Baseball Aims to Repeat as Michigan MAC Champs, Travels to Western Michigan for First In-State MAC Series

Baseball at Western Michigan
Date	Friday-Saturday \| March 14-15
Venue	Robert J. Bobb Stadium at Hyames Field \| Kalamazoo, Mich.
Preview Info	EMU Notes (PDF) \| Media Guide
Live Stats	EMUEagles.com/livestats
Watch Live	Game 1 \| Game 2 \| Game 3
Social Media	X: @EMU _Baseball \| @EMUAthletics IG: @emu_baseball \| @emuathletics

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University baseball team is set to begin the first leg of the Michigan Mid-American Conference rivalry series as it looks to repeat as Michigan MAC Champions for the first time in program history, beginning with a three-game set against the Broncos of Western Michigan University Friday-Saturday, March 14-15, at Robert J. Bobb Stadium in Kalamazoo, Mich. Friday will entail a doubleheader beginning at 12:05 p.m. and Saturday's series finale will start at 1:05 p.m.

Eastern enters the game standing tied for first in the MAC with a 3-0 record (7-7 overall) while the Broncos come in still searching for their first win of the season as they currently hold a 0-14 (0-3 MAC) record.

Fans can follow along using the live stats and watch links that can be accessed on the EMU baseball schedule page here. Also, stay tuned to EMU baseball socials including EMU_Baseball on X, and emu_baseball on Instagram for live in-game updates and additional EMU baseball content.

ALL-TIME AGAINST WESTERN MICHIGAN
The first game of Friday's doubleheader will mark the 196th all-time match up. The Eagles trail the Broncos by one game as they hold a 97-98 record against WMU, and a 25-18 record when facing them in Kalamazoo, which is better than their 21-21 home record against the Broncos. The Eagles have controlled the series in recent years, holding a 6-4 record in the last 10 games.

LAST TIME VS WESTERN MICHIGAN
Last season, the Eagles topped the Broncos in a three-game series at home, 2-1, March 23-24. The series was highlighted by the third game where former RHP and current pitching development assistant Nick Chittum threw a nine-inning complete game shutout to secure the series win for the Eagles, March 24. Chittum's nine-inning complete game was the program's first since Brent Mattson versus Butler, April 2, 2017. Furthermore, it was the first time an Eastern starter blanked a conference foe in a nine-inning contest since Brad Allen notched a 3-0 complete-game triumph over Bowling Green, March 25, 2017. The shutout was Eastern's lone of the season, and first in MAC play since May 11, 2021, when the Eagles beat the University of Toledo 6-0 at Oestrike Stadium. Finally, the series marked EMU's first time winning their first two conference series of the year in back-to-back seasons since they did so in 2016 and 2017.

LAST TIME OUT: AT OHIO STATE, MARCH 11
Eastern last took the field in a 13-7 loss at Ohio State, March 11. Offensively, Eastern was led by John Hale who went 2-for-4 with two singles and two RBI. Fischer Hendershot and Niko Kreuzer were bright spots out of the bullpen. The two combined to throw three innings, allowing one run, while striking out three, and walking one in their 13 batters faced.

BACK-TO-BACK MICHIGAN MAC CHAMPS FOR FIRST TIME IN PROGRAM HISTORY?
The Eagles claimed the Michigan MAC title last season with series wins over Western Michigan, March 23-24, and Central Michigan, March 28-30, marking their first time besting both fellow Michigan MAC programs in the same season since 2012. Should the Eagles win the series against the Broncos and the Chippewas later in the season, May 9-11, it would mark the first time they have beaten both programs in a series in consecutive seasons in program history (1949-present).

3 STRAIGHT SEASONS WINNING FIRST 2 MAC SERIES?
Eastern is aiming to win its first two conference series of the season for the third straight year and for the first time since 2006-08. In 2006, Eastern topped Bowling Green, 2-1, March 24-26, and Buffalo, 3-0, March 31-April 2, before beating BGSU again, 3-0, March 24-25, and Buffalo, 2-1, March 30-31, in 2007, and besting Miami, 3-0, March 29-30, and Akron, 2-1, April 5-6, in 2008.

