2024 Baseball Roster
Roster
Dzierwa, Joseph
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Jersey Number 16
Joseph Dzierwa
- Position:
- LHP
- Height:
- 6-7
- Weight:
- 200
- Class:
- Sophomore
- Hometown:
- Haskins, Ohio
- High School:
- Otsego HS
Bio
DRAFTED: Drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 2nd round and the 58th overall pick of the 2025 MLB Draft.
CAREER NOTES: Garnered College Sports Communicators Academic All-America® Third-Team accolades to become 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 ... 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 ... A two-time College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District honoree, earning accolades in sophomore season of 2024 and junior season of 2025 ... National semifinalist for three 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 ... Named Big Ten Pitcher of the Year in 2025 and also garnered First Team All-B1G accolades, and was the only player that was a unanimous selection to the First Team ... Garnered Second Team All-Big Ten accolades as a sophomore in 2024 ... Earned Big Ten All-Freshman Team recognition in 2023 ... Named the recipient of both the John Kobs Most Valuable Player and Robin Roberts Most Valuable Pitcher Awards for MSU team awards in 2025, marking first time since 2018 that the same player did not win both the John Kobs MVP and Kirk Gibson Offensive Player of the Year Award ... Recipient of the MSU team award for the Robin Roberts Most Valuable Pitcher Award as a sophomore in 2024.
2025 (JUNIOR): National semifinalist for three 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 ... Named Big Ten Pitcher of the Year in 2025 and also garnered First Team All-B1G accolades, and was the only player that was a unanimous selection to the First Team ... Named the recipient of both the John Kobs Most Valuable Player and Robin Roberts Most Valuable Pitcher Awards for MSU team awards, marking first time since 2018 that the same player did not win both the John Kobs MVP and Kirk Gibson Offensive Player of the Year Award ... Earned College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District honors ... 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 he 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, 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 ... 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 ... Threw one complete game shutout, as part of four combined shutouts, in holding the opposition to .201 against him this season ... 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).
2024 (SOPHOMORE): Garnered College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District accolades ... Earned Second Team All-Big Ten honors ... Was second in the B1G in both innings pitched (84.0) and strikeouts (91), third in the B1G overall in WHIP (1.19), third in B1G only in IP (48.2), sixth in B1G only in strikeouts (43), eighth overall in K/9 (9.7), ninth in the B1G overall in ERA (4.07) and tied for 14th in the B1G overall in BB/9 (2.9) ... In final outing of the season, rang up a career-high 11 strikeouts against Nebraska on May 17, topping his previous career-best of nine Ks done four previous times this season, most recently vs Michigan on May 3 ... Was the only Spartan pitcher to chalk up double-digit strikeouts this season and the first since March 11, 2023 when Adam Berghorst rang up 11 Ks vs. Western Carolina at Fluor Field in Greenville, S.C. ... The 11 Ks was the first double-digit strikeout outing by a Spartan pitcher at home since April 25, 2021 when Sam Benschoter chalked up 17 strikeouts in 9.1 IP of relief that was also against Nebraska ... With the 91 strikeouts on the season, had a big role in the Spartan pitching staff amassing 420 total strikeouts on the season, finishing No. 3 on MSU’s team strikeouts list and the most since 445 in 2019 ... Made mark in MSU’s record books, as the 91 strikeouts are No. 8 on MSU’s single-season Top 10 strikeouts list, the most by a Spartan pitcher since 2016 when Dakota Mekkes rang up 96.
