April 6, 2004
EAST LANSING, Mich. -
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THIS WEEK
Michigan State (19-13, 1-3) travels to Central Michigan (12-11) for a single game Wednesday, April 7 at 4 p.m. before opening its home Big Ten season with two single games against Minnesota (22-11, 3-1) on Friday-Saturday, April 9-10. Friday's game begins at 4 p.m., while Saturday is a noon start. Sunday, State takes on Wisconsin (19-16, 1-3) in a noon doubleheader to close out the weekend.
THE BIG TEN AFTER WEEKEND ONE
Both Michigan and Iowa remain undefeated after one weekend of Big Ten play, while Minnesota is alone in third place at 3-1. Three teams - Illinois, Ohio State and Penn State - split on the four-game weekend, while MSU and Northwestern sit in seventh place at 1-3. Purdue and Indiana both finished their weekends at 0-2.
BEECH GOES YARD - TWICE - AND EARNS BIG TEN POW HONORS
Senior pitcher/outfielder Jessica Beech hit two home runs in the Big Ten opening weekend, once against Illinois and once at Iowa. With a .500 (7-14) batting average in State's five games last week, Beech picked up the Big Ten Player of the Week honor on April 6. She scored five runs, drove in five, and safely reached base in each of State's five games last week.
Beech was twice named Big Ten Pitcher of the Week in 2003, but had not earned the league's Player of the Week accolade until April 6.
TOP OF THE BIG TEN AT THE PLATE
The Spartans stand at the top of the league in batting average, as they're hitting .307 as a team (262-854). Michigan is second at .299 (263-879).
FURROW DOMINATING BIG TEN STATS
Senior first baseman Natalie Furrow is at the top of the Big Ten in hits (38), doubles (9) and on-base percentage (.509); she's second in RBI (24), slugging percentage (.653) and total bases (55). With six top-two rankings, she is the only player in the Big Ten to be ranked among the top two in more than two categories.
AND BEECH LOOKS PRETTY GOOD, TOO...
Jessica Beech leads the Big Ten Conference in wins (15, tied with Illinois' Fortune), batters struck out looking (42) and innings pitched (146.0). With 138 strikeouts, she has the fifth-best total on the year.
SINGLE-SEASON RECORDS
The Spartans are well on their way to setting some single-season records in 2004. Natalie Furrow has 12 doubles, good for fifth place. Keri Lemasters recorded 22 two-baggers in 1997. Elizabeth Peterson's five home runs are tied for fifth, and are eight from tying Stacey Phillips' 13 in 2000. Jessica Beech has struck out 138 batters so far this season, the sixth-best total in MSU history. She set the school record in 2003, as she fanned 235.
WALK THIS WAY
Four Spartans - Jessica Beech, Natalie Furrow, Brittney Green and Elizabeth Peterson - have each recorded 11 walks on the season.
A TOUGH OUT
Natalie Furrow has struck out just six times in the 2004 season. With 101 at bats on the year, that translates to a strikeout in every 16.8 at bats. She leads the Spartans at the plate, as she's hitting .455 (46-101). Additionally, Furrow has posted a hit in 15 of the last 18 games, going 30-65 (.461) in that time. She has recorded at least one hit in all but seven of MSU's 32 games of the year, with a sacrifice in two of those seven games. Additionally, she has safely reached base in all but five games this season.
A MIDTERM REPORT
State has played 32 games so far this season, and is slated to play 23 more regular-season games in 2004. In that time, the Spartans are out-scoring their opponents by an average of one run per game, and with 17 home runs so far this season, have a shot at eclipsing the single-season team home run record of 25, set last year.
In addition, State is out-hitting its opponents, .307 (262-854) to .258 (216-836).
GOTTA COME THROUGH IN THE CLUTCH
State has struggled with leaving runners on base in 2004, as the Spartans have left a total of 222 runners on base, an average of 6.9 LOBs per game. MSU's pitching and defense has managed to force the opponents to leave an average of six runners on per game, for a total of 193 LOBs on the year.
