Spartans Off to Impressive Start to 2025 Campaign

The Michigan State Spartans are on a roll to start the season, winning their first five games. This team has a dominant starting pitcher with the bats to back it up and a real contender for a Big Ten title.

Michigan State's coach Jake Boss Jr. claps in the second inning on Wednesday, April 6, 2022, during the Crosstown Showdown against the Lugnuts at Jackson Field in Lansing. 220406 Lugnuts Msu Bsball 047a | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Michigan State Spartans (5-0) are off to their best start since 2017, as they have moseyed through the first two weeks of the season with five straight wins. This team is showing the ability to limit opponents to low-scoring totals with stellar pitching and defense while delivering with the bats.

The Spartans started their season in Cary, North Carolina, earning a pair of two-game sweeps of Western Michigan and Monmouth. Through their first five games, Michigan State is outscoring opponents, 23-6.

Junior left-hander Joseph Dzierwa may win Big Ten Pitcher of the Week for a second-straight week after another dominant performance, leading the Spartans to a 9-2 win over Washington State in their first contest of the Kleberg Bank College Classic in Corpus Christi, Texas.

Dzierwa delivered seven scoreless innings with a career-high 12 strikeouts, allowing just one hit. He now holds a 2-0 record in his first two starts with 23 strikeouts, zero runs allowed on just two hits in 13 innings pitched. He is far and away the Spartans' ace and will be a major key this season.

As good as the pitching staff have been, the offense has been just as strong. Transfer senior outfielder JT Sokolove is off to an impressive start to his 2025 campaign with a team-high five hits (.333) and one RBI. He also leads the team with a whopping six hit-by-pitches in five games.

Michigan State is utilizing its speed to add offense and put pressure on opposing pitchers as it leads the Big Ten with 13 stolen bases. Sokolove is second in the conference with four and sophomore infielder Ryan McKay has three.

One more win on Saturday afternoon over Texas A&M Corpus Christi (0-4) will tie the Spartans' 6-0 start to the 2017 season. They finished that season with 29-23 record and 10-14 in conference play.

The last time the Spartans won a Big Ten title was 2011. They last made the Big Ten tournament where they went 1-2, knocked out due to double elimination. With how this team is looking early on, they will have a good chance to achieve both in head coach Jake Boss' 17th season at the helm.

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