Michigan State players celebrate after junior infielder Randy Seymour (35) hit a walk-off RBI to win the final game of the series over Minnesota at McLane Stadium on May 17, 2025.
Michigan State University baseball is headed back to the Big Ten Tournament after a walk-off single from junior third baseman Randy Seymour sealed a postseason berth.
Trailing by one in the ninth, the Spartans loaded the bases with a flurry of timely hits before tying the game. Seymour, one-for-four on the day, ripped the third pitch he saw into right-center field — a fitting finale for MSU’s Senior Day.
As Seymour touched first base, the Spartans stormed out of the dugout, erupting in celebration around their hero.
"It was absolutely unbelievable," Seymour said. "Knowing what is at stake there, to potentially end the season. Knowing I can come through for the fellas. We've all been in a lot of spots like that, and they don't always turn out that way, and all glory to God at the end of the day."
Northwestern fell to UCLA shortly after MSU secured its walk-off victory, clinching the final tournament spot for the Spartans.
"It was a really good win," MSU baseball head coach Jake Boss Jr. said. "After playing poorly the last two days, I’m proud of our guys for showing some resolve, winning when we needed to."
Senior Day concluded with all 11 seniors walking to center field to kiss the Spartan logo. Four of them, including first baseman Sam Busch, spent their entire careers in East Lansing. Busch said the team’s resilience — on full display Saturday — is what he’ll remember most.
Busch’s 15 home runs are tied for fifth in MSU single-season history — the most by a Spartan since 2002.
It was a shootout in East Lansing after Minnesota topped MSU twice already this weekend. Both teams traded runs in nearly every inning before MSU delivered the final blow.
MSU struggled to find consistent offense all season, but they came out with a new approach on Saturday, scoring nine runs in the first three innings to take a 9-6 lead.
The first inning featured two walks and two hit by pitches before a single hit was tallied. Junior catcher Noah Bright then ripped a two-RBI single, the lone hit of a four-run first inning. MSU ranks second-to-last in the conference with an on-base percentage of .370, but reached base at a .500 clip on Saturday.
The Gophers put three on the board to keep pace with MSU in the top half of the second, but as MSU turned the lineup over in the bottom half, the runs kept coming.
A Dayton Murphy infield single and Ryan McKay double put two runners on for Seymour to grab his first RBI of the night — this one on a groundout. Busch, Caleb Berry, and Nick Williams then added three straight base hits, lifting MSU to a 7-3 lead.
In the third, both teams put up two more runs before the offense stalled out for MSU. Minnesota, though mathematically eliminated from the postseason, looked to end its 2025 campaign on a high note.
Starting pitcher Nolan Higgins retired the first two batters in the fifth but couldn’t close out the frame. A two-out walk saw the end of the day for Higgins, who tossed 4 2/3 with six earned runs, five hits and three walks; his five punch-outs tied a season high.
Garrett Brewer came in to replace Higgins but struggled, giving up two runs in the fifth inning and two more in the sixth on a two-run homer.
The Big Ten 16th-ranked Golden Gophers own one of the conference's worst offenses, but they teed off on Spartan pitching all weekend, amassing 25 runs — the second most allowed in a series this year. Boss said he knew they would be a tough opponent at this point in the season.
"They swung it really well this weekend, they did," Boss said. "I've been in the league for a long time, and they're always really good at the end of the year. They got us toward the end of the year last year, and then unfortunately, Thursday and Friday got us good, but it was a good win today for our guys."
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MSU will return to the Big Ten Tournament for the first time since 2023. The Spartans, placed in Pool A, will face No. 8 seed Nebraska and top-seeded Oregon in group play. The winner of each of the four pools will meet in the semifinals next weekend.
"It’s a clean slate in the playoffs," Seymour said. "We got a guy, Joseph Dzierwa, he’s gonna throw some good innings and win us games. Anything can happen in the playoffs."
MSU opens tournament play Tuesday at 6 p.m., with ace Joseph Dzierwa expected to start. All games will be broadcast on Big Ten Network.
