Michigan State University Athletics
Wednesday, May 20
Charles Schwab Field | Omaha, Neb.
6 PM ET / 5 PM CT
Michigan State University
24-31
4
vs
3
(8) Iowa
33-22
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan State | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 1 |
| Iowa | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 2 |
Photo by: Steve Branscombe
MSU Beats Iowa Wednesday To Advance To B1G Tournament Quarterfinals
5/20/2026 11:59:00 PM | Baseball
Spartans will face No. 4 seed USC on Friday morning.
OMAHA, Neb. -- No. 12 seed Michigan State baseball continued its wild Big Ten Tournament run by knocking off No. 8 seed Iowa, 4-3, Wednesday night at Charles Schwab Field Omaha, as senior reliever Nolan Higgins chalked up his second game-ending strikeout in as many games.
After knocking off No. 4 seed Purdue, 8-4, on Tuesday morning, the Spartans grinded out a win over No. 8 Iowa on Wednesday evening. Junior infielder Ryan McKay knocking in two RBI, while senior outfielder Nick Williams drove in the other run and wasted no time in extending his hitting streak to 15 games, with a leadoff single to start the game.
Higgins finished off a game that graduate starter Carter Monke went 5.2 IP, with four Ks, scattering four hits and three runs, while keeping the Hawkeyes' high-powered offense in check, as Iowa entered Wednesday leading the B1G and ranking 10th in the NCAA in batting average at .315, along with second in the league and 22nd in the nation in hits with 537, averaging 10.6 hits per game.Â
However Monke, junior reliever Gannon Grundman, and Higgins combined to stymie the Hawkeye bats with just seven hits. Grundman went 2.1 IP with three hits, no runs, no walks and two punchouts to earn the win.
Higgins pitched a hitless and scoreless ninth with two strikeouts, to earn the save with a strikeout to end the game and seal the Victory for MSU.
With the win, MSU moves on to the single elimination portion of the B1G Tournament bracket and will play No. 4 seed USC in the quarterfinals on Friday at 10 a.m. ET / 9 a.m. CT.Â
The Spartans have continued their B1G Tournament run, as they were the last team to qualify, doing so on the last day of the regular season, and have now won two games in the same B1G Tournament for the first time since 2016.
Overall, MSU is making its 17th appearance in the B1G Tournament, including its 10th under head coach Jake Boss Jr., and the Spartans have won at least one game in seven of the 10 visits, as well as two games in five of the previous 10 tournaments.
The Spartans improved to 24-31, winning three games in a row for the first time this season, as well as winning five of the last six games and eight of their last 11.
Iowa slid to 33-22 overall and will face No. 4 seed Purdue on Thursday in an elimination game.
Wednesday was the first B1G Tournament meeting between the Spartans and Hawkeyes since 2002, and MSU now leads the BTT series with Iowa, 2-1, as Wednesday's win joined the Green & White's win in 1983, their first B1G Tournament appearance.
MSU has now won three of four games with Iowa on the season, winning the season series on March 20-21 in East Lansing, taking two of three, in MSU's home opener.
Williams finished the game 2-for-6 with the one RBI, extending his hit streak to 15 games, the longest since McKay had a 16-game streak in 2024.
McKay finsihed 1-for-2 with the two runs driven in, drawing one walk. Sophomore designated hitter Isaac Sturgess was 1-for-4 with two runs scored and a walk. Freshman infielder CJ Deckinga was 1-for-2 and a run scored.
Deckinga played a part of a key play in the game, swinging on strike three in the seventh, but the ball got away from the Iowa catcher and Deckinga scampered to first, and an errant throw sailed over the first baseman's head, allowing junior outfielder Parker Picot to come around from second after reaching on a hit-by-pitch, and moving to second on a walk by senior infielder Randy Seymour, who finished 1-for-3, with a double in the second stanza.
Sophomore infielder Dayton Murphy was 1-for-4 and added a walk, while also making a leather-flashing play at shortstop in the fourth, following up a nifty snag by McKay at second.
The Hawkeyes got on the board first with a run in their opening at bat for an early 1-0 lead.
The Spartans quickly tied it up with a run in the top of the second on a sacrifice fly by McKay, driving in Sturgess, who reached on a leadoff walk and moved to third on Seymour's double down the left field line.
MSU took the lead with a run in the fourth on another RBI without a hit, this time on an RBI groundout by Williams, plating Deckinga, who sparked the rally with a one-out walk.
Iowa took the lead with a two-run sixth stanza, chasing Monke, before Grundman put an end to the Hawkeyes' rally.
