April 11, 2012

EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan State baseball team (20-10) hosts Eastern Michigan (13-18) Wednesday afternoon at 3:05 p.m. at McLane Baseball Stadium.

Senior right-hander Tim Simpson will be making his first career start on the mound for the Spartans. Simpson did start last Thursday against the Lansing Lugnuts in the Crosstown Showdown and threw two scoreless innings. He has made 43 previous appearances, all out of the bullpen. Simpson owns a 1-0 record this season with a 3.38 ERA.

The Spartans defeated the Eagles last week in Ypsilanti, 6-1. With the game tied at 1 after five innings, Michigan State broke the game open with a five-run sixth inning to take control. MSU collected nine hits total at the plate. Boss, who went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, hit his fourth homer of the season in the fourth to tie the game at 1. Ryan Krill also had two hits for MSU.

On the mound, Trey Popp tossed two shutout innings in the fifth and sixth to earn his second win of the season.

MSU head coach Jake Boss is 6-2 against Eastern Michigan during his tenure in East Lansing.

Michigan State returns to Big Ten action this weekend (Friday-Sunday, April 13-15) to face Indiana in Bloomington, Ind.

Game 31: Michigan State (20-10) vs. Eastern Michigan (13-18)
Date | Time	Wednesday, April 11 | 3:05 p.m.
Location	East Lansing, Mich. | McLane Baseball Stadium
Tickets	Free admission.
Video	Watch live (for purchase) on BTN.com
Live Stats	Gametracker
Statistics	Michigan State | Eastern Michigan
Social Media	@statebaseball | Facebook
Pitching Matchup	MSU: Sr. RHP Tim Simpson (1-0, 3.38 ERA) vs. EMU: Jr. RHP Brian Valente (0-3, 8.17 ERA)