Michigan State University Athletics
Friday, February 20
UFCU Disch-Falk Field | Austin, Texas
7:30 PM ET / 6:30 PM CT
Michigan State University
at
No. 3 Texas
Photo by: Erin Grady/MSU Athletic Communications
Spartans Head To Texas To Tangle With No. 3 Longhorns In Weekend Series
2/19/2026 7:18:00 PM | Baseball
Michigan State and Texas meeting on the diamond for first time ever.
• Michigan State baseball continues its tough stretch to start the 2026 season by heading to Austin, Texas to tangle with the No. 3 Texas Longhorns in a three-game weekend series, Friday-Sunday, Feb. 20-22 at UT's UFCU Disch-Falk Field ... The first-ever meeting between the Spartans and the Longhorns gets underway on Friday, in a 7:30 p.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. ET first pitch ... Game two of the series is slated for Saturday at 3 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. CT, before the series finale on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. CT ... The Spartans' schedule is subject to change, stay tuned to MSUSpartans.com and @MSUBaseball on X/Twitter for schedule updates.
• All three of this weekend's games will be streamed on SEC Network+, available through "Watch Live" link at MSUSpartans.com, or through the ESPN app ... David Saltzman will handle play-by-play duties with Mike Hardge providing analysis for both Friday and Saturday's games, while Sunday's series finale will be a simulcast with the Texas radio broadcast.
• The Spartans and Longhorns have never met on the diamond ... Texas is ranked No. 3 in this week's D1Baseball Top 25 Poll, while ranked No. 2 in the NCBWA Poll, No. 3 in the USA Today Coaches Poll, No. 7 in the Baseball America Poll and No. 8 in the Perfect Game Poll ... the Longhorns are MSU's second-straight Top 10 opponent, after the Spartans took 2-of-3 at No. 8 Louisville last weekend, winning the season and series-opener, 4-3, on Friday, then blasting the Cardinals, 13-4, on Saturday to win the series, but were denied the series sweep, as UofL bounced back to win the finale on Sunday, 9-1.
• The No. 3 Longhorns are the Spartans' highest-ranked opponent since playing No. 1 Oregon State on Feb. 22, 2014 in Surprise, Arizona, with the Spartans upsetting the Beavers, 8-7.
• All three games will also be airing on the Longhorns' radio network, with "Listen Live" links available on MSUSpartans.com.
• Fans can also follow the action through "Live Stats" links on MSUSpartans.com.
MICHIGAN STATE ATHLETICS ANNOUNCES JAKE BOSS JR. CONTRACT EXTENSION
• Michigan State athletics announced a contract extension for head baseball coach Jake Boss Jr. on Thursday, Feb. 12 on the eve of Opening Day ... With the extension, Boss' contract now runs through 2029.
• Boss is in his 18th year at Michigan State and 19th overall as a collegiate head coach ... Boss enters the 2026 season at No. 3 on MSU's longest coaching list behind John H. Kobs (1935-63), the namesake for Kobs Field, location of McLane Stadium, with 39 seasons, and legendary head coach Denny Litwhiler (1964-82) with 19 seasons ... Now 470 wins entering the second weekend of the 2026 season, Boss is also No. 3 on the Spartan head coach list for wins and games coached, also behind Kobs with 576 wins in 969 games, and Litwhiler with 489 wins in 859 games.
SEASON 142 OF SPARTAN BASEBALL LIKE TEXAS IN 1880
• Michigan State is in its 142nd season of baseball in 2026 and won its 2,500th all-time Victory for MSU vs. Eastern Michigan on May 6, 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 enters the second weekend of the 2026 season with an all-time record of 2,505-2,224-30 (.529) in 4,759 games played.
SONGS ABOUT TEXAS
• Michigan State is getting in touch with its inner Pat F. Green, a Texas musician, known for his Red Dirt Country-style of music (and is one of MSU Athletic Communications Asst. Director Zach Fisher's favorite musicians), as the Spartans are making their first trip to the state of Texas since playing a three-game series at Abilene Christian, Feb. 27-28, 2022 in Abilene, Texas.
NIGHTMARE IN SEASON-OPENERS
• With the 4-3 Victory for MSU over No. 8 Louisville in Friday's season-opener, the Spartans have been victorious in their season-opener in seven of the last eight seasons ... overall, MSU is now 15-3 in the 18 season-openers under Coach Boss, only losing in 2013 vs. Furman, 2018 at Fresno State and 2022 at UNLV.
ADIOS (OPENING) DAYS
• Michigan State opened the season with a 4-3 upset at No. 8 Louisville on Friday ... The Victory for MSU was the Spartans' second Top-10 win in as many seasons, after upsetting No. 6 Oregon, 2-0, last year in East Lansing on May 2, 2025 ... It was MSU's highest-ranked upset win away from home since beating No. 1 Oregon State, 8-7, on Feb. 22, 2014 in Surprise, Ariz.
• Friday's win was also MSU's first win at Louisville since 1993, as Friday was also the first meeting between MSU and UofL since 2012.
THREE DAYS AND A RANKED SERIES WIN
• MSU took two out of three games to win the series with the 8th-ranked Cardinals, for the Spartans' highest-ranked series win in Coach Boss' 18 seasons at the helm.
• Michigan State dealt Louisville consecutive losses to start the year for just the third time in the 20 years under head coach Dan McDonnell.
IF JOHN WAYNE AND JESUS WERE LOUISVILLE SLUGGERS
• MSU slugged five home runs in the opening weekend in Louisville, with all five coming in the first two games, starting off with two homers in Friday's opener, from senior infielder Randy Seymour and redshirt-sophomore catcher Adam Broski each knocking solo shots ... In Saturday's slamming of the Cardinals, the Spartans blasted three round-trippers, including two from junior outfielder Parker Picot, with a grand slam and a three-run shot, while Seymour smacked his second in as many games.
• The Spartans had 23 hits on the weekend, including nine extra-base hits, with the five home runs and four doubles, on the way to hitting .237 and scoring 18 runs (6.0 rpg).
• Last season, the Spartans were hitting .163 after the first weekend, with 14 runs on 16 hits in four games played at the USA Baseball Complex at Cary, N.C.
CARRY ON
• MSU's pitching staff opened the season with 23 strikeouts on the weekend (7.7 Ks/game), while only yielding 12 walks.
WAVE ON WAVE OF ROUND-TRIPPERS
• MSU only needed two games to hit five home runs in the opening weekend ... last season, the Spartans didn't have any home runs for the first six games, and MSU's fifth HR didn't come until game number eight, on Feb. 28 vs. Harvard, when the Spartan bats erupted for six homers.
• With five home runs through the first three games, the Spartans are currently averaging 1.7 HR/game ... last season, MSU had 51 home runs in 55 games for a 0.9 HR/game average.
