Spartans Swept by Bitter Rival in Road Series

The Michigan State Spartans failed to win one game against their bitter rival, Michigan, this season. They were swept this weekend in Ann Arbor.

Michigan State's Randy Seymour rounds third base on his way to a score against Ohio State during the fourth inning on Friday, April 18, 2025, at McLane Stadium in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Michigan State Spartans (23-19, 9-12) failed to win any of the four games this season against their bitter rival, Michigan (27-17, 11-10). This past weekend featured a three-game series sweep in Ann Arbor, giving the Wolverines the season series sweep.

The two rivals met for a non-conference bout in mid-March with Michigan pulling out an 11-7 win. Looking for redemption and a chance to move up the Big Ten standings, the Spartans fell flat, unable to win any of the final three games of the series.

Game 1 featured an 8-2 win for Michigan on Friday, followed by a 9-2 Spartan loss in Game 2 on Saturday. Two runs on six hits with seven left on base allowed the Wolverines to cruise for another victory.

Game 3 was the most competitive of the series with Michigan State suffering a very disappointing defeat. After the Wolverines posted a six-spot in the first inning, the Spartans battled back but fell short of the road comeback to salvage one game of the series.

Michigan State scratched together one run in the third, fifth, and seventh innings to cut the deficit in half. They plated two more runs in the ninth inning by way of two solo homers. Senior Will Shannon clubbed a pinch-hit solo shot, and junior infielder Randy Seymour followed suit.

Despite the long balls in the ninth inning, the Spartans came up one run short of salvaging one game in the series. Sophomore infielder Ryan McKay had the best offensive day for the Spartans, going 3-for-5 while redshirt senior Sam Busch swatted his team-leading 12th home run in the seventh.

Following the sweep, the Spartans can kiss their Big Ten Tournament hopes goodbye. The two rivals were tied in the conference standings coming into the series, and after Michigan took all three, the Spartans fell back to 10th in the Big Ten. Only the top eight make the conference tournament.

The Spartans have just three conference series left in the regular season, preparing for a three-game set in East Lansing with the No. 13 Oregon Ducks (29-12, 14-7). That series marks the first ranked Big Ten team that the Spartans will face this season, hoping to steal at least one game in that series.

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