Eastern Michigan Athletics
Saturday, February 22
Conway, Ark.
5 p.m. CT (6 p.m. ET)
Eastern Michigan University
9
at
5
Central Arkansas
Photo by: Phelan Ebenhack/Walt Middleton Photography
Baseball Tops Central Arkansas, 9-5, to Earn First Win of 2025 Campaign
2/22/2025 10:18:00 PM | Baseball
Logan Hugo drove in four runs off four hits, Drew Beckner got the start and pitched five innings, allowing one run while striking out eight
CONWAY, Ark. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University baseball team earned its first win of the 2025 season, besting the University of Central Arkansas Bears, 9-5, at Bear Stadium, Saturday, Feb. 22.
Offensively, the Eagles were led by Logan Hugo (Essexville, Mich./Essexville Garber), who posted four hits and four RBI on the day while Drew Beckner (Westerville, Ohio/Big Walnut/Charleston) got the start, going five innings, allowing one run off three hits, while striking out eight and walking four.
How it Happened
The Eagles got the scoring started early as Bruce Jellison (Hartland, Mich./Hartland/Wabash Valley) singled up the middle to score Devan Zirwas (Imperial, Pa./West Allegheny/VCU) from second, putting the Eagles up, 1-0, after one.
Jellison went back to work in the third, doubling to right center to score John Hale (Ashland City, Tenn./Sycamore/Motlow State C.C.) before Hugo followed that up with a double of his own, scoring two more. Central Arkansas would get on the board in the bottom half of the inning, grounding out to second to score a runner from third.
Zirwas would homer in the fifth, scoring two, marking his first homer as an Eagle, followed by another two-RBI double from Hugo, who went on to score from third off a wild UCA pitch, capping a five-run fifth for the Eagles and increasing their lead to 9-1.
Beckner was relieved by Niko Kreuzer (Westerville, Ohio/St. Francis Desales) to start the sixth. The Bears attempted to mount a comeback, scoring four runs in the final three innings until Nick Keane (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin/Frederick C.C.) came in to grab the final out for the Eagles, concluding the game in a 9-5 EMU victory.
Game Notes
» Jellison turned in his third multi-hit game of the year as he went 2-for-4 from the plate with one walk. His three multi-hit games are a team high for the Eagles this season. He also drove in two runs, marking his first multi-RBI day in the Script E.
» Hugo had a 4-for-5 day from the dish, marking his second multi-hit performance of 2025. He also drove in four runs, the most from any Eagle in a game this season. After knocking three doubles on the day, the senior holds the MAC single-game high for doubles. Moreover, Hugo's three two baggers are the most from an EMU player in a single game since 2022 MAC Player of the Year Matt Kirk knocked four in a win over Niagara, April 29, 2023.
» Zirwas recorded his first homer as an Eagle in the fifth, marking the Eagles' seventh home run of the season, a figure that ranks as the second-most in the MAC. He finished the game with two hits, two runs, and two RBI. The performance marked his first time this season with both multiple hits and runs scored.
» Eastern's 13 hits marked its third time in four games eclipsing the double-digit mark.
» Offensively, the Eagles set season highs in runs (nine), RBI (eight), and doubles (five). Pitching wise, Eastern set season lows in runs (five), hits (seven), and extra-base hits (two).
» Beckner's eight strikeouts tied an EMU career-high while his runs allowed (one) marks his fewest as an Eagle when pitching at least five innings. Through two starts (10.0 IP), Beckner totals a 1.80 ERA, has allowed just two earned runs off five hits, and has held opposing batters to a mere .143 average. He is tied for the second-most strikeouts in the MAC this season (11) and his opposing BA ranks third in the conference.
» Four Eagles had multi-hit days while three recorded multiple RBI.
» Hale stole two bases on the day. His four stolen bases this season lead Eastern and ranks third in the conference.
Historical Notes
» Saturday's game marked the first between the Eagles and Bears. Eastern now holds a 1-0 lead in the all-time series.
