Michigan State beat up on Central Michigan during their home opener for the third year in a row. The Spartans plated three runs in the first inning and it was all she wrote from there.

The 11-2 victory featured 16 Michigan State hits and just one error. It was what some may call a “hit parade” (shout out to myself).

I’ve also attempted to give Michigan State’s star player, Alex Troop, quite the nickname (for all of Spartan Nation that loves baseball please feel free to @ me your feelings on this).

All nine starters on the day were able to join in on the fun as each and every one of them posted at least one hit, and five of them had multi-hit games.

A Little Defense Goes A Long Way

Central loaded the bases twice, but only managed to score two runs, one of which was unearned. Every time the Chippewas put together a small rally Michigan State seemed to shut it down with great pitching or amazing throws from the outfield. Central Michigan left 13 men on base which is directly correlated to the Spartans great defense. There wasn’t a part of the game that didn’t work in Sparty’s favor this time out.

Michigan State’s pitching keeps getting better and better, here’s a snapshot of their first home game in 2017:

When the Spartans pitching is clicking right along side their offense this team is scary good.

Spartans Staying The Course

The Spartans are averaging .304 as a team, thanks to those 16 hits that took place against Central (the 11 runs didn’t hurt either). Now ranked 27th in the nation for runs scored per game with 7.8, Michigan State also has six players averaging .304 or better from the plate (with at least 20 at bats). These guys don’t plan on slowing down anytime soon.

• Alex Troop (P/1B): .455 (10-22), 3 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI
• Marty Bechina (3B): .387 (24-68), 3 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 13 RBI
• Danny Gleaves (CF): .324 (22-68), 5 2B, 1 HR, 12 RBI
• Dan Chmielewski (RF): .313 (20-63), 6 2B, 1 HR, 8 RBI

Quick Takeaways

• If the Spartans continue to play this way there is no reason they shouldn’t be able to win the Big Ten outright in 2017.
• Central Michigan isn’t exactly top notch competition but when the pitching/defense is there to back the Spartans up they reach heights not many teams in the Big Ten can.
• The Big Ten season starts Friday, time to go to work.

Next Series

Michigan State will hit the road to Champaign, Illinois for a three game series against the Fighting Illini to open the Big Ten schedule. The series begins Friday, March 24th at 7 p.m.