Michigan State baseball southpaw Joseph Dzierwa has racked up quite the résumé this season. The junior was named Big Ten Pitcher of the Year and was a unanimous first-team All-Big Ten honoree – yet is far from done.
After being named a third-team All-American via D1Baseball, the Haskins, Ohio, native was tabbed as one of the best pitchers in the nation by a fourth different outlet. Not too shabby for a guy on a 28-27 Spartan squad.
The 6-foot-7 Dzierwa posted an 8-3 record with a 2.36 ERA over 15 starts, striking out 104 batters in 91.2 innings on the year. If you want to understand how nasty his stuff is, he held opposing hitters to a .201 batting average.
East Lansing is home to one of college baseball's most feared arms
Dzierwa's 104 strikeouts were second in the Big Ten and 23rd in the country. Simply put: Dzierwa shoved. The guy was must-see TV every time he took the hill.
He was also named a semifinalist for three of the biggest awards in college baseball: the Golden Spikes Award, the Dick Howser Trophy, and the National Pitcher of the Year Award.
The lefty also became the first player in program history to win Big Ten Pitcher of the Week four times in a season and is just the fifth pitcher to surpass the 100-strikeout plateau in a single season. His 255 career strikeouts currently rank third all-time in Spartan history.
Shattering record after record has him now chasing a pro contract
And yes, MLB scouts are paying attention. MLB.com even has him at No. 74 in their 2025 MLB Draft prospect rankings, setting him up to be the highest-drafted Spartan since Mitch Jebb was taken 42nd overall in 2023.
And that’s all due to his blend of size, command, and some wicked stuff. Not to mention he’s a polished prospect, so there is a high ceiling and floor involved.
Let’s be honest, MSU isn’t exactly a baseball powerhouse, which makes what Dzierwa is doing even more impressive. He originally transferred to Vanderbilt in the offseason, which surely would have put him on the first-round radar.
But he stayed loyal to East Lansing, betting on himself and his team in green and white. Now he’s drawing looks as a second or third-round pick come July 13.