Michigan State Softball news

Bracamonte and Weigle Named to Big Ten All-Tournament Team

Sun, 11 May 2008 14:37:00 PST

Michigan State freshman Jessica Bracamonte (Hacienda Heights, Calif.) and junior Kara Weigle (Naples, Fla.) were named to the 2008 Big Ten Softball All-Tournament Team following the championship game at Northwestern's Sharon J. Drysdale Field in Evanston, Ill. The conference honors are the first for Bracamonte and Weigle. The Spartans defeated sixth-ranked Michigan, 2-1, in the opening round before stumbling against Iowa, 13-4, in the semifinals. Together, Bracamonte and Weigle accounted for four of MSU's five total RBI as well as seven of the total 15 hits at the tournament.

Hawkeyes Defeat Spartans in Big Ten Softball Tournament Semifinals, 13-4

Fri, 09 May 2008 17:53:23 PST

Michigan State softball saw its hopes of a Big Ten Tournament title come to an end on Friday, as third-seeded Iowa eliminated the Spartans in the semifinals, 13-4 in five innings. MSU finishes the season with a 27-29 mark, while the Hawkeyes (40-17) advance to the championship game Saturday at 1 p.m. Kara Weigle went 2-for-3 with two RBI, and Jessica Bracamonte also had two hits in the game for MSU.

Jessica LeFevre Named to CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team

Fri, 09 May 2008 16:39:22 PST

Michigan State softball's Jessica LeFevre has been named to the ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-America District IV First Team, as announced by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). LeFevre is the 20th honoree in MSU history, and the 13th to earn a place on the first team. All of Michigan State's Academic All-District IV awards have been earned under current head coach Jacquie Joseph's leadership.

Three Spartans Earn Big Ten Softball Honors

Fri, 09 May 2008 12:52:34 PST

Three Spartans have earned All-Big Ten softball honors, the conference office announced Thursday evening. MSU senior Nikki Nicosia earned a first-team selection as an outfielder, while Jessica LeFevre and Bianca Mejia were selected to the third team, as a designated player and shortstop, respectively.

Spartans Upset #6 Michigan, 2-1, at Big Ten Tournament

Thu, 08 May 2008 18:15:39 PST

Michigan State softball (27-28) upset the No. 6 Michigan Wolverines (48-6) by a 2-1 score on Thursday in the Big Ten Tournament's opening game at Northwestern's Sharon J. Drysdale Field. The seventh-seeded Spartans are now 3-3 against Michigan in postseason games. Lesley Noel pitched the entire game, and gave up just a single run en route to MSU's upset. The MSU win eliminated the second-seeded Wolverines from the conference tournament.Michigan State will play third-seeded Iowa Friday afternoon at 3 p.m. in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals. The game will be televised live on the Big Ten Network.

Listen to Friday's Big Ten Tournament semifinal vs. Iowa (Free)

Softball Opens Big Ten Tournament Against Michigan

Wed, 07 May 2008 13:41:22 PST

Michigan State softball finished the 2008 regular season with a 26-28 overall mark and an 8-12 Big Ten record to tie for sixth with Illinois in the league's final standings. Entering this weekend's tournament, the Spartans are the seventh seed - losing the tiebreaker with the Fighting Illini - and will take on second-seeded Michigan on Thurday, May 8, at 3 p.m. ET at Northwestern's Sharon J. Drysdale Field in Evanston, Ill. The game will be audio broadcast live by Scott Moore at www.msuspartans.com.

PDF of Complete Game Notes and Stats

Links for live online stats and audio vs. Michigan:
GameTracker vs. Michigan
Live Audio vs. Michigan

MSU Softball Falls to No. 11 Northwestern, 6-1

Sun, 04 May 2008 16:17:47 PST

Michigan State (26-28, 8-12) wrapped its regular season Sunday afternoon with a 6-1 loss to No. 11 Northwestern in Evanston, Ill. The Spartans will begin the postseason back at Northwestern, as the Wildcats host the Big Ten Championship May 8-10. Senior hurler Lesley Noel pitched the entirety of today's game, and finished the regular season 14-18, while NU's Lauren Delaney picked up the win for a 31-8 overall mark.