GUY LIKE ME
• MSU junior outfielder Parker Picot posted eight RBI in Saturday's win ... He knocked in a sacrifice fly in the first inning, then blasted a grand slam in the fourth and added a three-run homer in the sixth for eight RBI on the day, becoming the first Spartan with eight RBI in a game since Bob Malek had eight ribbies on April 19, 2000 vs. Detroit Mercy.
• Picot's collection of eight RBI on Saturday was identical to Malek's 26 years ago, just in a different order with a three-run HR in the first inning, then a sac fly in the fifth before a grand slam in the sixth in the Spartans' 19-6 win over Detroit Mercy.
ME AND BILLY THE KID
• Picot was the first Spartan to hit a grand slam since teammate Randy Seymour smacked a grand slam on March 2, 2025 vs. Harvard at Greenville, S.C., coming in the third inning of MSU's 13-3 crushing of the Crimson.
SOMEWHERE BETWEEN TEXAS AND MEXICO
• Picot's two HR's in Saturday's game marked the first time for a Spartan to hit two HR in the same game since former teammate Sam Busch hit two at No. 25 USC last year on May 10, 2025 in the Spartans' 15-5 (8 inn.) win over the Trojans.
• It marked the second year in a row that Picot's first two HR of the season came in the same game, as he hit his first two homers as a Spartan last season on Feb. 28 vs. Harvard, but not until game seven of the season.
TAKE ME OUT TO A DANCEHALL...AND THE BALLGAME
• Senior infielder Randy Seymour joined Picot in smacking two homers in the opening weekend, with a solo shot in each of Friday and Saturday's games.
• Last season, Seymour hit four HR, with his first homer of the season coming in game 10 on March 2 vs. Harvard, and his second round-tripper of the season didn't come until game 17 on March 14 at Iowa.
FEELS JUST LIKE IT SHOULD AT THE TOP OF THE LINE...UP
• In Saturday's 13-4 win at No. 8 Louisville, eight of the nine Spartan batters had at least one hit on the day, with a total of six Spartans posting multiple hits ... Batters 1-4 in the MSU lineup combined to go 8-for-16 with 12 RBI and scoring 10 runs.
• Leadoff hitter senior outfielder Nick Williams was 2-for-4 with three runs scored and adding one walk, while No. 2 hitter junior infielder Ryan McKay was 2-for-4 with three runs scored and one RBI ... No. 3 hitter senior infielder Randy Seymour was 2-for-5 with three RBI and two runs scored, hitting his second HR in as many days, ahead of junior outfielder Parker Picot, who went 2-for-3 with two HR and eight RBI total, knocking a sac fly and also drawing a walk.
IT'S A GREAT DAY TO BE ALIVE
• On the mound in Saturday's rout of No. 8 Louisville, four Spartan pitchers all made smashing debuts, as graduate starting pitcher Carter Monke, who is in his first year at MSU after transferring from Illinois State, went 4.0 IP, scattering five hits and yielding two runs, while ringing up three strikeouts.
• Redshirt-freshman reliever Brady Chambers earned his first collegiate win in his college debut after missing last season with an injury ... The righty went 2.0 IP with one run and one punchout.
• Two other transfers also made their Spartan debuts, in junior reliever Ben Kochany and graduate reliever JD Greeley finished it out from there ... Kochany went 1.2 IP with four hits and a run, while Greeley went 1.1 IP with two hits, no runs and one K.
SPARTANS HAVE NO. 3 TEXAS ON THEIR MIND
• The Longhorns are ranked No. 3 in this week's D1Baseball Top 25 Poll, while ranked No. 2 in the NCBWA Poll, No. 3 in the USA Today Coaches Poll, No. 7 in the Baseball America Poll and No. 8 in the Perfect Game Poll
• Texas improved to 4-0 on the young season after routing Lamar, 14-4 (7 inn.), on Tuesday night, scoring 12 unanswered runs from the fifth inning on ... Texas rallied from a 4-2 deficit entering the bottom of the fifth with six runs in the frame, adding a run in the sixth, before tacking on five in the seventh to enforce the run-rule for their second time in the first four games.
• In the opening weekend, Texas swept visiting UC Davis, winning the opener, 12-2 in 7-innings, on Friday, then taking the series with a 6-4 win on Saturday, before completing the sweep with a 9-1 rout on Sunday.
• Freshman outfielder Anthony Pack Jr. leads the Longhorns with a .538 average, with seven hits, including two doubles, adding two stolen bases ... junior outfielder Aidan Robbins, junior infielder Ethan Mendoza and junior outfielder Ashton Larson are all hitting .375, with Mendoza belting a pair of HR, while Robbins has one, and both Robbins and Larson have a pair of doubles piece ... Mendoza tops the team with seven RBI, while Ribbins adds five.
• On the mound, senior righty is slated for Friday's probable starter, posting a 1-0 record and a 1.80 ERA, after going 5.0 IP with nine Ks and allowing just one run on three hits in the opener ... Saturday's probable starter is graduate lefty Luke Harrison, with a 1-0 mark and a 3.38 ERA, going 5.1 IP against UC Davis, with six Ks, five hits and two runs allowed ... sophomore southpaw Dylan Volant is Sunday's probable starter, also with a 1-0 record, but a 0.00 ERA after going 7.0 IP with eight Ks and only one hit and no runs in his season debut ... junior righty reliever Hudson Hamilton has the Longhorns' lone save, with 0.1 IP and one K.
• Head coach Jim Schlossnagle is in his second season leading the Longhorns, logging a 48-14 ledger at UT ... overall, Schlossnagle is in his 25th season as a collegiate head coach, amassing an overall record of 994-469, in a head coaching career that includes stops at UNLV (2002-03), TCU (2004-21), Texas A&M (2022-24) and Texas (2025-present) ... Schlossnagle's 993 wins are the sixth-most Division I victories among active skippers.
SOUTHBOUND 35 TO COMPLETE SEC BINGO CARD
MSU will complete its Southeastern Conference opponent collection this weekend, as the Spartans have faced all the other 15 teams currently in the SEC before, and Texas is the 16th different SEC opponent to complete the collection ... Friday is the Spartans' first game against an SEC foe since Feb. 28, 2024 in a Georgia, 19-6 in a 7-inning run-rule Victory for MSU over UGA ... MSU is 2-2 in its last four games against SEC teams, as prior to the 2024 win at Georgia, MSU lost a pair of games at South Carolin in 2017, but beat Auburn, 3-0, on March 5, 2016.
SEC Team MSU Record Vs. Last Time Played • Result
Alabama 3-5 3/20/1994 • UA 5, MSU 1
Arkansas 0-1 3/18/1978 / UA 7, MSU 4
Auburn 1-3 3/5/2016 • MSU 3, AU 0
Florida 1-4 3/13/2005 • UF 7, MSU 3
Georgia 11-7 2/28/2024 • MSU 19, UGA 6 (7 inn.)
