EAST LANSING— The Michigan State baseball team is back in East Lansing and looking for a needed bounce back win as it hosts Oakland on Wednesday afternoon.
Following a three-game series in Iowa City against Iowa to begin Big Ten play, which the Spartans lost the last two. They will shift their focus on a weaker opponent.
The Grizzlies are 3-18 on the year and haven’t won a game in two weeks. Oakland’s annual trip to East Lansing began in 2019, besides taking a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic shutdown, the Grizzlies have made the trip every year since.
The Grizzlies took the game last year by a score of 11-7 during the Spartans turbulent 2024 season.
MSU enters the game with a 13-6 record and looking to gain some confidence before the trip to Happy Valley to take on 14-4 Penn State.
Oakland has some strong hitters with four hitting above a .300 batting average, however they have only combined for nine home runs.
Senior outfielder John Lauinger has started and played in 20 of Oakland’s 21 games. In these games Lauinger has averaged .333 and a .819 OPS over 75 at-bats. Lauinger has found his way on base 41 times this season.
The Golden Grizzlies pitching has been very rocky thus far, having just two qualified pitchers in senior Hunter Pidek and freshman Grant Garman. Pidek has pitched to the tune of a 5.40 ERA over 26.2 innings pitched, while Garman has put together a 7.71 ERA over 23.1 innings.
The Spartans have been able to find a power stroke with 25 home runs along with three hitters batting over a .290 average. Redshirt senior Sam Busch has played brilliantly for MSU, putting up a .298 average.
Busch also has team highs in both OPS with a 1.116 and home runs with seven which is tied for 43rd nationally. The East Lansing native is looking like he may put up an All-Big Ten season in his final season with his hometown team.
Junior Joseph Dzierwa is in line to start the game, but the Spartans could choose to save him for game one on Friday in Happy Valley. Dzierwa has been the best pitcher for the Spartans this year.
Dzierwa has a 1.42 ERA (33rd nationally) and a staggering 0.76 WHIP (17th nationally). This has led him to a 4-0 record through his five starts, and an early look at All-Big Ten honors.
The Spartans will look to snap the two-game losing streak and get back on track. First pitch from McLane Stadium is set for 4:05 p.m. and will be streamed live on B1G+.