ANOTHER FIRST FOR BRITT?
After his Eagles triumphed over Ball State, March 8-10, and Western Michigan, March 23-24, last season, Head Coach Robbie Britt has the chance to become the first coach in program history to win the first two MAC series in each of his first two seasons. Eastern opened MAC play this season with a 3-0 sweep of the Akron Zips on the road, March 7-9. Britt previously became the first coach in program history to win the MAC-opening series in each of his first two seasons. The first head coach in program history, Bill Crouch, won his first two conference-opening games in 1949 and 1950, but they did not play series, just standalone games.

HALFWAY THERE (2024 WIN TOTAL)
The Eagles won 14 games in Britt's first season last year. Fourteen games into the 2025 campaign, the Eagles have already reached seven wins, half of the 14 they earned in 2024. EMU posted five wins in their first 14 games last season.

HUGO BREAKOUT SEASON
Senior outfielder Logan Hugo is in the midst of a breakout season. After winning the MAC Player of the Week award for the first time in his career, Feb. 25. The 6-foot-2 right-handed bat ranks highly across the MAC standings as he leads the league in hits (22) while ranking inside the top five in terms of value in RBI (3rd - 17) and doubles (3rd - six). Hugo stands inside the MAC top five in batting average (8th - .386), slugging (6th - .684), and OPS (7th - 1.147), all of which currently serve as career bests. Both his average and OPS clips, should he maintain them throughout the season, are the best the program has seen since at least 2012. If he keeps his current pace, Hugo would end the season with 21 doubles, tying for the fifth-most in program history and the most since 2022 MAC Player of the Year Matt Kirk hit 24 in the 2023 campaign.

DREW BECKNER ON THE BUMP
Senior left hander Drew Beckner has gotten off to a hot start on the mound. Through four starts (21.1 IP - third most in the MAC), he posts a 2.53 ERA (fourth in the MAC), has held opponents to a .200 batting average (second in the conference), allowed 16 hits (fourth in the MAC), six earned runs (third in the MAC), and has struck out 21 (fifth in the conference). With a 2-0 record on the year, his two wins are tied for the second most in the MAC. Expected to make a minimum of 10 more starts this season, Beckner is on pace to set career-best marks in innings pitched (73.85), strikeouts (73.5),
hits allowed when pitching at least 28 innings (56), and earned runs when pitching at least 28 innings (21). He is currently averaging career-highs in ERA (2.53), WHIP (1.36), and opponent batting average (.200).

POTENT OFFENSE
Through 14 games, the Eagles offense is pacing the MAC in average (.302). Eastern also ranks inside the top three in six categories, including slugging (2nd - .470), hit by pitch (2nd - 29), runs (3rd - 108), hits (3rd - 151), home runs (3rd -18), RBI (3rd - 98), Eastern has also struck out 115 times, the third fewest in the MAC.

HUGO MAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Senior outfielder Logan Hugo was named MAC Player of the Week for the first time in his career, Feb. 25. In 13 at-bats, Hugo batted .538 with a 1.000 slugging percentage and 1.600 OPS. He notched seven hits, four of which went for extra bases (three doubles, one homer), while driving in seven runs, and totaling 13 bases. The Essexville, Mich., native also worked one walk and one hit by pitch while going strikeout free for the week.

Hugo started the week with a 4-for-5 performance from the plate with a MAC single-game high three doubles and four RBI while scoring one run. His four hits that day tie for the second most in the conference in a single game. He then went 1-for-4 from the dish in game two with one home run, two RBI, and two runs scored, before batting 2-for-4 in the series finale, driving in one run.

ZIRWAS MAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Junior infielder Devan Zirwas earned the first conference player of the week award of his career, and the Eagles' second consecutive as senior outfielder Logan Hugo won the award the previous week, Feb. 25. Zirwas paced the Eagles in nearly all offensive categories. In 17 at-bats, he batted .529, knocked nine hits, four of which went for extra bases (three doubles, one home run), driving in three runs, and totaling 15 bases.

Zirwas struck out just twice on the week as he posted a 1.411 OPS (.882 slugging, .529 on-base) and played a perfect first base, totaling 28 putouts, three assists, and a 1.000% fielding clip. Zirwas tallied multiple hits in 3-of-4 games on the week, starting the series with a 3-for-5 performance with one run, two doubles, and one RBI, before batting 2-for-3 with one run scored in game two, 1-for-4 with one double in game three, and 3-for-5 in the series finale with one run scored, one home run, and two RBI.