Kentucky 2-3 3/10/2013 • UK 3, MSU 1
LSU 1-3 3/5/2008 • LSU 12, MSU 1
Ole Miss 0-2 4/2/1931 • Ole Miss 10, MSU 1
Mississippi State 1-4 3/1/2014 • Miss. St. 7, Mich. St. 1
Missouri 0-3 2/23/2008 • Mizzou 14, MSU 9
Oklahoma 2-2 3/18/2007 • OU 5, MSU 0
South Carolina 16-7 3/11/2017 • USC 5, MSU 2
Tennessee 1-0 3/24/1949 • MSU 5, UT 0
Texas First Meeting 2/20/2026 • ---
Texas A&M 0-3 3/4/2012 • TAMU 9, MSU 8
Vanderbilt 2-7 3/6/2003 • Vandy 5, MSU 4
HERE WE GO... AGAIN AS HEAD COACHES MATCHED UP BEFORE
• While it is the first time their teams are squaring off against each other, the head coaches involved in this weekend's series have faced each other in a previous three-game series, meeting in 2014 when current Longhorns' head coach Jim Schlossnagle was head coach at TCU, with MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr. and the Spartans taking 2-of-3 from the Horned Frogs, winning the opener, 2-1, on March 7, 2014, then capturing the series with a 4-1 Victory for MSU on March 8, before TCU denied MSU's sweep with a 6-2 outcome on March 9.
WAY BACK TEXAS FOR COACH BOSS IN LONGHORN COUNTRY
• MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr. was an assistant coach at Eastern Michigan in 2004 that played at Texas, March 12-14, 2004 against the Longhorns, led by legendary head coach Augie Garrido ... Texas swept EMU, winning the opener, 3-2, then won the series with a 7-0 victory the next day, before completing the weekend series sweep with an 8-3 win on March 14.
THREADBARE GYPSY SOUL IN THE MITTEN STATE
• Michigan State has 21 players on its 2026 roster from the state of Michigan ... Texas doesn't have any Michiganders on its 2026 roster.
FROM PAT F. GREEN'S HOME STATE
• The Spartans do not have any players from Texas on their roster ... the Longhorns have 20 players from the Lone Star State on their roster.
GOING AWAY
• Up next, Michigan State heads to its home-away-from home, Greenville, South Carolina and Fluor Field, home of the Greenville Drive, the High-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox ... the Spartans host their annual First Pitch Invitational, Friday-Sunday, Feb. 27-March 1 ... MSU opens against B1G foe Illinois on Friday, Feb. 27 at 2 p.m., in a non-conference contest, as the Spartans and Illini aren't scheduled to face each other during the league schedule ... Michigan State then plays Albany on Saturday, Feb. 28 at 6 p.m., before wrapping up the weekend against James Madison on Sunday, March 1 at 2 p.m.
• The Spartans then stay in Greenville and square off with Winthrop on Tuesday, March 3, at 6 p.m. before concluding the Greenville trip by tangling with the Tigers of Clemson on Wednesday, March 4, also at 6 p.m.
SPARTAN BASEBALL 2026 PRESEASON NOTES
RETURN OF THE MACK-ay
• Michigan State has three of its top five battling average leaders from a year ago returning in 2026, led by junior infielder Ryan McKay, who led MSU and ranked 27th in the B1G with a .319 average last season, the lone Spartan and one of 46 players to hit over .300.
• McKay also led MSU and ranked tied for fifth in the B1G with 20 doubles.
• Additionally, McKay led the Spartans and ranked tied for 19th in the league in walks with 36 free passes, and was also among the league leaders in toughest to strikeout, with just 31 Ks in 210 at bats.
OTHER RETURNING NUMBERS
• Senior catcher Noah Bright was fourth for MSU last season with a .277 average ... Bright added 15 RBI and 18 walks.
• Senior infielder Randy Seymour was fifth, hitting .268 ... Seymour was second on the team and tied for sixth in the B1G in triples (3) last season ... He also ranked second on the Spartans in triples (3), while ranking third on the team in hits (53), RBI (36) and stolen bases (9) ... Also, he not only topped the team, but led the Big Ten and ranked 14th in the NCAA in sacrifice bunts (12) ... Additionally, Seymour led the Spartans in both games played and games started with 55, the only MSU player to start in all 55 games and also the only Spartan to play in every game.
• MSU also returns number seven and eight on its top 10 batting average list from a year ago in senior outfielder Nick Williams (.266) and junior outfielder Parker Picot (.261).
• Williams is second among returners and was third overall on the team in on-base percentage (.405), as well as fourth in runs scored (48) and fifth in RBI (29) ... He was also tied for fourth in HR (5) and third in triples (2).
• Picot led not only MSU but also shared the lead in the B1G last season in triples (5) ... He also is the top Spartan returner and was second overall on the team last season in slugging percentage (.500), RBI (37) and HR (8).
• The Spartans lost their second and third top hitters to graduation in catcher Caleb Berry (.297) and infielder Sam Busch (.289). Busch also led MSU in slugging percentage (.584), RBI (62), HR (15) and total bases (111).
• On the mound, returns senior right-hander Nolan Higgins, who is the Spartans' top returner and tied of the team lead in starts (15), tying with Joseph Dzierwa, who was named the Big Ten Pitcher of the Year last season ... Higgins also is MSU's top returner in strikeouts and was No. 3 overall on the team (39), as well as the top returner and No. 2 on the team in innings pitched (61.1).
• Sophomore right-hander Aidan Donovan was No. 3 on the MSU staff in games started (8), with 17 strikeouts, in 11 appearances, making eight starts.
• Senior righty reliever Tommy Szczepanski returns after leading MSU is opposing batting average (.188), and ranking fifth on the team in ERA (4.00).
NEW NUMBER, WHO DIS?
• Michigan State junior outfielder Parker Picot changed his jersey number from number 13 in 2025 to wearing number 11 in 2026.
