Michigan State's head coach Jake Boss Jr. signals to players during the sixth inning in the game against Ohio State on Friday, April 18, 2025, at McLane Stadium in East Lansing. Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Spartan Baseball: Season Review

Originally posted on Michigan State Spartans on SI
By Tom Cavanaugh | Last updated May 25, 2025 7:00 AM ET

The Michigan State Spartans (28-27, 13-17) concluded the 2025 campaign this past Thursday, being eliminated from contention in the Big Ten tournament in Omaha, Nebraska. Despite the disappointing finish, it was a promising year for an inspiring squad that stayed saw some major highlights.

The Spartans jumped out to an impressive 6-1 start back in February, becoming the No. 23 nationally ranked team in the country by the National College Baseball Writers Association. They continued their success to a very impressive 13-4 start before Big Ten play began.

The Spartans witnessed one of the top arms in school history toe the slab 15 times this season as junior left-hander Joseph Dzierwa took the Big Ten by storm. Winning Big Ten Pitcher of the Year and conference Pitcher of the Week four different times, he was the brightest spot of this group.

Dzierwa helped the Spartans to a pair of Top 25 victories, throwing a complete game shutout to defeat the No. 6 Oregon Ducks, the highest-ranked win for the program since 2014. He then hurled seven scoreless innings with eight strikeouts to down No. 25 USC, on the road.

Spartan sophomore second baseman Ryan McKay had a fabulous year, earning Second Team All-Big Ten honors and swatting 20 doubles, putting him fifth in program history for two-baggers. He was also the No. 1 hitter by average on the team at .319 with 67 total hits.

Redshirt senior first baseman Sam Busch was another major bright spot for the club, becoming the team's elite power hitter. Busch hit a team-high 15 home runs this season after clubbing 14 throughout his first three seasons.

Busch finished with a .289 average, 10th in the Big Ten in RBI (62) and 55 total hits.

Head coach Jake Boss Jr. earned a personal program milestone in his 17th season with the program, becoming the third-winningest coach in program history with 450 victories.

He finished the season with 468 wins, highlighted by a walk-off winner in the regular season finale against Minnesota that would push the Spartans into the Big Ten tournament. It marks the second time in three seasons that Michigan State qualified for the conference tournament.

Next year, the Spartans will raise their expectations, bringing back a large number of their core pieces from last year. They will seek to compete amongst the top of the conference, seeking to make a deeper run in the Big Ten Tournament in 2026.

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

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