» The Eagles have tallied double-digit hits in three of their first four games to start the season for the first time since the 2007 season.
Up Next
The Eagles will take on the Bears in game two of the series tomorrow, Sunday, Feb. 23, at 1 p.m. CT (2 p.m. ET).
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) and emu_baseball on Instagram.
Offensively, the Eagles were led by Logan Hugo (Essexville, Mich./Essexville Garber), who posted four hits and four RBI on the day while Drew Beckner (Westerville, Ohio/Big Walnut/Charleston) got the start, going five innings, allowing one run off three hits, while striking out eight and walking four.
How it Happened
The Eagles got the scoring started early as Bruce Jellison (Hartland, Mich./Hartland/Wabash Valley) singled up the middle to score Devan Zirwas (Imperial, Pa./West Allegheny/VCU) from second, putting the Eagles up, 1-0, after one.
Jellison went back to work in the third, doubling to right center to score John Hale (Ashland City, Tenn./Sycamore/Motlow State C.C.) before Hugo followed that up with a double of his own, scoring two more. Central Arkansas would get on the board in the bottom half of the inning, grounding out to second to score a runner from third.
Zirwas would homer in the fifth, scoring two, marking his first homer as an Eagle, followed by another two-RBI double from Hugo, who went on to score from third off a wild UCA pitch, capping a five-run fifth for the Eagles and increasing their lead to 9-1.
Beckner was relieved by Niko Kreuzer (Westerville, Ohio/St. Francis Desales) to start the sixth. The Bears attempted to mount a comeback, scoring four runs in the final three innings until Nick Keane (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin/Frederick C.C.) came in to grab the final out for the Eagles, concluding the game in a 9-5 EMU victory.
Game Notes
» Jellison turned in his third multi-hit game of the year as he went 2-for-4 from the plate with one walk. His three multi-hit games are a team high for the Eagles this season. He also drove in two runs, marking his first multi-RBI day in the Script E.
» Hugo had a 4-for-5 day from the dish, marking his second multi-hit performance of 2025. He also drove in four runs, the most from any Eagle in a game this season. After knocking three doubles on the day, the senior holds the MAC single-game high for doubles. Moreover, Hugo's three two baggers are the most from an EMU player in a single game since 2022 MAC Player of the Year Matt Kirk knocked four in a win over Niagara, April 29, 2023.
» Zirwas recorded his first homer as an Eagle in the fifth, marking the Eagles' seventh home run of the season, a figure that ranks as the second-most in the MAC. He finished the game with two hits, two runs, and two RBI. The performance marked his first time this season with both multiple hits and runs scored.
» Eastern's 13 hits marked its third time in four games eclipsing the double-digit mark.
» Offensively, the Eagles set season highs in runs (nine), RBI (eight), and doubles (five). Pitching wise, Eastern set season lows in runs (five), hits (seven), and extra-base hits (two).
» Beckner's eight strikeouts tied an EMU career-high while his runs allowed (one) marks his fewest as an Eagle when pitching at least five innings. Through two starts (10.0 IP), Beckner totals a 1.80 ERA, has allowed just two earned runs off five hits, and has held opposing batters to a mere .143 average. He is tied for the second-most strikeouts in the MAC this season (11) and his opposing BA ranks third in the conference.
» Four Eagles had multi-hit days while three recorded multiple RBI.
» Hale stole two bases on the day. His four stolen bases this season lead Eastern and ranks third in the conference.
Historical Notes
» Saturday's game marked the first between the Eagles and Bears. Eastern now holds a 1-0 lead in the all-time series.
» The Eagles have tallied double-digit hits in three of their first four games to start the season for the first time since the 2007 season.
Up Next
The Eagles will take on the Bears in game two of the series tomorrow, Sunday, Feb. 23, at 1 p.m. CT (2 p.m. ET).
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) and emu_baseball on Instagram.
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