March 27, 2008
Complete MSU Baseball Game Notes 
Listen To Coach Grewe On Mad Dog In The Morning
2008 Michigan State Baseball
vs. Illinois - March 21-23, 2008 - Oldsmobile Park -Lansing, Mich..
Friday, March 28 - Michigan State vs. Illinois - 3:05 p.m.
Saturday, March 29 - Michigan State vs. Oakland - 1:05 p.m. (DH)
Sunday, March 30 - Michigan State vs. Oakland - 1:05 p.m.
Probable Pitching Match-Ups (Subject To Change)
Friday - Mike Monterey (0-1, 3.70 ERA, 24.1 IP) vs. Kevin Manson (2-0, 3.79 ERA, 19 IP)
Saturday Gm. 1 - Mark Sorensen (0-2, 4.02 ERA, 15.2 IP) vs. Mike Stankiewicz (1-2, 6.38 ERA, 24 IP)
Game 2 - Chris Cullen (3-0, 2.96 ERA, 24.1 IP vs. Scott Shaw (1-1, 8.68 ERA, 18.2 IP)
Sunday - A.J. Achter (0-1, 4.91 ERA, 7.1 IP) vs. Aaron Martin (3-1 2.61 ERA, 20.2 IP)
GameTracker Links
Friday GameTracker
Saturday Game 1
Saturday Game 2
Sunday GameTracker
Spartans Open Big Ten Play At Home Against Illinois
After playing the first 15 games of the season in Florida, Texas, Louisiana and South Carolina, the Michigan State baseball team (7-9) opens its Big Ten schedule with a four-game series against Illinois March 28-30. MSU had its three-game home series versus Oakland postponed due to snow. The Spartans have won four of their last six games, and each win has come against a team that posted a winning record in 2007. The Spartans have won two of their last three, having beaten Quinnipiac twice on March 16 and losing to Eastern Michigan Wednesday at Kobs Field. Historically, Michigan State and Illinois have been close to even, as the Spartans have won 53 of 110 all-time meetings against the Illini.
Road Warriors
The Spartan baseball program finished a stretch where it was on the road for 21 of 26 calendar days, spanning from Feb. 20-March 16. MSU left for Florida on Wednesday, Feb. 20 and returned on Monday, Feb. 25. Two days later, the Spartans embarked on the nine-game trip that lasted from Wednesday, Feb. 27-March 9 before leaving March 13-16 for South Carolina. Michigan State played its first 15 contests in five cities, four states and two time zones.
Veteran Starters Shutting It Down
Michigan State has been led in the starting rotation by three strong fourth-year right-handers. Mike Monterey (3.70), Chris Cullen (2.96) and Mark Sorensen (4.02) have ERA's near 4.00 and are giving up less than 1.0 hits per inning. The trio is holding opponents to a collective .227 batting average with 40 strikeouts. Monterey and Cullen are seniors, while Sorensen is a fourth-year junior, having received a medical redshirt last season.
Scouting Illinois (9-6)
The Illini have won six of their last seven dating back to March 16. Illinois has had similar weather problems that MSU has had, and it scheduled games against Judson College (NAIA) and Indiana State this week, winning both contests. The Illini are led by centerfielder Kyle Hudson, who is hitting .456 and has scored 15 runs. Hudson is also one of the leading receivers on the Illini football team. Shortstop Brandon Wikoff is batting .421 and first baseman Ryan Hastings owns a .340 batting average. Illinois' best two starting arms are Aaron Martin (3-1, 2.61 ERA) and Kevin Manson (2-0, 3.79 ERA). The team's top reliever is Ben Reeser, who is 2-0 with two saves in six appearances.
Looking At The Illinois Series
Michigan State and Illinois have met 110 times dating back to 1952, with the Illini holding a slight 57-53 edge over the Spartans. The two teams have split the last eight meetings over the past two seasons. Coincidentally, the two teams have closed the past two seasons against each other. MSU is 11-15 against Illinois this decade.
