Jacey Schuler Ties Program Record in Win Over Longwood
ATHENS, Ga. – Michigan State softball split day one of the 2025 Red & Black Showcase on Friday, defeating Longwood, 7-2, in game one and falling to No. 10-ranked Georgia, 10-2, in game two from Jack Turner Softball Stadium.
Freshman Jacey Schuler tied the program record for single-game strikeouts by a freshman against Longwood. Schuler sent 12 Lancer batters down on strikes to tie Stefanie Noffsinger's mark of 12 against Bucknell in 1995.
Michigan State's record moves to 2-5, while Longwood fell to 2-5 and Georgia improved to 7-0. The Spartans are back in action on Saturday for a 3:30 p.m. rematch against the Bulldogs and 6:00 rematch with the Lancers. Action at the Red & Black Showcase concludes for MSU with a 10:30 a.m. game against Western Carolina on Sunday.
Game One – Michigan State 7, Longwood 2
Schuler (2-1), who struck out 12, allowed just three hits and one earned run in an unconventional complete game effort. Senior Madison Taylor faced three batters to open the fifth inning before Schuler was inserted back into the circle.
Sophomore Kendall Smiley showcased how dynamic she can be on offense going 3-for-3 just a home run shy of the cycle with a single, double and triple. Smiley stole the only base for MSU and came around to score three times. Junior Kaelin Cash turned in a multi-hit effort with a pair of RBI singles.
Homering for the Spartans were juniors Hannah Hawley and Sydney Doloszycki. Hawley's solo shot broke a fifth-inning tie to give MSU a 3-2 lead. Doloszycki followed Hawley's lead later in the inning with a three-run blast, tying her career high of three RBIs in a game.
Senior Mik Anthony was hitless in game one but extended her reached base streak to eight games dating back to last season with a second inning walk.
Smiley tripled in the first inning, setting up junior Britain Beshears for a sac fly that provided the Spartans a 1-0 advantage. Smiley's third inning double set-up another MSU run when Cash brought her home on a single to right.
Longwood cut Michigan State's lead to one in the fourth on a lead-off home run, but Schuler retired the next three batters to get back on track. Taylor came on to pitch in relief of Schuler to start the fifth but ran into trouble when the first three batters of the inning reached base. A Lancer double tied the game at 2-2 leading Schuler to re-enter the circle for the remainder of the contest.
Schuler retired nine straight batters to finish the game, striking out two in each of the fifth and seventh innings to run up her final punch-out tally to 12.
Hawley secured the win for Schuler with her fifth inning homer, providing MSU with a 3-2 advantage and swinging the momentum. Smiley singled and Beshears walked, putting two on for Cash who singled Smiley home from second on a ball to left. Doloszycki provided insurance for the Spartans when her three-run blast to left extended the Michigan State advantage to 7-2.
Game Two - #10 Georgia 10, Michigan State 2
Senior Faith Guidry (0-2) made her first start of the season tossing three innings for Michigan State allowing seven runs (two earned) on 10 hits. Guidry was relieved by freshman Carsyn Cassady who pitched the final 1.1 innings of the night allowing three runs (two earned) on two hits and one strikeout. Cassady retired four-straight to start her outing before a three-run home run ended the game.
Junior Hannah Hawley had her best night at the plate of the season going 2-for-2 with a walk to reach base three times. Senior Mik Anthony extended her reached base streak to nine with a fourth inning single.
Georgia took a 2-0 lead in the first inning on a pair of two-out singles.
Michigan State knotted the game up at 2-2 in the top of the third after back-to-back singles by senior Macy Lee and freshman Ava Coffinger, and a Hawley walk loaded the bases with no outs. Sophomore Kendall Smiley drove in the pinch-running Hannah Herman and junior Britain Beshears drove home Coffinger on a ground out.
A two-out single to right field provided the Bulldogs with a 4-2 lead in the bottom of the third. Georgia added three insurance runs in the fifth inning to lead MSU, 7-2, heading to the fifth.
Georgia's Jaydyn Goodwin ended the game early in the bottom of the fifth with a one out three-run home run to right center.
Recap courtesy of MSU Athletics.
