When Boss was hired in the summer of 2008 to replace former head coach David Grewe, he not only set out to raise the bar on expectations for the program but also to develop a style of play that allowed his team to be competitive on a consistent basis.

In just his third season at the helm, Boss led the Spartans to their first Big Ten championship in 32 years by playing hard-nosed, fundamental baseball. Even more important than building a relevant program, Boss — who was named Big Ten Coach of the Year for this season’s accomplishments — has created a swagger for his team and carries an attitude that demands success.

Although the Spartans lost a chance to return to an NCAA regional for the first time since 1979, the season provides an interesting look at the years to come.

Even though MSU is set to lose three of its most decorated baseball players in history — MSU’s all-time hits leader Brandon Eckerle, Big Ten Player of the Year Jeff Holm and Big Ten Pitcher of the Year Kurt Wunderlich — a shiny Big Ten title ring will make it easier for Boss and the Spartans to reload on the recruiting trail.

Boss has built a strong core around the players he inherited with his own recruits. Coming into 2012, the Spartans are loaded with talent, featuring a roster with 22 upperclassmen.

MSU has eight recruits signed and ready to join the roster for the 2012 season, including four players rated in the top 15 in the state by Michiganbaseballprospects.org. Unlike the culture when Eckerle and Holm came to MSU in 2008, the next batch of recruits will walk into a winning program that expects to compete for titles each and every year.

The progress made in three years under Boss brings a certain optimism to a program that has been historically underwhelming. It was encouraging to see fans pack the beautiful McLane Baseball Stadium at Kobs Field for most of the season and even more so to see the team succeed.

Even as the sting of losing to co-Big Ten champion Illinois twice in the Big Ten Tournament last weekend remains fresh in the minds of Boss and his players, the motivation to avenge those losses and prove their dream season was no fluke will be on the to-do list throughout the offseason.

The memory of watching the Fighting Illini celebrate as MSU prepared to head back to East Lansing without any hardware will carry over into next season.

Winning cures everything, but make no mistake that losing will motivate and fuel the fire of next year’s team.

Boss will make sure of it.