“Guys are staying with the process, which is good,” head coach Jake Boss Jr. said. “We really tried to, I guess, take the thinking out of it — just try to hit balls hard and see what happens. We’ve said it before, hitting is contagious. So when the ball got rolling there, it’s just kind of continued.”

Coming off of three consecutive games where they scored 11 or more runs, the Spartans will look to continue the offensive surge as they open up a three-game series with Minnesota (22-17, 6-3) this weekend at McLane Baseball Stadium at Old College Field, starting Friday at 3:05 p.m. and wrapping Saturday and Sunday both at 1:05 p.m.

“They’re a hard team — they play the game the right way,” senior pitcher Tony Bucciferro said.

“They have some great pitchers. They can hit their spots and everything. It’s going to be a tough game; they’re good every year.”

History hasn’t been kind for the Spartans in the all-time series against Minnesota — a program that has churned out several MLB Hall of Famers, including Dave Winfield and Paul Molitor. But the challenge of facing Minnesota is much lesser this season, especially with the balance of upperclassmen and younger players on the Spartan roster, freshman outfielder Jimmy Pickens said.

“It’s all team, it’s a team atmosphere, it’s always for the team,” Pickens said. “You get better everyday being surrounded by a great team who won the Big Ten title, like Torsten Boss and Ryan Jones and Tony Bucciferro. Those guys are really important to the team.”

Despite winning six of the last 10 — including four in a row — MSU trails the all-time series against the Golden Gophers 36-79. However, the Spartans will look to continue the current winning streak by starting with Bucciferro on the hill on Friday.

“(Minnesota does) everything well — they’re very well-coached,” Boss said. “They’re going to pitch it very well, (and) they play great defense. They have threats up and down the order as far as offensively. … We’re gonna have to play well; we’re gonna have to limit opportunities and take advantage of the opportunities when we have them.”

To go along with a 3-2 record and a 3.08 ERA this season, Bucciferro leads the Big Ten with 55 strikeouts in his 61.1 innings of work and has been an important cog in the weekend rotation. And after having success throughout his career at McLane Baseball Stadium, Bucciferro said he’s looking forward to playing at home.

“I love playing at home in our new stadium,” Bucciferro said. “It just feels right. This place is magical.”

Following the series with the Golden Gophers, the Spartans have the week to recoup before hitting the road for a three-game series with Purdue next weekend in West Lafayette, Ind.