Zirwas is spreading his wings after seeing just 48 at-bats in his redshirt freshman season at VCU in 2024. He has already set career highs in at-bats (53), runs (12), hits (19), doubles (seven), home runs (three), RBI (15), total bases (35), and walks (4). He is also posting career best numbers in average (.358) and OPS (1.086).

UPCOMING MILESTONES
Logan Hugo is seven RBI away from reaching the century mark in his career. Giano Zuccaro is 25 hits away from reaching the 200 mark, and two home runs away from posting 20 in his career. Pitching wise, Drew Beckner is 20 strikeouts away from reaching 200, and Tyler Kapa is seven from reaching the 100 milestone.

NOTABLES FROM AKRON SERIES
Many notables came out of the sweep of the Akron Zips, March 7-9. It marked the third straight season the Eagles have won their conference-opening series, the first time they have done so since 2010-12, as well as the program's first sweep in the conference-opening series since it swept Bowling Green to open MAC play in the 2016 season. The sweep also marked the first road sweep in a MAC series since Eastern swept BGSU in a four-game MAC tilt on the road in the 2021 season, May 7-8. The Eagles won the first game of the series, improving Robbie Britt's record in conference-openers to a perfect 6-0. Finally, the sweep was the first in the Britt era, and elevated the Eagles' record north of .500 (.538) for the first time under Britt.

KINGS OF THE FIFTH
The Eagles have thrived in the fifth inning, scoring over 35 percent (35.1%) of their runs in the frame as they have scored 38 runs in the fifth, their highest total in any inning this season. Conversely, Eastern has allowed just eight runs in the fifth inning, accounting for just 7.7 percent of their total runs allowed (103). Most recently against Ohio State, March 11, Eastern failed to score in the fifth inning for just the third time this season as they allowed one OSU run.

ONE WEEK, TWO SAVES
Junior right hander Ethan Davis is coming off a strong week as he earned one save in both of his appearances out of the bullpen against Akron, March 7-9. Davis tallied 3.1 innings pitched and allowed just one run while issuing zero walks and striking out two. Davis' two saves lead the Eagles and stand as the third most in the MAC. Furthermore, he is the first Eastern hurler to earn two saves in one week since Trevor House did so in the 2021 season against Toledo in the first game of a doubleheader, May 11, and against Northern Illinois, May 15. Additionally, Davis' save total stands 63rd in the nation.

DEV'S DOUBLES
Junior infielder Devan Zirwas slots second in the MAC and 56th nationally with seven doubles on the year. With at least one two-bagger in six of his 13 games played this season, the Imperial, Pa. native stands 22nd nationally and second in the MAC, averaging 0.54 doubles per game. Zirwas has at least one extra-base hit in eight of his 13 games this season and has tallied multiple extra-base hits in the same game twice this season. He knocked two doubles in Eastern's 8-2 win over Presbyterian, Feb. 28, and doubled and homered in EMU's 9-2 win at Central Arkansas, Feb. 22.

IMPROVED DEFENSE
After tallying the MAC's worst fielding percentage in 2024 (0.959), the Eagles appear to be significantly improved defensively as they currently post a 0.984 clip in the field, ranking second in the MAC and ninth in the nation. Eastern has committed the fewest errors in the conference, posting just seven mishandles in 14 games this season The current rate stands as a 2.5-percent improvement from 2024 to 2025. Last season, the Eagles had 18 errors through 14 games.

HARRISON TRAVIS: POWER HITTER
Graduate student catcher Harrison Travis leads the Eagles and has the fourth-most home runs in the MAC with four on the season. He is one of 10 MAC student-athletes to tally multiple homers in a game this season as he left the playing field twice in Eastern's second game of the season against Pitt, Feb. 15. Travis most recently homered in the series-opening win over Presbyterian (Feb. 28), going 1-for-5 from the dish. He has not homered in his previous five games, his longest home run drought of the season.

KAPA's Ks
Senior right hander Tyler Kapa has demonstrated high strike-throwing ability in four starts this season. He has sat down a total of 28 batters, good for the most in the conference. Kapa's nine strikeouts against Pitt, Feb. 15, stand as the third most in a single game in the MAC this season and a Division I career high for the Waterford, Mich., native. With his nine strikeouts that day, he is the only pitcher in the MAC to strike out at least nine batters in two games this season. Kapa ranks 48th nationally in strikeouts while his 12.19 strikeouts per nine innings figure stands as the best in the conference and ranks 64th in the nation.

