It was 55 degrees accompanied by strong winds Saturday afternoon, and Drayton McLane was fighting to stay warm as the cool breeze swept across Kobs Field at McLane Baseball Stadium.
Slugglish starts stymied the MSU baseball team in both games of its Wednesday doubleheader against Eastern Michigan, but only once did they prove costly. The Spartans erased a three-run deficit to win 6-5 in the first game, but they ran out of magic in the second game, losing 6-1 to give MSU manager Jake Boss Jr. a de-facto no-decision in his first game managing against the team he coached last season.
With the cancellation of Tuesday’s MSU baseball game against Eastern Michigan, the Spartans (17-23 overall, 8-7 Big Ten) and Eagles will meet for two games Wednesday.
Those seven-hour, late-night bus rides home from Big Ten destinations are a lot easier for the MSU baseball team after a weekend sweep.
Wade Korpi doesn’t remember the ball that nearly killed him. Last April, the then-Notre Dame pitcher threw a two-strike fastball to Rutgers shortstop Dan Betteridge, who hit a line drive back at Korpi at more than 100 mph. The ball caromed off the left side of Korpi’s forehead and landed by first base.
The MSU baseball team had its undefeated record at home ended abruptly Sunday in its 9-2 loss to Michigan. Between Oldsmobile Park and McLane Baseball Stadium, the Spartans were a perfect 10-0 at home before the loss, their best home start since 2004, when they won 12 straight at home before dropping an 8-7 game to Ohio State.
Entering Sunday’s game against Michigan, the MSU baseball team had already captured a weekend series against the Wolverines for the first time since 2002. But the Spartans weren’t satisfied taking only two of three games — they wanted to repay the Wolverines for sweeping them the past two seasons.
The MSU baseball team chose its most hectic and crucial week of the season to turn out its longest game of the year on Friday. But they aren’t complaining. In a game that lasted nearly three and a half hours and went for 11 innings at McLane Stadium in the middle of a five-game week, the Spartans put together two late-inning comebacks to cap off an 8-7 win against Michigan that could serve as the turning point in their season.
Oldsmobile Park is technically the Lansing Lugnuts’ home field. But on Thursday, the MSU baseball team firmly stood its ground on the diamond it has occasionally called home in commanding fashion against a most formidable opponent.
A breakout three-run inning coupled with a masterful pitching performance from freshman Tony Bucciferro led the MSU baseball team to a 6-0 victory against Western Michigan on Wednesday at McLane Baseball Stadium.
MSU baseball head coach Jake Boss Jr. said there is still time for his team to get back on track in the Big Ten schedule. Fortunately for them, they can do it in the confines of their friendly Lansing-area ballparks.
After throwing the MSU baseball team’s first no-hitter in more than 16 years Saturday, MSU senior pitcher Nolan Moody was named Pro-Line Athletic Pitcher of the Week by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. He was also named to the Collegiate Baseball newspaper’s Louisville Slugger National Players of the Week list and the College Baseball Foundation’s National All-Star Lineup.
The MSU baseball team has been perfect at home this season and nearly the complete opposite away from East Lansing. This week, the Spartans will have a chance to right that ship while also making a dent in the Big Ten standings early in the conference schedule.
Senior pitcher Nolan Moody threw the first pitch in the inaugural game at McLane Baseball Stadium – the MSU baseball team’s new home. Moody also threw the last pitch of the game before finding himself on the bottom of a bench-clearing dog pile. Moments before being swarmed by his teammates, the Spartans turned a double play to end the game – thus sealing the deal on Moody’s first ever complete game no-hitter in MSU’s 2-0 victory over Northwestern.
The MSU baseball team bounced back from a weekend sweep in dominating fashion Wednesday, and every player was in on the action. Coming off three straight losses at the hands of Illinois, each batter in the Spartans’ starting lineup registered a hit, as MSU thrashed Central Michigan 20-3 at Oldsmobile Park.
The MSU baseball team opened up Big Ten play this weekend at Illinois and quickly fell to the bottom of the pile in the conference after dropping all three games to the Fighting Illini.
Head coach Jake Boss Jr. thought his MSU baseball team had the chance to build some momentum when the Spartans came north after its spring trip down south. So far, so good.
When it comes to game-tying runs, thoughts of home runs or deep line drives resonate in the mind. But in Sunday’s 7-5 victory for the MSU baseball team, the game-tying run in the bottom of the eighth inning traveled fewer than five feet from the batter’s box.
After dropping two of its first three games in its opening weekend, the MSU baseball team will head back south this weekend to face possibly its toughest test of the season.
Coming off an Opening Day victory, the MSU baseball team dropped its final two games of the weekend to fall to 1-2 on the season. The Spartans defeated Connecticut 4-2 in their first game of the season but fell to Seton Hall 8-4 on Saturday and Minnesota 7-2 on Sunday.