Feb. 26, 2015
MSU Game Notes 
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan State baseball team travels to Los Angeles this weekend for a three-game series with No. 7 UCLA. The Spartans are 3-3 as they begin the trip and this will be the first-ever meeting between the two schools. Games will take place on Friday at 9 p.m., Saturday at 5 p.m., and Sunday at 4 p.m. All times are eastern.
Scouting the Bruins
UCLA is off to a hot start, entering the weekend 7-1 overall, with its only loss coming to No. 14 North Carolina last weekend. The Bruins were selected as a favorite to win the Pac 12 in the coaches poll, receiving six of the possible 10 first place votes. The UCLA offense has been highly effective early in the season, scoring over 9.5 runs per game with eight home runs.
Last Time Out
MSU is coming off a weekend in Arlington, Texas, where the Spartans went 1-2. Michigan State dropped the first two games of the weekend, losing to Houston Baptist and Texas Arlington, both by a score of 3-1. The bats came alive for MSU in the final game of the weekend vs. Southeastern Louisiana, exploding for nine runs in the victory over the Lions. Despite the two losses, the pitching staff continued to be a bright spot for the Spartans. In three games, MSU gave up just five earned runs while recording 22 strikeouts.
MSU Notes
Jake Boss is three wins away from reaching 200 victories as head coach of the Spartan baseball team. He would become the fifth coach in Michigan State history to do so and first since Ted Mahan (1996-2005), who spent 10 years at the helm of Spartan baseball.
Redshirt senior Jeff Kinley is one save away from becoming the school's career record holder. Kinley stepped into the role of full-time closer last season, setting the single-season school record for both saves (13) and appearances (30). Kinley is currently tied atop the school record board with Tony Wieber (2010-12) at 18 career saves.
Michigan State's bullpen has given up just four runs in 20.1 innings of work, led by Kinley who has made three appearances and given up no runs in six innings. The bullpen has not given up more than one run in a game yet this season.
Starters Anthony Misiewicz (T-2nd) and Cam Vieaux (7th) both rank in the top 10 in the conference in strikeouts. The pitching staff has had four games with eight or more strikeouts, going 3-1 in those contests. MSU has 46 strikeouts on the season to just 17 walks.
All five runs that starter Mick VanVossen has given up this season have come in the first inning. Outside of the opening frame, VanVossen has hurled 8.1 innings of scoreless ball and allowed just four hits.
Michigan State has allowed only 12 earned runs in six games this season, leading to 2.05 team ERA that ranks second in the Big Ten and 25th in the nation. The staff is holding opposing batters to a .228 average, the third best mark in the conference.
Freshman Chad Roskelly and Zack McGuire both recorded their first hit and RBI in last Sunday's win over Southeastern Louisiana. The two combined to go 6-for-8 at the plate with four RBIs and three runs scored. McGuire's first hit of his collegiate career was a home run to left that gave the Spartans their first lead of the weekend.
Shortstop Ryan Richardson has reached base safely in all six games so far this season. His .375 on-base percentage is second on the team to Johnny Nate, who is hitting .286 with a .412 on-base percentage.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Spartans return seven players that appeared in 40 or more games last season, including four that started in all 57 of the team's games (Blaise Salter, Cam Gibson, Ryan Richardson, Anthony Cheky).
With six starters returning in the field and two more on the mound, the Spartans enter 2015 a very driven group with high expectations. The roster features eight seniors who have combined to play in 672-career games entering the season.
Michigan State's starting lineup features five position players that are seniors. Anthony Cheky, Ryan Krill, Ryan Richardson, and Blaise Salter are all players that have been consistent starters in their time in the Green and White, all having started in more than 100 games in their careers. MSU adds redshirt-senior Mark Weist who transferred from Spring Arbor University where he hit .392 with eight homers.
Along with its seasoned players, MSU has 10 true freshmen and four redshirt freshmen that will be looking to make an early impression and compete for playing time.
Michigan State has six teams on its schedule that took place in last year's NCAA Tournament, including No. 1 seeds Oregon State and Indiana, and No. 2 seeds Nebraska and Oregon.
The Spartans posted their fifth straight 30-win season in 2014, going 31-26 (11-13 Big Ten) and finishing sixth in the Big Ten.
Senior catcher Blaise Salter was named to National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Preseason All-America Team, a year after being voted to the NCBWA All-America third team. Salter led the Spartans last season in doubles (22), RBIs (50), home runs (5), hits (70), and slugging percentage (.484), along with being a second team All-Big Ten honoree.
Pitchers Mick VanVossen and Jeff Kinley, along with Salter have been named as "Players to Watch" by the Big Ten.
Salter's 22 doubles last season tied the single-season school record. With 42 in his career, he sits just five off of Scott Ayotte's (1992-95) 47 doubles for the MSU career record.
The pitching staff posted the 10th-lowest ERA in program history at 3.09. The ERA was the lowest by a Spartan team since the 1972 squad (2.63). Opposing hitters struck out 355 times in 2014, marking the fifth most in school history.
MSU returns three pitchers that appeared on the conference leaderboard last season in opposing batting average. Mick VanVossen ranked fourth (.227), Anthony Misiewicz ranked sixth (.228), and Cam Vieaux ranked 12th (.249).
As a team, the Spartans posted a 3.09 ERA in 2014, the second best in the Big Ten, while the team's opposing batting average (.245) ranked third.
Mick VanVossen led the team in wins in 2014, going 8-3 and posting a 2.82 ERA in 99.0 innings. VanVossen held opposing hitters to a .227 batting average that ranked fourth in the Big Ten.
If VanVossen can repeat the statistical season he had last year, he will continue to climb the MSU career leaderboard. He needs just 10 innings pitched and 47 strikeouts to crack the top-10 in both categories. With 17 career wins, VanVossen sits 11 victories out of the top spot and is six wins away from cracking the top five.
Michigan State stole 88 bases as a team in 2014, the second most in school history behind the 2005 club that swiped 98 bags. Junior center fielder Anthony Cheky led the way with a school-record 29 stolen bases, while Jimmy Pickens stole 22, tied for sixth most in a season in school history.
Salter will be asked to move into the role of full-time catcher, replacing Joel Fisher who was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies. Last season behind the plate, Fisher and Salter led a Michigan State team that threw out 39 base runners, tops in the Big Ten.
Four players garnered Big Ten conference accolades last season, including returners Blaise Salter (second team) and starting pitcher Mick VanVossen (third team).
Print Friendly Version
