MSU baseball head coach Jake Boss Jr. said this team was among the most memorable of his 17-year career, adding that he’s sad to see the group move on.

“It’s always tough to see the season come to an end,” Boss said. “But you know, I’m really proud of our guys. I thought they competed their tails off just like we asked them to, and then we knew that they would.”

Third in MSU’s starting rotation, Nolan Higgins got the nod in what quickly turned into a bullpen game. He allowed two early runs in the first inning after a failed pickoff attempt, with an errant throw advancing runners to second and third.

Next to the plate, left fielder Anson Aroz doubled to drive both in. Aroz had his way against the Spartans in their last series, recording three hits and three RBIs.

11 seniors, four of whom spent their whole careers at MSU, closed out their final games with MSU. Senior Sam Busch said it won’t be what happened on the field that he’ll remember most, but all the good times spent with the team off the diamond. 

“It’s not so much on the ball field, but behind the scenes: the bus rides, doing stuff in the locker room off the field, that type of stuff,” Busch said. “I think those will be the things that I remember most from my time here, that's for sure.”

Busch slumped late in the year but still finished with a team-leading OPS of .965. His 15 home runs rank fourth in a single season in program history, while his 29 career long balls are tied for fourth all-time.

An East Lansing native, Busch is one of two fifth-year Spartans, along with Christian Williams, who appeared in 12 games with 12 at-bats this season.

Jennifer Busch, Sam’s mother, said she cherished living only a few miles from campus — and that the memories made will last forever.

“It’s been amazing, there’s so much support,” Jennifer Busch said. “We've been rallied around and supported through Michigan State baseball and through the community. It's been an amazing, amazing opportunity for us.”

After Oregon jumped out to an early lead, MSU looked to rally, but couldn’t string enough together. In the seventh, right fielder Parker Picot led off with a double, later scoring on a JT Sokolove fielder’s choice.

After MSU tied the game in the top of the seventh, Oregon answered with three hits and an error in the bottom half to plate two more.

In the era of the transfer portal and NIL, the future of MSU baseball remains uncertain. Last summer, the Spartans added eight transfers, ranging from NAIA schools to fellow Division I programs.

Ace Joseph Dzierwa is projected to be selected in this summer’s MLB Draft, ranked No. 74 on ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel’s big board. If he opts to return for a final year, Dzierwa is on pace to break numerous MSU pitching records, including career strikeouts, wins and innings pitched.

This season, Dzierwa said staying at MSU was the best decision he ever made, but it is uncertain if he will remain. 

Perfect Game lists 13 incoming Spartans in the class of 2025, nine of whom are from Michigan.