Dzierwa Talks Team Success, Returning to MSU, Coach Connection
Michigan State junior left-handed pitcher Joseph Dzierwa is off to one of the hottest starts of any Big Ten pitcher this season and spoke about several topics during an interview on Thursday morning.
Dzierwa joined the “Perfect Game College Baseball Show,” hosted by Brea Lassek and two-time World Series champion, Hunter Pence. Ahead of the Spartans’ three-game road conference series with Indiana, Dzierwa sat down to talk about his team, returning to Michigan State and his head coach.
The Big Ten’s leader in ERA (1.23) and strikeouts (54) answered some questions about his team’s strong 17-10 start to the season. Michigan State is currently 4-5 in conference, nearing the bottom of the standings, but are proving to be a much better team than years past.
“I mean, everything about it [our team], coaches, people, atmosphere and everything,” Dzierwa said. “I think this team is different just because we’re loose and we like to have fun, and I think that’s helped us a little bit.
“We have one freshman on the pitching staff, so it’s kind of an experienced group, so i think we kind of hold ourselves to higher expectations. Some of the losses early in the season were on the pitching staff and I think we admitted that it was on us. So, the maturity from this group is pretty cool.”
Dzierwa holds a 5-0 record in seven total starts, allowing just seven runs on 24 hits in 42.2 innings of work. He has already been named Big Ten Pitcher of the Week, twice, and was projected to be the 50th overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft, per Baseball America.
After completing last season, Dzierwa actually tested the transfer portal waters and was potentially going to land at Vanderbilt for this season. A change of heart kept him in East Lansing as he credits his own aspirations of leadership and personal growth along with the help of his head coach.
“This summer, I looked into other things, and I kind of realized, it’s on you at the end of the day,” Dzierwa said. “What you want to do and wherever you want to go is on you and the effort you put into it.
“So, I thought I could help out the team a little bit more and maybe grow myself as a leader too when coming back here. Right now, knock on wood, has been pretty good. And then coach [Jake] Boss, he’s just a really good dude, he’s helped me out through my life and in baseball, too.”
Dzierwa delved deeper on the relationship with his head coach and what Coach Jake Boss Jr. has meant to him. The Spartan lefty reference a heartwarming story between his family and coach Boss, adding to Dzierwa’s decision to return to East Lansing for another season.
“My junior year, my dad had a stroke, and he [Boss] was actually the only one who asked me if he was able to go up and down the stairs which was pretty cool,” Dzierwa said. “Of all the recruiting visits I took, he was only one to ask, and I thought that really stood out.”
Winning on the field is important but building the coach/player relationships are even more important. Boss’ person involvement with many of his players is a reason they stay in East Lansing, Dzierwa being a perfect example. The Spartan pitcher is thriving in the Green and White.
