Make sure you buy a program the next time you go to an MSU baseball game. There are a lot of new faces to keep track of.
With only three starting position players returning from last season, second-year head coach David Grewe is relying on a mix of freshmen and junior college transfers to help fill the roster. Of the 135 names Grewe has penciled into his starting lineups this season, 86 weren't with the program at this time last year.
"It's almost like two first years," Grewe said. "I have to still teach a lot of these guys the system."
The early results are positive. The Spartans are 7-8 heading into today's game at Bowling Green, despite playing one of the tougher nonconference schedules in the country.
MSU has wins against South Florida and then-No. 21 Oklahoma to its credit.
The new Spartans have been a big part of that success. Junior first baseman Evan Friedland, who came from Colby (Kan.) Community College, is second on the team in batting average (.345) and RBIs (11), and has struck out only four times in 55 at-bats.
Junior center fielder Dennis Jones, a transfer from Macomb Community College, has a team-high 13 RBIs and eight stolen bases, including four in Saturday's win in MSU's home opener against Concordia.
Freshman shortstop Chris Roberts, ranked as the Big Ten's No. 2 newcomer by Baseball America, doubled in the winning run against Oklahoma in the ninth inning and is second on the team with a .457 on-base percentage.
Junior pitcher Jon Kibler, a 6-foot-5 lefty from Dundalk (Md.) Community College, has pitched well as MSU's third starter, including a nine-strikeout performance in a win against South Florida.
Grewe said there was a learning curve for the first 10 games of the season as players established what they were capable of, but there now appears to be a pretty clear picture of who can do what.
"Before the season starts, I go through all of our players and I put in there, 'What can he do offensively for us?'" Grewe said. "He's a steal guy, he's a bunt guy, he's a drag guy, he's a hit-and-run guy, he's a let-this-guy-hit guy — I kind of have a good feel for those guys."
The other transformation that has to take place with so much fresh blood — the blending of personalities off the field — has apparently been just as seamless as the one on the field.
"Obviously, there's new personalities, and you've got to get to know everybody," senior pitcher Craig Brookes said, "but I can honestly say this is one of the best teams I've played on since I've been here — if not the best."
So get yourself acquainted with the new names, but consider the transition complete. The Spartans already have.
"The guys have made it pretty easy for me to come in," Kibler said. "They welcomed me in with open arms right away. It was like I was here all along."
