Leading Off… MSU Hosting Western Michigan In Wednesday Match-Up

 

• Michigan State baseball opens up a four-game week and six-game stretch against in-state foes by hosting Western Michigan on Wednesday, April 13 at McLane Stadium at Kobs Field in a non-conference match-up, now starting at 4:05 p.m., moving up from the original start time of 6:35 p.m. due to inclement weather in the East Lansing area.

 

• The Spartans are 13-15 overall after going 1-2 in a three-game series at Ohio State over the weekend … The Broncos are 8-19 overall, coming off a four-game split at Akron.

 

• MSU and WMU are meeting for the first time since 2019 … The Broncos lead the all-time series, 94-84, but the Spartans have won the last three match-ups, as part of four of the last five and 12 of the last 14 … Wednesday is the first of two meetings this season, along with May 11 in Kalamazoo.

 

• Fans can follow Wednesday’s action from McLane Stadium at Kobs Field with “Watch Live,” “Listen Live” and “Live Stats” links at MSUSpartans.com, with video streaming available through Big Ten Network+ with a subscription fee.

 

• For the sixth straight year, the Spartan Media Network will carry a live audio stream for all home and select road Spartan baseball games this season … The broadcast will be available exclusively at MSUSpartans.com by clicking on “Listen Live” on the baseball schedule … Broadcast veteran Scott Moore calls the action, with Spartan baseball alum Jim Cotter providing analysis.

 

• Wednesday is the first of six-straight “home” games against in-state foes, as MSU will also face Michigan in a three-game Big Ten Conference weekend series, Friday-Sunday April 15-17, with Friday’s game at Jackson Field in the “Capital Clash,” before playing Saturday and Sunday’s contests at McLane Stadium at Kobs Field … The Spartans then host Oakland on Tuesday, April 19 and Eastern Michigan on Wednesday, April 20 in a make-up game originally scheduled for Tuesday, April 12, but postponed due to EMU scheduling conflicts.

 

SPARTAN-BRONCO CONNECTIONS

Wednesday’s game has connections galore between Michigan State and Western Michigan:

 

• Current MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr., WMU head coach Billy Gernon and MSU assistant coach/pitching coach Mark Van Ameyde were together on the Spartans’ staff from 2009-10, before Gernon left to become head coach at WMU.

 

• Current MSU volunteer assistant coach Andrew Stone was a four-year letterwinner at Western Michigan (2015-19) … For his career, Stone finished with a .304 average with a .402 on-base percentage in 155 games played, making 104 starts … Stone helped WMU to the 2016 MAC Tournament title and helped the Broncos advance to the NCAA Regionals for the first time since 1989 … Stone was a three-time Academic All-MAC selection and a MAC Distinguished Scholar Athlete … He earned his bachelor’s degree in sports management from Western Michigan in 2018, and his master’s degree also in sports management from WMU in 2019 … Stone’s father is Jeff Stone, Western Michigan’s Senior Associate Athletic Director, overseeing academic and compliance services.

 

• Current WMU assistant coach Jordan Keur was on the Spartan staff for four seasons (2016-19) and also was a four-year letterwinner at Michigan State (2010-13), playing in Gernon’s final year on the Spartan staff … Keur left the MSU staff in 2019 to be head coach at Lansing Community College, where he earned conference Coach of the Year accolades for both 2019 and 2021, along with Region XII Coach of the Year, leading the Starts to a 47-3 record inn 2021, reaching the NJCAA Region XII Baseball Championship Series after finishing the regular-season ranked No. 1 in the nation … While at MSU, Keur started over 150 games and posted a career .315 batting average as four-year letterwinner at Michigan State from 2010-13 … As team captain his senior season, Keur led the team with a .337 average and 20 RBI, before tearing his Achilles … Despite the injury, Keur was awarded MSU’s Kirk Gibson Offensive Player of the Year award … He also earned First-Team All-Big Ten accolades as a junior, as he started all 60 games and led MSU to a NCAA Regional appearance … Keur played in 53 games as a sophomore in 2011, helping MSU to the Big Ten Championship … Keur graduated from Michigan State with a bachelor’s degree in advertising.

