Michigan State's Randy Seymour the bases during a game on April 22, 2025, in East Lansing. (AP file photo)

Michigan State’s 142-year-old baseball program is known more for producing individual talents like Steve Garvey, Kirk Gibson and Hall of Fame pitcher Robin Roberts than for winning a lot of games. So the Spartans had reason to celebrate the opening weekend of the season, even though it didn’t end the way they would have liked.

They won two of three on the road against a Louisville team ranked as high as No. 8 in the preseason, making it the highest-ranked series win under 18th-year coach Jake Boss Jr.

The Spartans opened with a 4-3 win Friday on Randy Seymour’s tie-breaking homer in the eighth inning. Parker Picot hit a grand slam and three-run homer in a 14-3 victory Saturday. Louisville won Sunday’s finale 9-1.

The Spartans’ big weekend came against one of the winningest programs over the past two decades. The Cardinals went 2-2 in the College World Series last year.

MSU was 28-27 last season and finished 12th in the Big Ten Conference. The Spartans haven’t been above .500 in conference play since 2016, and the most recent of their five NCAA Tournament appearances was in 2012.

Their challenging start to the season continues Friday with the first of three games at a top-10 Texas.

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AP college sports: https://apnews.com/hub/college-sports