When Jake Boss Jr. was hired in the summer of 2008 to replace former head coach David Grewe, he not only set out to raise the bar on expectations for the MSU baseball program but also to develop a style of play that allowed his team to be competitive on a consistent basis.
Although the MSU baseball team ended its season on a sour note with a loss to Illinois in the Big Ten Tournament, the Spartans have a lot of reasons to celebrate what was accomplished in 2011.
MSU softball senior shortstop Lindsey Hansen was named a 2011 Louisville Slugger/National Fastpitch Coaches Association, or NFCA, Division I All-American, the association announced Wednesday. For her outstanding final season performance for MSU, Hansen received a third-team at-large shortstop selection.
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.
After the NCAA Opening Rounds this weekend, the MSU track and field team will advance seven athletes to the NCAA Outdoor Championships, which will be held June 8 in Des Moines, Iowa.
With all the anticipation in an emotional weekend, the MSU rowing team harnessed its excitement through its final races Sunday, ultimately finishing seventh as a team in Gold River, Calif. Head coach Matt Weise said the Spartans capitalized on every strength they had for the best possible finish against the top 16 teams in the nation.
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.
As the MSU rowing team makes its fourth consecutive NCAA National Championship Regatta appearance — the 13th in the last 14 seasons — head coach Matt Weise believes his team is even more prepared than it has been in the past.
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.
For the recently hired MSU hockey head coach and former CCHA commissioner Tom Anastos, restoring the glory of the program to compete as it had under Ron Mason while transitioning into a new role is among the top goals in his first year at the helm of Spartan hockey.
With the hiring of former CCHA Commissioner Tom Anastos as MSU hockey’s head coach comes a new direction for the program. The recently hired Anastos and his staff met with members of the local and regional media Tuesday to discuss the direction of the program in an informal meet-and-greet session.
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.
Recording the best place finish ever by a Spartan at the NCAA Women’s Golf Championship, MSU women’s golfer sophomore Caroline Powers tied for sixth with an even-par finish at 288 (70, 76, 96, 73). Her score also is the best 72-hole score earned by a Spartan at the championships, which ended Saturday in Bryan, Texas.
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.