906 Draft.
With Dzierwa's selection in the 2025 MLB Draft, Michigan State has now had 39 draft selections under head coach Jake Boss Jr. Jebb was the highest selection and Dzierwa is now the second-highest in the 17 seasons under Coach Boss.
A native of Haskins, Ohio, Dzierwa recently became just the third-ever MSU baseball student-athlete to earn both Athletic and Academic All-American Honors in the same season, joining Brock Vradenburg, who earned First-Team CSC Academic All-America® accolades and also named a Third-Team All-American by Collegiate Baseball, NCBWA, Baseball America and D1Baseball. The first Spartan to earn both academic and athletic All-America accolades was Dale Frietch in 1974.
Along with garnering CSC Academic All-America® accolades, Dzierwa was named a National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Second-Team All-America honoree, in addition to garnering Perfect Game Second-Team All-American accolades, and also receiving American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/Rawlings Third-Team All-America honors and named to D1Baseball's Third-Team All-America list.
Overall, Dzierwa is MSU baseball's 16th Academic All-America accolade and the 13th different Spartan baseball player to earn Academic All-American honors.
On the diamond, the Spartan southpaw was named a national semifinalist for three major awards, including USA Baseball's Golden Spikes Award and NCBWA's Dick Howser Trophy and College Baseball Foundation's National Pitcher of the Year Award, as presented by the College Baseball Foundation.
The Spartan southpaw was also named the Big Ten Pitcher of the Year and also garnered First Team All-B1G accolades. He was the only player that was a unanimous selection to the First Team.
Dzierwa became the second Spartan to be named B1G Pitcher of the Year, joining Kurt Wunderlich in 2011. He is the sixth Spartan player to earn a major player award from the B1G, joining Player of the Year Award winners Bob Malek in 2002 and Jeff Holm in 2011, along with B1G Freshman of the Year Ryan Sontag in 2005 and Ryan Jones in 2010. MSU Baseball has also won three Coach of the Year Awards with Tom Smith in both 1988 and 1992, and Jake Boss Jr. in 2011.
Dzierwa posted an 8-3 record with a 2.36 ERA, firing 104 strikeouts in 91.2 innings pitched in 15 starts. The 104 strikeouts was second in the B1G and 23rd in the NCAA. He threw one complete game shutout, as part of four combined shutouts, in holding the opposition to .201 against him this season.
The Spartan southpaw was also second in the B1G and 23rd in the NCAA in WHIP (0.98), along with fourth in the league and 44th in the nation in fewest hits allowed per nine innings (6.41).
With the 58th pick of the 2025 @MLBDraft, the Baltimore @Orioles select Joseph Dzierwa, a left-handed pitcher from Michigan State!!"#GoGreen | #DzierwaDay | @DzierwaJoseph pic.twitter.com/PMoPEZU287
— Michigan State Baseball (@MSUBaseball) July 14, 2025
Dzierwa continued to establish new program top marks, as he was the first Spartan player in program history to be a four-time Big Ten Pitcher of the Week, doing so in back-to-back weeks twice. No MSU player had picked up back-to-back B1G weekly honors of any kind before Dzierwa did it the first two weeks of the season, earning the award Feb. 17 and 24, an again on May 5 and 12.
By earning B1G Pitcher of the Week four times this season, Dzierwa was the first B1G pitcher to earn the award four times in a season since 2009 when Ohio State's Alex Wimmers was a four-time winner.
With the 104 strikeouts for the season, Dzierwa became the fifth Spartan pitcher in program history to reach the 100 K milestone, and the first since Nick Bates in 2002 with 100. Dzierwa passed Bates and finishes at No. 4 on MSU's single-season strikeout list.
It also gives him 255 for his career, holding at No. 3 on MSU's career strikeout list.
Dzierwa's selection marks the fourth Spartan drafted in the last three years. A trio of Spartans were drafted in 2023, marking the first time that MSU had three draft selections in the same draft since 2019, with Mitch Jebb (2nd round, Pittsburgh Pirates), Brock Vradenburg (3rd round, Miami Marlins) and Bryan Broecker (13th round, Tampa Bay Rays).
The three Spartans selected in the first 13 rounds in the most since 2016 when three MSU players were selected in the first 10 rounds. Jebb's second-round selection and Vradenburg's third-round selection marked the first time that two Spartans were selected in the first three rounds of the June Amateur MLB Draft since 1969 when Rick Miller and Harry Kendrick were both chosen in the second round.
A trio of Spartans were selected in the 2023 draft: Mitch Jebb (2nd round, Pittsburgh Pirates), Brock Vradenburg (3rd round, Miami Marlins) and Bryan Broecker (13th round, Tampa Bay Rays).
One Michigan State player was selected in the 2021 draft: Mason Erla (17th round, Los Angeles Angels). Three Spartans were selected in the 2019 draft: Mitchell Tyranski (12th round, Los Angeles Dodgers), pitcher Indigo Diaz (27th round, Atlanta Braves) and infielder Marty Bechina (32nd round, Oakland Athletics). One MSU player was selected in the 2018 draft: Riley McCauley (14th round, Chicago Cubs), after four Spartans were selected the 2017 draft: Alex Troop (ninth round, Washington), Brandon Hughes (16th round, Chicago Cubs), Nathan Witt (17th round, Los Angeles Dodgers) and Joe Mockbee (29th round, Chicago White Sox). Michigan State had four juniors selected in the 2016 draft: Cam Vieaux (sixth round, Pittsburgh), Jordan Zimmerman (seventh round, Los Angeles Angles), Dakota Mekkes (10th round, Chicago Cubs) and Matt Byars (24th round, Minnesota). The 2015 draft saw a school-record eight players taken: Cam Gibson (fifth round, Detroit), Ryan Krill (ninth round, New York Yankees), Anthony Misiewicz (18th round, Seattle), Cam Vieaux (19th round, Detroit), Jeff Kinley (28th round, Miami), Mick VanVossen (28th round, Washington), Blaise Salter (31st round, Detroit) and Mark Weist (37th round, San Francisco).
Players Mentioned
LHP
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