Comeback Hero Ozan Baris Named Big Ten Men's Tennis Player of the Week​

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EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State Men's Tennis' Ozan Baris was named the Big Ten Men's Tennis Player of the Week on Wednesday, April 4, for his clinch in MSU's comeback against No. 19 Illinois and win on main court against No. 60 Northwestern.

Baris, a native of Okemos, Mich., claims his second player of the week honor after having won the award on April 19, 2023. The sophomore was also Big Ten Men's Tennis Freshman of the Year in 2023 and first team all-conference. He is the second Spartan to garner the award this season after graduate student Ronald Hohmann III did on Feb. 28.

Baris went 2-0 at the top singles spot in Michigan State's pair of ranked wins to start the Big Ten road slate and continue their perfect start in conference play. The singles wins boosted Baris to No. 10 in the ITA collegiate tennis rankings, remaining the top-ranked singles player in the Big Ten. The team wins improved MSU to 18-3 and 4-0 in conference play, just the third time the program has reached 18 wins in a season and best start to a conference season since winning the 1967 B1G Championship at 9-0.

On Saturday, Baris won the crucial deciding point as MSU came back from down 0-3 to beat No. 19 Illinois 4-3. Everything would come down to the main court matchup between the MSU sophomore Baris and Illinois' 31st-ranked Karlis Ozolins. Baris dropped the first set 2-6 but congruently with his team, bounced back, winning the second set 6-4. In the deciding third set, down 1-3, Baris broke Ozolins twice and held serve to clinch the set 6-4, the match and the victory for MSU.

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The win was the Spartans' first over Illinois since March 24, 1997 as the Illini had claimed the previous 30 prior matchups prior. The last time MSU came back from three down to clinch the first-to-four victory was over Drake on Feb. 21, 2020.

On his 20th birthday Sunday, Baris and the Spartans defeated their counterpart in No. 60 Northwestern, 5-2. Baris came out on top in a hard-fought super tiebreaker at No. 1 singles, 7-6 (7-2), 5-7, [10-8], his fourth win in as many Big Ten matches as he secured his team-best 12th win of the Spring season. His singles season record now stands at 12-3 and 3-2 against ranked opponents.

Up next, Baris and the Spartans are in East Lansing for their final home weekend of the regular season, hosting Purdue on Saturday, March 6 and Indiana on Sunday, March 7.

The Spartans chase history as their next win will be number 19 on the season, a mark that has never been reached by the program before. Michigan State will honor its five seniors between the singles and doubles points of Sunday's match. First serves are set for noon ET and whether the matches will be played at the indoor or outdoor courts is yet to be determined.

Release courtesy of MSU Athletics.

Gabi Stephen suffered an unexpected cut to her foot 30 minutes before the Big Ten Championships began. Here is the story of how - with the help of her teammates, coaches & trainers - she recovered & delivered 4 clutch performances to help MSU make history.

Michigan State head football coach Jonathan Smith had plenty of thoughts to share about his team roster, particularly QBs and on injuries, along with the roster's adjustment to the new regime seven practices into spring ball.

Catch his remarks now, article by @ebartlett:

Lots of Paul VI players in D1 programs, but i suspect he won’t be influenced by that.

Expect an exodus at UM

Thursday was a special day for class of 2025 three-star Ohio tight end Brody Lennon. He made the roughly three-and-and-half-hour trip from Cleveland up to East Lansing for an unofficial visit, and by the time he left Michigan State's campus, Lennon received a scholarship offer from the Spartans.

He took the trip with his father Pat, and his mother, Michelle.

While on the visit, the Gilmour Academy standout spent time with head coach Jonathan Smith, tight ends coach/recruiting coordinator Brian Wozniak, offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Brian Lindgren and others. He also got to tour campus and watch the Spartans practice.

Lennon — who currently ranks as the No. 26 player in the state of Ohio for the 2025 class — spoke to Spartans Illustrated about the offer, the visit and his overall thoughts regarding Michigan State.

"We got one-on-one with both Coach Smith and Coach Wozniak, and also the offensive coordinator (Lindgren) and I feel like my relationship is great with them," Lennon explained. "I definitely still want to build on it, but they really like me and like my skill set at tight end."

More here:

If Izzo wants to avoid another .500 BIG season, and worrying about getting a NCAA bid, go to portal and get a bid. No exceptions. NONE. After 4 years of mediocrity, change is needed. So many of the other BIG programs have done it and succeeded. Please, Izzo do what has to be done. Please.

Michigan State hosted ascending 2026 three-star offensive lineman Esun Tafa on campus on Tuesday, and the Utah native left East Lansing with a scholarship offer.

Tafa hails from Draper, Utah and currently plays for Corner Canyon High School. He is ranked as the ninth player in the state of Utah for the 2026 cycle, as of press time.