NEWCOMERS
• Michigan State has 16 newcomers on the 2026 roster, with 10 freshmen and six transfers:
NO NAME POS HT HOMETOWN/PREVIOUS SCHOOL
29 Sam Beemer RHP FR Lake Orion, MI/Lake Orion Community HS
43 Bobby Crane LHP FR Grosse Pointe, MI/U of Detroit Jesuit HS
13 CJ Deckinga INF/OF FR Minooka, IL/Minooka HS
44 Isaiah Domey INF FR New Baltimore, MI/Anchor Bay HS
24 Anthony Elezaj C FR Rochester, MI/Orchard Lake St. Mary's HS
26 Andrew Everson RHP FR Brighton MI/Brighton HS
32 Steve Fountain RHP FR West Bloomfield, MI/West Bloomfield HS
22 JD Greeley RHP GR Blakeslee, PA/Pocono Mountain West HS/Monmouth
31 Ben Kochany RHP JR Bay City, MI/Bay City Western HS/Saginaw Valley State
7 Carter Monke RHP GR Mount Olive, IL/Mount Olive HS/Illinois State
30 Jasen Oliver INF JR Almont, MI/Orchard Lake St. Mary's HS/Indiana
5 Trent Rice OF JR Macomb, MI/Marine City Cardinal Mooney Catholic HS/Oakland
38 Kyle Rudolph RHP FR Peachtree City, GA/Starr's Mill HS
42 Andrew Siler LHP GR Avon, OH/Avon HS/Tiffin
2 Cole Van Ameyde INF FR Lake Orion, MI/Brother Rice HS
6 Davis Weeks RHP/INF FR Edwards, IL/Dunlap HS
FROM FOE TO FRIEND
• One of MSU's 16 newcomers is graduate right-handed pitcher JD Greeley, who came to MSU from Monmouth and he was on the mound for last season's meeting between MSU and Monmouth on Feb. 15, 2025 in Cary, N.C. at the USA Baseball Complex ... Greeley went 6.0 IP, holding the Spartans to just two hits and two runs, one earned run, with four Ks and two walks, as MSU beat Greeley and Monmouth, 2-0.
DANDY VANDY FAMILY
• One of the 10 Spartan freshmen is infielder Cole Van Ameyde, who is the son of Spartan pitching coach Mark Van Ameyde ... Cole not only joined his father in college baseball, but also his two brothers ... His older brother Chase is a sophomore pitcher at Notre Dame, while his twin brother, Clay, is a freshman outfielder at Oakland.
• The Spartan Van Ameydes will face off against their family members three total times this season, as MSU plays at Notre Dame on Wednesday, April 8 and the Spartans host the Irish on Wednesday, April 22, while Michigan State hosts Oakland on Tuesday, April 14.
TRIO OF SPARTAN BASEBALL PLAYERS TABBED TO BIG TEN PLAYERS TO WATCH LIST
• Three Michigan State baseball players were tabbed to the Big Ten Conference Players To Watch List, announced Wednesday by the conference office ahead of this weekend's 2026 season opening across the country.
Senior pitcher Nolan Higgins, junior infielder Ryan McKay and senior infielder Randy Seymour were recognized. McKay and Seymour are now two-time B1G Players to Watch selections after both collecting the accolade last season, while Higgins was recognized with his first conference recognition.
A native of Wixom, Michigan, Higgins tied Joseph Dzierwa for the most starts in 2025 with 15, good for tying for fifth in the B1G and ranking tied for 73rd in the NCAA ... Higgins pitched 61.1 IP, which ranked second on the team behind Dzierwa's 91.2 IP, and ranked 34th in the B1G ... Along with leading the Spartan staff for returners in starts, he also is the top returner in strikeouts with 39 Ks ... Higgins fired three or more Ks in eight of the 15 outings, including the first four of the season all with four or more, highlighted by a season-high five Ks vs ... Cornell on March 7, and later matching that with five punchouts in the Spartans' B1G Tournament clinching Victory for MSU over Minnesota on May 17 ... He also went at least 5.0 IP in five starts, led by a season-high 6.0 IP on three different outings.
McKay, a native of Clarkston, Michigan, was not only a Preseason Player to Watch list, but he also earned postseason Second-Team All-B1G accolades in 2025 after leading the Spartans and ranking tied for 27th in the B1G with a .319 average ... He was the lone Spartan and only one of 46 players in the B1G to hit over .300 ... He also led MSU and ranked tied for fifth in the B1G with 20 doubles ... Additionally, he led the Spartans and ranked tied for 19th in the league in walks with 36 free passes, and was also among the league leaders in toughest to strikeout, with just 31 Ks in 210 at bats ... McKay also topped the team in on-base percentage (.421), while ranking third on team in slugging percentage (.495) ... Furthermore, McKay led MSU in multiple hit games with 18, including the only Spartan in the 2025 season with five hits in a game, which came in at Penn State (March 21), going 5-for-5 ... McKay started 54 games at second base, missing one game with illness, ranking second on team in both games played and games started, and led MSU in most games played at one position ... He was second on the team in both assists (117) and fielding double plays (25).
Seymour, a Frankfort, Illinois native, was second on the team and tied for sixth in the B1G in triples (3) last season ... He was also fifth on the team with a .268 average, also ranking second on the Spartans in triples (3), while ranking third on the team in hits (53), RBI (36) and stolen bases (9) ... He also not only topped the team, but led the Big Ten and ranked 14th in the NCAA in sacrifice bunts (12) ... Additionally, Seymour was second on the team in at bats (198) ... Seymour also led the Spartans in both games played and games started with 55, the only MSU player to start in all 55 games and also the only Spartan to play in every game ... He made 38 starts at shortstop and 17 at third base, leading the MSU defense with 128 assists and third in fielding double plays with 15.
McKAY COLLECTS THE PRESEASON ACCOLADES
• Along with being named a Big Ten Preseason Player to Watch, Spartan junior infielder Ryan McKay also collected a handful of other preseason accolades.
• McKay was also on D1Baseball's Top 50 Second Basemen list, coming in at No. 4 among second baseman in the B1G and No. 31 in the NCAA.
• McKay was also on Baseball Media's Top 100 College Prospect List.
McKay is No. 72 on the 100-player list and is one of nine players from the Big Ten Conference on the list ... The Spartan second baseman joins UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky (No. 1), Oregon shortstop Maddox Molony (16), UCLA first baseman Mulivai Levu (41), Northwestern shortstop Ryan Kucherak (53), USC pitcher Mason Edwards (55), UCLA third baseman/shortstop Roman Martin (73), UCLA outfielder Will Gasparino (92) and UCLA pitcher Logan Reddemann (95).
MSU BASEBALL'S DECKINGA NAMED TO D1BASEBALL'S PRESEASON TOP BIG TEN FRESHMEN LIST
• Michigan State baseball player CJ Deckinga was named one of the D1Baseball's Preseason Top Big Ten Freshmen list, announced by the platform ahead of the 2026 season kicking off this weekend.
• Deckinga, an infielder, was joined on the five-player list by UCLA pitcher Angel Cervantes, Iowa pitcher/outfielder Brody Irlbeck, Maryland infielder Ty Kaunas and Ohio State pitcher Jude Fisher.