 

DEEPER DIVE INTO SERIES HISTORY

The Spartans and Broncos are meeting for first time since April 2, 2019 at Kalamazoo … MSU has won last three meetings, 4-of-5 and 12-of-14, including an eight-game winning streak from 2012-16, MSU’s longest win streak in series … If history repeats itself, Wednesday’s game is due to be a close on, as nine of the last 11 meetings have been decided by three runs or less, including seven one-run decisions … Wednesday is the first of two meetings between MSU and WMU this season, along with May 11 at Kalamazoo … The Spartans swept the 2019 meetings, after splitting in 2018 and 2017, as MSU has swept the last four years when the teams met twice in season.

 

MSU is 15-6 vs. WMU under head coach Jake Boss Jr., including 12-4 in match-ups between Boss and former Spartan assistant and current WMU head coach Billy Gernon.

 

HOME STATERS

Michigan State has 20 players on its 2022 roster from the state of Michigan, while Western Michigan has 15 players who are natives of the Great Lakes State.

 

GREAT LAKES STATE BATTLES

Wednesday’s battle between the Spartans and Broncos is MSU’s first of eight games on the 2022 ledger scheduled against an in-state opposition, as well as the first of six-straight games against teams from the Great Lakes State … MSU’s week continues Friday against Michigan at Jackson Field, before the Spartans host the Wolverines at McLane Stadium at Kobs Field on Saturday and Sunday … Michigan State then hosts Oakland on Tuesday, April 19 and Eastern Michigan on Wednesday, April 20 in a make-up game originally scheduled for Tuesday, April 12, but postponed due to EMU scheduling conflicts … MSU makes the return trip with WMU to Kalamazoo on May 11 and with UM at Ann Arbor on May 17.

 

SCOUTING THE BRONCOS

Western Michigan brings an 8-19 overall record into Wednesday’s action … The Broncos are coming off a four-game split at Akron, Friday-Sunday, dropping Friday’s opener, 10-6, before bouncing back to sweep Saturday’s 7-inning doubleheader, 2-1 and 12-0, but dropped the finale, 4-2 … With the weekend split at Akron, WMU has a 6-8 MAC record.

 

Senior catcher Conner Charping leads the Broncos with a .377 average, and also tops the team in hits (40), doubles (9), slugging percentage (.509) and stolen bases (14), adding one triple, one HR and 10 RBI … Junior infielder Gavin Doyle is the other Bronco hitting over .300 at .368 with 12 RBI and eight doubles.

 

On the mound, Wednesday’s probable starter is sophomore right-hander Nick Crandell, who has an 0-2 record with a 9.64 ERA in eight appearances with three starts, posting 15 Ks and six BB in 23.1 IP and yielding a .406 average to the opposition … Senior right-hander Brenden Lovell leads the WMU staff with 12 appearances, making two starts, with one save, along with a 2-0 record and a 5.01 ERA with 29 Ks and 10 BB in 32.1 IP … Sophomore righty Hayden Berg adds 10 appearances with a 2-3 mark and a 5.06 ERA with 30 Ks and 14 BB in 26.2 IP.

 

Former MSU assistant coach Billy Gernon is in his 12th season at the reins of the Broncos, posting a 242-329 record at WMU … Overall, Gernon is in his 21st year as a collegiate head coach, amassing a 399-604-3 mark, with a nine-year stint at Purdue Fort Wayne (1999-2008).

 

MSU LAST TIME OUT: HIGH-SCORING SERIES WITH THE BUCKEYES

Michigan State is coming off a three-game amended weekend series at Ohio State … After the series was shifted to Saturday-Monday due to inclement weather on Friday, OSU won the opener, 13-5 on Saturday … Further inclement weather in the forecast for Monday altered the weekend to a doubleheader on Saturday, with MSU rallying for the 10-8 win in game one, after trailing 6-0 after two innings and 8-2 after five frames; in game two of the twinbill, the Spartans led 5-1 after the fourth, before the Buckeyes came back and took an 8-5 advantage after eight, but the Spartans rallied with two runs in the top of the ninth before the tying run was throws out at the plate to end the rally and the game.

 

MSU averaged 7.3 runs per game, matching the Spartans’ highest scoring average in a three-game series, and their two home runs in the three games was tied for the second-most in a three-game series … however the 9.00 ERA and 29 runs allowed were also the second-most yielding in a weekend series and the .385 BAA was the highest.

 

COMMON OPPONENTS

The Spartans and Broncos have not played any common opponents, but they both have played future oppositions, as WMU played Eastern Michigan April 1-3, splitting a four-game MAC series, while MSU plays EMU next week … The Spartans played Bowling Green on March 29, while the Broncos face the Falcons in a four-game MAC series April 22-24.