While on the trip, Tafa was able to bond with Michigan State offensive line coach/run game coordinator Jim Michalczik, defensive line coach Legi Suiaunoa, head coach Jonathan Smith and others.

The offer was special for Tafa, and the visit was a memorable one for the young offensive lineman. He went into further detail with Spartans Illustrated about his experience at MSU.

"It felt really good getting an offer from them," Tafa said about the Spartans. "The visit went great! I really enjoyed the tour. The facilities are nice! The highlight was meeting Coach M and Coach Legi. They were awesome and made me feel at home.

"I’m glad I made this visit. Looking forward to building my relationship with Coach M. A lot of exciting things happening for the program, especially the O-line."

More here:

For Michigan State junior safety Jaden Mangham, the new coaching staff and the new year are both opportunities for redemption.

“What we did last year just wasn't what we are, really.”

At the end of last year, the coaches and players put on a happy face, but now we are getting a chance to peal back the current a bit and learn a bit more about what went on and how the new era of MSU football might be different. Mangham was shockingly honest that he took too many plays off last year and that at times, no one really wanted to be there anymore. The energy feels different already.

There were also some interesting comments about the influx of West Coast know-how. Will the former Pac-12 members of the roster and staff generate at least a modest advantage over the new Pac-12 members? Will the west coasters adjust to the style and rivalries in the Big Ten? It is hard to say.

Read more about what Mangham had to say this week here:

The Eastern Airlines 767-300ER charter the team was supposed to fly to Phoenix today had some mechanical problems in Kansas City and caused the team to have to scramble for alternative options. The problem was the flight crew was going to time out before it could finish the trip to Windsor Locks and then Phoenix. So in the end, the team managed to finally secure a charter using an Allegiant A320 on its way there now from Cincinnati. What I don't understand at all is the team is expecting it will need to land to refuel... which, an A320 with the capacity Allegiant's seating layout has should still have more than enough range to avoid that given the flight route is only a little over 1,900nmi and the range on an A320 is well into the 5k nmi distance on paper.

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A lot of head coaches preach trust. Linebacker Jordan Hall wanted Michigan State’s first-year head coach Jonathan Smith to prove it.

More on Hall's unique approach to building trust with Smith:

MSU Baseball Schedule Update: Spartans Game At Notre Dame Postponed​

A possible make-up date will be announced at a later date​

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Tuesday's Michigan State baseball game at Notre Dame has been postponed due to inclement weather in the South Bend area. The teams will work on a possible make-up date that will be announced at a later date.

MSU's next action will now be Wednesday, April 3 is the 16th-annual Crosstown Showdown when MSU meets the Lansing Lugnuts, the high A-affiliate of the Oakland A's, in an exhibition contest. First pitch from Jackson Field is at 6:05 p.m.

The Spartans return home to host Niagara in a three-game non-conference series, Friday-Sunday, April 5-7. Friday's series opener is at 6:05 p.m., before Saturday's game two at 3:35 and Sunday's series finale at 1:05 p.m.

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Spartans Downed By Lugnuts In Crosstown Showdown​

LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State baseball was defeated by the Lansing Lugnuts in the 16th Crosstown Showdown, presented by Delta Dental, on a rainy Wednesday night at Jackson® Field™ in a seven-inning exhibition.

Once again, Mother Nature made her presence known throughout the day and night, with rain and drizzly conditions throughout pre-game activities and during the game.

A crowd of 4,118 was in attendance, with the early fans receiving a Spartan green-colored Crosstown Showdown jersey.

"It's always a fun night, the weather was a bit questionable early, but we had a lot of people show up," MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr. said. "Always a lot of fun to play against the Lugnuts, it's a first-class organization. (Lugnuts manager) Craig [Conklin] does a great job with that group, and (Lugnuts general manager) Zac [Clark] and everybody on his staff just makes us really, feel welcome out here. It's one of those things that's an experience our guys are never gonna forget. You hear (MSU basketball head coach) Coach Izzo talk about it all the time that we're in the business of creating experiences for our guys, creating memories for our guys and this is definitely one of them."

The Lugnuts are the High-A Affiliate of the Oakland Athletics, and Wednesday night was their first action in Lansing, before beginning their 28th Midwest League season this weekend at Dayton, before their home opener next Tuesday, April 9.

Pre-game festivities included autographs from selected Spartan players, along with performances from the Spartan Spirit Squad and Spartan Marching Band, and Zeke the Wonderdog.

"It's an awesome atmosphere. We had a lot of people come out and it's super fun to play in front of a bunch of fans," junior designated hitter Christian Williams said. "Just being able to play in front of a park like this against such a good team. The experience is awesome, I always look forward to it every year."

The experience is equal parts memorable and educational for C.Williams and his teammates.

"I'll take away just being able to play in front of people, also just looking across to the guys across the field, seeing how they warm up, how they play the game. Ultimately, that's where I want to get to. Just being able to play on the same field as those guys it's an experience I'll always remember," C.Williams said.

