MSU Baseball Opens Season with Upset Win at No. 8 Louisville
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The Michigan State baseball team has opened its 2026 season with a stunner.
MSU, which just announced a contract extension for head coach Jake Boss Jr. on Thursday, just went into No. 8 Louisville and took down the Cardinals on Friday afternoon, 4-3. Louisville is coming off a season where it made the College World Series, where it reached the national semifinals. Michigan State, on the other hand, finished tied for 12th in the 17-team Big Ten (Wisconsin doesn't have a team).
The deciding play came from the bat from senior first baseman Randy Seymour, who belted a solo home run to left field during the top of the eighth that broke a 3-3 tie. Redshirt sophomore catcher Adam Broski also hit his first career home run one inning prior.
Michigan State will only get so much time to enjoy this one. It has got the Cardinals' attention now, and has two more games to go in this season-opening series. MSU and Louisville play again on Saturday and Sunday, with both games set for 1 p.m. ET on ACC Network Extra.
More on the Upset Win
MSU's other big scoring play came from Seymour, too. With Louisville holding a 1-0 lead in the fifth inning, Seymour was on a 2-2 count with two outs and with two runners on second and third, respectively. An off-speed pitch stayed up in the zone, and Seymour squared it up to the hole between the third baseman and the shortstop, bringing in both runners and giving the Spartans a lead.
Opening Day starter Aidan Donovan also had a pretty nice day. Pitching is a relative question for Michigan State, as it had to replace Joseph Dzierwa, who was the Big Ten Pitcher of the Year and had a 2.36 ERA last season. He went in the second round and 58th overall to the Baltimore Orioles in the 2025 MLB Draft.
With those big shoes to fill, Donovan, who was mostly a mid-week starter last season as a freshman, handed in five solid innings, only allowing one run.
Tommy Szczepanski also shut the door late to pick up the save. He got the final out of the eighth and got through a scoreless ninth to get MSU's victory across the finish line. Szczepanski also stranded a runner in scoring position during both the eighth (inherited runner) and the ninth. Michigan State's pitching consistently worked out of jams, holding Louisville to a mere 2-for-15 (.133) with runners in scoring position.
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A 2025 graduate from Michigan State University, Cotsonika brings a wealth of experience covering the Spartans from Rivals and On3 to his role as Michigan State Spartans Beat Writer on SI. At Michigan State, he was also a member of the world-renowned Spartan marching band for two seasons.
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