 

HITS AND RUNS AND HITS AND RUUUUUNNNNNSSSSS

• Michigan State knocked 12 hits in Sunday’s game two of the doubleheader at Ohio State, marking MSU’s 14th game with double-digit hits, as the Spartans are now 9-5 when registering 10 or more hits, suffering defeat in the last two outings, after winning the previous three occurrences when doing so.

 

• The 10 runs by the Spartans in Sunday’s game one of the twinbill was MSU’s seventh contest this season with 10 or more runs … Michigan State improved to 7-0 when scoring double-figure runs.

 

WALK-OFF SPARTANS TIMES THREE

• Michigan State has three walk-off wins, including two walk-off home runs … The Spartans started their walk-off ways with a 10-8 win over Cincinnati on March 11 in Greenville on sophomore infielder Mitch Jebb’s 2-run walk-off home run, then continued it the next Friday, with a solo home run by sophomore infielder Dillon Kark for a 4-3 Victory for MSU over Houston Baptist on March 18, when won the second game of a twinbill with HBU on Sunday, March 20 on an error on the play off the bat of junior outfielder Casey Mayes, scoring redshirt-freshman catcher Christian Williams.

 

The three Spartan walk-offs in a season is the most since the 2015 season, when MSU beat Western Michigan, 5-4, on April 8; Northwestern, 7-6, on April 11, and Penn State, 5-4, on May 9.

 

SPARTANS IN THE CLOSE ONES

• Michigan State swept the three-game series with Houston Baptist in its home-opening series March 18-20, winning all three games by one run, 4-3, 1-0 and 6-5 … Those three 1-run wins through the first 17 games of the season already exceeded last season’s 1-run wins in 44 games, as MSU only had two 1-run wins, 5-4 over Maryland on March 6 in game three of the season, and 7-6 over Minnesota on April 2 in game 16 … MSU also has three other 1-run losses, 2-1, vs. No. 3 Notre Dame on March 5 in Minneapolis, and 5-4 in 10 innings at Evansville on April 3 and 8-7 at Ohio State on April 10 … The Spartans are now 3-3 in 1-run contests.

 

With MSU’s 10-8 comeback win at Ohio State on April 10, the Spartans are now also 3-3 in 2-run games.

 

DOUBLE PLAYS A PLENTY

• The Spartans turned a total of six double plays in the three game at Ohio State, highlighted by three on April 9 … MSU leads the Big Ten and ranks 27th in the NCAA in double plays per game (0.89), as well as leading the league and ranking 38th in the nation with 25 total double plays.

 

THREE-BAGGERS GALORE

• Michigan State tops the Big Ten and ranks 50th in the NCAA in triples with nine … The Spartans also lead the league and rank 46th in the nation in triples per game with 0.32.

 

Individually, junior outfielder Casey Mayes is second in the B1G with three triples, ranking tied for 31st in the NCAA, while sophomore infielder Mitch Jebb and redshirt-freshman catcher Christian Williams are tied for sixth in the league with a pair of three-baggers.

 

NO Ks IN MITCH JEBB

• Sophomore infielder Mitch Jebb leads the Big Ten and ranks 13th in the NCAA as toughest to strike out, with just six Ks in 111 ABs (18.5 AB/strikeout).

 

HOME RUNS UP

• MSU’s home runs per game average is almost twice as much as last season’s total, as the Spartans have bashed 21 home runs in 28 games, an average of 0.75 home runs per game … Last season, the Green & White had 21 round-trippers in 44 games, an average of 0.47 HR/game.

 

A total of nine different Spartans have hit a home run in 2022 Spartans, topping last year’s squad of eight different players … Additionally, this year’s Green & White roster already has six different players with multiple home runs, while last year’s squad only had five different players hit multi-round trippers.

 

Ks UP, ERA DOWN

• On the mound, the Spartans’ strikeouts per game is also up from last year, currently with 223 Ks in 28 games, an average of 7.96 K/game, compared to 346 strikeouts in 44 games last season, an average of 7.86 K/game.

 

MSU’s ERA is also down from a season ago, posting a 5.44 ERA through 28 games in 2022 after a 5.84 ERA in 44 games in 2021.