Boss and the Spartan coaches use the Crosstown Showdown as a teaching tool as well.

"We talked about it a lot yesterday actually, the message is that you've got to come in here and pay attention," Boss said. "You've got to pay attention to how these guys prepare before the game, some of the adjustments that they make during the game, defensive positioning, adjustments within the at-bat from one pitch to the next. We said if you are not paying attention then you missed a great opportunity. Everybody wants to play at this level and it's kind of a taste of what it's like. Hopefully our guys learned a lot tonight."

In the game, the Lugnuts added a run in the first, before pulling away with a four-run second inning, then a one-run third, a five-run fourth frame, and seven runs in the fifth to break it open for the final 18-0 score in the seven-inning exhibition game with amended rules, limiting the Lugnuts' pitch count, so several of the Spartan innings at bat were shortened.

C.Williams knocked a double, while freshman infielder Ryan McKay added a single.

With Wednesday being an exhibition and not an official game to count toward the record, the Spartans had a total of 23 players see action.

At the plate, sophomore outfielder Jake Dresselhouse, freshman outfielder Jayden Holloway, redshirt-sophomore Jayden Terres and junior catcher Noah Bright all came on as substitutes.

Senior pitcher Harrison Cook opened on the mound, before turning the ball over a rotation of Spartan pitchers. Redshirt-sophomore Aidan Arbaugh, junior Dominic Pianto, sophomore Robert Klann, freshman Sam Bassett-Kennedy, freshman Gavin Moczydlowsky, redshirt-freshman Stephen Ruhle, sophomore Nolan Higgins, freshman Garrett Brewer and freshman Jaxon Huffman saw action on the mound.

For the Lugnuts, starter Grant Judkins played at Iowa from 2017-19, and he pitched against MSU on May 12, 2019, going 6.0 IP with 5 H, 1 R, 1 BB and 7 Ks.

The Spartan starting pitcher in the match-up in that 2019 match-up was Caleb Sleeman – currently Michigan State's pitching coordinator filling in for pitching coach Mark Van Ameyde, who is away from team for medical reasons after a kidney transplant on March 20.

In that Spartans vs. Hawkeyes, the Spartans rallied late for a 7-5 Victory for MSU.

Judkins also played against MSU in 2017 as a DH, going 2-for-12 with two RBI in the three games with Iowa winning 3-2 in opener before a 2-1 Victory for MSU in game two and Iowa won the series with a 9-4 triumph in the finale.

The Spartans now return home to host Niagara in a three-game non-conference series, Friday-Sunday, April 5-7. Friday's series opener is at 6:05 p.m., before Saturday's game two at 3:35 and Sunday's series finale at 1:05 p.m.

Fans can follow this week's action with "Tickets," "Watch Live," "Listen Live" and "Live Stats" links at MSUSpartans.com.

Michigan State's schedule is subject to change, stay tuned to MSUSpartans.com and @MSUBaseball on Twitter for schedule updates.

Game recap courtesy of MSU Athletics.

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The four-star 2026 OT took a recent trip to Michigan State and has gotten some good advice from his dad who played at MSU:

Right now we have 3 players who will not be back because eligibility is used up. The question marks are Hoggard who probably will not return and Sissoko. We also don't know who might decide to enter the portal. Going on the assumption that AJ and Mady don't return we have 2 scholarships available since we have 3 incoming freshmen.
The talk is that Izzo is looking at Hadley as a wing because of his 3 point ability. I thought that Normand who red shirted was a good shooter. Is there a possibility that he might hit the portal? What do we do about the center position? Stay with Cooper and Kohler? Or do we go for a big who has more upside?
Good points for a discussion. Your thoughts?

Michigan State could be surging in his recruitment:

Quarterback Aidan Chiles wasn't the only Oregon State transfer player who decided to follow head coach Jonathan Smith and company to Michigan State. Fellow former Beavers Tanner Miller (center/interior offensive lineman) and Jack Velling (tight end) also enrolled at MSU this past January and now call East Lansing home.

Following spring practice on Tuesday, Miller and Velling had a chance to detail their transfer portal decisions and experiences at Michigan State thus far.

"It's kind of a no-brainer because I know the culture, I know the system ... We're gonna hit the ground running," Miller said. "These guys took a chance on me when no one else did. So, I believe in these guys, (wholeheartedly)."

"I think he's a winner," Velling said about Smith. "He's a program-changer. He knows what it takes to win. He's a great guy — the more I get to know him, the better he gets. He cares about his players, his staff. Me and him created a great bond at Oregon State, and I wanted to continue it."

A lot more from Velling and Miller on their journeys here:

The Wolverines are reportedly initiating action to move women's hockey from the club level, to varsity. Do you think it's time Michigan State does the same? The recent additions to Munn made space for women's locker rooms.

