5 Michigan State baseball players net All-Big Ten honors
Five Michigan State baseball players earned postseason recognition from the Big Ten Conference on Tuesday.
Infielder Mitch Jebb and relief pitcher Kyle Bischoff netted All-Big Ten third-team honors, while catcher Bryan Broecker and freshman pitcher Ryan Szczepaniak both landed on the league's All-Freshman Team. Zach Iverson, a senior, was the Spartans' Sportsmanship Award honoree.
Jebb led the Spartans in batting average (.356) this season, the eighth-best mark in the conference. He also was first on the team in hits (78; fifth among Big Ten batsmen), multi-hit games (23), multi-RBI games (12), stolen bases (20; eighth in Big Ten) and walks (38; sixth in Big Ten). In addition, he was the league's toughest player to strike out, doing so just once every 13.7 at-bats.
A transfer from Toledo, Bischoff had a Big Ten-best 12 saves in 2022, the second most in a single single in program history, just one off Jeff Kinley’s record (13 in 2014). He posted a team-low 3.51 earned run average, with 36 strikeouts in 41 innings pitched.
Broecker served as the Spartans' primary catcher this season, pacing the conference in caught stealing with 22 — six clear of his nearest competitor. At the plate, Broecker had .271 batting average with 48 hits and 31 runs scored.
Hailing from Woodhaven, Szczepaniak went 4-3 on the mound, tying for the team lead in wins. He had 35 strikeouts in 2022, which included seven in his college debut at UNLV on Feb. 12.
Iverson battled injuries during the season, splitting time between pitcher and first base. He had four starts on the mound before an arm injury prevented him from toeing the rubber for the remainder of the 2022 campaign; his final appearance as a pitcher came March 11 against Cincinnati. He had 32 at-bats as a designated hitter, tallying seven hits (one double) and two RBI.
The five All-Big Ten laurels up MSU's total to 54 under coach Jake Boss Jr. The Spartans have had 23 All-Freshman team selections, including one honoree each of the last 13 years — not including 2020, when awards were not presented because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Michigan State finished with a 24-30 record in 2022, with an 8-16 mark in Big Ten play.
Contact Ryan Black at rblack@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @RyanABlack.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Michigan State baseball: 5 players earn All-Big Ten accolades
