EAST LANSING- After a mid-week loss to Notre Dame, the Michigan State softball team will host the Washington Huskies in their penultimate Big Ten series at Secchia Stadium.
The Spartans have lost four of their last five games and hope to return to form against the Big Ten newcomers with their Big Ten Tournament hopes waning.
Like MSU, Washington enters the series amid a losing streak, as despite being 29-12, they dropped three straight games to No. 8 UCLA last weekend after a series sweep of Wisconsin the weekend prior.
On Tuesday, MSU could not capitalize on home runs from junior catcher Hannah Hawley and sophomore shortstop Payton Conroy as they fell to Notre Dame, 4-3. Hawley’s homer marked her team-high 10th jack of 2025, as her 1.129 on base plus slugging leads Michigan State.
Junior designated player Britain Beshears, sophomore second baseman Hannah Greer (who is hitting .338), and junior outfielder Sydney Doloszycki (despite hitting two home runs against Illinois on Apr. 12) went a combined 0-8 for the home team as they stranded three runners on base.
However, it was defensively where the Spartans struggled most. Three Michigan State errors led to only two Fighting Irish runs being earned. Entering Friday, MSU sits last in the Big Ten with a 93.8% fielding percentage, which has in turn affected their rotation.
The Spartans sit second to last in the conference with a 5.76 team ERA, which may not bode well against one of the Big Ten’s most impressive freshmen, Washington shortstop Alexis DeBoer. DeBoer, the daughter of Alabama football coach Kalen DeBoer, is tied for sixth in the Big Ten with 15 home runs and her 49 RBIs rank eighth in the conference.
DeBoer is also slashing .367/.448/.817 to boast a 1.264 OPS. Sophomore catcher Jadyn Glab is hitting .325 with 11 home runs while sophomore outfielder Ava Carroll is hitting a team-high .359 to form a strong top of the order tandem for Heather Tarr’s squad.
Where Washington thrives the most is in it’s bullpen rotation. Due to the efforts of three pitchers with a sub 2.7 ERA, Huskies’ 2.66 team ERA ranks fourth in the conference. Sophia Ramuno recorded 108 strikeouts in just 79.1 innings pitched this season, while Morgan Reimer has also eclipsed the 100-strikeout threshold in under 100 innings.
MSU is on the outside looking in for the Big Ten tournament, as their 3-10 record in conference play has them as the No. 13 seed- despite only 12 teams qualifying for a weekend in West Lafayette.
Michigan State is 0-6 against Washington all-time and look to capture their first-ever victory against them this weekend.