• A native of Minooka, Illinois, Deckinga was a three-year letterwinner at Minooka High School, helping MHS to a 33-4 record in his senior season, and he was a two-time All-Southwest Prairie Conference honoree, registering a .400 batting average as a senior with 30 RBI, logging a .521 on-base percentage, .657 slugging percentage and a 1.179 OPS ... Deckinga was ranked as the No. 1 3B/OF and No. 8 overall player in the state of Illinois by Prep Baseball Report, and was selected to play in the Future Games as well as attend the Prep Baseball Report Super 60 and the PBR Illinois Preseason ProCase.
• All three of this weekend's games will be streamed on SEC Network+, available through "Watch Live" link at MSUSpartans.com, or through the ESPN app ... David Saltzman will handle play-by-play duties with Mike Hardge providing analysis for both Friday and Saturday's games, while Sunday's series finale will be a simulcast with the Texas radio broadcast.
• The Spartans and Longhorns have never met on the diamond ... Texas is ranked No. 3 in this week's D1Baseball Top 25 Poll, while ranked No. 2 in the NCBWA Poll, No. 3 in the USA Today Coaches Poll, No. 7 in the Baseball America Poll and No. 8 in the Perfect Game Poll ... the Longhorns are MSU's second-straight Top 10 opponent, after the Spartans took 2-of-3 at No. 8 Louisville last weekend, winning the season and series-opener, 4-3, on Friday, then blasting the Cardinals, 13-4, on Saturday to win the series, but were denied the series sweep, as UofL bounced back to win the finale on Sunday, 9-1.
• The No. 3 Longhorns are the Spartans' highest-ranked opponent since playing No. 1 Oregon State on Feb. 22, 2014 in Surprise, Arizona, with the Spartans upsetting the Beavers, 8-7.
• All three games will also be airing on the Longhorns' radio network, with "Listen Live" links available on MSUSpartans.com.
• Fans can also follow the action through "Live Stats" links on MSUSpartans.com.
MICHIGAN STATE ATHLETICS ANNOUNCES JAKE BOSS JR. CONTRACT EXTENSION
• Michigan State athletics announced a contract extension for head baseball coach Jake Boss Jr. on Thursday, Feb. 12 on the eve of Opening Day ... With the extension, Boss' contract now runs through 2029.
• Boss is in his 18th year at Michigan State and 19th overall as a collegiate head coach ... Boss enters the 2026 season at No. 3 on MSU's longest coaching list behind John H. Kobs (1935-63), the namesake for Kobs Field, location of McLane Stadium, with 39 seasons, and legendary head coach Denny Litwhiler (1964-82) with 19 seasons ... Now 470 wins entering the second weekend of the 2026 season, Boss is also No. 3 on the Spartan head coach list for wins and games coached, also behind Kobs with 576 wins in 969 games, and Litwhiler with 489 wins in 859 games.
SEASON 142 OF SPARTAN BASEBALL LIKE TEXAS IN 1880
• Michigan State is in its 142nd season of baseball in 2026 and won its 2,500th all-time Victory for MSU vs. Eastern Michigan on May 6, 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 enters the second weekend of the 2026 season with an all-time record of 2,505-2,224-30 (.529) in 4,759 games played.
SONGS ABOUT TEXAS
• Michigan State is getting in touch with its inner Pat F. Green, a Texas musician, known for his Red Dirt Country-style of music (and is one of MSU Athletic Communications Asst. Director Zach Fisher's favorite musicians), as the Spartans are making their first trip to the state of Texas since playing a three-game series at Abilene Christian, Feb. 27-28, 2022 in Abilene, Texas.
NIGHTMARE IN SEASON-OPENERS
• With the 4-3 Victory for MSU over No. 8 Louisville in Friday's season-opener, the Spartans have been victorious in their season-opener in seven of the last eight seasons ... overall, MSU is now 15-3 in the 18 season-openers under Coach Boss, only losing in 2013 vs. Furman, 2018 at Fresno State and 2022 at UNLV.
ADIOS (OPENING) DAYS
• Michigan State opened the season with a 4-3 upset at No. 8 Louisville on Friday ... The Victory for MSU was the Spartans' second Top-10 win in as many seasons, after upsetting No. 6 Oregon, 2-0, last year in East Lansing on May 2, 2025 ... It was MSU's highest-ranked upset win away from home since beating No. 1 Oregon State, 8-7, on Feb. 22, 2014 in Surprise, Ariz.
• Friday's win was also MSU's first win at Louisville since 1993, as Friday was also the first meeting between MSU and UofL since 2012.
THREE DAYS AND A RANKED SERIES WIN
• MSU took two out of three games to win the series with the 8th-ranked Cardinals, for the Spartans' highest-ranked series win in Coach Boss' 18 seasons at the helm.
• Michigan State dealt Louisville consecutive losses to start the year for just the third time in the 20 years under head coach Dan McDonnell.
IF JOHN WAYNE AND JESUS WERE LOUISVILLE SLUGGERS
• MSU slugged five home runs in the opening weekend in Louisville, with all five coming in the first two games, starting off with two homers in Friday's opener, from senior infielder Randy Seymour and redshirt-sophomore catcher Adam Broski each knocking solo shots ... In Saturday's slamming of the Cardinals, the Spartans blasted three round-trippers, including two from junior outfielder Parker Picot, with a grand slam and a three-run shot, while Seymour smacked his second in as many games.
• The Spartans had 23 hits on the weekend, including nine extra-base hits, with the five home runs and four doubles, on the way to hitting .237 and scoring 18 runs (6.0 rpg).
• Last season, the Spartans were hitting .163 after the first weekend, with 14 runs on 16 hits in four games played at the USA Baseball Complex at Cary, N.C.
CARRY ON
• MSU's pitching staff opened the season with 23 strikeouts on the weekend (7.7 Ks/game), while only yielding 12 walks.
WAVE ON WAVE OF ROUND-TRIPPERS
• MSU only needed two games to hit five home runs in the opening weekend ... last season, the Spartans didn't have any home runs for the first six games, and MSU's fifth HR didn't come until game number eight, on Feb. 28 vs. Harvard, when the Spartan bats erupted for six homers.
• With five home runs through the first three games, the Spartans are currently averaging 1.7 HR/game ... last season, MSU had 51 home runs in 55 games for a 0.9 HR/game average.
GUY LIKE ME
• MSU junior outfielder Parker Picot posted eight RBI in Saturday's win ... He knocked in a sacrifice fly in the first inning, then blasted a grand slam in the fourth and added a three-run homer in the sixth for eight RBI on the day, becoming the first Spartan with eight RBI in a game since Bob Malek had eight ribbies on April 19, 2000 vs. Detroit Mercy.
• Picot's collection of eight RBI on Saturday was identical to Malek's 26 years ago, just in a different order with a three-run HR in the first inning, then a sac fly in the fifth before a grand slam in the sixth in the Spartans' 19-6 win over Detroit Mercy.
