Michigan State baseball celebrated the individual Spartans who had standout achievements throughout the season with head coach Jake Boss Jr. announcing the 2025 end-of-season team awards. Each award was voted on amongst the players themselves, except the Offensive Player of the Year Award which reflects players' season statistical excellence.
Both junior pitcher Joseph Dzierwa and senior infielder Sam Busch earned some of the most outstanding MSU awards, splitting MSU’s top awards including the John Kobs Most Valuable Player and the Kirk Gibson Offensive Player of the Year accolades, which haven’t been divided since 2018.
Dzierwa, a dominant player on the mound for the Spartans, earned the Kobs MVP Award and tacked on the Robin Roberts Most Valuable Pitcher honor. The Haskins, Ohio native has had an unforgettable season that has instilled his name in MSU history. With an 8-3 record, a 3.26 ERA, and 104 strikeouts over 91.2 innings, Dzierwa has claimed second in the Big Ten and 23rd nationally in both strikeouts and WHIP (0.98).
In addition to his season highlights, Dzierwa threw for one complete game shutout that added to his four combined shutouts. He managed to hold opposing teams to just 6.41 hits per nine innings, ranking him in fourth place in the Big Ten.
As the statistics piled up for Dzierwa, his accolades began to as well. Dzierwa earned the Big Ten Pitcher of the Week honor four times this season and received these honors in back-to-back weeks twice, becoming the only MSU player to earn back-to-back weekly honors at all. Dzierwa is also the first Spartan to be a four-time Big Ten Pitcher of the Week, and the first Big Ten pitcher to do so since Ohio State’s Alex Wimmers in 2009.
Dzierwa’s history-making season goes beyond the green and white or conference play, but instead to a national level as he was a national semi-finalist for three different awards including USA Baseball’s Golden Spikes Award and the NCBWA’s Dick Howser Trophy, and the College Baseball Foundation’s National Pitcher of the Year Award, presented by the College Baseball Foundation.
He was named Big Ten Pitcher of the Year, becoming just the second Spartan to earn this honor, joining Kurt Wunderlich (2011), while also being the only one unanimously selected to the First Team All-Big Ten.
Sam Busch, a native of East Lansing, Michigan, was another big name for the Spartans team awards, taking home the Kirk Gibson Offensive Player of the Year Award. This accolade, determined by season statistics, was well deserved for Busch as he leads MSU with 15 home runs, marking the most home runs by a Spartan since 2002 and ranking him at 13th in the Big Ten.
His 29 career home runs make Busch fourth on MSU’s career HR list, while he also leads MSU in nearly every major offensive category with 62 RBIs, a .584 slugging percentage, 111 total bases, and five sacrifice flies. He remains top three in many other categories at 40 runs, 55 hits, a batting average of .389, 29 walks, and 11 doubles.
This offensive accolade recognizes Busch for his on-field play, however he has also won MSU’s Big Ten Sportsmanship Award and has won the past two years, 2023 and 2024, the Academic All-Big Ten Accolade.
Another MSU pitcher, senior Dominic Pianto, was awarded for his contributions to the team, earning three different awards, including the Steve Garvey Most Improved Player award, the Jerry Sutton Student-Athlete award (for the second time in three seasons), and the Craig Hendricks Spartan Spirit award (for the second season in a row).
Pianto, from Hendersonville, Tennessee, shows leadership in the dugout and bullpen and is notably the first player to support and congratulate other teammates. He also worked closely with pitching coach Mark Van Ameyde to ensure readiness in the pitchers.
His off-field excellence translates to the field as he shared the lead for MSU in appearances and games in relief with 20 and ranks second in games finished (8) and saves (2), and fourth in ERA (3.90). Pianto was also able to strike out 28 batters in 30 innings.
Lastly, Pianto was highlighted for his academic excellence, graduating with a master's in accounting with a 3.854 GPA and winning the Scholar-Athlete Award at the Spartan Academic Excellence Gala twice. He is currently a candidate to win Academic All-District for the second straight year and Academic All-Big Ten and Big Ten Distinguished Scholar honors for the first time when the awards are announced later this summer.
Another senior standout, JT Sokolove, was recognized with the Danny Litwhiler Defensive Player of the Year accolade. Sokolove was a starter in 53 games in center field, ranks third for MSU in starters and is tied for fourth in games played.
Sokolove stabilized the outfield with 131 putouts and two assists, leading the Spartans with 16 stolen bases, tied for first in the Big Ten. He also led MSU in being hit by pitch with 19, placing him sixth in the league in HBP/game (0.36).
He also contributed offensively at third place on the team in runs scored with 39, sacrifice bunts with four, and three sac flies, and sits in fourth place with 24 walks.
MSU finished the 2025 season with a 28-27 record and a 12-seed in the Big Ten Conference Baseball Tournament in Omaha, Nebraska.
Looking forward, MSU will lose 11 players in the senior class including Caleb Berry, Sam Busch, Tyler Horvath, Zach Maxey, Dominic Pianto, Will Shannon, JT Sokolove, Ryan Szczepaniak, George Viebrock III, Christian Williams, Ryan Zimmer.
The program will also likely lose standout pitcher Joseph Dzierwa to the pros as he will be draft eligible and is a lock to depart East Lansing.
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