BASEBALL
Baseball, theres nothing else like it
The freshly cut green grass glistens. The smell of fresh lumber fills the air. The contact sound of bats hitting balls booms.
SPORTS
Fans go nuts for home opener
Lansing - It only took fans two innings to soak in the sights, sounds and smells of baseball at Oldsmobile Park for the Lansing Lugnuts’ home opener. After a 42-minute, 13-run first inning, rain and sleet set in as fans bolted toward the exits and out of the 46-degree weather.
SPORTS
Lugnuts pound Whitecaps 12-3 at Oldsmobile
Lansing - The Lansing Lugnuts got off to the right kind of start in their home opener Sunday, using a lot of offense early on to bury the West Michigan Whitecaps 12-3 in front of 7,013 at Oldsmobile Park.It’s just the second win for the Lugnuts in home openers in their seven-year history.
SOFTBALL
Team pitches Spartans 1st perfect game
A perfect game at any level is historic. A perfect game at MSU was unheard of - until Saturday. Senior pitcher Becky Gray and sophomore pitcher Jessica Beech combined to throw the first perfect game in MSU history, a 2-0 no-hitter - with no walks - over Indiana Purdue-Fort Wayne in the first of two games at IPFW Softball Field.
SPORTS
U takes 19 top-five finishes in Spring Opener
The men’s track and field team came away with 15 top-five finishes at Notre Dame’s Spring Opener on Saturday. In the field events, sophomore Steve Manz led MSU with first-place finishes in shot put (56 feet, 3 1/4 inches) and discuss throw (157 feet, 6 inches). He also placed third in hammer throw (162 feet, 8 inches). Senior Paul Terek finished with a second-place finish in javelin throw (187 feet, 9 inches). Terek also placed fifth in shot put and long jump. Sophomore Kevin Yokom won the 5,000-meter run with a time of 14 minutes, 38.04 seconds. The women’s track and field team also produced top-five finishes at Notre Dame.
SOFTBALL
U pitches shutout against Eastern
Riding the arm of sophomore Jessica Beech, the MSU softball team defeated Eastern Michigan 2-0 on Thursday.The game, originally scheduled for Tuesday, was the Spartans’ (14-21 overall, 1-3 Big Ten) fifth shutout of the season.
ICE HOCKEY
Miller headlines three Spartans as All-Americans
Junior goaltender Ryan Miller earned his second-straight West All-America first-team honor Thursday, while two Spartan defensemen made the second team. The second-team accolades taken by junior defenseman John-Michael Liles and senior defenseman Andrew Hutchinson make MSU the only school with three All-Americans this year.
BASEBALL
Oldsmobile ready for Lugnuts
The baseball season has arrived, and Sunday the Lansing Lugnuts will give fans a reason to celebrate.At 2:05 p.m.
BASEBALL
Sluggers ready for Northwestern
As the MSU baseball team returns to Big Ten action, it expects better results.After splitting its first conferences series with Minnesota 2-2, the Spartans (17-5 overall, 2-2 Big Ten) are looking for a better performance at Northwestern.The Wildcats (7-13, 1-3) host the first of a four-game series 3 p.m.
SPORTS
Sports briefs
Tennis teams ready for Big Ten action The men’s tennis team takes to the road in Big Ten action this weekend, while the women play at the Indoor Tennis Facility. The men’s team (13-7 overall, 1-4 Big Ten) will play Saturday at Ohio State (15-2, 4-0) and Sunday at Penn State (7-9, 0-4). The Spartans are coming off a 5-2 loss Wednesday to Michigan (11-5, 2-3). The women’s team (10-7, 2-3) will also play Penn State (6-7, 1-3) and Ohio State (16-1, 4-1) this weekend. The Spartans host Penn State Saturday and Ohio State on Sunday. Spartans ready to run The men’s and women’s track and field teams will be in action this weekend. The men’s team will compete at 9 a.m.
SPORTS
Lugnuts ready for 2002 season
Amid patchy fog and a cool drizzle, 25 athletes took the field once more to begin their journeys toward the major leagues.Tuesday’s practice at Oldsmobile Park, 505 E.
FOOTBALL
Rogers ready to be Spartans leading man
During the winter, the MSU football team’s No. 1 offensive weapon went from a 6-foot-1, 249-pound bulldozer, to a 6-4, 200-pound game-breaker.
BASKETBALL
Pull of pro ball causes coaches to rethink recruiting
The Illinois men’s basketball program and its fans knew it would happen sooner or later. Illini guard Frank Williams would leave early for the NBA - it was just a matter of when.
SOFTBALL
Spartans need extra innings to down Grizzlies
After three hours of play and numerous squandered opportunities, the MSU softball game was decided by one errant pitch.Scheduled for seven innings, the Spartans found themselves in a 10th-inning pitchers’ duel.
BASEBALL
Sluggers manager cancels nonconference home game
The MSU baseball team’s game against Indiana Purdue-Fort Wayne was canceled Wednesday.Weather was the cause of cancellation, but no rain fell on Wednesday to affect the 3 p.m.
SOFTBALL
Spartans host 2 with Oakland, schedule makeup for Thursday
The MSU softball team will temporarily switch its focus from Eastern Michigan to Oakland. Tuesday’s game against Eastern (8-13, 3-3 Mid-American) was rescheduled for 4 p.m.
BASKETBALL
Young and restless
When Kelvin Torbert, Alan Anderson and Chris Hill became MSU’s 2001 recruiting class, another Big Ten title and another trip deep into the NCAA Tournament seemed within reach, if not certain. Sure, the Spartans would lose five seniors, but the trio of recruits would help ease the blow. Torbert, an electrifying scorer, was the 2001 Sporting News Player of the Year, Michigan’s Mr. Basketball and Flint’s second all-time leading scorer - behind ex-Spartan Charlie Bell - with his 1,978 career points at Flint Northwestern High. Anderson, a silky and versatile slasher, rated the No.
ICE HOCKEY
Goaltender ready to man the pipes
If junior goaltender Ryan Miller leaves school early - and that’s still an “if” at this point - Spartan fans probably will be a little worried about MSU’s last line of defense next season.After all, Miller has been the epitome of excellence and durability in his three-year MSU career.
BASEBALL
Sluggers look for win out of conference
After a weekend split in their Big Ten opening series, the Spartans are gearing up for Indiana Purdue-Fort Wayne today at Kobs Field. The Spartans (17-5 overall, 2-2 Big Ten) take the field at 3 p.m.
BASKETBALL
Mid-major teams hang together, make impact
A Saluki is defined as an ancient breed of dog with a keen sense of vision used in hunting. A Southern Illinois Saluki is an ancient breed of basketball player, using its maturity and experience in the NCAA Tournament to knock off some of the biggest names in college coaching. The sixth-seeded Texas Tech Red Raiders and head coach Bobby Knight fell prey to the mighty Salukis in the first round of the tournament.