Eastern Michigan Athletics
Friday, February 16
Nashville, Tenn.
2 p.m. CT
Eastern Michigan University
at
Belmont
Baseball to Begin 2024 Campaign Against Belmont Bruins
2/14/2024 12:39:00 PM | Baseball
The four-game series will last Friday-Sunday, Feb. 16-18, with two games being played on Saturday
| Baseball at Belmont | |
| Date | Friday, Feb. 16-Sunday, Feb. 18 |
| Venue | Nashville, Tenn. | E.S. Rose Park |
| Preview Info | EMU Notes (PDF) | Media Guide (PDF) |
| Live Stats | Game 1. Game 2. Game 3. Game 4. |
| Listen | Belmont All-Access |
| Social Media | @EMU_Baseball | @EMUAthletics | Hype Video |
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University baseball team is slated to begin its 2024 campaign with a four-game series against the Belmont University Bruins. The series will last Friday-Sunday, Feb. 16-18, at E.S. Rose Park in Nashville, Tenn. Friday's game will begin at 4 p.m. CT, followed by doubleheader action Saturday with 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. start times. The series will conclude Sunday at 1 p.m.
Fans can follow along with the action via live stats and an audio stream that can be accessed on the Eastern baseball schedule page. A post-game recap along with the box score will be posted to EMUEagles.com. Fans can also follow the Eagles on social media @EMU_Baseball on X for live in-game updates.
FIRST PITCHES
» First-year Head Coach Robbie Britt was hired as the storied program's eighth head coach since its inception in 1949. Britt brings along with him three assistants: Trevor Beerman, Craig Prince, and Tyler Sullivan.
» Eastern will look to build upon last season where it posted a 27-26 overall record, marking the first winning season since the Eagles went 37-22 to go along with a 16-11 MAC record in 2011.
» EMU welcomes 17 newcomers to the program this season, five of which are freshmen and 12 coming via the transfer portal.
» Eastern will begin its 76th season of baseball in 2024. EMU is 36-39 all-time in season-opening contests.
» The upcoming series between the Eagles and Bruins mark the first time the two have met on the diamond since the 2010 season when Belmont claimed victory in a three-game series, March 5-6.
» Eastern will next take on the University of Southern Indiana at the USI Baseball Field in Evansville, Ind., Friday-Sunday, Feb. 23-25.
THERE'S A NEW SKIPPER IN TOWN
Eastern Michigan University Vice President/Director of Athletics Scott Wetherbee announced the hiring of new Head Baseball Coach, Robbie Britt, June 16, 2023. A highly-accomplished program leader with four seasons as a Division II head coach, Britt arrived in Ypsilanti after most recently serving as the head coach at the University of Charleston (W. Va.) from 2020-23. Posting a .722 career winning percentage (125-48), he has an extensive coaching resume which includes stops at the NCAA Division I, II, and III ranks along with high school and club baseball.
FOLLOW THE LEADER
First-year Head Coach, Robbie Britt did not arrive in Ypsilanti empty handed as two of his one-time Golden Eagles chose to follow Britt to the Division I ranks. Giano Zuccaro and Drew Beckner land ed in Ypsi along with Britt, after spending two seasons with the Golden Eagles where they aided in the team winning their fifth consecutive regular-season title and second straight MEC tournament championship in 2023. Additionally, Zuccaro was a First Team All-MEC selection along with a First Team All-Atlantic region honoree.
FRESH FACES
The Eagles welcomed five freshmen to their flock for the 2024 season, including four pitchers and one infielder. Niko Kreuzer, Jimmy Kunst, Jack Topolski, and Liam Baker all signed as right-handed hurlers while Nathan Ball is the lone position player from this season's freshman class.
JUCO PRODUCTS
Six of the 12 transfers joining the Eagles this season hail from the junior college ranks as Aidan Arbogast, Andrew Dukesherer, Isiah Lindsey, Cooper Mollet, Mat Sanfilippo, and Brendan Kleiman all made the jump from JuCo to Division I in the off-season.
BRITT'S ASSISTANTS
Joining Robbie Britt in his first year at Eastern are assistant coaches Trevor Beerman, Craig Prince, and Tyler Sullivan. Beerman serves as the program's recruiting coordinator while assisting with coaching; Prince acts as the program's pitching coach; while Sullivan serves as the team's offensive coordinator.
COACHING TIES
Britt and Beerman previously crossed paths at the University of Charleston (W. Va.), as Beerman served as an assistant coach/recruiting coordinator for the Golden Eagles under Britt.
Beerman and Prince have also worked together in the past as both were at Bluffton University from 2018-20, where both served as assistant coaches.
EMU IN SEASON OPENERS
Eastern Michigan is entering its 76th season in 2024, with its start dating back to 1949. In its 75 previous seasons, Eastern is 36-39 in season openers. Last season, Eastern fell to Northern Kentucky, 9-2, in Hoover, Ala.
THE SEASON AHEAD
Eastern is scheduled to play 53 regular-season contests in 2024, including 18 inside Oestrike Stadium, breaking a streak of 20+ home games in consecutive seasons from 2022-23.
Eastern will play its first 19 games away from the Mitten State. After the series against Belmont, the Eagles will face Southern Indiana, Feb. 23-25; Houston Christian, Feb. 29-March 1; Vanderbilt, March 5; Ball State, March 8-10; and Morehead State, March 15-17; before returning to Oestrike to host the Michigan Wolverines, March 19.
