Michigan State’s Sam Busch, left, crosses home plate after a home run against Ohio State during the fifth inning on Friday, April 18, 2025, at McLane Stadium in East Lansing. From left, MSU’s Ryan McKay, Nick Williams and Parker Picot greet Bush at the plate. Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Spartans’ Big Ten Tournament Matchups Revealed
The Michigan State Spartans (28-25, 13-17) will travel to Omaha, Nebraska for the 2025 Big Ten Tournament after qualifying on Saturday as the 12th and final team. The bracket is set, and the Spartans have their first two opponents for the double-elimination conference tournament.
The Spartans are in Pool A, alongside the Big Ten regular season co-champs, No. 1 seed and No. 5-ranked Oregon (41-13, 22-8), and the No. 8-seeded Nebraska Cornhuskers (28-27, 15-15). The Spartans were the last of a dozen teams to qualify, out of 17.
The tournament kicks off on Tuesday, with first-round action beginning for the Spartans against Nebraska at 6 p.m. CT, 7 p.m. ET. The two conference foes did not meet during the regular season and will be the first contest of the year between the two.
They will earn a day off before getting back to action on Thursday, facing the Ducks in another late contest at 6 p.m. CT, 7 p.m. ET. The Spartans finished 1-2 in the season series against Oregon, earning an upset win thanks to lefty pitcher Joseph Dzierwa’s complete game shutout.
It marks the second time in the past three years that the Spartans have qualified for the tournament, making it back in 2023, going 1-2 in three total games. They earned a 6-4 2 win over Rutgers in their second game, falling to Maryland and Nebraska to end their season in the second round.
With how Dzierwa has pitched this season, the Spartans will have a good chance to earn at least one win as the No. 12 seed and move into a similar position from two years ago. He holds an 8-3 record with a conference-best 2.83 ERA and 98 strikeouts in 85.2 innings of work.
Even though the crafty lefty tossed nine scoreless innings against Oregon, the Ducks have prior experience, and he may be better suited to face the Cornhuskers in the opening game on Tuesday. Solidifying at least one victory guarantees the Spartans make the weekend round of games.
Offensively, the Spartans have produced all year, led by sophomore infielder Ryan McKay and redshirt senior Sam Busch. McKay holds a team-high batting average of .322 with 65 hits, while Busch has a team-leading 12 home runs and the 10th-most RBIs in the Big Ten with 60.