Spartans Falter Against No. 11 Northwestern

Sat, 03 May 2008 19:07:31 PST

Michigan State (26-27, 8-11) took a 3-2 lead over No. 11 Northwestern (33-13, 17-2) Saturday afternoon at a drizzly Drysdale Field, but a three-run homer in the bottom of the third gave the Wildcats the lead for good, as NU claimed the eventual 6-3 victory.

Softball Concludes Regular Season With Northwestern Set

Fri, 02 May 2008 12:13:50 PST

The Spartans (26-26, 8-10) close out the regular season on the road at Big Ten rival No. 11 Northwestern (32-13, 16-2) on Saturday, May 3 and Sunday, May 4. Both games are at 2 p.m. ET at Sharon J. Drysdale Field in Evanston, Ill., and will be televised live on the Big Ten Network. Fans can also listen to Sunday's game broadcast live by NU's student radio online at sports.wnur.org. Live stats are available at www.msuspartans.com

Saturday, May 3 - GameTracker
Sunday, May 4 - GameTracker |NU Student Radio Broadcast (free)

PDF of Complete MSU Game Notes and Stats

Detroit Mercy Outlasts Softball, 9-5, in 14-Inning Battle

Thu, 01 May 2008 20:08:17 PST

Michigan State softball (26-26, 8-10) dropped Thursday's game against Detroit Mercy (11-23), 9-5 in 14 innings at Old College Field; the game is the fifth longest game in MSU history. Shae Bass pitched the entire game for the Spartans, their longest contest since the 1-0, 18-inning loss to Northwestern in the Big Ten Championship on May 8, 2003. Bass set a career high with 11 strikeouts, the most thrown in a single game - and also by a single pitcher - this year. UDM's Kelli Short picked up the win, improving to 6-12 this season.

Spartans Split Sunday Series with Penn State

Sun, 27 Apr 2008 16:12:51 PST

Michigan State softball (26-25, 8-10) split games Sunday afternoon against Penn State (33-20, 6-10) in University Park, Pa., taking game one, 6-0, but dropping the second contest, 4-3. Lesley Noel (14-16) allowed just one hit and struck out four in the complete-game shutout win in game one, while Gina Mondo and Jessica Bracamonte each homered. In game two, a walk-off homer pushed the Nittany Lions past MSU, 4-3.

Softball Suffers 11-3 Loss to No. 6 Michigan

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 14:29:18 PST

Michigan State suffered a 9-1 loss to the Wolverines Saturday afternoon at Old College, as the Spartans dropped to 25-24 overall and 7-9 in Big Ten play. Sixth-ranked Michigan improved to 43-4 overall and 15-1 in league action.

No. 6 Michigan Defeats Spartan Softball, 10-0

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 22:23:07 PST

Sixth-ranked Michigan topped Michigan State in five innings, 10-0, Friday afternoon at Alumni Field. Megan Hair gave up a game-ending grand slam, as the Wolverines tacked on five runs in the fifth for the win. The intrastate rivals meet again Saturday in East Lansing for a 12 p.m. game at Old College Field.

Spartans Set for Home-and-Home Series with Michigan

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 10:29:18 PST

This weekend (April 25-27), the Spartans will play a home-and-home series with Michigan, traveling to Ann Arbor for Friday's game at 6 p.m., before returning to East Lansing for game two at 12 p.m. Fans can listen to Friday's match-up for free, as Scott Moore broadcasts the game at www.msuspartans.com. Saturday's game at Old College Field is the final home conference contest for MSU this season.On Sunday, April 27, Michigan State heads to University Park, Pa., for a 12 p.m. twinbill against Penn State.

Live Audio vs. Michigan on Friday (Free)

PDF on Complete Game Notes and Stats

Softball Sweeps Twinbill With Oakland, 8-2 and 8-5

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 21:48:23 PST

Michigan State softball (25-22, 7-7) earned a pair of wins Wednesday afternoon, sweeping Oakland (13-22) in a doubleheader at Old College Field, 8-2 and 8-5. Second baseman Gina Mondo drove in five runs for the Spartans, while designated player Jessica LeFevre went a perfect 4-for-4 and scored five times. In the circle, Shae Bass (8-4) pitched the entire first game, while Kelly Confer (1-1) earned the second win after throwing six innings.