Eastern Michigan Athletics
Monday, February 24
Conway, Ark.
1 p.m. CT
Eastern Michigan University
2-4
9
at
10
Central Arkansas
2-4
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
R
H
E
Eastern Michigan
3
0
1
0
2
0
3
0
0
0
9
15
0
Central Arkansas
0
2
0
6
0
0
0
1
0
1
10
13
0
Photo by: Phelan Ebenhack/Walt Middleton Photography
Baseball Drops Series Finale to Central Arkansas in Extra Innings, 10-9
2/24/2025 6:59:00 PM | Baseball
Despite the loss, the Eagles captured their first series win of the season
CONWAY, Ark. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University baseball team fell in the 10th inning to the University of Central Arkansas Bears, 10-9, in the series finale, at Bear Stadium, Monday, Feb. 24. Despite losing the series finale, the Eagles took games one and two, winning their first series of the 2025 season.
The Eagles' record shifts to 2-4 (0-0 MAC) on the season, while the Bears improves to 2-4 (0-0 ASUN).
Brendan Kleiman (Olney, Md./Sherwood/Frederick C.C.) paced the Eastern offense on the day with three hits and three RBI, including his first homer of the season and one double.
How it Happened
Kleiman wasted no time, putting the Eagles on the board with a two-run shot in the first for his first long ball of the season. Logan Hugo (Essexville, Mich./Essexville Garber) capped off the scoring in the frame, singling up the middle to score one EMU baserunner, giving the Eagles a 3-0 edge after one.
The Bears plated two in their half of the second to trim the Eastern lead to one, before Cooper Vance (New Waterford, Ohio/Mohawk) singled with the bases loaded in the third, sending Giano Zuccaro (Middleburg Heights, Ohio/Berea Midpark/Charleston) home, extending the EMU lead to two.
The UCA offense erupted in the fourth, plating six runs to take an 8-4 lead. The Green and White punched back in the top of the fifth with homers in consecutive at-bats from Harrison Travis (Soddy Daisy, Tenn./Soddy Daisy/Carson-Newman) and Ty Stecko (North Huntingdon, Pa./Norwin/Mount St. Mary's), cutting the Bears lead to two.
Eastern regained the 9-8 lead in the seventh with RBI from Kleiman, Devan Zirwas (Imperial, Pa./West Allegheny/VCU), and Bruce Jellison (Hartland, Mich./Hartland/Wabash Valley).
The Bears would score on a bases loaded passed ball in the eighth, tying the score at nine each. Neither team scored in the ninth, forcing the game into extra innings, where the Bears emerged victorious with an RBI single in the bottom of the 10th.
Game Notes
» Offensively, the Eagles tied season highs with 15 hits and three home runs. Both totals stand as the second most in a single game in the MAC.
» Kleiman homered for the first time this season. He also drove in three runs for his first multi-RBI outing of the year.
» Travis and Stecko's back-to-back homers in the fifth are the first of its kind this season, and the team's first since Drew Jones (Cleveland, Ohio/Brush/Ohio State) and Aidan Arbogast homered in consecutive at-bats in the second inning at Morehead State in the first game of a doubleheader, March 16, 2024. Additionally, Harrison's three homers this season tie for the most in the MAC while Stecko's two tie for second.
» With three home runs in the game, Eastern increased its total to 11 on the season, a number that ranks as the most in the conference. After batting .357 in the loss, the Eagles increased their MAC-best average to .310 on the season.
» With Monday's home runs, the Eagles have knocked multiple homers in three games this season, coincidentally producing an 0-3 record when doing so.
» EMU pitching issued a season-low five walks.
» With two hits, Jellison recorded his team-high fifth multi-hit game of the season. He stands first in the MAC individually with 12 hits this year.
» Hugo furthered his team-long hit streak to six games and collected his third multi-hit game of the season. His 11 hits this season rank as the second most in the conference behind Jellison while his eight RBI stand fourth in the MAC.
» EMU out hit its opponent for the fifth time this season. It holds a 2-3 record when doing so.
» Six Eagles recorded multiple hits with one driving in multiple runs.
Historical Notes
» Monday's game marked the third between the Eagles and Bears. Eastern now holds a 2-1 lead in the all-time series.
» After knocking 15 hits, the Eagles have tallied double-digit hits in five of their first six games to start the season for the first time in the modern statistical era (1999-present).
» With Kleiman's first-inning homer, the Eagles have recorded at least one home run in the first six games of the season for the first time in the modern statistical era (1999-present).
Up Next
The Eagles will travel to Clinton, S.C. for a four-game series against the Blue Hose of Presbyterian College, Friday-Sunday, Feb. 28-March 2.
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.
The Eagles' record shifts to 2-4 (0-0 MAC) on the season, while the Bears improves to 2-4 (0-0 ASUN).
Brendan Kleiman (Olney, Md./Sherwood/Frederick C.C.) paced the Eastern offense on the day with three hits and three RBI, including his first homer of the season and one double.
How it Happened
Kleiman wasted no time, putting the Eagles on the board with a two-run shot in the first for his first long ball of the season. Logan Hugo (Essexville, Mich./Essexville Garber) capped off the scoring in the frame, singling up the middle to score one EMU baserunner, giving the Eagles a 3-0 edge after one.
The Bears plated two in their half of the second to trim the Eastern lead to one, before Cooper Vance (New Waterford, Ohio/Mohawk) singled with the bases loaded in the third, sending Giano Zuccaro (Middleburg Heights, Ohio/Berea Midpark/Charleston) home, extending the EMU lead to two.