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SARASOTA, FL. – In the first competition under MSU Rowing Head Coach Stacey Rippetoe, all seven Spartan boats made finals and the 2V4 earned silver at the Sunshine State Invite Saturday.

"I thought the team did a good job making progress today," Rippetoe said. "We're really trying to establish what kind of racing we want to do this season and we need to focus on all the things that are controllable and nail those things down. I thought we did a really good job of that this weekend."

The Spartans finished fifth out of the field of 16 with 104 points, five points ahead of sixth-place Tulsa, one point behind fourth place North Carolina and 24 behind eventual overall competition winners Miami.

It was Michigan State's second varsity four that claimed the Spartans' first hardware of the season, finishing second in the 2V4 final in 7:25.85 on Saturday at Nathan Benderson Park. The Spartans finished eight seconds behind the race winners Iowa.

Two other boats, the third and fourth varsity eights just missed out on the podium, finishing fourth in both of their finals, posting season-opening times of 6:46.57 and 6:55.10 respectively. The fastest time of the day belonged to the varsity eight, who finished in 6:44.17.

Next, the Spartans head home for their lone duel of the season, a competition against the University of Michigan in Belleville, Michigan's Lake Belleville in a week's time on Saturday, April 6.

Complete Regatta Results

Michigan State Results

Varsity Eight:
Friday Prelim: 4th – 7:14.14
Saturday Final: 6th – 6:44.18

Second Varsity Eight:
Friday Prelim: 2nd – 7:16.93
Saturday Final: 4th – 6:46.57

Varsity Four (Varsity Four A):
Friday Prelim: 3rd – 7:49.44
Saturday Final: 8th – 7:28.17

Second Varsity Four (Varsity Four B):
Friday Prelim: 3rd – 8:08.25
Saturday Final: 2nd – 7:25.85

Third Varsity Four (Varsity Four C):
Friday Prelim: 4th – 8:16.81
Saturday Final: 6th – 7:52.00

Novice Eight (Racing in 3V8):
Friday Prelim: 3rd – 7:17.39
Saturday Final: 4th – 6:55.10

Second Novice Eight (Racing in 4V8):
Friday Prelim: 8th – 7:38.71
Saturday Final: 8th – 7:23.07

Lineups
Varsity 8+:
Coxswain – Lizzie Johnston, 8 – Jayden Schmaltz, 7 – Alice Bradley, 6 – Sabrina Gottschalk, 5 – Carolynn Garner, 4 – Ugne Rudaityte, 3 – Ella McKenzie, 2 – Jillian Cox, B – Maya Elbaranes
Second Varsity 8+:
Coxswain – Ellise Flessland, 8 – Sophia Ring, 7 – Sophia Parker, 6 – Ava Woodard, 5 – Ella Kubas, 4 – Freya Engel, 3 – Claudia Kingma, 2 – Abby Marek, B – Julie Armstrong
Varsity 4+:
Coxswain – Sophia Stauffer, 4 – Avery Rugg, 3 – Lucy Botting, 2 – Madisen Holtz, B – Lily Devereaux
Second Varsity 4+:
Coxswain – Kendall Gonya, 4 – Kaleigh Yunker, 3 – Kat Borders, 2 – Lillian Davidson-Walshe, B – Alaina Roush
Third Varsity 4+:
Coxswain – Grace Thomas, 4 – Kaylie Wright, 3 – Haley Rinehart, 2 – Isabelle Radakovich, B – Breanna Berry
Third Varsity 8+ (Novice):
Coxswain – Kate Heinecke, 8 – Georgi Hedberg, 7 – Lindsay Farrall, 6 – Ruby Vanden Boom, 5 – McKenna Reardon, 4 – Sarah Carlson, 3 – Reagan Korte, 2 – Kendyl Baron, B – Samantha Sweeney
Fourth Varsity 8+ (Novice):
Coxswain – Delaney Huiskens, 8 – Juliana Antovski, 7 – Emily Crofut, 6 – Avery Talley, 5 – Colleen Blackwood, 4 – Katie Delaney, 3 – Madylin Keigley, 2 – Kate Lillie, B – Sarah Wood

Recap courtesy of MSU Athletics.

Michigan State is looking for future help in the defensive trenches and recently offered a scholarship to class of 2025 three-star defensive lineman Tommy Rupley.

Rupley, who currently attends Belmont Hill High School in Belmont, Massachusetts, spoke with Michigan State defensive line coach Legi Suiaunoa on Monday. It was Suiaunoa who informed Rupley of the offer.

Rupley currently ranks second overall in the state of Massachusetts, according to Rivals.

Following the scholarship offer, Rupley chatted with Spartans Illustrated to break down his thoughts and provide an update on where his recruitment stands.

"They hired a new staff, and I’m looking forward to meeting them and seeing how they can help me achieve my goals," Rupley said about MSU. "Coach Legi is awesome! I can’t wait to meet him in person!"

