Michigan State and Merrimack faced off against each other on Friday afternoon at Shipyard Park. The Spartans sent Nolan Higgins to the mound to start off the 2024 campaign for the Spartans against Tyghe Healy for the Merrimack Warriors.

Michigan State struck first with a run in the top of the second inning by way of a Jacob Anderson RBI groundout. Merrimack answered back in the bottom of the third inning with a two-run home run from Christian Scanlon to take a 2-1 lead.

The Warriors added another run with a solo home run from Braydon Dolbashian to extend the lead to 3-1. The Spartans and Warriors both went scoreless in the fourth inning but that would change in the fifth inning when Dillon Kark knocked in Jack Frank on a sacrifice fly to cut the Merrimack lead down to 3-2 after five innings.

Nolan Higgins, the Michigan State starting pitcher went five innings giving up three earned runs and striking out seven batters, while Healy for Merrimack went three innings giving up one earned run and striking out three batters.

The Spartans tagged the Merrimack bullpen by hitting back-to-back home runs in the sixth inning. Catcher Noah Bright got the party started with a solo home run, paired with a home run from Jake Dresselhouse to take a 4-3 lead over Merrimack and ultimately would never give up the lead again as the Spartans would tack on six runs in the ninth inning, highlighted by Sam Busch's home run.

Tommy Szczepanski closed the game out for the Spartans, notching his first save on the season. Michigan State defeated Merrimack 10-3 for their first win of the season.

The Michigan State Spartan baseball team will open up its 2024 season this weekend against Merrimack, Seton Hall, Lehigh and Ball State at Shipyard Park in Charleston, South Carolina.

The first game of the season will be against the Merrimack Warriors on Friday at noon Eastern time.

The Spartans open up their campaign against the Merrimack Warriors after coming off a 33-22 record last season.

Meanwhile the Warriors are coming off a 21-30 record of their own. Merrimack will be looking to get off to a much better start this season as they lost their opener last season to Ball State, en route to eight consecutive losses to begin the 2023 season for Merrimack.

Michigan State will be looking to start the 2024 season off just like they started the 2023 season, with a convincing victory. The Spartans knocked off their bitter in-state rival Michigan in a 15-8 firework show in Phoenix in 2023.

The Spartans will not be returning a few key players from last season's team, as Brock Vradenburg, Mitch Jebb, and Trent Farquhar all elected to sign Major League Baseball contracts in July. The Spartans will have to go deep in their bag to replace the offensive production of Vradenburg, Jebb, and Farquhar. The trio totaled 140 RBI, 16 home runs, and all batted well over .330.

Look out for senior infielder Dillon Kark, Jack Frank, and Sam Busch to pick up the lost production from the previous trio. Kark, Frank, and Busch totaled 20 home runs last season with 112 RBI. On the pitching side of things for the Spartans, watch out for sophomore starting pitcher Joseph Dzierwa.

Last season as a true freshman, Dzierwa led the Spartan pitching staff as the Friday night starter. Dzierwa led the Spartans with 13 starts last season and will look to build in his second season with the Spartans. If the Spartans can get the ball to the backend of the bullpen, look out for Tommy Szczepanski to close out games for the Green and White.

Szczepanski, a transfer from Virginia Tech, is from Bay City, Michigan and attended Garber High School. Expect the Spartans to come out with a ton of energy to open the season as they are looking to record their first win of the 2024 campaign.

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