The saying goes, “When it rains, it pours.” That was the case Wednesday as the No. 4-seed Illinois baseball team smacked No. 5-seed MSU in a 16-5 trouncing in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament at Huntington Park in Columbus, Ohio.
Teams don’t wait five years to go home quickly — at least that’s what members of the MSU baseball team have been telling themselves. The No. 5-seed Spartans (23-29 overall, 13-11 Big Ten) play No. 4-seed Illinois (33-18, 16-8) at 12:05 p.m. today at Huntington Park in Columbus, Ohio, in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament.
The Big Ten Baseball Tournament w ill be held starting today at Huntington Park in Columbus, Ohio. Here is a preview of each team in the tournament.
MSU committed four errors that led to seven unearned runs in a 9-3 loss for the team’s home finale Monday, one day after a game in which MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr.
The proverbial rally caps were on at McLane Baseball Stadium in East Lansing as the Spartans faced two big, late inning deficits Sunday against Purdue.
Rain delayed the start of a three game set between Purdue and MSU by an hour on Saturday, and both team’s bats had just as slow a start — but just like the rain, the zeros on the scoreboard wouldn’t stick around for long. Senior right-handed pitcher A.J.
Sophomore right-handed pitcher A.J. Achter is getting the run support he had been looking for all season — and he didn’t even need it Saturday. Fresh off a win against Iowa in which he received 10 runs of support, Achter worked eight innings and allowed one unearned run while striking out five to help MSU (20-24 overall, 10-7 Big Ten) beat Penn State (22-21, 5-12) 9-1.
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.