The UCA offense erupted in the fourth, plating six runs to take an 8-4 lead. The Green and White punched back in the top of the fifth with homers in consecutive at-bats from Harrison Travis (Soddy Daisy, Tenn./Soddy Daisy/Carson-Newman) and Ty Stecko (North Huntingdon, Pa./Norwin/Mount St. Mary's), cutting the Bears lead to two.
Eastern regained the 9-8 lead in the seventh with RBI from Kleiman, Devan Zirwas (Imperial, Pa./West Allegheny/VCU), and Bruce Jellison (Hartland, Mich./Hartland/Wabash Valley).
The Bears would score on a bases loaded passed ball in the eighth, tying the score at nine each. Neither team scored in the ninth, forcing the game into extra innings, where the Bears emerged victorious with an RBI single in the bottom of the 10th.
Game Notes
» Offensively, the Eagles tied season highs with 15 hits and three home runs. Both totals stand as the second most in a single game in the MAC.
» Kleiman homered for the first time this season. He also drove in three runs for his first multi-RBI outing of the year.
» Travis and Stecko's back-to-back homers in the fifth are the first of its kind this season, and the team's first since Drew Jones (Cleveland, Ohio/Brush/Ohio State) and Aidan Arbogast homered in consecutive at-bats in the second inning at Morehead State in the first game of a doubleheader, March 16, 2024. Additionally, Harrison's three homers this season tie for the most in the MAC while Stecko's two tie for second.
» With three home runs in the game, Eastern increased its total to 11 on the season, a number that ranks as the most in the conference. After batting .357 in the loss, the Eagles increased their MAC-best average to .310 on the season.
» With Monday's home runs, the Eagles have knocked multiple homers in three games this season, coincidentally producing an 0-3 record when doing so.
» EMU pitching issued a season-low five walks.
» With two hits, Jellison recorded his team-high fifth multi-hit game of the season. He stands first in the MAC individually with 12 hits this year.
» Hugo furthered his team-long hit streak to six games and collected his third multi-hit game of the season. His 11 hits this season rank as the second most in the conference behind Jellison while his eight RBI stand fourth in the MAC.
» EMU out hit its opponent for the fifth time this season. It holds a 2-3 record when doing so.
» Six Eagles recorded multiple hits with one driving in multiple runs.
Historical Notes
» Monday's game marked the third between the Eagles and Bears. Eastern now holds a 2-1 lead in the all-time series.
» After knocking 15 hits, the Eagles have tallied double-digit hits in five of their first six games to start the season for the first time in the modern statistical era (1999-present).
» With Kleiman's first-inning homer, the Eagles have recorded at least one home run in the first six games of the season for the first time in the modern statistical era (1999-present).
Up Next
The Eagles will travel to Clinton, S.C. for a four-game series against the Blue Hose of Presbyterian College, Friday-Sunday, Feb. 28-March 2.
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.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: JONES, Jake (1-0)
L: Keane, Nick (0-1)
Batting:
2B: Kleiman, Brendan 1 ; Zirwas, Devan 1
HR: Kleiman, Brendan 1 ; Travis, Harrison 1 ; Stecko, Ty 1
RBI: Kleiman, Brendan 3 ; Zirwas, Devan 1 ; Jellison, Bruce 1 ; Hugo, Logan 1 ; Travis, Harrison 1 ; Stecko, Ty 1 ; Vance, Cooper 1
SF: Zirwas, Devan 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Hale, John 1 ; Kleiman, Brendan 2 ; Zirwas, Devan 1 ; Zuccaro, Giano 1 ; Travis, Harrison 1 ; Stecko, Ty 2 ; Vance, Cooper 1
SB: Hale, John 1 ; Vance, Cooper 1
CS: Hugo, Logan 1
HBP: Jellison, Bruce 1 ; Hugo, Logan 1 ; Travis, Harrison 1 ; Stecko, Ty 1
Batting:
2B: CERMENELLI, Bryce 1 ; REYNOLDS, Sam 1 ; TRACY, Owen 2 ; FRENCH, Blaine 1
HR: ALLEN, Zeb 1
RBI: ALLEN, Zeb 2 ; NEGRE, Nathan 1 ; SCHATTLE, Jagger 3 ; TRACY, Owen 1 ; FRENCH, Blaine 2
Base Running:
RUNS: ALLEN, Zeb 2 ; SHIPLEY, Casey 2 ; REYNOLDS, Sam 2 ; SCHATTLE, Jagger 1 ; TRACY, Owen 1 ; FRENCH, Blaine 1 ; CURTIS, Preston 1
SB: ALLEN, Zeb 1
CS: REYNOLDS, Sam 1
HBP: CERMENELLI, Bryce 2 ; SHIPLEY, Casey 1 ; FRENCH, Blaine 1
Game Leaders
AB
6
R
2
H
3
RBI
3
2b/3b
AB
5
R
0
H
2
RBI
1
AB
4
R
0
H
2
RBI
1
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
INF
/ BaseballOF
/ BaseballINF
/ Baseball
UTIL
/ BaseballC
/ Baseball
C
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
OF
/ BaseballAlumni Achievement Award - Anthony Tomey
Friday, September 26
Scout day✅
Monday, September 22
Inside the Ride Episode 1: Celia Murkowski
Wednesday, September 17
Drew Beckner's Comments After BGSU Win in MAC Tournament
Friday, May 23