EAST LANSING— Through the first two weeks of the NCAA baseball season only one player has been named the Big Ten Pitcher of the Week, and he resides in East Lansing.  

Junior pitcher Joseph Dzierwa becomes just the sixth Spartan to earn the award twice in a season, and the first since 2011. It has been over a decade since Michigan State had a two-time winner and is the first time ever a player has won back-to-back Big Ten weekly awards. 

The Spartans’ ace was named the Big Ten preseason pitcher of the year by Baseball America and has lived up to the expectations thus far. In two games he has allowed zero runs and two hits while making 23 batters whiff through 13 innings. 

The left-handed pitcher picked up his first conference recognition after leading the charge to take down Western Michigan on Feb. 14. He struck out 11 batters through six innings keeping the Broncos scoreless with only one hit propelling the Spartans to a 2-0 win. 

His most recent award comes from his seven-inning, 12-strikeout performance against Washington State on Friday. Holding the Cougars scoreless with a lone hit, retiring 14 straight along the way. WSU would eventually score after Dzierwa was pulled, but MSU still won 9-2.  

Dzierwa’s 12 K’s were not only a career-best but also the most by a Spartan since 2021, when Sam Benschoter punched out 17 through 9.1 innings. He has currently cemented himself at the top of the Big Ten for most strikeouts in a game this season 

MSU is off to a 6-1 start and has found its way into the rankings at No. 23. This marks both the Spartans’ best start and first ranking appearance since 2016, with the domination of a 6-foot-8 southpaw being key to their success. 

MSU will look to build on its early season momentum against Harvard in a three-game series in Greenville, South Carolina. Dzierwa will most likely open the weekend as he will be looking to garner a third straight Big Ten weekly award with another stellar performance.