Spartans face Fighting Irish in regional match-up before clashing the Lugnuts in annual exhibition.​

• A second-straight five-contest week is on tap for Michigan State baseball, opening with playing at Notre Dame on Tuesday, April 2 ... First pitch from ND's Frank Eck Stadium is slated for 6:30 p.m. ... The Spartans then play the Lansing Lugnuts in the 2024 Crosstown Showdown on Wednesday, April 3 at 6:05 p.m. from Jackson® Field™ ... MSU's schedule is subject to change, stay tuned to MSUSpartans.com and @MSUBaseball on X/Twitter for schedule updates.

• Fans can follow this week's action with "Watch Live," "Live Stats" and "Listen Live" links, where available, at MSUSpartans.com.

• For the eighth-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.

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ABOUT NOTRE DAME
• The Fighting Irish are 14-12 overall, but are 2-10 in ACC action ... Notre Dame has lost four in a row, getting swept at NC State over the weekend and losing the series finale vs. Miami on March 24 in ND's last home game, that denied the Irish the sweep after winning the first two games, 6-2 and 5-2, before dropping the finals, 12-10 in 10 innings ... Notre Dame had its midweek game vs. Bowling Green on March 26 postponed, and then lost the series opener at NC State, 10-0 in 8 innings on Friday, before dropping a doubleheader by identical, 7-6 scores.

• Notre Dame is hitting .276 as a team with 249 hits (9.6 pg) and 203 runs (7.8 pg), with 46 HR (1.8 pg).

• Senior outfielder TJ Williams leads the Irish, hitting .407 with a team-best 35 hits, adding 21 RBI and five RBI ... graduate outfielder David Glancy leads the team with 31 RBI and nine HR.

• The Irish pitching staff has a team ERA of 6.70, yielding a .280 batting average against, while ringing up 194 strikeouts (7.5 pg) against 107 walks (4.1 pg).

• Tuesday's probable starter is senior righty Matt Bedford, who has a staff-leading eight starts, posting a 1-4 record with a 5.60 ERA, with 20 Ks and 10 BB in 27.1 IP.

• Notre Dame head coach Shawn Stiffler is in his second season leading the Irish, posting a 44-36 record ... he is in his 12th year overall, coming to Notre Dame from VCU, and has amassed a 384-234 overall record.

COMMON OPPONENTS
• MSU and Notre Dame have two common opponents in Florida State and Western Michigan ... the Spartans played one game against Florida State and two games against Western Michigan, with all three coming in Greenville, S.C. ... Michigan State beat Western Michigan, 13-3 in 8 innings on March 2 and then lost to Florida State, 11-2, later that day during First Pitch Invitational I action at Fluor Field in Greenville ... MSU then beat WMU again, 5-3, on March 8 during First Pitch Invitational II competition the next week also at Fluor Field ... Notre Dame played a three-game ACC series at Florida State March 15-17, getting swept by scores of 8-4, 4-2 and 4-3 ... the Irish then beat Western Michigan in their next game on March 19, beating the Broncos, 16-11, in South Bend.

2024 CROSSTOWN SHOWDOWN
• Michigan State baseball will meet the Lansing Lugnuts in the 2024 Crosstown Showdown, presented by Delta Dental on Tuesday, April 4 ... First pitch from Jackson® Field™ is slated for 6:05 p.m. for the seven-inning exhibition game that does not count towards either team's record.

• Jackson® Field™ gates open at 5 p.m. and Wednesday's pre-game festivities include the first 1,000 fans receiving giveaway jerseys presented by Delta Dental ... selected MSU players will be available for autographs pre-game as well ... Sparty, the MSU Spirit Squad and MSU Marching Band will be in attendance.

• Wednesday is the 16th overall Crosstown Showdown, marking the third year in a row for the CTSD to be played after returning in 2022 for the first time since the fall of 2019 after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID pandemic ... The 2019 match-up was the fourth-straight year of playing in the fall ... Wednesday is the 12th Crosstown Showdown played in the spring out of the 16 ... The Lugnuts won the inaugural CTSD on April 3, 2007, 4-3, in front of 6,223, as the Lugnuts held off a late Spartan rally, as the Green & White was down, 4-1, entering the ninth and rallied with two runs and placed the game-tying run on base and had the potential go-ahead run into the batter's box, but a strikeout ended the Spartan rally and the game ... Michigan State won its first victory in the series in 2009, 12-2, on April 16, 2009 in front of a record-setting crown of 12,992 ... The Lugnuts have won the last 10 in a row, including edging the Spartans, 3-2, in 2022 and taking 2023's meeting, 12-3.

COACH VAN AMEYDE AWAY FROM TEAM
• Michigan State will be without veteran pitching coach Mark Van Ameyde (VAN-uh-mead) for an extended amount of time, as he will be away from the team after undergoing a successful kidney transplant on March 20.