2023 (FRESHMAN): Named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team ... Finished season with 16 appearances, making 13 starts, posting a 6-4 record with a 5.69 ERA, logging team-high 60 strikeouts to just 22 walks, in team-leading 74.1 IP overall, limiting the opposition to .228 ... Finished tied for eighth in the B1G overall in wins (6) ... Ranked tied for third in B1G only stats for wins (4) ... Tied for fourth in the B1G regular-season in wins (6), while also tying for fourth in the conference in walks allowed per nine innings (2.45), along with just outside the top 10 in the conference in strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.84) and tied for 23rd in BAA (.271) ... He was also 11th in the league in innings pitched (69.2), and 21st in the conference in strikeouts ... Led MSU in wins (6), starts (13), innings pitched (74.1) and strikeouts (60), while ranking second in strikeouts looking (17) ... Had a smashing gem of a Spartan and collegiate debut in season-opener vs. Michigan (Feb. 17) at MLB Desert Invite in Phoenix, chalking up five strikeouts in 4.2 IP, holding UM to just three hits without a run, earning first collegiate win in first appearance for the Green & White ... Named Big Ten Freshman of the Week on April 10 for his performance in a 7-1 Victory for MSU over Ohio State (April 7), as the Spartan southpaw went 6.0 solid innings, yielding just three hits while allowing only one run, with four walks and four strikeouts to earn the win in Michigan State’s 7-1 triumph over Ohio State, to improve to 4-1 on the season, and helped lead the Spartans to head coach Jake Boss Jr. winning his 400th Victory for MSU ... Was boosted by a pair of three-up, three-down frames, working a non-conventional 1-2-3 opening inning, yielding a one-out single, before inducing a 5-4-3, two-outs, one-play to end the opening frame; then book-ended the fourth inning with strikeouts, sandwiched around a flyout to Dresselhouse in center, who made a nice running shoe-top catch ... Rang up season-high eight strikeouts in just 3.2 IP at Indiana State (March 19), yielding just one hit ... Chalked up five or more Ks in six outings, including first three of season ... Earned second win in as many outings in earning win in first start, going 6.0 IP at USC Upstate (Feb. 24) in ringing up five punchouts and scattering seven hits ... Went season-long 6.2 IP at Charleston (March 3) ... Also earned win in start at Rutgers (March 31), going 5.0 IP with one K, four hits and just one run ... Had two outings without a run and five outings with three or less hits, along with three outings without allowing a walk ... Rang up six punchouts while scattering six hits and yielding just one run start vs. Nebraska in B1G Tournament (May 26) ... Fielded position by sharing staff-lead with eight assists, adding two putouts, including season-high three assists vs. Nebraska in B1G tourney game (May 26).
HIGH SCHOOL: Was a four-year letterwinner at Otsego High School for head coach Chase Welker ... Posted a 5-0 record and fired 70 strikeouts in 37.1 innings pitched as a senior, only allowing two earned runs with a minuscule 0.38 ERA, yielding only 14 hits, posting four shutouts and firing five complete games in seven starts ... Collected second-team Ohio High School Baseball Coaches Association’s All-Ohio Division III accolades ... Garnered All-Northern Buckeye Conference honors as a junior, after breaking the Otsego HS single-season strikeout record with 115 ... Also broke the Knights’ records for single-game strikeouts with 18 and single-season innings pitched mark with 66.3, and also tied the single-season wins record with seven ... Finished the season with a 7-3 record and a 2.01 ERA, with the 115 strikeouts and 15 walks in 66.3 IP, helping the Knights to the district finals ... Rated as the No. 5 left-handed pitcher in the state of Ohio and the No. 19 overall player in the state by Prep Baseball Report ... Rated as the No. 484 prospect in its top 500 prospect rankings by Baseball American and also No. 181 among the top 400 MLB Draft prospects by Prospects Live, but continued amateur baseball status and attended Michigan State ... Played summer league for Bo Jackson Elite ... Also a standout quarterback at Otsego HS, where his head coach is his father, Matthew, and was a four-year letterwinner in football ... Named football team captain for 2021 season ... Earned All-Ohio and All-Northern Buckeye Conference honors as a senior and was named the Northern Buckeye Conference Player/Back of the Year and all-district co-offensive player of the year... Helped the Knights win the NBC League Championship, and the OHSAA State Playoffs, playing in the Region 18 semifinals ... Threw for 2,149 yards with 25 TD and three INT, while also rushing for 412 yards and three TDs in senior season ... As a junior, threw for 2,067 yards and 22 TDs on 143-of-238 passing, while rushing for 245 yards in earning Division V Northwest District Offensive Player of the Year and first-team All-Ohio accolades ... Also a three-year letterwinner in basketball at shooting guard ... Chose MSU over Ohio State, Indiana, Missouri, Toledo, Bowling Green and Army.
PERSONAL: Son of Dasa and Matthew Dzierwa ... Father, Matthew, played football at Northwestern (1988-92) ... Majoring in business with career ambitions of owning his own business when his baseball career is over ... Lists his father as biggest baseball influence because of all of his help and support ... Lists greatest athletic experience making it to the football semifinals last season, with all the fans’ and community support ... Chose Michigan State because everyone he met either over the phone or in person was genuine to him and once got to campus, felt that it was the best fit for him, as well as the beautiful scenery and campus environment.