In the top of the seventh, the Spartans put together a one-out rally, as Picot got hit by a pitch, then two batters later, Seymour drew a walk. The rally appeared over when Deckinga struck out, but the dropped strike three by the Iowa catcher and errant throw to first allowed Deckinga to reach and Picot to scamper around with the tying run.
The score stayed tied until the ninth, when Sturgess ignited a one-out rally with a single. Seymour and Deckinga were then both hit by pitches to fill the bases full of Spartans. McKay then knocked an infield single to short to score Sturgess and put the Green & White ahead.
Higgins came on in the ninth and got a flyout and strikeout, before an MSU error got a Hawkeye on base, but Higgins thwarted any threat and snuffed out an Iowa rally with three-straight strikes to for the game-ending strikeout for the Victory for MSU.
The 2026 B1G Baseball Tournament, Presented by IFS.ai, is held at Charles Schwab Field Omaha in Omaha, Nebraska, site of the NCAA Men's College World Series.
The Big Ten Network will broadcast every game of the tournament. Games will also be available on the FOX Sports App. Single-game and all-session packages are on sale at www.bigten.org/baseballtickets.
MSU's schedule is subject to change, fans can stay tuned to MSUSpartans.com and @MSUBaseball on Twitter for schedule updates, along with follow this weekend's action with "Watch Live," "Listen Live" and "Live Stats" links where available.
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After knocking off No. 4 seed Purdue, 8-4, on Tuesday morning, the Spartans grinded out a win over No. 8 Iowa on Wednesday evening. Junior infielder Ryan McKay knocking in two RBI, while senior outfielder Nick Williams drove in the other run and wasted no time in extending his hitting streak to 15 games, with a leadoff single to start the game.
Higgins finished off a game that graduate starter Carter Monke went 5.2 IP, with four Ks, scattering four hits and three runs, while keeping the Hawkeyes' high-powered offense in check, as Iowa entered Wednesday leading the B1G and ranking 10th in the NCAA in batting average at .315, along with second in the league and 22nd in the nation in hits with 537, averaging 10.6 hits per game.Â
Can't spell Monke with a K!!!
— Michigan State Baseball (@MSUBaseball) May 20, 2026
MSU 1
IOWA 1
Spartan hurler strikes out the side in B2nd!!
T3rd will have a Bright start to the stanza!#GoGreen | @cartermonks pic.twitter.com/YtmQHMvRkE
However Monke, junior reliever Gannon Grundman, and Higgins combined to stymie the Hawkeye bats with just seven hits. Grundman went 2.1 IP with three hits, no runs, no walks and two punchouts to earn the win.
Higgins pitched a hitless and scoreless ninth with two strikeouts, to earn the save with a strikeout to end the game and seal the Victory for MSU.
VICTORY FOR MSU!!!
— Michigan State Baseball (@MSUBaseball) May 21, 2026
High fives & handshakes ALLLLL AROUND!!
Final score:
(12) MSU 4, (8) Iowa 3
Higgins chalks up his 2nd game-ending strikeout in as many days for MSU's 2nd upset in as many days!!
On to the quarters vs (4) USC on Friday at 10 am ET / 9 am CT!!#VictoryForMSU pic.twitter.com/SLbXnhQ2sF
With the win, MSU moves on to the single elimination portion of the B1G Tournament bracket and will play No. 4 seed USC in the quarterfinals on Friday at 10 a.m. ET / 9 a.m. CT.Â
The Spartans have continued their B1G Tournament run, as they were the last team to qualify, doing so on the last day of the regular season, and have now won two games in the same B1G Tournament for the first time since 2016.
Overall, MSU is making its 17th appearance in the B1G Tournament, including its 10th under head coach Jake Boss Jr., and the Spartans have won at least one game in seven of the 10 visits, as well as two games in five of the previous 10 tournaments.
The Spartans improved to 24-31, winning three games in a row for the first time this season, as well as winning five of the last six games and eight of their last 11.
Iowa slid to 33-22 overall and will face No. 4 seed Purdue on Thursday in an elimination game.
Wednesday was the first B1G Tournament meeting between the Spartans and Hawkeyes since 2002, and MSU now leads the BTT series with Iowa, 2-1, as Wednesday's win joined the Green & White's win in 1983, their first B1G Tournament appearance.
MSU has now won three of four games with Iowa on the season, winning the season series on March 20-21 in East Lansing, taking two of three, in MSU's home opener.
Williams finished the game 2-for-6 with the one RBI, extending his hit streak to 15 games, the longest since McKay had a 16-game streak in 2024.