PUTTIN' THE SWEET IN HOME SWEET HOME
• Michigan State is off to an early 5-3 ledger at home after winning the home-opening series over Evansville March 15-17, winning two of three, and beating Purdue Fort Wayne on March 19, before losing to Oakland on March 27 ... MSU went 17-4 at home last season and the Spartans have now won 28 of their last 38 home games (28-10) in their last 38 home games dating back to the 2022 season.

SPARTANS FROM INDIANA
• Michigan State has one player from the state of Indiana: junior designated hitter/catcher Christian Williams (Carmel / Carmel HS).

HOME STATERS
• The Spartans have 22 players on its 2024 roster from the state of Michigan, while the Fighting Irish have three Indiana natives ... MSU has one player from Indiana, while ND has two Michiganders on its roster, sophomore pitcher David Lally Jr. (Grand Blanc / Grand Blanc HS) and graduate transfer outfielder Tito Flores (Allen Park / Brother Rice / Michigan).

MSU VS. INDIANA TEAMS
• Tuesday is the fifth of six opponents from Indiana on Michigan State's 2024 regular-season schedule ... MSU has already played Ball State (L, 4-1, on Feb. 18 in Charleston, S.C.) and Indiana State (L, 7-6 (10 inn.) in Port Charlotte, Fla. ... the Spartans had four games in a row against teams from Indiana, winning the three-game series with Evansville (March 15-17), taking the opener, 11-3, before dropping game two, 5-3 in 11 inn., but then bouncing back to win the series with a 6-5 Victory for MSU ... Michigan State then beat Purdue Fort Wayne, 11-1 in 8 inn. ... MSU takes on Notre Dame again on April 30 at East Lansing ... Michigan State also plays one of the two Big Ten teams from Indiana this season, playing at Purdue (April 12-14 in West Lafayette), but does not play Indiana.

GRINDING OUT SERIES WIN OVER SCARLET KNIGHTS
• Michigan State took two of three from Rutgers over the weekend, as the Spartans won their B1G home opening series, and MSU did so boosted by solid pitching and defense, with timely offensive hits.

• The Spartan pitching and defense stymied the Scarlet Knight bats, who entered the weekend leading the B1G and ranking second in the nation in hits at 12.3 pg and leading the conference and ranking second in the conference in runs at 9.1 pg ... The MSU pitchers and defense held RU to 9.3 hits and 2.7 runs per game for the weekend.

• MSU's pitchers posted a season-low 2.67 ERA for the three games, the lowest in a weekend series this season by over a run, bettering the previous low of 3.72 against Evansville (3/15-17) ... Michigan State's pitchers also yielded a season-low eight runs, bettering the previous low mark of 13 runs also against Evansville.

• The Spartan defense also had solid glovework all weekend, including ringing up three double plays.

POWERS NO. 125 ON D1BASEBALL'S TOP 150 STARTING PITCHERS
• Senior left-handed starting pitcher Nick Powers is No. 125 on D1Baseball.com's Top 150 Starting Pitchers and is the lone Spartan representative on the publication's mid-season player rankings.

• Powers leads MSU with a 2.57 ERA, logging a 4-2 record in seven starts, including one complete game ... he has 36 strikeouts to just seven walks, yielding 16 runs, 14 earned, in 49.0 IP.

• Powers is fifth in the B1G and 61st in the NCAA in strikeout-to-walk ratio (5.14), while ranking third in the league in both wins (4) and walks allowed per nine innings (1.29), along with fourth in WHIP (1.08).

FRANK-ING FAST ON THE BASEPATHS
• Senior outfielder Jack Frank swiped two stolen bases over the weekend against Rutgers, giving him 13 for the season and 46 stolen bases for his career ... the 46 swipes moves Frank up to tie for No. 6 on MSU's career stolen base list, joining Steve Money (1991-94) and Steve Preston (1986-88).

• Frank is also fourth in the B1G and 52nd in the NCAA with the 13 stolen bases ... he also is fourth in the conference and 62nd in the country in stolen bases per game (0.50).

• The 13 swipes is just six shy of his single-season career-high of 19 stolen bases last season.

LIGHTING UP SCOREBOARD LIGHT A LITE BRITE
• A deluge of runs by Michigan State before and after a rain delay propelled the Spartans to a 16-6 Victory for MSU at Michigan last Tuesday ... MSU plated seven runs in the top of the ninth, tying the season-high for most runs in an inning, matching a 7-run frame in the fifth inning at Georgia on Feb. 28 during the Spartans' 19-6, 7-inning, run-rule rout of the Bulldogs.

• The Spartans have beaten the Wolverines in the last two meetings overall, while Michigan State has scored 14 or more runs in its last three wins over Michigan, opening the 2023 season with a 15-8 win out in Phoenix at the MLB Desert Invite. MSU then won the series finale, 14-2 on April 23, avoiding a sweep after UM had won the first two games of the Big Ten weekend series, 5-3 and 8-3.