CAREER NOTES: Garnered College Sports Communicators Academic All-America® Third-Team accolades to become 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 ... 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 ... A two-time College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District honoree, earning accolades in sophomore season of 2024 and junior season of 2025 ... National semifinalist for three 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 ... Named Big Ten Pitcher of the Year in 2025 and also garnered First Team All-B1G accolades, and was the only player that was a unanimous selection to the First Team ... Garnered Second Team All-Big Ten accolades as a sophomore in 2024 ... Earned Big Ten All-Freshman Team recognition in 2023 ... Named the recipient of both the John Kobs Most Valuable Player and Robin Roberts Most Valuable Pitcher Awards for MSU team awards in 2025, marking first time since 2018 that the same player did not win both the John Kobs MVP and Kirk Gibson Offensive Player of the Year Award ... Recipient of the MSU team award for the Robin Roberts Most Valuable Pitcher Award as a sophomore in 2024.
2025 (JUNIOR): National semifinalist for three 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 ... Named Big Ten Pitcher of the Year in 2025 and also garnered First Team All-B1G accolades, and was the only player that was a unanimous selection to the First Team ... Named the recipient of both the John Kobs Most Valuable Player and Robin Roberts Most Valuable Pitcher Awards for MSU team awards, marking first time since 2018 that the same player did not win both the John Kobs MVP and Kirk Gibson Offensive Player of the Year Award ... Earned College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District honors ... 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 he 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, 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 ... 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 ... Threw one complete game shutout, as part of four combined shutouts, in holding the opposition to .201 against him this season ... 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).
2024 (SOPHOMORE): Garnered College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District accolades ... Earned Second Team All-Big Ten honors ... Was second in the B1G in both innings pitched (84.0) and strikeouts (91), third in the B1G overall in WHIP (1.19), third in B1G only in IP (48.2), sixth in B1G only in strikeouts (43), eighth overall in K/9 (9.7), ninth in the B1G overall in ERA (4.07) and tied for 14th in the B1G overall in BB/9 (2.9) ... In final outing of the season, rang up a career-high 11 strikeouts against Nebraska on May 17, topping his previous career-best of nine Ks done four previous times this season, most recently vs Michigan on May 3 ... Was the only Spartan pitcher to chalk up double-digit strikeouts this season and the first since March 11, 2023 when Adam Berghorst rang up 11 Ks vs. Western Carolina at Fluor Field in Greenville, S.C. ... The 11 Ks was the first double-digit strikeout outing by a Spartan pitcher at home since April 25, 2021 when Sam Benschoter chalked up 17 strikeouts in 9.1 IP of relief that was also against Nebraska ... With the 91 strikeouts on the season, had a big role in the Spartan pitching staff amassing 420 total strikeouts on the season, finishing No. 3 on MSU’s team strikeouts list and the most since 445 in 2019 ... Made mark in MSU’s record books, as the 91 strikeouts are No. 8 on MSU’s single-season Top 10 strikeouts list, the most by a Spartan pitcher since 2016 when Dakota Mekkes rang up 96.
