Spartans HC Speaks on Impressive 6-1 Start
The Michigan State Spartans (6-1) are surprising some people around the country and Big Ten with their best start since 2016. They are shaping up to be one of the top contenders in the conference as they were ranked No. 23 in the country by the National College Baseball Writers Association.
Spartans coach Jake Boss Jr., who is in his 17th season at the helm of the program, spoke on his team's 6-1 start when he addressed the media earlier this week.
Boss has been beyond pleased with the chemistry and early bonding of his team. He stressed the fact that his guys still have been able to find early success to begin the season despite having limited time with them. in the offseason
"We get them on Sep. 1, basically, and you can start to develop those relationships and things like that," Boss said. "So, you never really know what you're going to get until you start competing. We thought this would be a group that was going to be very close, and they are.
"We thought it was a group that's going to go out and compete their tails off, and they've done that. I don't know that the moment has been too big for these guys, which is great, to see the competition is going to continue to ramp up and get tougher, I think our guys are going to be ready for that.
" ... We have all fall and all winter to build the team, but once you start to get out on the road, that's where guys really become close, and the team really starts to gel into what it's going to be. ... It's been really tight-knit group. They pull for each other, they love each other, and they're fun to be around."
Boss also spoke on the incredible first two starts from junior left-hander Joseph Dzierwa. He has dominated the first two teams he has faced this season, earning a 2-0 record with 23 strikeouts, two hits, and two walks allowed in 13 total innings. He is settling in as the Spartans' No. 1 arm.
"Yeah, he's [Dzierwa] been dominant, I think three pitches for strikes at any time in the count, he's really been in command," Boss said. "I think one of the bigger differences with him this year, he's through another year of maturity, another year in the weight room, another year with the nutritionist. He's bigger, he's stronger, he's holding his velocity deeper into the game.
"Whereas a freshman, you would start to see a little bit of a decline in the fourth or fifth. This past weekend, he held his velocity, I think, into the seventh, and was pretty efficient. He was 83 pitches, I think, through seven innings, which is really, really good.
"I think that's the other part of it, too. When you strike out that many guys, it's a little strange that the pitch count is so low because it takes some pitches to strike guys out, right? ... It seemed like he was pretty efficient, getting ahead in the strike zone, forcing early contact, or strikeouts.
"He's been really, really good, and I think he has a really good understanding now, in his third year, of what it takes to be a No. 1 guy, and he's embraced that role, and he's taken it ran with it."
The Spartans will be back in action this weekend for a three-game series with Harvard (0-3) in Greenville, South Carolina. They will be on the road for their next eight games before returning to East Lansing for their home opener against their bitter rival, Michigan (4-3), on March 12 at McLane Stadium.
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