For the first time since the 2023 season, Michigan State baseball will appear in the Big Ten Tournament in Omaha. The Spartans punched their ticket to the tournament courtesy of a walk-off single by junior infielder Randy Seymour, which lifted MSU to an 11-10 win over Minnesota on Saturday. The Spartans were awarded the final spot, winning the tiebreaker over Northwestern after the Wildcats' 11-1 loss to the No. 14-ranked UCLA Bruins.
As the No. 12 seed, the Spartans are in Pool A and will face No. 8-seeded Nebraska in the first of two pool games on Tuesday. Top-seeded Oregon, whom the Spartans hosted in East Lansing for a series May 2-4 when the Ducks were ranked No. 6 nationally, will be MSU’s second opponent on Thursday.
The winner of Pool A will advance to the semifinals on Saturday, where that team will match up against the winner of Pool D (USC, Washington, and Penn State).
The Spartans enter the tournament with a 28-25 overall record and a 13-17 record in the Big Ten.
The key for the Spartans in this matchup will be their pitching and defensive play. In the series against Minnesota, MSU struggled defensively, giving up 8.3 runs per game. The Spartans also allowed a home run in every game against the Gophers, including four each in games two and three.
Scouting Nebraska
Entering the tournament as the No. 8 seed, Nebraska looks to make a run at a second straight Big Ten Tournament Championship. The Cornhuskers went 28-27 and 15-15 in conference play during the regular season.
This will be the first meeting of the season between the Spartans and the Huskers. MSU played UNL three times last season, with the Huskers winning the series 2-1.
Redshirt junior Cayden Brumbaugh and junior infielder Dylan Carey have led the way for Nebraska this season. Brumbaugh leads the Huskers in hits with 66 and in runs with 47. Carey has also been impressive, leading UNL in home runs with eight, and is the team’s RBI leader with 39.
Sophomore right-handed pitcher Ty Horn and senior left-handed pitcher Jackson Brockett are two potential pitchers Michigan State could face in Tuesday’s tournament opener.
Horn leads the Huskers in strikeouts with 62 on the season, and Brockett has a team-best ERA of 3.62.
The Spartans and Cornhuskers will be the nightcap of the three tournament games that are set to be played on Tuesday in Omaha. First pitch from Charles Schwab Field is set for 7 p.m. Eastern Time with the game being broadcast on the Big Ten Network.
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