• Along with matching the second-high for most runs in a frame, MSU's 7-run ninth inning at UM on Tuesday was the Spartans' second 7-run inning in the last two seasons against Michigan and the third big inning of four or more runs, as the Spartans plated seven runs in the eighth after a 5-run sixth inning in the aforementioned 15-8 Victory for MSU over Michigan in the 2023 season-opener.

OPRAH-LIKE DISTRIBUTION OF HITS, RUNS AND RBI
• Michigan State rapped out 19 hits in the win at Michigan, with all nine starters plus the lone pinch hitter knocking at least one hit, while seven Spartans had multiple hits ... All nine starters plus the one pinch hitter all scored at least one run each and eight of the nine starters in addition to the lone pinch hitter had at least one RBI ... Eight of the nine starters also drew at least one walk, as the Spartans earned a season-high 13 free passes and their second double-digit walk outing of the season.

RACKING UP THE STRIKEOUTS
• MSU's pitching staff has been racking up the strikeouts to the tune of 9.0 Ks/nine innings, ranking sixth in the conference and 101st in the country.

• Individually, sophomore southpaw starter Joseph Dzierwa is fifth in the B1G and 73rd in the NCAA in strikeouts with 46, while senior lefty Nick Powers is 11th in the league with 36 punchouts ... Dzierwa is also fifth in the conference in Ks/nine innings at 10.80.

FRESHMEN DRIVING IN THE WINNING RBI
• Three of MSU's last four official game-winning RBI have been driven in by freshmen, most recently with freshman infielder Ryan McKay's walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth in Sunday's 3-2 Victory for MSU over Rutgers.

• Spartan freshman outfielder Landen Lozier drove in the Spartans' two winning runs with official game-winning RBI in the wins over Purdue Fort Wayne on March 19 and at Michigan on March 26 ... Lozier drew a bases-loaded walk for the Spartans second run in the 11-1 win over Purdue Fort Wayne on March 19, and laced an RBI single in the seventh for Michigan State's seventh run at Michigan for the difference-maker run in the 16-6 deluge of runs in the win over the Wolverines.

Game preview courtesy of MSU Athletics.

2026 cornerback and 2025 trenches trio, including two offensive tackles and a defensive tackle, talk visit to Michigan State

"I felt very welcomed and everyone was very nice to me. First time being here (in East Lansing), but really enjoyed it."

Class of 2025 Westerville, OH TE Tyler Kielmeyer recaps his debut visit to Michigan State from this past weekend:

I trust Coach knows what is missing, and will get it done through the portal.

Mark my words, MSU wins it all next year.

With all the bad luck Coach has encountered with critical injuries to key players, including Alan Anderson in 2005, Lucas in 2010, and Appling during the 2013-2014 season (to name a few), next year is the year it all comes together and MSU wins it all.

Maybe that 2005 team still doesn’t win it all with a healthy Anderson, but there is no doubt in my mind that the 2010 and 2014 teams hang the NC banner without those two major injuries.

I think Coach adds what he needs through the portal, and all the bad luck of the past seasons stays away next year and HOF Izzo wins his second NC!

We not only have the best coach in college basketball, but also one of the best human beings you will ever meet. He deserves a season where the major injuries stay away, and maybe he gets a few breaks, for a change, and he leads the team to the NC.

Go get’m Coach, 2024-2025 you cut down the nets!!!

Michigan State sent Rutgers home over the weekend with a Spartan 2-1 series win in early Big Ten action. MSU won its first series in league action in its Big Ten home opener.

Catch the full series recap by @AmaniG08 here:

Michigan State Pushes No. 65 Purdue in 4-1 Loss​

EAST LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan State women's tennis team pushed visiting No. 65-ranked Purdue to the limits, but came up short losing, 4-1, Saturday afternoon inside the MSU Indoor Tennis Center.

The Boilmakers (10-6, 3-3 B1G) opened the dual taking the doubles point on courts two and one. Finishing on court two, Purdue would control its way to a 6-2 victory.

On court one, the Boilmakers would secure the doubles point with a 6-3 comeback victory. The Spartan sophomore pairing of Matilde Morais and Issey Purser partnered for the second time this season. The young duo was in a back-and-forth match with Carmen Gallardo Gueva and Tara Katarina Milic, leading 3-2. The Purdue tandem would catch steam and rattle off four-straight games to take an early 1-0 lead heading into singles action.

Michigan State (9-10, 0-5 B1G) didn't make it easy for the Boilmakers with all six singles matches being in tight battles, with three courts (2,4 and 6) all going into a third set.

The Spartans their lone point of the dual on court five with a gritty performance by graduate Nicole Conard. The Boca Raton, Florida, native defeated Tara Katrina Milic in straight 7-6 [7-4, 8-4] sets in a tightly contested bout.

