Jake Boss Jr. leads Michigan State to first Big Ten title since 1979

It’s been almost three years since Michigan State announced the hiring of Jake Boss Jr. as head coach, and the coaching hire is already paying dividends for

It’s been almost three years since Michigan State announced the hiring of Jake Boss Jr. as head coach, and the coaching hire is already paying dividends for the Spartans’ baseball program.

The Spartans (34-19, 15-9 Big Ten) just won a share of its first Big Ten title since 1979, an accomplishment which is making heads turn in East Lansing. Students, alumni and others are getting excited that baseball is on the upswing after not being entirely relevant for years.

Now, they have a No. 2 seed in this week’s Big Ten Tournament. Illinois (25-25, 15-9) holds top billing because they have the advantage over MSU in head-to-head matchups. Still, many are looking at MSU to make a good showing in Columbus, Ohio, this week and maybe bring another banner home. It’s been a great season which keeps on giving for Boss Jr. and company.

“When you have success and you can prove that the dream and vision can become a reality, I think that’s appealing to kids,” Boss Jr. said in regards to how a great season can lead to garnering good recruits. “And when you have a beautiful stadium like we do and outstanding crowd support and a tremendous fan base, I think it will continue to go very well.”

But it’s not always about the players; it’s about the coaches sometimes, too. And for Boss Jr. and his family, winning the Big Ten Championship gave everyone an opportunity to be together on a grand occasion and give each other a special moment they would never forget. It was family support at its finest in any arena of sport.

“It was a lifetime dream come true,” Boss. Jr said. “A very special moment, obviously. To have my son and my two daughters, my wife and my dad in the dugout next to me, things like that don’t happen every day. You take those special moments and cherish them and it’s certainly something that none of us will never forget.”

The Spartans are playing in their second Big Ten Tournament in the last three seasons, and they have played in nine tournaments altogether. To put into perspective what Boss Jr. has meant to the program would be an understatement, but it just goes to show how great of a hire he was for the university and how athletic director Mark Hollis knows how to pick out who is best to represent its athletic teams and bring them to prominence.

And while some teams may get too high on themselves or breathe a sigh of relief after having many things go right over the course of a season, the entire Spartans team is doing the opposite: celebrating. College athletics revolves around passion and being there for your fellow man or woman, and the baseball team continues to emphasize the meaning of “team.”

“We enjoyed (the Big Ten title) and we’re still enjoying it,” Boss Jr. said. “It’s something that doesn’t happen every day. It’s been 32 years since it happened here and I think it’s something that our kids deserve to enjoy, and they’re gonna be forever ingrained in Michigan State history books when you talk about baseball here.

“We’ve been playing baseball for 127 years and this is our fourth championship. It’s a great honor and really humbling.”

Boss Jr. has changed minds of the fan base and brought back the family atmosphere to the diamond. Now, he’s bringing banners back as well.