Head Coach Jake Boss Jr. enters his 17th season in 2025. MSU added key transfers in the offseason and retained players like Joseph Dzierwa, who turned down an offer from Vanderbilt. Boss and his staff brought in five transfers expected to make an immediate impact.

"Between transfers and returning guys, I like the guys that we have now," said Boss. "There were some guys that I thought underperformed maybe a little bit last year that I think worked hard over the off-season and hopefully are ready, but we won't know until they get out there and go perform."

Ones to watch

Junior LHP Joseph Dzierwa: The 6-foot-8 lefty posted a 4.07 ERA with 6.5 strikeouts per start last season and will be MSU’s ace this spring. His best outing came against Michigan, where he threw eight innings, allowing three hits and two earned runs in a 3-2 win. Dzierwa earned Big Ten Preseason Pitcher of the Year honors in the offseason.

"Everything goes to my team," said Dzierwa. "I'm not here without them, so I gotta give all the credit to these guys for the award."

Dzierwa entered MSU as an "introverted" freshman, learning from veteran pitchers, according to Boss. Since his freshman year, Dzierwa has gained 30 pounds which has translated to velocity on the bump. 

“Now (Dzierwa) is at a point where he's the guy, and I think he really relishes that role," Boss said. "Watching his personality come out, attacking hitters and walking around like he owns a place is all you want your Friday night guy to do.”

Sophomore second baseman Ryan McKay: In his freshman year, he boasted a .302 average while finishing second in the Big Ten in strikeouts with just 14 on 189 at-bats. On Wednesday, McKay was named to the Big Ten’s preseason players to watch list. 

The only thing holding him back in 2024 was his fielding. With nine errors on the season, only one other player finished worse (Randy Seymour with 23).

Like he did a season ago, McKay will have the starting spot at second base. McKay, along with four of his teammates, played their high school ball at powerhouse Orchard Lake St. Mary’s. 

McKay helped his team, along with MSU’s Jake Dresselhouse, Nolan Higgins and Dillon Kark, to win two straight state championships under coach Matt Petry, son of Detroit Tigers legend Dan Petry. 

Senior first baseman Sam Busch: For Busch, MSU was always the obvious choice. Growing up in East Lansing, he spent his early years a fan of MSU baseball and coach Boss. Now entering his fifth year with the Spartans, Busch was named one of two captains along with junior Jacob Anderson.

The 6-foot-5 senior had the starting gig at first base in 2024 and excelled with a .987 fielding percentage and only four errors. Last year, Busch battled a hamstring injury for nearly a month and his hitting took a slight decline because of it. Busch said he’s confident he will have a great final season with MSU leading his squad. 

"I’ve been here for five years, so having captains before me and watching them has let me learn a lot," said Busch. "It's an honor to be named a captain, and I don’t take it lightly."

More than anything else the team is ready to play baseball outside. 

"The boys are ready to go," Busch said. 

Boss echoed the sentiment, saying the team has prepared well indoors and is eager to showcase its progress outside.

"We had a very competitive fall, which was great for our guys," Boss said. "This is the point of the year where we’re polishing up the things that we introduced in the fall."

Now it's just a matter of getting sharp and being ready to go on Feb. 14.

MSU opens its 2025 season on Feb. 14 in Cary, North Carolina, with doubleheaders against Western Michigan and Monmouth. The Spartans’ home opener is set for March 12 against Michigan in a non-conference matchup.