Junior Liisa Vehvilainen was eyeing in on a victory in her matchup against Kennedy Gibbs. In a match that was in its third set, Vehvilainen was pushing the pace on the final set leading, 5-0, before the match went unfinished.

Purdue would take courts one and four in straight sets, then iced the dual on court six in three sets.

Michigan State will have a quick turnaround as it completes its B1G homestand facing Indiana on Sunday, March 30th. First serve is set for 11 am inside the MSU Indoor Tennis Center.

Saturday recap courtesy of MSU Athletics.

Spartans Get First B1G Victory Over Indiana, 4-0​

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Fueled by an electric doubles point, the Michigan State women's tennis team blanked visiting Indiana, 4-0, inside the MSU Indoor Tennis Center on Sunday afternoon.

Back in the win column, MSU improved to 10-10 overall and earned its first B1G victory of the season, sitting at 1-5. The Hoosiers fall to 6-14 overall and 0-6 in conference play.

The dual started off with strong doubles play for the Spartans taking the doubles point, winning courts two and three.

Sophomore Marley Lambert and junior Liisa Vehvilainen teamed up for the third time this season on court two. The pairing knocked off Saby Nihalani and Li Hsin Lin in a back and-forth match, the Indiana doubles would pull within one after being down 5-2 but wasn't enough as the Spartans took court two, 6-4.

Shortly after on court three, freshman Ria Bhakta and graduate Nicole Conard would lock the doubles point for Michigan State, defeating Elizabeth Dunac Sarah L'allier, 6-4.

On court one, sophomores Matilde Morais and Issey Purser were down, 5-1, before they captured the momentum and began rallying back to tie the bout, 5-5, before going unfinished.

The energy carried over to the main court for Morais with a 6-3, 6-2 straight set sweep over Nicole Teodosecu.

Vehvilainen continued the scoring for the Green and White, the Turku, Finland, native cruised over Dunac, 6-1, in the first set. In the second set, Vehvilainen was pushed in a tight battle but held off the Hoosier to win in straight sets, 6-4, to extend the Spartans lead, 3-0.

The clinching moment came on court six with freshman Natalie Stasny going toe-to-toe with Magda Swierczynska. After losing in the first set, Stasny rebounded and won the next two sets in commanding fashion 6-3, 6-1.

Michigan State will be back in action next weekend as it hosts in-state rival and B1G foe No. 2 Michigan on Saturday, April 6. First serve is scheduled for 4 p.m.

POSTMATCH QUOTES FROM HEAD COACH KIM BRUNO

On the energy shift when Morais and Purser rally back from a 5-1 deficit…

That was key. When you're down, you begin to have two courts who think they have to win to secure the doubles point. Then all of a sudden, we're in all of them. You felt the energy across all three courts. It boosted them to give them a piece of mind and say, 'we're all in this. Let's go.' The crowd felt that, then they got louder and cheering. That was fun.

On what they talked about after securing the doubles point…

We just needed to continue that momentum into our single matches. We were down in a couple of matches but were never out in any of them. They were able to turn the first sets around and battle back.

On getting the first Big Ten victory…

This has been a long time coming, we been in way too many matches to let them slip, so I'm really proud of the girls. They came back from a tough weekend last weekend, they put themselves in a position to win yesterday against Purdue. I thought that performance was much better from the weekend before. All those things added up for us to win today. I'm proud of everyone, it was a full team performance.

On how to carry this momentum into their match against Michigan…

The Big Ten season didn't start off how we wanted to start it; we had a few bumps in the road getting here. This is what we needed to give the girls a belief that they can win against any team. Just got to keep it rolling forward.

THE RESULTS

Singles competition

1. Matilde Morais (MSUW) def. Nicole Teodosescu (IND) 6-3, 6-2

2. Liisa Vehvilainen (MSUW) def. Elisabeth Dunac (IND) 6-1, 6-4

3. Ria Bhakta (MSUW) vs. Saby Nihalani (IND) 6-3, 5-4, unfinished

4. Issey Purser (MSUW) vs. Li Hsin Lin (IND) 2-6, 6-4, 2-5, unfinished

5. Nicole Conard (MSUW) vs. Lene Mari Hovda (IND) 4-6, 6-4, 0-1, unfinished

6. Natalie Stasny (MSUW) def. Magda Swierczynska (IND) 3-6, 6-3, 6-1

Doubles competition

1. Matilde Morais/Issey Purser (MSUW) vs. Nicole Teodosescu/Lene Mari Hovda (IND) 5-5, unfinished

2. Liisa Vehvilainen/Marley Lambert (MSUW) def. Saby Nihalani/Li Hsin Lin (IND) 6-4

3. Nicole Conard/Ria Bhakta (MSUW) def. Elisabeth Dunac/Sarah L'allier (IND) 6-4

Match Notes: Order of finish: Doubles (2,3); Singles (1,2,6)

Sunday recap courtesy of MSU Athletics.