Michigan State's head coach Jake Boss Jr., right, talks with Sam Thompson in the dugout during the first inning in the game against Purdue Fort Wayne on Wednesday, April 19, 2023, at the McLane Baseball Stadium in East Lansing Mall. 230419 Msu Purdue Fw Baseball 007a Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

Spartan Baseball Nationally Ranked, First Time in Almost 10 Years

Originally posted on Michigan State Spartans on SI
By Tom Cavanaugh | Last updated Feb 25, 2025 9:18 AM ET

The No. 23 Michigan State Spartans (6-1) have done something that has not been achieved in nearly 10 years. For the first time since 2016, the Spartans are a nationally ranked team as the National College Baseball Writers Association (NCWBA) has them at No. 23 in the Top 25 poll.

It marks the exact same ranking that the Spartans received in May of 2016 in the Baseball America Top 25 Poll when they held a 30-11 record at that time. Michigan State is now the second Big Ten team to be ranked, joining the No. 12 Oregon Ducks (6-2), one of the best teams in the conference.

The Spartans are off to their best start to a season, winning their first six games, the first time they had done that since 2016. They suffered their first loss of the season in a 15-9 loss to the UCLA Bruins (6-1) on Sunday afternoon in Corpus Christi, Texas.

Michigan State ranks outside the Top 10 in almost every offensive category in terms of the Big Ten, but their pitching and defense is another story. They rank sixth in ERA (3.05), eighth in strikeouts (62), the fourth-least amount of hits allowed (42), and tied for the second-best overall pitching record (6-1).

With just 40 runs scored, ranked 12th in the 17-team conference, Michigan State has allowed just 24 runs. Over half of that total came in just one game against a very talented Bruins team that will be at the top of conference alongside the Spartans. The defense and pitching will be a selling point all year.

Coach Jake Boss Jr.'s club will be back in action this Friday, setting up for a three-game series with Harvard (0-3). It will be the first three games of eight-straight in Greenville, South Carolina. with the final four contest being a part of the First Pitch Invitational at Fluor Field.

The Spartans will seek to continue their winning ways over the next few weeks on the road before returning home for the first time. They will take on their bitter rivals, the Michigan Wolverines (4-3), on March 12 at McLane Stadium in East Lansing.

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

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