Oakland, an in-state competitor, comes into the game at 9-14 overall and 2-4 in the Horizon League.

The Golden Grizzlies have a strong offense, accumulating a team batting average of nearly .300 and are averaging 8.3 runs per game. The offense is led by infielder Lucas Day, who leads the team in batting average with .385, home runs, with six and runs batted in with 21.

Another threat Oakland presents is speed on the base paths. The team ranks third in the entire country in steals with 69 on the season. The attack on the bases is led by outfielders Trent Rice and Reggie Bussey, with 20 and 15 steals respectively.

The Spartan offense was explosive in their win against Michigan putting up 16 runs, a performance they’ll be looking to replicate in the matchup against Oakland. 

Infielder Randy Seymour was a standout in the Michigan State-Michigan game, as he had two hits and brought in three runs. Catcher Sam Thompson also helped the Spartans offensively, collecting two hits as well and tallying four runs. They were two of five players with two hits, while outfielder Landon Lozier and infielder Dillon Kark both collected three hits.

Right-hander Aaron Mishoulam pitched four innings and allowed just one earned run on six hits, along with four strikeouts. Right-hander Noah Matheny got the win, his first of the season by having three hitless innings in relief, striking out two players.

Oakland’s pitching lineup has a whopping 8.18 earned runs average on the season as a whole, and an opposing batting average of .326. These stats bode well for a Spartan offense who just put up 16 runs and has hit the ball well altogether so far this season.

Michigan State baseball will play Oakland on Wednesday, March 27 at 4:05 p.m at McLane Stadium in East Lansing.