LOOKING TO BUILD
The Eagles will look to build upon their 2023 season where they posted a 27-26 overall record, marking the first winning season for the program since it posted a 37-22 overall record in the 2011 season to go with a 16-11 MAC record.
TRANSFER PLAYERS
Nearly one third of Eastern's 2024 roster joined the team as a transfer student ahead of the 2024 season. The Eagles embraced 12 transfers into their program, including six pitchers, two catchers, two infielders, and two utility players.
Pitchers: Aaron Pirkle, Andrew Dukesherer, Isiah Lindsey, Mat Sanfilippo, Cooper Mollet, and Ty Stolarski
Catchers: Lucas Johnson, Brendan Kleiman
Infielder: Aidan Arbogast
Outfielder: Giano Zuccaro
Utility: Drew Jones, Drew Beckner
MAC TRANSFERS
Two of Eastern's 12 transfer student-athletes come from an opposing MAC school, as sophomore pitchers Aaron Pirkle and Ty Stolarski played their freshmen seasons at the University of Akron. Additionally, first-year Assistant Coach Craig Prince served as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the Zips last season.
2023 HIGHLIGHT: SCHROEDLE'S CYCLE
Kyle Schroedle had a historic performance in last season's 10-9 win over Northern Illinois, May 19. Schroedle became the first player in Eastern Michigan history to hit for the cycle and the first player in the MAC to accomplish the feat since the 2016 season. Schroedle singled in his first at-bat, before homering in his second, hitting a triple in his third, and roping a double in his fourth and final at-bat of the day.
2023 HIGHLIGHT: BREAKING TEAM Ks RECORD
The 2022 team set the record for most strikeouts in a season with 416, a record previously held by the 2012 team, who sat down 389 that season. Last season's squad broke the record yet again, as Eagle pitchers fanned 451 throughout the season.
2023 HIGHLIGHT: RUSSO DRAFTED
Luke Russo was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 16th round of the 2023 MLB Draft, marking Eastern's 79th draft pick in program history, and third consecutive year with a draft pick as former Eagles Justin Meis and Cameron Wagoner were taken in the 2021 and 2022 drafts, respectively. Russo is currently active with the Phillies Florida Complex League (FCL) team.
KEY RETURNERS: POSITION PLAYERS
The Eagles return key position players in Logan Hugo, Kyle Schroedle, Cory Taylor, and Glenn Miller for the 2024 season.
KEY RETURNERS: PITCHERS
Eastern returns two key pitchers from the 2023 season in Nick Chittum and Bobby Jones.
SCOUTING THE BRUINS
The Bruins were selected to finish sixth out of 10 teams in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) in the 2024 season. Belmont finished the 2023 season 27-33 while posting a 10-17 MVC record.
IN THE SERIES: EAGLES vs. BRUINS
The series will mark the second all-time between the Eagles and Bruins. The two last met 14 seasons ago in the 2010 campaign in Nashville, Tenn., a series that saw Belmont take the opening and closing games of the series while Eastern captured the middle game, 8-7.
ON THE HORIZON
The Eagles will remain in the central time zone as they are next slated to face the Screaming Eagles of the University of Southern Indiana in a three-game series at the USI Baseball Field in Evansville, Ind. The series will last Friday-Sunday, Feb. 23-25. Friday's game starts at 4 p.m. CT, while Saturday's game will begin at 2 p.m. and Sunday's at 1 p.m.
POWER FIVE MATCHUPS
Eastern Michigan will battle four "Power Five" opponents this season, including three from the Big Ten and one from the SEC.
Firstly, EMU will play Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tenn., March 5. Then, the Eagles will host Michigan in their home-opener, March 19, before playing the Wolverines in Ann Arbor, April 2. Next, Eastern will face Ohio State in Columbus, May 7, and round out their power five schedule against the Spartans of Michigan State, in East Lansing, May 14.
PROGRAM PILLARS
Eastern baseball aims to create student-athletes who will succeed throughout life via its program pillars: Graduate Leaders, Develop Stewards, and Create Champions. Arriving in Ypsilanti with a background in education and leadership, Britt aims to create a strong culture at Eastern Michigan.
EARNING THE SCRIPT E
Ahead of the 2024 season, Eastern baseball student-athletes had to earn the right to don the historic Script E. By upholding the program standard, going above and beyond the call of duty, excelling in the arenas of classroom, competition, and community, select Eastern baseball student-athletes earned the right to wear the Script E.
DISTINCT COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE (DCA)
EMU baseball student-athletes have earned what the coaching staff likes to call a Distinct Competitive Advantage (DCA) this season via adhering to the program pillars: Graduate Leaders; Develop Stewards; Create Champions.
FOLLOW US
For all things EMU Baseball, be sure to check out the team's social media accounts, including EMU_Baseball on X (formerly Twitter), emu_baseball on Instagram, and emu.baseball on TikTok.
Players Mentioned
INF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
UTIL
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
C
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
UTIL
/ Baseball
C
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
IF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
IF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
OF
/ BaseballInside the Ride Episode 2: Katie Condon
Thursday, October 16
16th Annual EMU Baseball Golf Outing
Sunday, October 05
Oestrike Stadium Turf Replacement Time lapse
Friday, October 03
Oestrike Stadium Upgrades Reveal
Thursday, October 02