Senior pitcher Tony Bucciferro will be on the mound in game one for the Spartans (34-17 overall, 12-9 Big Ten) to set the tone against Penn State (27-24, 13-8), which is tied for second place in the Big Ten with Indiana and holds a one-game lead over MSU in the standings.
On a picturesque night with the Detroit skyline dimming in the background, the MSU baseball team got a taste of the big leagues as they downed Central Michigan, 5-2, in the second annual Clash at Comerica — played in the home of the Detroit Tigers, Comerica Park.
In front of a crowd of 3,458 on a warm summer evening in Detroit, VanVossen gave up two runs in seven innings of work en route to MSU’s 5-2 victory over Central Michigan in the second-annual Clash at Comerica.
Under the bright lights and prominent glow of a new multimillion dollar scoreboard at Detroit’s Comerica Park on Tuesday night, Blaise Salter will be chasing shadows. Though anticipating playing at the home of the Detroit Tigers in the second-annual Clash at Comerica like the rest of his teammates, Tuesday’s matchup with Central Michigan will be something of a homecoming for the freshman catcher of the MSU baseball team. The 6-foot-5, 225-pound native of Bloomfield Hills, Mich., Salter also happens to be the grandson of legendary Tigers catcher Bill Freehan.
Led by a strong seven-inning effort by sophomore starter David Garner and a pair of home runs by freshman designated hitter Blaise Salter and junior catcher John Martinez, the Spartans (33-17 overall, 12-9 Big Ten) overpowered the Hawkeyes (20-26, 8-13) and took the game, 7-3, Sunday at McLane Baseball Stadium at Old College Field.
Despite another strong pitching performance — this time by junior pitcher Andrew Waszak — the Spartans (32-17 overall, 11-9 Big Ten) let a lead evaporate late in the game and fell 2-1 to the Hawkeyes (20-25, 8-12) Saturday at McLane Baseball Stadium at Old College Field.
Despite hitting four batters in the game — including three in one inning — senior pitcher Tony Bucciferro scattered five hits and struck out nine batters in a complete game shutout effort to lead the Spartans (32-16 overall, 11-8 Big Ten) over Iowa (19-25, 7-12), 6-0, Friday at McLane Baseball Stadium at Old College Field.
The MSU baseball team continued to honor a season-long commitment made to itself of approaching midweek contests with the same intensity and focus of critical weekend games with Wednesday’s 7-2 victory against Toledo at McLane Baseball Stadium at Old College Field. The win came on the heels of another midweek matchup with a Mid-American Conference foe the day before when the Spartans (31-16 overall, 10-8 Big Ten) defeated Western Michigan on the road, 15-7. “We put a priority on that in the beginning of the year,“ head coach Jake Boss Jr.
David Garner would not let the MSU baseball team go down without a fight. After dropping the first two of the weekend series to No. 13 Purdue, the sophomore pitcher from Niles, Mich. rose to the occasion by striking out seven in a complete game shutout on Sunday to give the Spartans a 5-0 victory against the Boilermakers.
The last time Tony Bucciferro took the mound against Purdue, he secured the second win of a three-game sweep that eventually propelled the MSU baseball team to its first Big Ten title in more than three decades.
Mick VanVossen was beaming from ear to ear. And why wouldn’t he be? Minutes earlier, the freshman pitcher for the MSU baseball team emerged from a huddle of his teammates and coaches offering sincere felicitations over his first career collegiate victory.
Looking to repeat as Big Ten champions this season, MSU baseball head coach Jake Boss Jr. knew he would be relying on a relatively youthful roster to do so. With four incoming freshman turning down opportunities to play professionally, many of the young Spartans have been expected to contribute since day one, and they have done just that all year. As the regular season enters its final month now, those freshmen and other young players will be called on and asked to do more and more.
On a blustery Sunday afternoon at McLane Baseball Stadium at Old College Field, the third time truly was a charm for the MSU baseball team. In a close game with Minnesota, the Spartans loaded the bases with no outs in both the seventh and eighth innings, only to come out of each situation with no runs to show for their efforts. When the game went into extra innings tied at four, freshman right fielder Jimmy Pickens tripled to left-center field, and two straight singles later, the bases were loaded with no outs again.
Coming into the series with Minnesota, the MSU baseball team turned the momentum of hot bats into a four-game winning streak.
In game one of a Saturday double-header at McLane Baseball Stadium, the MSU baseball team beat Minnesota 3-1 in 11 innings on a bases loaded, walk-off walk. With one out and the game tied at two in the bottom of the 11th, freshman right fielder Jimmy Pickens reached first on a fielder’s choice.
After a slow start on offense that carried up to the midway point in the season, it appears the MSU baseball team is starting to turn the corner. The Spartans (24-12 overall, 5-4 Big Ten) erupted for 44 runs within their last three games against Indiana, Western Michigan and Central Michigan, and they have gotten consistent offense at the top of the order for the first time this season.
Led by a four-hit, three-RBI day by freshman first baseman Ryan Krill, the Spartans defeated Central Michigan 11-1 on Wednesday at Theunissen Stadium in Mount Pleasant, Mich.
For the MSU baseball team, the hits didn’t just come early and often Wednesday afternoon at McLane Baseball Stadium at Old College Field. They also came at the right times, as the Spartans (23-12 overall, 5-4 Big Ten) registered 16 hits, including a trio of two-out RBI doubles, on the way to a 13-3 win over Western Michigan (16-18).
After taking care of business against Western Michigan on Tuesday, the MSU baseball team has little chance to rest before getting back to work for the rest of its week. Continuing a seasonlong pursuit of capturing midweek games against in-state opponents, the Spartans (23-12 overall, 5-4 Big Ten) hit the road for a 3:05 p.m. matchup with Central Michigan on Wednesday at Theunissen Stadium in Mount Pleasant, Mich.
In recalling the way his season ended a year ago, Justin Scanlon doesn’t want to overlook the importance of midweek games. The then-junior shortstop of the MSU baseball team was part of a group that was on the outside looking in as co-Big Ten champion Illinois nabbed the only Big Ten slot in the NCAA Tournament.