ME AND BILLY THE KID
• Picot was the first Spartan to hit a grand slam since teammate Randy Seymour smacked a grand slam on March 2, 2025 vs. Harvard at Greenville, S.C., coming in the third inning of MSU's 13-3 crushing of the Crimson.
SOMEWHERE BETWEEN TEXAS AND MEXICO
• Picot's two HR's in Saturday's game marked the first time for a Spartan to hit two HR in the same game since former teammate Sam Busch hit two at No. 25 USC last year on May 10, 2025 in the Spartans' 15-5 (8 inn.) win over the Trojans.
• It marked the second year in a row that Picot's first two HR of the season came in the same game, as he hit his first two homers as a Spartan last season on Feb. 28 vs. Harvard, but not until game seven of the season.
TAKE ME OUT TO A DANCEHALL...AND THE BALLGAME
• Senior infielder Randy Seymour joined Picot in smacking two homers in the opening weekend, with a solo shot in each of Friday and Saturday's games.
• Last season, Seymour hit four HR, with his first homer of the season coming in game 10 on March 2 vs. Harvard, and his second round-tripper of the season didn't come until game 17 on March 14 at Iowa.
FEELS JUST LIKE IT SHOULD AT THE TOP OF THE LINE...UP
• In Saturday's 13-4 win at No. 8 Louisville, eight of the nine Spartan batters had at least one hit on the day, with a total of six Spartans posting multiple hits ... Batters 1-4 in the MSU lineup combined to go 8-for-16 with 12 RBI and scoring 10 runs.
• Leadoff hitter senior outfielder Nick Williams was 2-for-4 with three runs scored and adding one walk, while No. 2 hitter junior infielder Ryan McKay was 2-for-4 with three runs scored and one RBI ... No. 3 hitter senior infielder Randy Seymour was 2-for-5 with three RBI and two runs scored, hitting his second HR in as many days, ahead of junior outfielder Parker Picot, who went 2-for-3 with two HR and eight RBI total, knocking a sac fly and also drawing a walk.
IT'S A GREAT DAY TO BE ALIVE
• On the mound in Saturday's rout of No. 8 Louisville, four Spartan pitchers all made smashing debuts, as graduate starting pitcher Carter Monke, who is in his first year at MSU after transferring from Illinois State, went 4.0 IP, scattering five hits and yielding two runs, while ringing up three strikeouts.
• Redshirt-freshman reliever Brady Chambers earned his first collegiate win in his college debut after missing last season with an injury ... The righty went 2.0 IP with one run and one punchout.
• Two other transfers also made their Spartan debuts, in junior reliever Ben Kochany and graduate reliever JD Greeley finished it out from there ... Kochany went 1.2 IP with four hits and a run, while Greeley went 1.1 IP with two hits, no runs and one K.
SPARTANS HAVE NO. 3 TEXAS ON THEIR MIND
• The Longhorns are ranked No. 3 in this week's D1Baseball Top 25 Poll, while ranked No. 2 in the NCBWA Poll, No. 3 in the USA Today Coaches Poll, No. 7 in the Baseball America Poll and No. 8 in the Perfect Game Poll
• Texas improved to 4-0 on the young season after routing Lamar, 14-4 (7 inn.), on Tuesday night, scoring 12 unanswered runs from the fifth inning on ... Texas rallied from a 4-2 deficit entering the bottom of the fifth with six runs in the frame, adding a run in the sixth, before tacking on five in the seventh to enforce the run-rule for their second time in the first four games.
• In the opening weekend, Texas swept visiting UC Davis, winning the opener, 12-2 in 7-innings, on Friday, then taking the series with a 6-4 win on Saturday, before completing the sweep with a 9-1 rout on Sunday.
• Freshman outfielder Anthony Pack Jr. leads the Longhorns with a .538 average, with seven hits, including two doubles, adding two stolen bases ... junior outfielder Aidan Robbins, junior infielder Ethan Mendoza and junior outfielder Ashton Larson are all hitting .375, with Mendoza belting a pair of HR, while Robbins has one, and both Robbins and Larson have a pair of doubles piece ... Mendoza tops the team with seven RBI, while Ribbins adds five.
• On the mound, senior righty is slated for Friday's probable starter, posting a 1-0 record and a 1.80 ERA, after going 5.0 IP with nine Ks and allowing just one run on three hits in the opener ... Saturday's probable starter is graduate lefty Luke Harrison, with a 1-0 mark and a 3.38 ERA, going 5.1 IP against UC Davis, with six Ks, five hits and two runs allowed ... sophomore southpaw Dylan Volant is Sunday's probable starter, also with a 1-0 record, but a 0.00 ERA after going 7.0 IP with eight Ks and only one hit and no runs in his season debut ... junior righty reliever Hudson Hamilton has the Longhorns' lone save, with 0.1 IP and one K.
• Head coach Jim Schlossnagle is in his second season leading the Longhorns, logging a 48-14 ledger at UT ... overall, Schlossnagle is in his 25th season as a collegiate head coach, amassing an overall record of 994-469, in a head coaching career that includes stops at UNLV (2002-03), TCU (2004-21), Texas A&M (2022-24) and Texas (2025-present) ... Schlossnagle's 993 wins are the sixth-most Division I victories among active skippers.
SOUTHBOUND 35 TO COMPLETE SEC BINGO CARD
MSU will complete its Southeastern Conference opponent collection this weekend, as the Spartans have faced all the other 15 teams currently in the SEC before, and Texas is the 16th different SEC opponent to complete the collection ... Friday is the Spartans' first game against an SEC foe since Feb. 28, 2024 in a Georgia, 19-6 in a 7-inning run-rule Victory for MSU over UGA ... MSU is 2-2 in its last four games against SEC teams, as prior to the 2024 win at Georgia, MSU lost a pair of games at South Carolin in 2017, but beat Auburn, 3-0, on March 5, 2016.
SEC Team MSU Record Vs. Last Time Played • Result
Alabama 3-5 3/20/1994 • UA 5, MSU 1
Arkansas 0-1 3/18/1978 / UA 7, MSU 4
Auburn 1-3 3/5/2016 • MSU 3, AU 0
Florida 1-4 3/13/2005 • UF 7, MSU 3
Georgia 11-7 2/28/2024 • MSU 19, UGA 6 (7 inn.)
