Senior first baseman Jeff Holm hits the ball March 27 at Ray Fisher Stadium at Wilpon Baseball Complex in Ann Arbor. The Spartans defeated Michigan, 5-4.
Kurt Wunderlich remembers being clowned on his first day of baseball practice at MSU.
Playing in 66 games and compiling 24 wins — good for the second most in the history of the program — the senior pitcher has anchored the Spartan (32-18 overall, 13-8 Big Ten) pitching staff by hitting his spots and letting the defense work behind him.
Wunderlich graduated from high school one semester early, and while his friends from Des Peres, Mo., were suiting up in colorful tuxedos for prom, he came to East Lansing and jumped into the pitching staff.
“(Former MSU pitcher) Peter Wolff got me and told me I had the wrong hat on — I fell for it bad,” Wunderlich said. “It was fun, and those guys really welcomed me in. When I showed up late, it didn’t matter to them.”
Wunderlich will take the mound at McLane Baseball Stadium at Kobs Field on today for the last home series of the season against Northwestern (19-27, 9-11).
Not only are the Spartans fighting to send their senior class — which includes outfielder Brandon Eckerle, first baseman Jeff Holm, pitcher Stephen Doty, pitcher Andrew Webb and catcher Seth Williams — out on a good note, but they’re in a battle for a Big Ten championship.
“It’s something, like I said, that we dreamed about when we got here three years ago, and it’s the time of the year,” MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr. said.
“If you’re sleeping well at night this time of year, I guess you don’t have a whole lot to play for, so that’s a good feeling to have.”
Progress
When Boss came to MSU from Eastern Michigan in 2008 to replace former head coach David Grewe, the senior class was a group of sophomores at the time, and the program was very different.
After struggling to be competitive for most of the previous decade, the play on the field has improved greatly.
In just his second season, Boss guided the Spartans to a 34-19 record in 2010, tying the fifth most wins in program history. The success has continued into this season as the Spartans have relied on strong pitching and driving in runs to overpower opponents and go into the final weekend series of the season with a chance to win the first Big Ten title since 1979.
“Each year, we’ve improved as a team, and each year the freshmen keep getting better and better,” Eckerle said. “This program is definitely on the rise, and I think we’re going to be a force in the Big Ten for years to come.”
Much of the offensive success can be attributed to the tandem of Eckerle and Holm, who have been mainstays in the middle of the order for MSU for close to three seasons.
Eckerle will leave MSU as its career hits leader (252 through Thursday). Meanwhile, Holm will be high on the list of many key categories, including sixth in hits (225), and he is within reach to break the MSU career RBIs record, where he is in a tie for fourth (148).
Wunderlich needs four wins to tie Stuart Hirschman and Bryan Gale for first place in MSU career wins as well as move up on the top-10 list of innings pitched and potentially could pass Mark Mulder for tenth on the strikeouts list.
“Eckerle and Holm are two of our best position guys,” Boss said.
“Eckerle sets the table, and Holm drives the runs in. … That’s what you need your seniors to do — you need them to be your best players. And those three guys have been.”
Finishing strong
After losing a chance to compete in their second straight Big Ten Tournament on the last day of the season in 2010 on a walk-off home run by Northwestern, the Spartan seniors vow to relax and stay focused headed into the weekend.
Winning a Big Ten championship not only would cement the legacy of this class of seniors at MSU, but it would be instrumental in bringing success to future generations of the Spartan baseball program.
“Going out as a champion is what everybody wants,” Wunderlich said.
“We’re really getting those Michigan kids and trying to win the state and beat every other team in the state and just win a Big Ten championship every year.”
Since joining the Spartans, Boss is 4-2 against Northwestern and hopes to assert some revenge for last year’s heartbreaker in the last home series of the year.
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For the seniors, there would be no greater way to end their careers than hoisting a Big Ten championship for the Green and White — the fifth Big Ten title for the athletics department during this academic year.
“From day one, that was the number one goal: to be Big Ten champs,” Eckerle said. “It hasn’t been done here since 1979.
“To be able to come back here someday and see 2011 Big Ten champions, it’ll be something I’ll always be proud of, and I’d love to share it with my kids and family.”
