Pickens, Krill and freshman catcher Blaise Salter were drafted by the Detroit Tigers but opted to go to school instead. Right-handed pitcher Mick VanVossen (Texas Rangers) also was selected in last year’s MLB Draft but chose to join his fellow freshmen at MSU.

Not only does Boss think his freshmen will contribute early this season, he expects them to.

“They’re freshmen right now, and a month from now they won’t be,” Boss said. “We’re throwing them right into the fire, and we’re going to see how they compete. So it should be fun.”

Coming off their first Big Ten championship since 1979, the Spartans have some major holes to fill following the departures of first baseman Jeff Holm, center fielder Brandon Eckerle and starting pitcher Kurt Wunderlich. MSU’s freshmen will help replace those players, but Boss said he has a solid group of returning players who will step into bigger roles as well.

Junior second baseman and lead-off hitter Ryan Jones and junior Torsten Boss, who’s transitioning from third to center field, headline the Spartans’ returners. They’re joined by senior right-hander Tony Bucciferro and senior shortstop Justin Scanlon, both of whom are captains for this year’s squad, and various other contributors from last season.

To some, MSU’s youth might be a concern, but Boss said he’s been pleased with the way his seasoned veterans have helped develop the team’s young talent.

“They’ve done a pretty good job of setting the stage for our young guys,” Boss said. “Especially to go out and figure out what it’s going to take to compete and be consistent through 56 games.”

And with game one just days away, Boss is more excited to start the season than worried about how his freshmen will perform.

“There’s some unknowns there, but at the same time, they’re really talented kids,” Boss said. “They’re kids you can trust, they’re good kids, they’re good leaders, they work hard, and we’ll go compete with those guys any day.”

Winter work
The baseball offseason can be a long one in the northern states, as the weather forces players off the field for months at a time.

This winter’s mild temperatures have given MSU a chance to be outside more often than previous years, Boss said, but the Spartans still spent the majority of their time perfecting their craft in the indoor facility at McLane Baseball Stadium.

“From the time between fall baseball until now is really the time we start to break down swings and really look at the mechanics of the swing or mechanics of the arm action and things of that nature,” Boss said. “(We) really kind of get in there and get to the nuts and bolts of things and really start to make improvements.”

Boss said players also worked on their bodies during the offseason, getting bigger and stronger before opening day.

Perhaps most importantly, Boss said he and his staff had a chance to coach up those young players they expect to be difference makers this season. And although he believes his team is ready, Boss won’t know for sure until the Spartans take the field for their first game.

“Those guys have no idea what they’re going to face until Friday when we go out and compete,” Boss said. “But it’s going to be fun. They’re going to learn a lot in a hurry.”

Final Chapter
Friday’s game is part of the fourth annual Big Ten/Big East Baseball Challenge, which matches the top teams from each conference the year before.

Along with the 4 p.m. matchup with St. John’s on Friday, MSU also plays at 1 p.m. Saturday against South Florida in Clearwater, Fla., and finishes with Louisville at 10 a.m. Sunday in St. Petersburg, Fla.

With the chance to play other northern schools early in the season, Boss loves the concept of the Big East/Big Ten Challenge, but he said this will be the last year competing in it because of “logistical issues.”

“It’s a great idea,” Boss said. “It’s too bad it’s not going to continue. But at the same time, we’ll be able to find some other things, especially to start the season, that are going to benefit our ball club.”