Kentucky 2-3 3/10/2013 • UK 3, MSU 1
LSU 1-3 3/5/2008 • LSU 12, MSU 1
Ole Miss 0-2 4/2/1931 • Ole Miss 10, MSU 1
Mississippi State 1-4 3/1/2014 • Miss. St. 7, Mich. St. 1
Missouri 0-3 2/23/2008 • Mizzou 14, MSU 9
Oklahoma 2-2 3/18/2007 • OU 5, MSU 0
South Carolina 16-7 3/11/2017 • USC 5, MSU 2
Tennessee 1-0 3/24/1949 • MSU 5, UT 0
Texas First Meeting 2/20/2026 • ---
Texas A&M 0-3 3/4/2012 • TAMU 9, MSU 8
Vanderbilt 2-7 3/6/2003 • Vandy 5, MSU 4
HERE WE GO... AGAIN AS HEAD COACHES MATCHED UP BEFORE
• While it is the first time their teams are squaring off against each other, the head coaches involved in this weekend's series have faced each other in a previous three-game series, meeting in 2014 when current Longhorns' head coach Jim Schlossnagle was head coach at TCU, with MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr. and the Spartans taking 2-of-3 from the Horned Frogs, winning the opener, 2-1, on March 7, 2014, then capturing the series with a 4-1 Victory for MSU on March 8, before TCU denied MSU's sweep with a 6-2 outcome on March 9.
WAY BACK TEXAS FOR COACH BOSS IN LONGHORN COUNTRY
• MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr. was an assistant coach at Eastern Michigan in 2004 that played at Texas, March 12-14, 2004 against the Longhorns, led by legendary head coach Augie Garrido ... Texas swept EMU, winning the opener, 3-2, then won the series with a 7-0 victory the next day, before completing the weekend series sweep with an 8-3 win on March 14.
THREADBARE GYPSY SOUL IN THE MITTEN STATE
• Michigan State has 21 players on its 2026 roster from the state of Michigan ... Texas doesn't have any Michiganders on its 2026 roster.
FROM PAT F. GREEN'S HOME STATE
• The Spartans do not have any players from Texas on their roster ... the Longhorns have 20 players from the Lone Star State on their roster.
GOING AWAY
• Up next, Michigan State heads to its home-away-from home, Greenville, South Carolina and Fluor Field, home of the Greenville Drive, the High-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox ... the Spartans host their annual First Pitch Invitational, Friday-Sunday, Feb. 27-March 1 ... MSU opens against B1G foe Illinois on Friday, Feb. 27 at 2 p.m., in a non-conference contest, as the Spartans and Illini aren't scheduled to face each other during the league schedule ... Michigan State then plays Albany on Saturday, Feb. 28 at 6 p.m., before wrapping up the weekend against James Madison on Sunday, March 1 at 2 p.m.
• The Spartans then stay in Greenville and square off with Winthrop on Tuesday, March 3, at 6 p.m. before concluding the Greenville trip by tangling with the Tigers of Clemson on Wednesday, March 4, also at 6 p.m.
SPARTAN BASEBALL 2026 PRESEASON NOTES
RETURN OF THE MACK-ay
• Michigan State has three of its top five battling average leaders from a year ago returning in 2026, led by junior infielder Ryan McKay, who led MSU and ranked 27th in the B1G with a .319 average last season, the lone Spartan and one of 46 players to hit over .300.
• McKay also led MSU and ranked tied for fifth in the B1G with 20 doubles.
• Additionally, McKay led the Spartans and ranked tied for 19th in the league in walks with 36 free passes, and was also among the league leaders in toughest to strikeout, with just 31 Ks in 210 at bats.
OTHER RETURNING NUMBERS
• Senior catcher Noah Bright was fourth for MSU last season with a .277 average ... Bright added 15 RBI and 18 walks.
• Senior infielder Randy Seymour was fifth, hitting .268 ... Seymour was second on the team and tied for sixth in the B1G in triples (3) last season ... He also ranked second on the Spartans in triples (3), while ranking third on the team in hits (53), RBI (36) and stolen bases (9) ... Also, he not only topped the team, but led the Big Ten and ranked 14th in the NCAA in sacrifice bunts (12) ... Additionally, Seymour led the Spartans in both games played and games started with 55, the only MSU player to start in all 55 games and also the only Spartan to play in every game.
• MSU also returns number seven and eight on its top 10 batting average list from a year ago in senior outfielder Nick Williams (.266) and junior outfielder Parker Picot (.261).
• Williams is second among returners and was third overall on the team in on-base percentage (.405), as well as fourth in runs scored (48) and fifth in RBI (29) ... He was also tied for fourth in HR (5) and third in triples (2).
• Picot led not only MSU but also shared the lead in the B1G last season in triples (5) ... He also is the top Spartan returner and was second overall on the team last season in slugging percentage (.500), RBI (37) and HR (8).
• The Spartans lost their second and third top hitters to graduation in catcher Caleb Berry (.297) and infielder Sam Busch (.289). Busch also led MSU in slugging percentage (.584), RBI (62), HR (15) and total bases (111).
• On the mound, returns senior right-hander Nolan Higgins, who is the Spartans' top returner and tied of the team lead in starts (15), tying with Joseph Dzierwa, who was named the Big Ten Pitcher of the Year last season ... Higgins also is MSU's top returner in strikeouts and was No. 3 overall on the team (39), as well as the top returner and No. 2 on the team in innings pitched (61.1).
• Sophomore right-hander Aidan Donovan was No. 3 on the MSU staff in games started (8), with 17 strikeouts, in 11 appearances, making eight starts.
• Senior righty reliever Tommy Szczepanski returns after leading MSU is opposing batting average (.188), and ranking fifth on the team in ERA (4.00).
NEW NUMBER, WHO DIS?
• Michigan State junior outfielder Parker Picot changed his jersey number from number 13 in 2025 to wearing number 11 in 2026.
NEWCOMERS
• Michigan State has 16 newcomers on the 2026 roster, with 10 freshmen and six transfers:
NO NAME POS HT HOMETOWN/PREVIOUS SCHOOL
29 Sam Beemer RHP FR Lake Orion, MI/Lake Orion Community HS
43 Bobby Crane LHP FR Grosse Pointe, MI/U of Detroit Jesuit HS
13 CJ Deckinga INF/OF FR Minooka, IL/Minooka HS
44 Isaiah Domey INF FR New Baltimore, MI/Anchor Bay HS
24 Anthony Elezaj C FR Rochester, MI/Orchard Lake St. Mary's HS
26 Andrew Everson RHP FR Brighton MI/Brighton HS
32 Steve Fountain RHP FR West Bloomfield, MI/West Bloomfield HS
22 JD Greeley RHP GR Blakeslee, PA/Pocono Mountain West HS/Monmouth
31 Ben Kochany RHP JR Bay City, MI/Bay City Western HS/Saginaw Valley State
7 Carter Monke RHP GR Mount Olive, IL/Mount Olive HS/Illinois State
30 Jasen Oliver INF JR Almont, MI/Orchard Lake St. Mary's HS/Indiana
5 Trent Rice OF JR Macomb, MI/Marine City Cardinal Mooney Catholic HS/Oakland
38 Kyle Rudolph RHP FR Peachtree City, GA/Starr's Mill HS
42 Andrew Siler LHP GR Avon, OH/Avon HS/Tiffin
2 Cole Van Ameyde INF FR Lake Orion, MI/Brother Rice HS
6 Davis Weeks RHP/INF FR Edwards, IL/Dunlap HS
FROM FOE TO FRIEND
• One of MSU's 16 newcomers is graduate right-handed pitcher JD Greeley, who came to MSU from Monmouth and he was on the mound for last season's meeting between MSU and Monmouth on Feb. 15, 2025 in Cary, N.C. at the USA Baseball Complex ... Greeley went 6.0 IP, holding the Spartans to just two hits and two runs, one earned run, with four Ks and two walks, as MSU beat Greeley and Monmouth, 2-0.