 

AHN MADE FIRST START AT HOME

• Redshirt-junior Peter Ahn is in his fourth season in a Spartan uniform and has made 32 starts in his career, however, of those 32 starts, none had come at home, until he started last Friday, March 18 vs. Houston Baptist … Ahn was a reserve in 2019, making 13 appearances off the bench … In 2020, Ahn started in 14 of the 15 games played, all on the road, as the remainder of the season was cancelled due to COVID-19 before MSU played at home … Last season, Ahn started the first five games of the season, all played at neutral sites, before suffering an injury and was on limited action the rest of the season.

 

SPARTANS EARN BACK-TO-BACK B1G AWARDS 

• Michigan State players garnered weekly Big Ten Conference honors in consecutive weeks, as sophomore infielder Mitch Jebb was tabbed the Player of the Week on March 16, while freshman pitcher Ryan Szczepaniak was named the Freshman of the Week on March 9.

 

MITCH JEBB TABBED BIG TEN PLAYER OF THE WEEK

• Michigan State baseball sophomore infielder Mitch Jebb was named the Big Ten Conference Player of the Week, announced by the conference office on March 16.

 

Jebb, a native of Saginaw, Michigan, earns his first career B1G weekly honor and his third overall B1G accolade, as he was on was this year’s Big Ten Preseason Players to Watch list, as well as being named to Big Ten All-Freshman Team last season.

 

This is MSU’s second B1G honor in as many weeks, as pitcher Ryan Szczepaniak was tabbed as the B1G Freshman of the Week on March 9.

 

Jebb was recognized for his performance during MSU’s four games during the week of March 7-13, in Greenville, South Carolina, at Fluor Field, home of the Greenville Drive.

 

He belted two HR in the same game, including a two-run walk-off HR to cap MSU’s comeback in a 10-8 win over Cincinnati on Friday, March 11, as the Spartans rallied from an 8-5 deficit entering the ninth. Jebb bookended the game by also bashing a HR to lead off the Spartan home half of the first inning. He finished 3-for-4 with four RBI and two runs scored.

 

The walk-off was MSU’s first walk-off HR since Feb. 23, 2020, also in Greenville, also by a left-handed hitter, by Peter Ahn, vs. Merrimack, and also over the right field wall of Fluor Field. Jebb’s two-home run game was also the first Spartan with two HR in the same game since Bailey Peterson bashed a pair of round-trippers last season on May 23, 2021 at Rutgers.

 

For the week, Jebb registered a .412 average (7-for-17) in the four games, highlighted by going 3-for-4 with four RBI and two runs scored vs. Cincinnati. He added a double as part of 2-for-5 outing vs. Western Carolina. He also notched at least one hit in all four games, as he now has at least one hit in all 14 games this season and a 21-game hitting streak dating back to last season, tied for the third-longest hitting streak by a Spartan in the last 20 years.

 

RYAN SZCZEPANIAK NAMED BIG TEN FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK

• Michigan State baseball pitcher Ryan Szczepaniak was named the Big Ten Conference Freshman of the Week, for games played Feb. 28-March 6, the conference office announced on Wednesday, March 9.

 

Szczepaniak, a native of Woodhaven, Michigan, earns not only the first Big Ten accolade of his Spartan career, but also the first B1G honor of the season for Michigan State, for his performance last Sunday, March 6. He earned the win on the mound in the 9-3 Victory for MSU over nationally-ranked West Virginia in Minneapolis at the Cambria Classic played at U.S. Bank Stadium, home of the Minnesota Vikings.

 

The Spartan right-hander fired 5.0 IP with four strikeouts, yielding three hits and one earned run to improve to 2-0, stymieing WVU bats. After a leadoff single and later a hit batter in the first inning, settled in and retired seven Mountaineers in a row.

 

Szczepaniak improved to 2-0 with the victory and is the first B1G freshman pitcher to earn two wins this season, and only one of 11 pitchers in the league overall with two or more wins.

 

THREE SPARTANS TABBED TO CAMBRIA COLLEGE CLASSIC ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM

• Three Michigan State baseball players were tabbed to the Cambria College Classic All-Tournament Team, announced late Sunday night following the conclusion of the three-day tournament.

 

Sophomore infielders Trent Farquhar and Mitch Jebb, along with junior outfielder Zaid Walker were the three Spartan representatives on the 13-player list, as MSU went 2-1 in the Classic, with the lone loss to No. 12 Notre Dame, 2-1, on Saturday. The Fighting Irish finished 3-0 and were the tournament champion.

 

The three Spartan players tied host Minnesota for the second-most on the All-Tournament Team list, while tournament winner Notre Dame had four players, including pitcher Austin Temple earning MVP honors.