2023 (FRESHMAN): Named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team ... Finished season with 16 appearances, making 13 starts, posting a 6-4 record with a 5.69 ERA, logging team-high 60 strikeouts to just 22 walks, in team-leading 74.1 IP overall, limiting the opposition to .228 ... Finished tied for eighth in the B1G overall in wins (6) ... Ranked tied for third in B1G only stats for wins (4) ... Tied for fourth in the B1G regular-season in wins (6), while also tying for fourth in the conference in walks allowed per nine innings (2.45), along with just outside the top 10 in the conference in strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.84) and tied for 23rd in BAA (.271) ... He was also 11th in the league in innings pitched (69.2), and 21st in the conference in strikeouts ... Led MSU in wins (6), starts (13), innings pitched (74.1) and strikeouts (60), while ranking second in strikeouts looking (17) ... Had a smashing gem of a Spartan and collegiate debut in season-opener vs. Michigan (Feb. 17) at MLB Desert Invite in Phoenix, chalking up five strikeouts in 4.2 IP, holding UM to just three hits without a run, earning first collegiate win in first appearance for the Green & White ... Named Big Ten Freshman of the Week on April 10 for his performance in a 7-1 Victory for MSU over Ohio State (April 7), as the Spartan southpaw went 6.0 solid innings, yielding just three hits while allowing only one run, with four walks and four strikeouts to earn the win in Michigan State’s 7-1 triumph over Ohio State, to improve to 4-1 on the season, and helped lead the Spartans to head coach Jake Boss Jr. winning his 400th Victory for MSU ... Was boosted by a pair of three-up, three-down frames, working a non-conventional 1-2-3 opening inning, yielding a one-out single, before inducing a 5-4-3, two-outs, one-play to end the opening frame; then book-ended the fourth inning with strikeouts, sandwiched around a flyout to Dresselhouse in center, who made a nice running shoe-top catch ... Rang up season-high eight strikeouts in just 3.2 IP at Indiana State (March 19), yielding just one hit ... Chalked up five or more Ks in six outings, including first three of season ... Earned second win in as many outings in earning win in first start, going 6.0 IP at USC Upstate (Feb. 24) in ringing up five punchouts and scattering seven hits ... Went season-long 6.2 IP at Charleston (March 3) ... Also earned win in start at Rutgers (March 31), going 5.0 IP with one K, four hits and just one run ... Had two outings without a run and five outings with three or less hits, along with three outings without allowing a walk ... Rang up six punchouts while scattering six hits and yielding just one run start vs. Nebraska in B1G Tournament (May 26) ... Fielded position by sharing staff-lead with eight assists, adding two putouts, including season-high three assists vs. Nebraska in B1G tourney game (May 26).
HIGH SCHOOL: Was a four-year letterwinner at Otsego High School for head coach Chase Welker ... Posted a 5-0 record and fired 70 strikeouts in 37.1 innings pitched as a senior, only allowing two earned runs with a minuscule 0.38 ERA, yielding only 14 hits, posting four shutouts and firing five complete games in seven starts ... Collected second-team Ohio High School Baseball Coaches Association’s All-Ohio Division III accolades ... Garnered All-Northern Buckeye Conference honors as a junior, after breaking the Otsego HS single-season strikeout record with 115 ... Also broke the Knights’ records for single-game strikeouts with 18 and single-season innings pitched mark with 66.3, and also tied the single-season wins record with seven ... Finished the season with a 7-3 record and a 2.01 ERA, with the 115 strikeouts and 15 walks in 66.3 IP, helping the Knights to the district finals ... Rated as the No. 5 left-handed pitcher in the state of Ohio and the No. 19 overall player in the state by Prep Baseball Report ... Rated as the No. 484 prospect in its top 500 prospect rankings by Baseball American and also No. 181 among the top 400 MLB Draft prospects by Prospects Live, but continued amateur baseball status and attended Michigan State ... Played summer league for Bo Jackson Elite ... Also a standout quarterback at Otsego HS, where his head coach is his father, Matthew, and was a four-year letterwinner in football ... Named football team captain for 2021 season ... Earned All-Ohio and All-Northern Buckeye Conference honors as a senior and was named the Northern Buckeye Conference Player/Back of the Year and all-district co-offensive player of the year... Helped the Knights win the NBC League Championship, and the OHSAA State Playoffs, playing in the Region 18 semifinals ... Threw for 2,149 yards with 25 TD and three INT, while also rushing for 412 yards and three TDs in senior season ... As a junior, threw for 2,067 yards and 22 TDs on 143-of-238 passing, while rushing for 245 yards in earning Division V Northwest District Offensive Player of the Year and first-team All-Ohio accolades ... Also a three-year letterwinner in basketball at shooting guard ... Chose MSU over Ohio State, Indiana, Missouri, Toledo, Bowling Green and Army.
PERSONAL: Son of Dasa and Matthew Dzierwa ... Father, Matthew, played football at Northwestern (1988-92) ... Majoring in business with career ambitions of owning his own business when his baseball career is over ... Lists his father as biggest baseball influence because of all of his help and support ... Lists greatest athletic experience making it to the football semifinals last season, with all the fans’ and community support ... Chose Michigan State because everyone he met either over the phone or in person was genuine to him and once got to campus, felt that it was the best fit for him, as well as the beautiful scenery and campus environment.
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