Day Leading The Way
Junior catcher Kyle Day has been in the starting lineup in every game, and for good reason. The Fort Wayne, Ind., native leads Michigan State with a .333 batting average and 15 RBI. His RBI total is tied for sixth in the Big Ten. He is tied for the team lead with 20 hits, and he leads MSU in on-base percentage (.414) and slugging percentage (.433). For his career, Day is a .311 hitter and has 74 RBI. Day, who was drafted in the 19th round of the 2007 MLB Draft by the Chicago Cubs, was a preseason All-Big Ten pick by Baseball America and was a Cape Cod League All-Star last summer with the Harwich Mariners.
Roof Raising His Average
Freshman shortstop Jonathan Roof has been swinging the bat well lately, picking up seven hits in his last 12 at-bats. Roof went 6-for-8 with four RBI last in three games against Quinnipiac and had one hit against Eastern Michigan to raise his batting average 63 points, from .260 to .323. His batting average is second on the team, right behind Day's .333 clip. The Paducah, Ky., native, who was drafted in the 39th round of the 2007 MLB Draft by Boston, has started all 16 of MSU's games at short and is tied for the team lead in hits (20) while ranking second in total bases (25) and third in RBI (8) and slugging percentage (.403).
MSU Beating The Best
Considering the difficulty of Michigan State's non-conference schedule, the Spartans have had opportunities to defeat some of the nation's top programs. MSU opened the season with a 6-4, 10-inning win over Stetson on Feb. 22. At the Rice Invitational March 6-8, Michigan State posted a 5-3 win over Western Carolina on March 6 and a 9-3 win over No. 4 Rice the next day. Michigan State also has two wins over Quinnipiac and one versus Connecticut (11-1 on Feb. 24). Both of those schools from the Constitution State posted winning records in 2007. Connecticut was 34-27 last year and Quinnipiac finished 29-18-1.
Milestone Win For The Program
Rice is the highest-ranked team Michigan State has beaten this decade, and it is believed the Owls may be the highest-ranked opponent MSU has beaten in the program's history. The Owls were ranked No. 4 by Rivals.com and No. 6 by the NCBWA at the time of the game. The victory is the highest-profile win Michigan State has had under David Grewe. The Spartans did post a 13-11 win over Miami (Fla.) on March 8, 2000, one year after the Hurricanes won the College World Series.
Moody Provides Relief
Senior right-hander Nolan Moody has emerged this season as one of the team's top relievers. Moody boasts a 2-1 record with two saves and a 3.09 ERA in a team-best 10 appearances this season. He appeared in each of the three games against Quinnipiac, picking up a win and a save in four innings of relief. His other win came March 1 against Arkansas and he also saves MSU's win over Western Carolina March 6. Additionally, the East Lansing, Mich., native has 13 strikeouts against just two walks and is holding opponents to a .214 batting average.
Two-Way Contributors
Head coach David Grewe has several players who can contribute both at the plate and on the mound. Four Spartans - Tyler Newsome, Brandon Eckerle, Tony Clausen and Seth Williams - have appeared on the mound and had at least one at-bat. Newsome is hitting 4-for-12 and has started three games at first base in addition to his six pitching appearances. Eckerle has made three relief appearances this season, and has appeared in 11 games in the outfield. Eckerle is batting 5-for-19 (.263) with five RBI.
Big Ten's Top Recruiting Class
MSU's 34-man roster features 12 newcomers which comprise the Big Ten's top-rated recruiting class, according to Baseball America. Those newcomers have made an impact already. Jonathan Roof has started every game at shortstop this season, while A.J. Shindler (3B) and Tyler Newsome (1B, P) have also seen extended action on the field. Kurt Wunderlich and A.J. Achter have also combined to pitch 19.0 innings.
On Deck For MSU
Michigan State opens the month of April with a rematch of Wednesday's game against Eastern Michigan April 2 at Kobs Field. MSU then travels to Northwestern for a four-game series April 4-6.