 

Farquhar hit .462 (6-for-13) for the weekend with two RBI and two runs scored, as well as solid play all weekend at second base, featuring a running, somersaulting catch in shallow center field in the second inning of Friday’s win over Kansas. He had multiple hits in the Kansas and West Virginia games as Farquhar now has a five-game hitting streak.

 

Jebb logged a .429 average (6-for-14) in the three games, including a career-high four hits and four RBI in Sunday’s 9-3 win over nationally-ranked West Virginia. Jebb was a home run shy of the cycle Sunday, finishing with two triples and a double for the weekend, with 11 total bases and six RBI, adding one stolen base. Jebb joined his keystone corner mate Farquhar in solid defense all weekend as well, including snaring a line drive and stepping on second for a double play to end a bases-loaded threat in Sunday’s win over WVU. Jebb has at least one hit in all 10 games this season and a 17-game hitting streak dating back to last season.

 

Walker posted a .455 average (5-of-11) with one double and a home run, coming on a two-run blast to left field in the second inning Friday vs. Kansas, sparking the Spartan offense on the way to an 11-2 win over the Jayhawks. Walker also had standout defense, highlighted by throwing out a runner in Sunday’s win over West Virginia. Walker also had at least one hit in all three games this weekend and has a four-game hitting streak.

 

MICHIGAN STATE BASEBALL PLAYING MICHIGAN APRIL 15 IN CAPITAL CLASH AT JACKSON FIELD

Michigan State baseball’s game against Michigan on Friday, April 15, will be played at Jackson® Field™, home of the Lansing Lugnuts, in the Capital Clash, it was announced Tuesday. The Capital Clash will be nationally televised on ESPNU, with first pitch slated for 5 p.m.

 

MSU and UM played the first game ever at the ballpark, then called Oldsmobile Park, on April 3, 1996. Michigan defeated Michigan State, 5-4, in 10 innings.

 

The Capital Clash is the Spartans’ second game of the 2022 season played at Jackson® Field™ in a span of 10 days. Michigan State will also play the Lansing Lugnuts in the 2022 Crosstown Showdown presented by Delta Dental on Wednesday, April 6, resuming the Crosstown Showdown exhibition contest after a two-year hiatus.

 

“We really value our long-standing relationship with the Lansing Lugnuts, and being able to play not only the Crosstown Showdown, but also a nationally televised Big Ten Conference game there is exciting,” MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr. said. “We’re also proud to be part of the event celebrating the first-ever game played there. Over the last 25-plus years, we’ve had a great relationship with the Lugnuts and this is further proof of that. They do a great job with their facility and everything is a first-class operation, and we’re just really excited to play two games there this season.”

 

The Spartans vs. Wolverines Big Ten Conference weekend series is Friday-Sunday, April 15-17, with the series opener played at Jackson® Field™ on April 15, while games two and three of the series will be played at MSU’s McLane Stadium at Kobs Field April 16-17.

 

Tickets for the Capital Clash are available for purchase at the Jackson® Field™ box office, online at lansinglugnuts.com and by calling (517) 485-4500.

 

MSU BASEBALL TO WEAR “JP” UNIFORM PATCH TRIBUTE TO JIM PIGNATARO

Michigan State baseball head coach Jake Boss Jr. announced Thursday that the Spartans will be wearing a “JP” patch on all of their jerseys during the 2022 season as a tribute to long-time MSU administrator Jim Pignataro, who passed away this past August.

 

Pignataro served as the Executive Associate Athletic Director for Student-Athlete Services at Michigan State, and he was the sport administrator for Spartan baseball.

 

“Jim was just a special guy to our program,” Boss said. “His leadership was phenomenal, and his passion for Michigan State and our baseball program was second-to-none. He poured his heart and soul into everything that he did with our program. We’re proud to honor him and his legacy. His family, his wife Alana, and his kids Alison and Jimmy, will always have a special place in our hearts and in our program. We’re proud to carry Jim’s spirit with us onto the field.”

 

The JP patch is located on the back collar of all of the Spartans’ game jerseys that they will wear throughout the season.

 

Prior to being elevated to his most recent position, Pignataro served as the Associate Athletic Director for Student-Athlete Services (2008-15) and Director of Student-Athlete Support Services (SASS) from 2002-17. He oversaw the directors of Student-Athlete Engagement, Academic Services, Athletic Training, Strength and Conditioning and Sports Nutrition in addition to serving as a sport administrator for several Spartan programs.