NO FREE PASSES HERE
Senior pitcher Jessica Beech posted a streak from Feb. 21-March 6 of four games without a walk, and had a similar five-game streak snapped at Detroit Mercy on March 31. In 26 appearances this season, Beech has allowed just 31 bases on balls, and has not walked more than three opposing batters in a game.
SUCCESSFUL STEALING
State has successfully stolen 34 of the 43 attempts it's made this year, including Jessica Beech's 10-of-12 attempts, Angel Merren's 6-for-8 and Victoria Morache's perfect 5-of-5.
PATIENCE IS STILL A VIRTUE
As a team, the Spartans have walked 90 times this season, the most of the Big Ten, in contrast to their opponents' 52 bases on balls. The Spartan batters average 2.8 bases on balls per game, while opposing batters walk an average of 1.6 times per game.
HOT IN MARCH
Senior first baseman Natalie Furrow was 29-55 at the plate in the month of March, good for a .527 batting average. In March, she hit six doubles, two home runs and drove in a team-high 19 runs. She also had two stolen bases and scored 11 runs. She posted at least one extra-base hit in four of State's last five games.
FEENSTRA, MERREN PICK UP THIRD CAREER HOME RUNS
Granted, Angel Merren has had three more seasons than freshman designated player Dayna Feenstra to pick up her three career home runs and Merren's not exactly a power hitter, but both Spartans managed to add to their all-time totals against Valparaiso on Saturday, March 27. Merren had a three-run shot in the first game, while Feenstra posted a solo home run in the first game and drove in three with her second of the day in the Spartans' 4-0 win.
TWO NO-HITTERS FOR BEECH IN 2004
Senior pitcher Jessica Beech recorded her third career no-hitter and second of 2004 Saturday, March 20 against Oakland in the Buckeye Invitational at Ohio State. The senior from Okemos, Mich., worked 5.0 innings, struck out nine and walked none in the mercy-rule game. She then started the second game of the day against Robert Morris, and allowed just one hit in 4.0 innings of work.
Beech recorded her second career no-hitter on March 5 against UC Santa Barbara as the Spartans won, 4-1. The one Gaucho who reached base and scored in the game did so on an error by State leftfielder Victoria Morache, who lost a high fly ball in the sun. The ball bounced off her glove, off her head and resulted in the four-base error. Beech faced 22 batters in the game - one away from a perfect game.
A LITTLE MORE ON THE NO-NOs...
Three catchers have caught each of Beech's no-hitters: Lacy Hauxhurst on Feb. 14, 2003, Elizabeth Peterson on March 5, 2004 and Amy Szawara on March 20, 2004.
There have been 15 no-hitters thrown in Michigan State history, and Beech is just the third pitcher at State to have thrown more than one in her career. Wendy Greenwood recorded two, both in 1981, and Gloria Becksford threw three in 1976.
FURROW GOES YARD IN A BIG WAY
Natalie Furrow hit her first career grand slam in MSU's 10-0 no-hit win against Oakland on March 20, her second home run of the year and the sixth of her career. Coincidentally, Furrow's first home run of the season came in MSU's no-hitter against UCSB on March 5.
TAKING ONE FOR THE TEAM
Janette Hurtado has sacrificed seven times this season, the most of any Spartan. Angel Merren has recorded four sacrifices on the season and one sacrifice fly.
BE A BASE RUNNER ANY WAY YOU CAN, BUT LOOK OUT!
With nine hit by pitches, Brittney Green has reached base after being hit at the plate just two fewere times than she has walked in 2004.
SHORT MIDDLE INFIELD PLAYING TALL
Middle infielders Nicole Mercado (second base) and Janette Hurtado (shortstop) were instrumental in State's wins at the Buckeye Invitational on March 20. Together, the two were 5-11 at the plate (.455), with a double, a stolen base, six runs scored and two RBI. In the field, they recorded four putouts, three assists and an error.
