The curtain has closed on a historic season for the MSU baseball team. As Illinois mobbed the pitcher’s mound in an act of triumph and exuberance Saturday at Huntington Park in Columbus, Ohio, the Spartans (36-21 overall, 17-11 Big Ten) were forced to stand aside quietly to watch their co-Big Ten champion celebrate.
With one swing of the bat, the MSU baseball team saw a Big Ten Tournament championship violently ripped from its fingers.
The MSU baseball team lives to play one more game in the Big Ten Tournament, as the Spartans beat Minnesota and take on Illinois tonight.
For the No. 2 seeded Spartan baseball team (35-20 overall, 16-10 Big Ten), the message is clear headed into Saturday’s matchup with Minnesota. After falling out of the winner’s bracket on Friday with a loss to top-seeded Illinois, MSU will meet the No. 6-seeded Golden Gophers at 3:35 p.m. today at Huntington Park in Columbus, Ohio.
Junior pitcher Tony Bucciferro couldn’t match his complete game effort of a week ago, as he battled a high pitch count combined with high-powered No. 1-seeded Illinois (27-25 overall, 16-9 Big Ten) offense Friday as the No. 2-seeded MSU baseball team (35-20, 16-10) fell, 4-1. Bucciferro would allow eight hits over six and ? innings to drop his season record to 8-3.
The No. 2-seeded MSU baseball team (35-19 overall, 16-9 Big Ten) shook off a two hour and 15 minute rain delay and used a collaborative hitting effort to rally behind senior pitcher Kurt Wunderlich to defeat Purdue, 7-1. With the win Thursday, MSU remains undefeated against the Boilermakers on the year, earlier sweeping them in three games during the first weekend in May.
The MSU baseball team (34-19 overall, 15-9 Big Ten), which clinched a share of the Big Ten championship with Illinois last week, heads to Huntington Park in Columbus, Ohio, Thursday to face Purdue (37-18, 15-10) at 3:35 p.m. The tournament berth marks MSU’s ninth appearance in the Big Ten Tournament and second in the last three years.
MSU senior pitcher Kurt Wunderlich was named Big Ten Pitcher of the Week Monday, after throwing a complete game shutout to beat Northwestern 3-0 on Thursday.
When junior pitcher Tony Bucciferro took the mound for the ninth inning of Friday’s game against Northwestern, he knew a complete game and the Big Ten championship were just three outs away. With a touch of swagger, Bucciferro dialed up his fastball and slider to strike out the side and deliver the first Big Ten title to the MSU baseball program since 1979. Bucciferro and senior pitcher Kurt Wunderlich threw a pair of complete games for the Spartans (34-19 overall, 15-9 Big Ten) over the weekend and capped off a strong pitching year for each of the players and for the program. “I knew it was going to happen, and I was fired-up,” Bucciferro said. “(Boss) has turned this program around.
As the MSU baseball team mobbed the right side of the pitcher’s mound in a towering dogpile Friday after clinching a share of the Big Ten championship, the weight of three decades of losing had been lifted.
Unfortunately Northwestern (20-29, 10-13) had other ideas for the Spartans (34-19 overall, 15-9 Big Ten), as they upended Senior Day at McLane Baseball Stadium at Kobs Field, 6-5. The day was not a total loss for MSU as they were presented with the Big Ten championship trophy by Athletics Director Mark Hollis and MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon, along with championship shirts and hats, following the conclusion of the game.
After 32 years of waiting, under five different head coaches, the MSU baseball team has earned a share of the Big Ten championship after defeating Northwestern, 10-1, Friday at McLane Baseball Stadium at Kobs Field.
In his last career start at McLane Baseball Stadium at Kobs Field, senior pitcher Kurt Wunderlich threw a complete game shutout, as the Spartans (33-18 overall, 14-8 Big Ten) downed Big Ten foe Northwestern (19-28, 9-12), 3-0. With the win, the Spartans edged ever closer to winning a Big Ten championship — the program’s first since 1979.
As the Spartans (32-18 overall, 13-8 Big Ten) head into their final regular season series — hosting Northwestern (19-27, 9-11) with game one at 3:05 p.m. Thursday — they hold a one-game lead over Minnesota (21-20, 12-9) and Illinois (22-25, 12-9) in the Big Ten. To be guaranteed outright champions, MSU will have to sweep the Wildcats at McLane Baseball Stadium at Kobs field.
With a big conference series against Northwestern starting Thursday, the MSU baseball team (32-18 overall, 13-8 Big Ten) took out the frustrations of the past weekend with heavy hitting to deliver a 20-3 win against the Fighting Irish at Frank Eck Baseball Stadium in South Bend, Ind.
Coming into the weekend, the MSU baseball team held a commanding three-game lead in the Big Ten standings and was edging ever closer to their first Big Ten championship since 1979. After being swept in three games by Indiana (30-21 overall, 11-10 Big Ten), the Spartans’ (31-18, 13-8) lead has been slimmed to one after two weekend losses by Minnesota to Penn State.
MSU baseball senior outfielder Brandon Eckerle was named the male Michigan College Athlete of the Year at the Detroit Athletic Club National Athletic Awards on May 9 in Detroit.
After suspending action on Saturday due to darkness, the MSU baseball team fell in 15 innings on Sunday to Indiana at Sembower Field in Bloomington, Ind., 13-12.
After taking three games from Purdue (30-16, 10-8 Big Ten), the MSU baseball team now holds a two-game lead in the Big Ten over second-place Minnesota (11-7 Big Ten).
After a 5-3 win against Purdue on Saturday, the MSU baseball team(29-14, 12-5 Big Ten) opened up a two-game lead in the conference standings and have guaranteed they come out of the weekend with sole possession of first place.