Can the surging Spartans dethrone the undefeated Bruins? Michigan State aims for seismic upsets in a crucial series that could define their season.
Beyond question, this is the most crucial weekend for Michigan State baseball.
The Spartans will host the nation’s No. 1 team, the UCLA Bruins, in a three-game series starting Friday night.
It’s baseball at its finest.
Michigan State enters this epic series having won its last two series, doing everything it can to salvage a season that took a sharp left turn early but has found its way back on track for the home stretch.
The Spartans sit at 16–25 overall and 10–14 in conference play, which places them 12th out of 18 teams with just six conference games remaining. The top 12 teams earn an invitation to the Big Ten Tournament, so Michigan State currently sits squarely on the bubble. With three of those six games coming against the nation’s No. 1 team, the road ahead looks daunting.
Michigan State has also played an extra series compared to more than half of the Big Ten, so as other teams catch up in the coming weeks, the Spartans’ fate will become even clearer.
For now, the objective is simple: do whatever it takes to pull off an upset—or two—in this three-game battle.
As for the Bruins, they are 40–4 overall and a perfect 21–0 in conference play. They are No. 1 in the Big Ten, No. 1 in the nation, and the clear standard of college baseball right now.
However, just because they haven’t lost in the Big Ten doesn’t mean they’re unbeatable—though it may feel that way. UCLA comes to East Lansing after dropping a game to Sacramento State last weekend. After narrowly escaping Game 1 with a 5–3 win, Sacramento State responded with a 9–6 victory in Game 2.
So yes—the Bruins can be beaten.
But Michigan State will have to play near mistake-free baseball to accomplish that task and become the first Big Ten team to slay Goliath.
For Michigan State, a sub-.500 season has been riddled with errors and poorly timed outs. Still, through the struggles, there have been flashes of promise, and the Spartans are beginning to click as a team at the right time.
They are led by Randy Seymour, who is hitting .280 with 14 home runs—tied with four other players for the fourth-most in the Big Ten. Seymour has been a consistent force at the plate, and when he connects, the ball often leaves the yard. He leads the team with 43 RBIs (tied for 13th in the Big Ten), 99 total bases (15th in the conference), and a .559 slugging percentage. He is also second on the team in hits with 47 and has added eight doubles, proving his power shows up even when the ball stays in the park.
Alongside Seymour, Isaac Sturgess has been on a tear this season. He leads the Spartans in hits (48), runs (30), and doubles (12), ranking tied for 15th in the Big Ten in doubles. Sturgess is also tied for second on the team with 25 RBIs and continues to be one of the most reliable bats in the lineup.
Freshman CJ Deckinga has provided another boost to the offense, sitting second on the team with six home runs and tied for second with Sturgess at 25 RBIs.
Ryan McKay got off to a slow start offensively but has found his rhythm as of late, looking more like the player fans saw last season. After struggling to keep his average above .200, McKay now sits at .246 and leads the team with 21 walks. He ranks fifth on the team with 21 RBIs and is tied for third with seven doubles.
Defensively, however, McKay has been outstanding all season. He ranks second among all second basemen in the nation in defensive runs saved (DRS) at 11.6, trailing only Gavin Gallaher of North Carolina.
On the mound, pitching has been a challenge for Michigan State—except for Aidan Donovan, who has been every bit the ace head coach Jake Boss envisioned.
Donovan is tied for the team lead in wins (4) and strikeouts (45). He leads the team outright in innings pitched (64.2), batters faced (248), and batting average against among starters (.254).
Recently, Donovan has been slotted into Game 2 of series, so it will be worth watching when he gets the ball this weekend.
For UCLA, their success is no accident.
The Bruins boast two of the most dangerous hitters in the conference in Will Gasparino and Roch Cholowsky, who are tied atop the Big Ten with 18 home runs each, alongside Penn State’s Michael Anderson.
Cholowsky also leads the conference with 59 runs and is tied for third with 52 RBIs. Just ahead of him is Gasparino, who is tied with Nebraska’s Dylan Carey at 55 RBIs.
Gasparino and Cholowsky rank third and fourth in slugging percentage, respectively, and will be the key factors in this series. While UCLA is far more than a two-man wrecking crew, if Michigan State’s pitching staff can limit these two, there is a path to success.
Game one gets underway Friday at 6:05 PM EST, Game two will be at 3:35 PM EST, and Game three on Sunday at 12:05 PM EST.
All three games can be watched with a B1G+ subscription.
Predictions
Game 1 UCLA 7, Michigan State 2
Game 2 Michigan State 5, UCLA 4
Game 3 Michigan State 9, UCLA 8