 

Pignataro served as the Assistant to the Director and Athletics Academic Coordinator at Michigan State from 1996-2000. He left MSU to serve as the Assistant Athletics Director for Academics at Eastern Michigan University from June 2000 to June 2002. Prior to his arrival at MSU he worked in Athletic Academic Services at Florida State University (1995-96) and the University of Tennessee (1994-1995).

 

SPARTAN LEGEND BOB APISA TALKED TO TEAM PRIOR TO UNLV SERIES

Michigan State football legend Bob Apisa met with and spoke to the MSU baseball team on Thursday, Feb. 17 after the Spartans’ practice at UNLV’s Earl E. Wilson Stadium, and also posed for several pictures, then met each player.

 

Recruited by Duffy Daugherty, Apisa was a two-time All-American in 1965 and 1966 during his time at Michigan State. He was the starting fullback on back-to-back Big Ten and National Champion teams in 1965 and 1966, scoring a combined 18 touchdowns over the two seasons, and was a 1966 consensus first-team All-Big Ten selection. Apisa finished his career as MSU’s most prolific rushing fullback with 1,343 yards, in addition to being a great blocker for Spartan tailbacks.

 

Apisa was born in American Samoa as part of eleven children, moving to Hawaii at the age of seven, and went on to earn a football scholarship at MSU, and became the first player of Samoan ancestry to be named All-American. He played in the 1966 “Game of the Century” against Notre Dame, which was also the first-ever live television sports broadcast in Hawaii. Apisa was also part of Daugherty’s integration of college football, and will be part of a statue tribute as part of the upcoming renovations to the Duffy Daugherty Building for MSU Athletics in the upcoming.

 

In 2017, Apisa was inducted into the Michigan State Athletics Hall of Fame. In 2018, he was inducted into the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame.

 

After football, Apisa went into acting, and was in the Sandlot (home plate umpire), as well as many other roles, including movies (Hard Target and The Nutty Professor), and television (Magnum P.I., Hawaii 5-0 and Airwolf).

 

Apisa’s grandson, Jacob Isaia, was a three-year letterwinner on the Spartan football team, playing offensive line. Apisa resides in Las Vegas.

 

THREE SPARTANS GARNER BIG TEN PRESEASON PLAYERS TO WATCH RECOGNITION

Farquhar, Jebb, Walker collect kudos ahead of Friday’s season-opener.

Three Michigan State baseball players earned Big Ten Preseason Players to Watch honors, as the conference announced its preseason honors list and preseason poll.

 

The conference coaches voted on the top six teams and also selected three student-athletes from their own squads to a Preseason Honors list.

 

Sophomore infielders Trent Farquhar and Mitch Jebb were joined by junior outfielder Zaid Walker in earning preseason honors.

 

Farquhar, a native of Highland, Mich., earned the Danny Litwhiler Defensive Player of the Year MSU team award last season, as he made 38 starts, with 37 coming at second base and one at shortstop, posting 100 assists, 85 putouts. He was a part of 21 double plays, as MSU led the Big Ten with 41 double plays turned, ranking 45th in the NCAA, as well as leading the B1G and ranking 11th in the NCAA with 0.93 double plays per game. He posted a season-high seven assists vs. Penn State on April 9, the most by an individual fielder during the season, including having at least three putouts in 14 games, including a season-high five vs. Nebraska on April 23.

 

At the plate, Farquhar was the Spartans’ leadoff batter in 32 games, hitting .272, including sharing the team-lead and ranking tied for 21st in the B1G in doubles with 10. He also tied for third on the team with total extra base hits with 12 on 10 doubles, one triple, and one home run, belting first collegiate home run in the Purdue game on April 12, blasting a solo shot down the right field line and into the Red Cedar River. Farquhar led MSU with a .381 on-base percentage, ranking second on the team and tied for 14th in the B1G with 24 walks, as well as ranking tied for second on the team with four hit-by-pitch.

 

Farquhar had a team-high 18-game on-base streak, reaching base in every game that he had an at bat from March 12-April 12, snapping the streak on April 16 by not reaching base at Illinois. He finished the 2021 season logging at least one hit in 12 of the last 16 games, having a five-game hit streak halted without a hit on May 8, but bounced back with three hits on May 9 and two knocks on May 14, then adding three hits on May 21 at Rutgers. For the season, his longest hitting streak was seven games (March 12-21), finishing with at least one hit in 28 of 39 games with an at bat. Farquhar was tied for second on the team with 11 multiple hit games, including a team-best tying nine games with two hits, as well as two games with a season-high three hits, coming on May 9 vs. Michigan, then matching it on May 21 at Rutgers. The sophomore infielder also had three multi-RBI games, which tied for third on the team, with three games with two ribbies each, most recently on April 25 vs. Nebraska.

