Monday, June 17, 2024

Sports

SPORTS

MAC games test team for Big 10

In its only exhibition game, the MSU women’s soccer team notched a 3-1 win over Eastern Michigan of the Mid-American Conference last week. But head coach Tom Saxton isn’t overlooking the two MAC schools visiting MSU’s campus on the Spartans’ regular season-opening weekend. MSU takes on Western Michigan at 4 p.m.

SPORTS

Offense improved season, now ready for playoffs

Three months ago, Oldsmobile Park was not a very fun place to be. The Lansing Lugnuts were horrible - especially at home - and the spirits of sparse crowds that showed up were usually dampened by inclement weather, bad baseball or both. Fast forward to Tuesday night.

ICE HOCKEY

Cold War tickets sell out, buy season plan

Despite selling all individual student tickets for “The Cold War” hockey game between the MSU and Michigan, students still aren’t being frozen out from attending the game. An additional 2,200 tickets in the student section for the Oct.

FOOTBALL

Henry burned by bad grades

Projected starting cornerback Cedric Henry has been ruled academically ineligible and will miss the entire season, head coach Bobby Williams said Tuesday evening.

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.