MSU Baseball Announces Individual Season Awards

Pianto was a perfect representation of what it means to be a Spartan, playing four years in East Lansing. He finished the season with the third-best ERA on the team (3.90) with 30 innings thrown across 20 appearances. He had 28 strikeouts and just 10 walks as the Spartans' best reliever.

The next team award recognized the Spartan that flashed the best leather all season and was the top defensive player on the team. Senior outfielder JT Sokolove was tabbed the Danny Litwhiler Defensive Player of the Year award winner.

Sokolove patrolled centerfield for the Spartans all season long, making highlight play after highlight play. He committed just four errors in 49 games with 126 put-outs and two assists. He came to East Lansing after three seasons at Illinois State and was a major standout for MSU this season.

From the field to the batter's box, the Spartans' next award was given to the Spartans' top hitter as the Kirk Gibson Offensive Player of the Year came in the form of redshirt senior lefty bat Sam Busch. There was not a more impactful hitter this season for the Spartans and one of the best in the Big Ten.

Spending all five seasons in East Lansing, Busch blasted off this year with a team-high 62 RBIs and 15 home runs. He had 14 career home runs in his first three seasons of action and eclipsed that number in 57 games this season. There is certainly a professional future ahead for Busch.

The final pair of season awards were given to the No. 1 player on this Spartan team that led them to multiple marquee wins and took the nation by storm with how crafty he was on the mound.

Junior left-hander Joseph Dzierwa was named the Robin Roberts Most Valuable Pitcher and John Kobs Most Valuable Player. He was far and away the top pitcher on the staff, hurling a Big Ten-best 2.36 ERA with 104 strikeouts and 22 walks with an 8-3 record across 91.2 innings and 15 starts.

Dzierwa was named the Big Ten Pitcher of the Week four times this year, and earned Big Ten Pitcher of the Year for a dominant season. The Spartans lefty is draft-eligible and will likely be a first or second round pick, mocked in the Top 100 picks for the 2025 MLB Draft this summer.