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Jersey Number 13
CJ Deckinga
- Position:
- INF/OF
- Height:
- 6-4
- Weight:
- 200
- B/T::
- R/R
- Class:
- Freshman
- Hometown:
- Minooka, Ill.
- High School:
- Minooka HS
2026 (FRESHMAN): Named one of the D1Baseball’s Preseason Top Big Ten Freshmen list, announced by the platform ahead of the 2026 season, and 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 ... Played in 52 games, making 50 starts, with 47 starts at third base, adding three at shortstop ... Posted a .244 average with 44 hits, including 11 doubles and six home runs, logging 30 RBI, 29 runs scored and 22 walks, adding four stolen bases ... Ranked tied for third on the team in both home runs (6) and games started (50), along with ranking fourth in doubles (11), walks (22) and games played (52), in addition to fifth in RBI (30) ... Made collegiate debut on Feb. 13 in season-opener at No. 8 Louisville and helped Spartans to upset ... Registered first hit of collegiate career on Feb. 22 at No. 3 Texas ... Knocked first double as a Spartan on Feb. 27 vs. Illinois at Fluor Field in Greenville, S.C. ... Decked first career home run on March 14 at Rutgers, as part of first career multiple hit outing ... Logged 11 multiple-hit games, highlighted by season-high three hits in two games, both at home, first on March 28 vs. Purdue and again on May 6 vs. Western Michigan, along with two hits in nine games ... Tied for fourth on team with seven multiple-RBI games, highlighted by a season-high seven RBI on March 28 vs. Purdue, boosted by his first collegiate grand slam in the second innings, adding a three-run homer in the ninth inning, for first two-HR game as a Spartan, finishing with a season-high three hits on a 3-for-4 outing at the plate with seven RBI and two runs scored ... the seven RBI made him the second Spartan of the season with seven or more RBI in a game, joining junior outfielder teammate Parker Picot’s eight on Feb. 14 at No. 8 Louisville, while becoming the first Spartan with exactly seven RBI in a game since Bailey Peterson had seven on May 23, 2021 at Rutgers (4-for-5, 2 HR; W, 14-8) ... Had three different six-game hitting streaks, including spurt from March 20-28 with 11 hits in six games, with four-straight games of two or more hits, capped by first three-hit outing of season on March 28 vs. Purdue and after one game without a hit, notched a hit in next four games for a spurt of at least one hit in 10 of 11 games ... Added another six-game hit streak April 18-26 and another from May 12-20, finishing season with at least one hit in nine of last 11 games of season and in 16 out of 21 games of season ... Had season-long 12-game reached base streak from March 18-April 8 ... Made season-high four putouts vs. Purdue (March 29), while logging four assists in four games, finishing ranking third on team in assists (73), finishing with a .937 fielding percentage.
HIGH SCHOOL: Was a three-year letterwinner at Minooka High School for coach Jeff Petrovic ... Helped Minooka to a 33-4 record as a senior ... Was a two-time All-Southwest Prairie Conference honoree ... Registered a .400 batting average as a senior with 30 RBI, logging a .521 on-base percentage, .657 slugging percentage and a 1.179 OPS ... Hit .273 at the plate as a junior in 35 games, with 28 RBI, posting three doubles and four home runs, while posting a 7-1 record on the mound with 52 Ks and a 3.09 ERA in 43.0 IP, helping MHS to a 24-11 record ... Notched a .250 average as a sophomore, with three doubles and six RBI at the plate, posting four Ks and no earned runs in 3.0 IP on the mound ... Saw action in 15 games as a freshman, recording a .375 average with two doubles and five RBI ... Ranked as the No. 1 3B/OF and No. 8 overall player in the state of Illinois by Prep Baseball Report ... Selected to play in the Future Games as well as attend the Prep Baseball Report Super 60 and the PBR Illinois Preseason ProCase ... Also lettered on the Minooka HS basketball team ... Earned the Rising Star Award for basketball ... Recipient of Minooka HS Scholar-Athlete Award for both baseball and basketball ... Intends on playing with the Kenosha Kingfish in the summer of 2026.
PERSONAL: Son of Liz and Chris Deckinga ... Lists the first of his greatest athletic experiences as his first at bat in the 2023 Futures Game representing Team Illinois, hitting a home run over the left field fence, capping his hard word and workouts and boosted the interest he received from college programs, in addition to his other moment of hitting a grand slam in game played at Cooperstown when he was 12, as one of the best baseball experiences of his life and team building, which solidified his dream of playing baseball in high school, college and beyond ... Had over 50 initial offers before choosing MSU over Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Notre Dame, Purdue and Kentucky ... Chose Michigan State because MSU runs in his family, as his grandparents met and fell in love at MSU, and while growing up, he lived and breathed Green & White with his parents and grandparents, and always wanting to come to Michigan State as a kid, and knew when he stepped on campus during recruiting visit that it just felt right to him and was a perfect fit for him for athletically, academically, campus life and community atmosphere ... Majoring in business.
HIGH SCHOOL: Was a three-year letterwinner at Minooka High School for coach Jeff Petrovic ... Helped Minooka to a 33-4 record as a senior ... Was a two-time All-Southwest Prairie Conference honoree ... Registered a .400 batting average as a senior with 30 RBI, logging a .521 on-base percentage, .657 slugging percentage and a 1.179 OPS ... Hit .273 at the plate as a junior in 35 games, with 28 RBI, posting three doubles and four home runs, while posting a 7-1 record on the mound with 52 Ks and a 3.09 ERA in 43.0 IP, helping MHS to a 24-11 record ... Notched a .250 average as a sophomore, with three doubles and six RBI at the plate, posting four Ks and no earned runs in 3.0 IP on the mound ... Saw action in 15 games as a freshman, recording a .375 average with two doubles and five RBI ... Ranked as the No. 1 3B/OF and No. 8 overall player in the state of Illinois by Prep Baseball Report ... Selected to play in the Future Games as well as attend the Prep Baseball Report Super 60 and the PBR Illinois Preseason ProCase ... Also lettered on the Minooka HS basketball team ... Earned the Rising Star Award for basketball ... Recipient of Minooka HS Scholar-Athlete Award for both baseball and basketball ... Intends on playing with the Kenosha Kingfish in the summer of 2026.
PERSONAL: Son of Liz and Chris Deckinga ... Lists the first of his greatest athletic experiences as his first at bat in the 2023 Futures Game representing Team Illinois, hitting a home run over the left field fence, capping his hard word and workouts and boosted the interest he received from college programs, in addition to his other moment of hitting a grand slam in game played at Cooperstown when he was 12, as one of the best baseball experiences of his life and team building, which solidified his dream of playing baseball in high school, college and beyond ... Had over 50 initial offers before choosing MSU over Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Notre Dame, Purdue and Kentucky ... Chose Michigan State because MSU runs in his family, as his grandparents met and fell in love at MSU, and while growing up, he lived and breathed Green & White with his parents and grandparents, and always wanting to come to Michigan State as a kid, and knew when he stepped on campus during recruiting visit that it just felt right to him and was a perfect fit for him for athletically, academically, campus life and community atmosphere ... Majoring in business.
Tuesday, February 24
Monday, February 16
Monday, January 26
Monday, May 19
