The Spartans couldn't have asked for a better way to finish their nonconference schedule and begin the Big Ten season: 10 games, 10 wins. MSU (14-10 overall, 4-0 Big Ten) knows, however, that each of those games and victories came with the comfort of playing at Kobs Field.
After spending the majority of the season on the road, including the past six games, the MSU softball team is back in the comforts of its own dugout to open up the Big Ten season at home. The Spartans (19-14, 1-3 Big Ten) hope to put their recent woes behind them - 1-4 in the past five - as Minnesota (22-11, 3-1) and Wisconsin (21-17, 1-3) come to East Lansing.
There are few things in my life I love more than Detroit Tigers baseball - my job, my dog, Long Islands from the Peanut Barrel, uhmm … I'd say that's it.
Last season, the Lansing Lugnuts ended their run as champions of the Midwest League. The Lugnuts will look to duplicate their efforts from last season with fresh faces but the same winning attitude. "We have a pretty good nucleus coming back, and our pitching is going to be good again this year," manager Julio Garcia said. Pitching was the story last season, when it carried Lansing to an undefeated postseason run.
After the MSU baseball team romped Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne at Kobs Field on Wednesday, manager Ted Mahan called baseball a "streaky game." His observation is especially fitting for the Spartans, considering they just won their 10th straight game and junior outfielder Travis Gulick extended his hitting streak to 20 games. The Spartans (14-10) annihilated IPFW (11-18) in all phases of the game in their 12-1 win.
Technical difficulties and wind conditions did not deter the MSU men's track and field team from competition Saturday, but some of the events were mistimed.
For Jennifer Scully, April 16 cannot come any sooner. To the four-year starter and president of the MSU women's water polo team, it's the date she's been waiting for since she came to MSU four years ago.
With the Spartans riding a nine-game winning streak, Travis Gulick's play probably has gone unnoticed by most. On Tuesday, however, the Big Ten recognized the junior right fielder's achievements by giving him co-Big Ten Player of the Week honors. "It was really a surprise to me," Gulick said.
After going 7-for-14 at the plate in five games last week, senior pitcher Jessica Beech earned Big Ten Player of the Week honors. The Okemos native became the first Spartan to be named Player of the Week in 2004 by scoring a run in each matchup, bringing the Spartans' total runs to 13 while MSU's opponents scored 23 runs. MSU faces Central Michigan at 4 p.m.
Every gambler needs an insurance plan in case of disaster. Senior cornerback Roderick Maples, who is known for taking risks on the field, is no exception. Only, Maples' insurance plan comes in the form of junior strong safety Eric Smith. "We kind of got attached," Maples said.
MSU gymnastics took home fifth place from the Central Region Championship on Saturday, scoring a combined 195.025. The event was held in Maravich Center at Louisiana State, and featured five top-25 teams. Junior Lauren Simpson led MSU on bars, junior Nicole Anderson took the lead on the floor and sophomore Sarah Alexander led the Spartans on beam. Alexander, along with freshman Chayla Hill, led scoring for the Spartans on vault, each scoring a 9.800. MSU broke numerous records this season, including the school's record team score twice, and ended the season with a 19-20-1 record.
The MSU men's golf team placed 15th in the Border Olympics on Saturday at the Laredo Country Club in Laredo, Texas. Junior Andrew Ruthkoski led the Spartans with 215 (70-70-75) and tied for 12th; freshman Matt Harmon came in 41st with 222 (75-72-75). In three rounds, MSU shot a total of 893 (297-290-306). The Spartans continue competition Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.
Time was almost running out for former Spartans defenseman Brad Fast to record his first NHL goal in his professional debut with the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday. With less than three minutes left in regulation, Fast's wrister went past Miami goaltender Roberto Luongo to force the game into overtime.
It was a game of Duck, Duck, Goose that got out of control. The object was to kick a soccer ball in a circle while chasing an opponent who also was kicking a soccer ball.
Ladies and gentleman, here on center ice is the three-ring circus. Sigh. Who am I kidding? That's just the trio of Detroit Red Wings goaltenders - Dominik Hasek, Curtis Joseph and Manny Legace. It's been the story since July 8, 2003, when Hasek officially unretired, checking Joseph out of the No.
Despite a record-setting performance from its star pitcher, the MSU softball team endured a rocky start to its Big Ten season this past weekend. Two losses in a doubleheader at Iowa on Sunday capped a four-game road trip for the Spartans (19-13 overall, 1-3 Big Ten). Before falling to the Hawkeyes (22-15, 4-0), MSU split a pair of games at Illinois, losing, 7-1, in its Big Ten opener on Friday and winning, 2-0, on Saturday.
If the first four games of the Big Ten season are any indication of how MSU's season will go, finishing in the top half of the league won't be a problem. The Spartans baseball team dominated the Hawkeyes over the weekend, recording the team's first four-game sweep since 1990 while earning the conference's top spot. "We'd certainly rather be there than the alternative," head coach Ted Mahan said.
Bryan Gale jogged out to the mound, reached down and picked up the rosin bag, adjusted his pants, fixed his cap and stared toward home plate. It was time. In the top of the fourth inning against Iowa on Friday, the senior right-hander was one strikeout away from setting the all-time MSU mark for Ks. "You try not to think of it, but in a way, it's kind of in the back of your mind," Gale admitted after the game.
Ted Mahan is optimistic for this year's Big Ten season. That's saying a lot for the MSU baseball manager, who, in his previous eight years coaching the Spartans, finished with a winning conference record once (16-12 for a third-place finish in 2002). "If there is ever a year we should compete in the top half of the Big Ten, this is the year," Mahan said. Of course, Mahan, a soft-spoken 47-year-old who is in his 13th year overall with MSU baseball, has facts to back up his statement: The Spartans play 18 conference home games this season, compared to 14 away contests.
It's a good thing the prognosticators' postseason isn't a one-and-done. Both college basketball gurus picked Georgia Tech to take out Nevada, but Uncle Joey (3-1) picked two other games correctly (Xavier and St.