Friday, March 29, 2024

Sports

SPORTS

Lugnuts earn playoff berth as season ends

The Lansing Lugnuts have clinched a playoff berth thanks to West Michigan’s 6-1 loss to Fort Wayne on Monday. The Lugnuts (36-26) fell 12-6 to the South Bend Silver Hawks Monday night, but the West Michigan loss was enough to ensure Lansing’s pass to the three-round postseason. Lansing will host either Dayton or Michigan in Game 1 of a best-of-three series at 6:05 p.m.

VOLLEYBALL

Sophomore status doesnt stop Colson as leader

On every team, every player has some responsibility. Some have more than others. In volleyball, the setter plays that lead roll. Spartan volleyball Coach Chuck Erbe describes the setter position as similar to other sports’ positions often mentioned in the same breath as leadership. “It’s like the quarterback in football and the point guard in basketball,” Erbe said.

SPORTS

No. 3 field hockey ranking highest in MSU history

After knocking off two heavyweights on its opening weekend, MSU skyrocketed to No. 3 in the Hockey Point coaches’ poll released Monday. The Spartans (2-0) garnered four first-place votes and now occupy the highest ranking in school history. MSU, which received votes but wasn’t ranked in the preseason top 10, upset No.

ICE HOCKEY

Blackburn: from goalie to volunteer coach

Former MSU goaltender Joe Blackburn, who came to MSU in 1997 and played through last season, will serve as a volunteer assistant coach and color commentator for Spartan radio broadcasts in the upcoming season. MSU head coach Ron Mason announced Blackburn’s hiring Tuesday.

SPORTS

Call me a redneck, but its true; I like NASCAR

Drunk hillbillies with mullets, motor homes and beat-up pickup trucks. They’re all stereotypical images of NASCAR fans who follow a sport condemned by a large portion of suburban America. But the sport’s following is fanatical, and there may be good reason why. You might as well just cue in Rosco, the General Lee, the Duke boys and Boss Hog, cause this is gonna get rural... It probably won’t settle well with many closed-minded traditionalists, convinced that a true sport has to be played with some type of ball. But it’s the largest spectator event in the nation, like it or not. And it deserves respect. Yeah, laugh if you want, call me a redneck, tell me I live in a trailer park, say I drink Pabst Blue Ribbon and listen to Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Free Bird” all day.

FOOTBALL

Media may say nay, but Spartans still believe

For the past two weeks, the MSU football team survived grueling two-a-day practices, complete with countless sprints in 90-degree heat and intense sessions in the weight room. All that hard work raised many players’ expectations for the season and the mediocre pre-season media predictions have left some of them miffed.

SPORTS

Scoring change debuts in volleyball scrimmage

Questions about the Spartan volleyball team’s inexperience, consistency and experimental scoring methods overshadowed the only certainty in Jenison Field House Saturday - the winning team would be wearing a Michigan State jersey.

FOOTBALL

Baker and McCoy sidelined; Knott in?

With only two weeks before the season kicks off Sept. 8 against Central Michigan, the MSU football team has some holes to patch. The team took a big hit last week when senior tight end Chris Baker and senior linebacker Ivory McCoy both suffered long-term injuries during non-contact drills. Baker tore the meniscus cartilage in his left knee Aug.

SPORTS

Manager promoted to video coordinator

Luke Brown and head men’s basketball coach Tom Izzo have one unusual thing in common - both come from the tiny town of Iron Mountain in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.That connection and strong merit has helped Brown, a May MSU graduate, move from MSU student, to basketball student manager, to his new position - video coordinator.“It’s going to be exciting,” Brown said.

SPORTS

Youth to mature quickly for volleyball squad

The MSU volleyball team may have been picked to finish fifth in the conference by the league’s coaches, but the young, talented squad and head coach Chuck Erbe believe they can compete this year and for years to come.Erbe said the Spartans will settle for nothing short of a Big Ten Championship this year, led by Preseason All-Big Ten honoree senior Erin Hartley and a group of energetic, athletic youngsters.Of the 16 athletes on the squad, 11 are freshmen or sophomores.

SPORTS

Thornhill thanks God for talents

MSU senior linebacker and football tri-captain Josh Thornhill has all the right tools to be a premier player in the Big Ten. But Thornhill doesn’t credit himself for his awesome talents.

SPORTS

E.L. slips in ranking of best sports cities

Everyone has their own opinion about which city has the best sports atmosphere and top teams, and those who ooze Spartan spirit probably think East Lansing is the athletic mecca of the Midwest. But “The Sporting News” doesn’t think so in its 2001 edition of the nation’s Best Sports Cities. East Lansing tumbled from 35th last year to 60th this year, but is still the second-highest city in Michigan, behind ninth-place Detroit. “The Sporting News” has ranked the top sports cities since 1993 and this year’s winner is New York and surrounding areas.

BASKETBALL

Flint star no longer consider Spartans

A day after saying the Spartans were tied with Ohio State at the top of his consideration list, jettisoned Michigan basketball recruit JaQuan Hart said MSU is now out of the running for his services.“It’s down to Ohio State and Cincinnati,” Hart told The State News on Wednesday night.