After losing the first game of the Big Ten season 1-0 against Ohio State on Saturday, baseball head coach Jake Boss Jr. said his Spartans knew they had two chances to redeem themselves against the Buckeyes. And by scraping out a 2-1 win Sunday and 10-5 victory Monday, MSU did just that, capturing two-of-three to open conference play at McLane Baseball Stadium at Old College Field.
Nearing the midway point of the baseball season, head coach Jake Boss Jr. has grown certain of the strength of this year’s ball club — the pitching. In the first two games of a three-game weekend series against Ohio State, senior Tony Bucciferro and junior Andrew Waszak combined to surrender just a single run in 16 innings of work, picking up a no decision and a win, respectively.
Blake Treadwell knows both sides of the line better than most — probably because he’s played three positions in four years for the MSU football team. Starting his Spartan career at defensive tackle, the now-junior made the switch from a defensive lineman to an offensive lineman during spring football last year and started at center in MSU’s first three games in 2011.
For the second straight weekend, the MSU softball team suffered a weekend sweep at the hands of a Big Ten opponent. The Spartans (10-23 overall, 0-6 Big Ten) dropped both games of a doubleheader Saturday afternoon, 9-4 and then 14-1 in a game that ended after the fifth inning because of the mercy rule.
MSU student season tickets for the 2012 football season will go on sale April 7 from the Spartan Ticket Office. The tickets are priced at $175 and include admission to each of MSU’s seven home games this fall and an official 2012 student section T-shirt priced at $10.
In just two days the MSU women’s tennis team (8-8 overall, 0-5 Big Ten) suffered two similar losses to Indiana and Purdue, both 6-1.
The MSU men’s tennis team continued its winning ways this weekend, as it defeated Indiana 5-2 on Saturday and Purdue 6-1 on Sunday at MSU Indoor Tennis Facility. Despite Purdue picking up the doubles point on Sunday, the Spartans (14-8 overall, 3-3 Big Ten) rallied with a sweep in singles action.
It just wasn’t the MSU softball team’s day. In the Spartans’ (10-22 overall, 0-5 Big Ten) first conference series of the seaon against Ohio State (20-11, 4-1) at Secchia Stadium at Old College Field, they lost the first two games in Saturday’s double-header. Despite attempting to make a comeback, MSU fell 9-4 in the first game before being mercied, 14-1, in the second game as the Buckeyes made contact at nearly every at-bat.
Tony Bucciferro hasn’t always had the best luck against Ohio State. Coming into Saturday’s matchup, the senior pitcher had surrendered 22 hits and 13 earned runs in 10.2 innings of work in his last two outings against the Buckeyes. Even as Bucciferro reversed his fortune Saturday with a nine strikeout performance with just two hits surrendered in eight innings, the MSU baseball team (15-8 overall, 0-1 Big Ten) couldn’t overcome the two walks by his replacement sophomore David Garner in the ninth and were out-dueled by the Buckeyes, 1-0, at McLane Baseball Stadium at Old College Field.
Although it’s early in the spring season — with the spring game not until April 28 — the coaching staff said it’s been impressed with the first week of practice, seeing potential for development in several areas.
Tony Bucciferro knows he’s expected to have a good outing when he takes the mound for the MSU baseball team (15-7) at 1:05 p.m. on Saturday at McLane Baseball Stadium at Kobs Field in the Big Ten opener against Ohio State (13-10 overall, 1-2 Big Ten).
Following an over-achieving year, the MSU men’s basketball will return eight of 12 scholarship players and welcome a recruiting class of four top-100 high school players. Losing the leadership and All-American qualities of Draymond Green, the skills of Brandon Wood and Austin Thornton and scout team talent of Anthony Ianni will hurt.
After playing 29 straight games on the road to begin the season, the MSU softball team opened its home season at Secchia Stadium with an 8-1 loss against Butler.
There are a number of fresh faces among MSU football’s first-team offense, but none is more jarring than the one lining up behind sophomore center Travis Jackson. For the first time in about three years, Kirk Cousins won’t be leading the Spartans on offense — his graduation allowing for junior Andrew Maxwell to step in at quarterback. Just don’t call him “Kirk’s replacement.”
At some point during the 2012-13 MSU men’s basketball season, we’ll look back at the summer of 2012. It might be at the beginning, middle or end of the season, but we will look back, and we’ll likely say one of two things.
Over an hour before practice began, members of the MSU softball team were on the field joking, practicing, but mainly preparing. Coming off a loss to Purdue last weekend, the Spartans (10-19 overall, 0-3 Big Ten) have been preparing for a busy weekend home. Their home opener will take place Thursday when MSU goes up against Butler at 4 p.m. at Secchia Stadium. Continuing into the weekend, MSU will host Ohio State in a three-game series, starting Saturday at 1 p.m.
Before the MSU baseball team started the 2012 season, the Spartans came together and made it a goal to not take any plays off. After losing in the Big Ten Tournament last season, MSU was denied an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, and head coach Jake Boss Jr.
At his year-end press conference Tuesday, Tom Izzo spoke more about how special the year his men’s basketball team was. The head coach talked about how the team was playing at a high level it needed to be successful, but that Thursday’s Sweet 16 loss to Louisville was understandable.
After back-to-back 11-win seasons, an appearance in the inaugural Big Ten championship game and MSU’s first bowl win since 2001, head coach Mark Dantonio doesn’t want anyone involved with the MSU football program to get complacent.
In the midst of an eight-game home stand, the MSU baseball team hosts its first midweek game of the season at 3:05 p.m. Tuesday at Kobs Field at McLane Baseball Stadium.