Michigan State's Joseph Dzierwa delivers a pitch during a NCAA Big Ten Conference baseball game against Iowa, Friday, May 12, 2023, at Duane Banks Field in Iowa City, Iowa. Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK

MSU's Joseph Dzierwa Earns National Honor

Originally posted on Michigan State Spartans on SI
By Aidan Champion | Last updated May 8, 2025 4:10 PM ET

Michigan State baseball was put on the map last week when its ace, Joseph Dzierwa, put the college baseball world on notice with a shutout against the No. 6 team in the nation, Oregon.

Dzierwa, who is expected to be selected in July's MLB Draft, has been dominant for the Spartans this season, added to his stellar 2025 campaign with another award, this time on the national level.

The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) announced this that Dzierwa has been named its Dick Howser Trophy National Pitcher of the Week. The honor comes just a day after he was named the Big Ten Pitcher of the Week.

It has been over two years since Michigan State baseball won an individual national award, the last one going to Bryan Boecker, who won the College Baseball National Player of the Week Award in April of 2023.

Dzierwa showed out against Oregon last week, striking out 11 batters while the Spartans prevailed in a 2-0 victory at home. He gave up just three hits while pitching all nine innings.

It was the fourth time this season Dzierwa finished a game with double-digit strikeouts. He is now fourth in program history in the category with 236 career strikeouts. The win marked the 19th of his career, which put him in ninth place in school history.

It had been nearly 10 years since a Spartan had pitched a complete game shutout, the last coming from Cam Vieuaux back in 2016.

Michigan State went on to drop the next two games of the Oregon series. It has gone 1-3 since that win.

Dzierwa has been a bright spot in a rather disappointing year in conference for the Spartans, who are 10-12 in the Big Ten. They are 25-22 overall. He is second in the conference in ERA with a 2.20 average and strikeouts with 86. He is one of just two Big Ten pitchers with a shutout in conference play.

Michigan State has just two series left in its campaign -- a West Coast trip to USC this weekend and one final home series against Minnesota.

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This article first appeared on Michigan State Spartans on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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