V MAKES HERSELF KNOWN
Victoria Morache was 3-4 at the plate for the Spartans at the Buckeye Invitational, with her first home run as a Spartan coming in MSU's 10-0 win against Oakland University Saturday. Morache was 2-2 in the first game, with three RBI and a walk, and went 1-2 at the plate in the Spartans' second game of the day.
EXTRA BASES ARE EXTRA GOOD
State has 73 extra-base hits on the season, compared to its opponents' combined 56. MSU has posted 47 doubles, nine triples and 17 home runs; opponents have recorded 33 doubles, six triples and 17 home runs.
FLAWLESS FIELDING FURROW NO MORE
First baseman Natalie Furrow committed her first error of the 2004 season on March 31 at Detroit Mercy. She has just two errors on 209 putouts in 221 total chances.
TRIO OF TRIPLES, INCLUDING A SCHOOL RECORD
State had three players post triples in its seven games March 9-13, including Nicole Mercado, who hit two in State's second game of a doubleheader at UC Riverside (March 9). Mercado, a freshman, tied the school record for triples in a game. Jessica Beech and Meghan Darhower each posted a three-base hit on the week as well.
SPRING BREAK HITTING
The Spartans had four players with batting averages better than .300 on their 12-game spring break trip to southern California. Natalie Furrow hit .513 (20-39), Elizabeth Peterson hit .405 (15-37), Nicole Mercado batted .357 (15-42) and Jessica Beech hit .318 (14-44) on the trip.
STREAKING SPARTANS
State sophomore catcher Elizabeth Peterson posted the squad's longest hitting streak of the season from Feb. 28-March 12, as she recorded a hit in 14 consecutive games. She hit .432 in that span, going 19-44 at the plate. The 14-game streak ties for the seventh-longest in school history, as Tiffany Wallace did the same from March 30-April 20, 2003.
Freshman designated player Dayna Feenstra's 11-game hitting streak that lasted from Feb. 14-29 was the ninth-longest hitting streak in MSU history. That streak was snapped as Feenstra went 0-3 against UC Santa Barbara on March 5; she hit .382 (13-34) in that span.
Margaret Hollis set the school record of 17 games in 1997 (March 6-16).
ALL-TOURNAMENT HONORS
State had four players named to the Golden Panther/adidas Tournament all-tournament team, as Natalie Furrow, Dayna Feenstra and Victoria Morache were honored. Jessica Beech was named the tournament MVP.
GREEN, PETERSON ENTER TOP THREE
On March 20, Elizabeth Peterson posted her fifth home run of the season, and the 11th of her career, tying her with teammate Brittney Green and 2003 graduate Robyn Golden for third place all-time. The two are four long balls away from tying Patti Raduenz (1993-96) for second place all-time. Stacey Phillips (1997-2000) is the record holder with 31.
BEECH MOVIN' ON UP
With 516 career strikeouts, senior pitcher Jessica Beech owns the MSU career record. She's currently tied for first with 22 career shutouts, is second in career innings pitched (600.2) and is second in all-time wins (57). She also ranks fourth in career stolen bases with 38.
FURROW MOVES TO THIRD (PLACE, THAT IS)
With 40 doubles in her three-plus seasons, senior Natalie Furrow is tied with Stacey Phillips (1997-2000) for second place in MSU history.
THIEF!
Angel Merren stole three bases in MSU's game against Butler on Feb. 21, tying the school record for stolen bases in a game. Undergraduate assistant coach Margaret Schick was the last Spartan to steal three bags in a game, as she did so against Illinois-Chicago on March 6, 2003. Current Spartan Jessica Beech also stole three against Purdue on April 8, 2001. Six Spartans have stolen three bases in a single game on seven occasions; Schick is the only State player to have done so twice.
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
Tough is an understatement for the Spartans' 2004 slate; 15 of MSU's opponents played in the 2003 NCAA Regional Championship, while five were ranked among the final USA Today/NCFA Coaches' Top 25 Poll, and three more received votes in that final poll. Of those 15 teams that participated in the NCAA regional, six were Big Ten Conference opponents, as the league had seven schools participate in the regional.