That's 15!!
— Michigan State Baseball (@MSUBaseball) May 20, 2026
Nick Williams wastes no time in extending his hitting streak to 15-games with leadoff hit!
It's not only the longest of season by a Spartan, but the longest by a Spartan player since 2024 when teammate Ryan McKay had a 16-game streak!!#GoGreen | @NicklasWilliam1 pic.twitter.com/Lmf6WmzxAU
McKay finsihed 1-for-2 with the two runs driven in, drawing one walk. Sophomore designated hitter Isaac Sturgess was 1-for-4 with two runs scored and a walk. Freshman infielder CJ Deckinga was 1-for-2 and a run scored.
Deckinga played a part of a key play in the game, swinging on strike three in the seventh, but the ball got away from the Iowa catcher and Deckinga scampered to first, and an errant throw sailed over the first baseman's head, allowing junior outfielder Parker Picot to come around from second after reaching on a hit-by-pitch, and moving to second on a walk by senior infielder Randy Seymour, who finished 1-for-3, with a double in the second stanza.
Sophomore infielder Dayton Murphy was 1-for-4 and added a walk, while also making a leather-flashing play at shortstop in the fourth, following up a nifty snag by McKay at second.
Flashin' the leather in the middle of the infield!!
— Michigan State Baseball (@MSUBaseball) May 20, 2026
McKay and Murphy making snazzy glove saves and beauties!!
End 4th |
MSU 2
Iowa 1#GoGreen | @Ryanmckay51 | @daytonmurph pic.twitter.com/2aLuSjxlEv
The Hawkeyes got on the board first with a run in their opening at bat for an early 1-0 lead.
The Spartans quickly tied it up with a run in the top of the second on a sacrifice fly by McKay, driving in Sturgess, who reached on a leadoff walk and moved to third on Seymour's double down the left field line.
MSU took the lead with a run in the fourth on another RBI without a hit, this time on an RBI groundout by Williams, plating Deckinga, who sparked the rally with a one-out walk.
Iowa took the lead with a two-run sixth stanza, chasing Monke, before Grundman put an end to the Hawkeyes' rally.
In the top of the seventh, the Spartans put together a one-out rally, as Picot got hit by a pitch, then two batters later, Seymour drew a walk. The rally appeared over when Deckinga struck out, but the dropped strike three by the Iowa catcher and errant throw to first allowed Deckinga to reach and Picot to scamper around with the tying run.
The score stayed tied until the ninth, when Sturgess ignited a one-out rally with a single. Seymour and Deckinga were then both hit by pitches to fill the bases full of Spartans. McKay then knocked an infield single to short to score Sturgess and put the Green & White ahead.
Higgins came on in the ninth and got a flyout and strikeout, before an MSU error got a Hawkeye on base, but Higgins thwarted any threat and snuffed out an Iowa rally with three-straight strikes to for the game-ending strikeout for the Victory for MSU.
The 2026 B1G Baseball Tournament, Presented by IFS.ai, is held at Charles Schwab Field Omaha in Omaha, Nebraska, site of the NCAA Men's College World Series.
The Big Ten Network will broadcast every game of the tournament. Games will also be available on the FOX Sports App. Single-game and all-session packages are on sale at www.bigten.org/baseballtickets.
MSU's schedule is subject to change, fans can stay tuned to MSUSpartans.com and @MSUBaseball on Twitter for schedule updates, along with follow this weekend's action with "Watch Live," "Listen Live" and "Live Stats" links where available.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Grundman, Gannon (2-3)
L: Kyle Alivo (3-3)
S: Higgins, Nolan (4)
Batting:
2B: Seymour, Randy 1
RBI: Williams, Nick 1 ; McKay, Ryan 2
SH: McKay, Ryan 1
SF: McKay, Ryan 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Picot, Parker 1 ; Sturgess, Isaac 2 ; Deckinga, CJ 1
HBP: Bright, Noah 1 ; Picot, Parker 1 ; Seymour, Randy 1 ; Deckinga, CJ 1
Batting:
2B: Ben Swails 1
RBI: Gable Mitchell 1 ; Miles Risley 1 ; Jaixen Frost 1
SF: Miles Risley 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Ben Swails 2 ; Gable Mitchell 1
SB: Ben Swails 2 ; Gable Mitchell 1
CS: Matthew Delgado 1
HBP: Brett White 1
Game Leaders
AB
6
R
0
H
2
RBI
1
AB
4
R
2
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
2
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
INF/OF
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
OF
/ BaseballINF
/ BaseballOF/LHP
/ BaseballOF
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