MSU baseball head coach David Grewe met with his team last week and commended the players for battling back toward the end of the season. The Spartans lost 11 consecutive Big Ten games during the middle of their 2007 campaign, but a furious late-season rally brought them within one game of earning a spot in the Big Ten Tournament field.
The Green and White fell short in that final do-or-die game, an 8-7 loss to Illinois on May 20, finishing with a 15-16 league record and one game out of the tourney field. But it didn't dampen Grewe's spirit - he's confident the Spartans will be contenders in 2008. He relayed that sentiment to his ballplayers, including the now-departed seniors who will be tied to the team's future successes, even if they can't take the field.
"I told them when we win a championship, I'm going to buy all of (the seniors) championship rings," Grewe said. "They've been here through this two-year culture change with me, and they're helping to change what we're doing here."
Senior catcher Sean Walker was one of those impact players. Walker finished his career with 26 home runs, tying him for seventh all-time at MSU.
"I was very proud of Sean Walker's finish," Grewe said. "He showed against Illinois he can be one of the best hitters in the league."
The remaining players will have to increase their production, but Grewe isn't worried.
Junior infielder Steve Gerstenberger closed the season on a 12-game hitting streak. He finished the season with a team-high .368 batting average and earned a spot on the All-Big Ten second team.
"Steve had a very hot start to the season and a very hot finish," Grewe said. "The team played really well during those stretches because of that.
"I want to see him draw some consistency at the plate and be determined as a senior to be a leader."
If the Spartans can put together a season's worth of quality play, rather than just a strong finish, the team will accomplish several feats that have been absent in MSU baseball for quite some time - including making the NCAA Tournment for the first time in 29 years. If the 2007 season is any indication, MSU isn't that far off.
"Even though we lost to Illinois, I'm very proud of how we finished," Grewe said.
"We could have packed it in with three weeks to go."