DANDY VANDY FAMILY
• One of the 10 Spartan freshmen is infielder Cole Van Ameyde, who is the son of Spartan pitching coach Mark Van Ameyde ... Cole not only joined his father in college baseball, but also his two brothers ... His older brother Chase is a sophomore pitcher at Notre Dame, while his twin brother, Clay, is a freshman outfielder at Oakland.
• The Spartan Van Ameydes will face off against their family members three total times this season, as MSU plays at Notre Dame on Wednesday, April 8 and the Spartans host the Irish on Wednesday, April 22, while Michigan State hosts Oakland on Tuesday, April 14.
TRIO OF SPARTAN BASEBALL PLAYERS TABBED TO BIG TEN PLAYERS TO WATCH LIST
• Three Michigan State baseball players were tabbed to the Big Ten Conference Players To Watch List, announced Wednesday by the conference office ahead of this weekend's 2026 season opening across the country.
Senior pitcher Nolan Higgins, junior infielder Ryan McKay and senior infielder Randy Seymour were recognized. McKay and Seymour are now two-time B1G Players to Watch selections after both collecting the accolade last season, while Higgins was recognized with his first conference recognition.
A native of Wixom, Michigan, Higgins tied Joseph Dzierwa for the most starts in 2025 with 15, good for tying for fifth in the B1G and ranking tied for 73rd in the NCAA ... Higgins pitched 61.1 IP, which ranked second on the team behind Dzierwa's 91.2 IP, and ranked 34th in the B1G ... Along with leading the Spartan staff for returners in starts, he also is the top returner in strikeouts with 39 Ks ... Higgins fired three or more Ks in eight of the 15 outings, including the first four of the season all with four or more, highlighted by a season-high five Ks vs ... Cornell on March 7, and later matching that with five punchouts in the Spartans' B1G Tournament clinching Victory for MSU over Minnesota on May 17 ... He also went at least 5.0 IP in five starts, led by a season-high 6.0 IP on three different outings.
McKay, a native of Clarkston, Michigan, was not only a Preseason Player to Watch list, but he also earned postseason Second-Team All-B1G accolades in 2025 after leading the Spartans and ranking tied for 27th in the B1G with a .319 average ... He was the lone Spartan and only one of 46 players in the B1G to hit over .300 ... He also led MSU and ranked tied for fifth in the B1G with 20 doubles ... Additionally, he led the Spartans and ranked tied for 19th in the league in walks with 36 free passes, and was also among the league leaders in toughest to strikeout, with just 31 Ks in 210 at bats ... McKay also topped the team in on-base percentage (.421), while ranking third on team in slugging percentage (.495) ... Furthermore, McKay led MSU in multiple hit games with 18, including the only Spartan in the 2025 season with five hits in a game, which came in at Penn State (March 21), going 5-for-5 ... McKay started 54 games at second base, missing one game with illness, ranking second on team in both games played and games started, and led MSU in most games played at one position ... He was second on the team in both assists (117) and fielding double plays (25).
Seymour, a Frankfort, Illinois native, was second on the team and tied for sixth in the B1G in triples (3) last season ... He was also fifth on the team with a .268 average, also ranking second on the Spartans in triples (3), while ranking third on the team in hits (53), RBI (36) and stolen bases (9) ... He also not only topped the team, but led the Big Ten and ranked 14th in the NCAA in sacrifice bunts (12) ... Additionally, Seymour was second on the team in at bats (198) ... Seymour also led the Spartans in both games played and games started with 55, the only MSU player to start in all 55 games and also the only Spartan to play in every game ... He made 38 starts at shortstop and 17 at third base, leading the MSU defense with 128 assists and third in fielding double plays with 15.
McKAY COLLECTS THE PRESEASON ACCOLADES
• Along with being named a Big Ten Preseason Player to Watch, Spartan junior infielder Ryan McKay also collected a handful of other preseason accolades.
• McKay was also on D1Baseball's Top 50 Second Basemen list, coming in at No. 4 among second baseman in the B1G and No. 31 in the NCAA.
• McKay was also on Baseball Media's Top 100 College Prospect List.
McKay is No. 72 on the 100-player list and is one of nine players from the Big Ten Conference on the list ... The Spartan second baseman joins UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky (No. 1), Oregon shortstop Maddox Molony (16), UCLA first baseman Mulivai Levu (41), Northwestern shortstop Ryan Kucherak (53), USC pitcher Mason Edwards (55), UCLA third baseman/shortstop Roman Martin (73), UCLA outfielder Will Gasparino (92) and UCLA pitcher Logan Reddemann (95).
MSU BASEBALL'S DECKINGA NAMED TO D1BASEBALL'S PRESEASON TOP BIG TEN FRESHMEN LIST
• Michigan State baseball player CJ Deckinga was named one of the D1Baseball's Preseason Top Big Ten Freshmen list, announced by the platform ahead of the 2026 season kicking off this weekend.
• Deckinga, an infielder, was joined on the five-player list by UCLA pitcher Angel Cervantes, Iowa pitcher/outfielder Brody Irlbeck, Maryland infielder Ty Kaunas and Ohio State pitcher Jude Fisher.
• A native of Minooka, Illinois, Deckinga was a three-year letterwinner at Minooka High School, helping MHS to a 33-4 record in his senior season, and he was a two-time All-Southwest Prairie Conference honoree, registering a .400 batting average as a senior with 30 RBI, logging a .521 on-base percentage, .657 slugging percentage and a 1.179 OPS ... Deckinga was ranked as the No. 1 3B/OF and No. 8 overall player in the state of Illinois by Prep Baseball Report, and was selected to play in the Future Games as well as attend the Prep Baseball Report Super 60 and the PBR Illinois Preseason ProCase.
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/ BaseballJake Boss | Baseball Press Conference | Feb. 16 2026
Monday, February 16
Jake Boss | Baseball Press Conference | Jan. 26 2026
Monday, January 26
Pursuit to Greatness | Spartans All-Access
Monday, May 19
Jake Boss | Baseball Press Conference | April 17, 2025
Thursday, April 17