 

Jebb, a native of Saginaw, Mich., was named to Big Ten All-Freshman Team last season after he posted a .276 average, sharing the team lead with two triples as part of ranking second on the team in hits (45). He also ranked third on the team with 44 starts, just one of five Spartans to play in 40+ games, missing just one game in the 2021 season.

 

Last season, Jebb also shared the team lead in doubles (10), while also ranking third in total bases (59), tied for third in extra-base hits with 12 on 10 doubles and two triples, fourth in runs scored (25), tied for fourth in stolen bases (4) and tied for sixth in RBI (15). He also ranked second on squad with 11 multi-hit outings, logging nine games with two hits apiece to go with season-high three hits in two contests.

 

With four multiple RBI games, Jebb also ranked third on MSU. He also tied for the second-longest hitting streak of the season at eight, from March 28-April 12, while ranking tied for fifth on the team in reached base streak at eight over the same span. Jebb logged a seven-game hitting streak to close out the season (May 16-30), with four multi-hit outings in that six-game span, going 12-for-28 (.429) with four doubles and two RBI.

 

In the field, Jebb was the Spartans’ primary shortstop all season long, making all 44 of starts at short. He made 62 putouts and had a team-high 125 assists, along with being a part of 33 of MSU’s 41 double plays, as the Spartans shared the B1G-lead and were tied for 11th in the NCAA in double plays per game (0.93), with the 41 DPs ranking second in the B1G.

 

A native of Homewood, Ill., Walker is looking to build off a successful 2021 season that saw him earn Third Team All-Big Ten accolades, as well as selected as the John Kobs Most Valuable Player Award recipient as well as the Kirk Gibson Offensive Player of the Year MSU team awards.

 

Last season, Walker was one of two Spartans to start and play in all 44 games, along with outfielder Bryce Kelley. He led MSU and ranked 22nd in the B1G with a .308 average, also leading the team and ranking 20th in the B1G with 31 RBI. Additionally, Walker led the team in hits (52), runs scored (29) and total bases (71), while ranking second on the team in stolen bases (7), third in both home runs (3) and on-base percentage (.367), and fifth in slugging percentage (.420). He also tied for third in total extra base hits with 12 on eight doubles, one triple and three home runs. In the 44-game season, Walker had at least one hit in 31 of the 44 games played, and also led the team with 14 multiple hit games.

 

Walker also led MSU with nine multiple RBI games, logging five games with two RBI and four games with three RBI. He had a stretch of three RBI twice in three games, April 11 vs. Purdue and April 16 at Illinois, also logging three ribbies on March 6 vs. Maryland.

 

Walker garnered the first Big Ten Player of the Week honors of his career on March 10 for his performance in the opening weekend after hitting a team-leading .462 (6-13), with five RBI and one double, logging a .538 slugging percentage and scoring three runs in helping MSU win three of four games against Maryland in Greenville in the opening weekend of the season. He had at least one hit in all four games, including going 3-for-3 with three RBI and two runs scored in MSU’s 7-4 win in game one of the March 6 doubleheader, and also beat out an infield single to keep Michigan State’s rally going in the seventh inning of the March 6 nightcap of the twinbill, to drive in what turned out to be the game-winning run, completing the Spartans’ comeback after a 4-0 lead by Maryland, in the 5-4 Victory for MSU.

 

Walker also owned the longest hitting streak of the season, hitting safely in nine-straight games (March 13-27), and also owned the second-longest reached base streak of 14 in a row (March 13-April 9).

 

UP NEXT:

The Spartans then host Michigan in the “Capital Clash” at Jackson Field on Friday, April 15 at 5:05 p.m. … MSU then hosts UM at McLane Field at Kobs Field on Saturday, April 16 at 4:05 p.m. and Sunday, April 17 at 1:05 p.m.

 

The week schedule is subject to change based on weather.

 

Along with any further schedule updates, fans can follow the games with links for live stats, live audio (when available) and live streaming of home games from Big Ten Network+ at MSUSpartans.com.