The 6-foot-5, 225-pound native of Bloomfield Hills, Mich., Salter also happens to be the grandson of legendary Tigers catcher Bill Freehan. During his decorated 15-year career in Detroit, Freehan was an 11-time All-Star selection, five-time Gold Glove recipient and was a prominent member of the 1968 Tigers, who defeated the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series.

Despite playing in a different venue than his grandfather once did — Freehan played in the now-demolished Tiger Stadium several blocks from Comerica Park — Salter said he’s grateful for the opportunity to play in the city where his grandfather made so many memories, both for himself and for the city of Detroit.

“With my grandpa playing for the Tigers for such a long time, it’s always special going back there and just remembering all the stuff he did there,” Salter said. “It’s always nice to go back there and just reminisce on what he did and how great the city of Detroit is for baseball.”

The Spartans (33-17 overall, 12-9 Big Ten) take on Central Michigan (28-25, 15-9 MAC) for the third time this season in the Tuesday evening showdown (7 p.m., Big Ten Network). In the previous two matchups, MSU defeated the Chippewas 6-5 at McLane Baseball Stadium at Old College Field and 11-1 in Mount Pleasant, Mich., respectively.

Last season, the two programs met in the first-ever college baseball game at Comerica Park, with the Spartans picking up the 3-1 victory on a chilly Wednesday evening in April.

“That was a good event last year and it was a lot of fun,” sophomore pitcher David Garner said. “That’s a trip that everybody goes to so we kind of get there a little early and walk around on the field. They got a really nice locker room. It’s nice to see that insides of what you plan to hopefully become someday.”

For many of the players who didn’t get to experience last year’s event, though, it still won’t be the first time playing at the 41,255-seat stadium in downtown Detroit. Many have played in various league and all-star games at Comerica Park including Salter, who participated in the Michigan High School Baseball Coaches Association All-Star Game last June as a member of Orchard Lake St.
Mary’s baseball team.

But there’s still excitement for both the players and coaches surrounding the program’s premier showcase event of the season, head coach Jake Boss Jr. said.

Boss said he realizes how special the Clash at Comerica is for everyone involved in the program playing at a venue that has hosted an MLB All-Star weekend, World Series games and — later in 2012 — outdoor college hockey games of the Great Lakes Invitational. Even in the heat of a race for second place in the Big Ten standings, Boss said his players still are anticipating the unique opportunity afforded to them of playing at Comerica Park.

“They’ve been talking about it for a while and the fact that it’s later in the year, hopefully the weather’s going to be good and we can get a nice crowd there,” Boss said. “There’s a lot of excitement to go down there and to play in that atmosphere and get a chance to experience what the big leaguers do.”