KAPA'S COMPLETE GAME
Tyler Kapa pitched a seven-inning complete game against Presbyterian in the first game of a doubleheader, March 1, becoming the first EMU hurler to throw a complete game since his teammate, Bobby Jones threw an eight-inning complete game last season against Northern Illinois (May 16). Kapa is one of 41 pitchers nationally and three in the MAC to have thrown a complete game this season. He allowed seven hits and three earned runs, while striking out nine and walking two.

ON THE HORIZON
The Eagles are set to host their first home series of the season when they welcome the Miami RedHawks to Oestrike Stadium for a three-game conference set Friday-Sunday, March 21-23. All three games will be streamed live on ESPN+.

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.

Previously Noted
YEAR TWO UNDER BRITT
Head Coach Robbie Britt enters his second season at the helm of the program in 2025. The 2025 campaign marks Britt's sixth overall season as a collegiate head coach. In 225 career games, Britt posts a 139-86 record and .617 career winning percentage. The Eagles went 14-38 in Britt's first season.

BRITT PRIOR TO EASTERN
Robbie Britt's hiring was announced by EMU, June 16, 2023. A highly-accomplished program leader with four seasons as a Division II head coach, Britt arrived in Ypsilanti after 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. Britt was the head coach at the University of Charleston (W. Va.) from 2020-23. The Maryville, Tenn., native owned the seventh-best winning percentage among active Division II head coaches. He had built the Golden Eagles into a perennial power at the Division II level with three NCAA appearances, three conference regular season championships, and two conference tournament titles. The third-winningest coach in program history, Britt's Charleston teams were dominant at home, posting a 72-14 record (.837 winning percentage) on their own field.

BOBBY JONES: ALL-MAC RETURNER
Eastern returns one All-MAC player in senior right-handed pitcher Bobby Jones. Earning a second-team nod last season, Jones led the team in ERA (6.28), WHIP (1.31), wins (five), innings pitched (86.0), and strikeouts (79), while issuing the second-least amount of walks of any EMU starter (24), and allowing the lowest opposing batting average of all starters (.255). Additionally, Jones' 86.0 innings on the mound ranked as the most in the MAC, while ranking seventh in the conference in opposing batting average, strikeouts, and walks allowed.

PG PRESEASON ALL-MAC
Bobby Jones and Drew Jones were named Preseason First Team All-MAC by Perfect Game. Entering his second season with the Eagles, Drew Jones batted .265 last season with a .730 OPS. He drove in 14 runs, totaled two homers, and 10 multi-hit games. He also walked-off the regular season MAC Champs, Bowling Green, via a two-run double, May 10.

KEY RETURNERS: POSITION PLAYERS
The Eagles return key position players in Giano Zuccaro and Logan Hugo.

Zuccaro averaged .341 from the plate with a .946 OPS, adding 57 hits and 12 doubles along with 30 RBI. His hits, doubles, and triples (two) all ranked as the second-most on the team while playing a clean outfield with a 1.000 fielding percentage and two assists.

Hugo averaged .284 from the dish with a .857 OPS, adding 52 hits and a team-high 10 home runs, totaling 19 extra base hits, along with 30 RBI. Also a threat on the base paths, Hugo led the team with 18 stolen bases on 22 attempts in 2024, and was second on the squad with 92 total bases.

KEY RETURNERS: PITCHERS
Along with Second Team All-MAC selection Bobby Jones, the Eagles return veteran left-hander Drew Beckner. In 15 total appearances and 10 starts last season, he posted a 6.52 ERA, 1.74 WHIP, held opposing batters to a .262 average, and stuck out 62 while walking 50. In 69 innings of work, Beckner allowed 59 runs (50 earned), 70 hits, and 21 extra-base hits (eight homers).

KEY TRANSFERS: POSITION PLAYERS
Among 17 other transfers, Eastern brings in junior outfielder John Hale and graduate student catcher Harrison Travis.

By way of Motlow State Community College, Hale batted .347 with a .999 OPS and totaled 50 hits, 14 of which went for extra bases while four left the yard. Hale showed discipline at the dish, working 35 walks and striking out just 26 times. He was dangerous on the base paths as well, stealing 18 bases in 24 attempts all while playing a perfect outfield in 90 chances.

Entering his sixth year of collegiate baseball, Travis spent five seasons at Carson-Newman where he earned two SAC Player of the Week Awards and was named Preseason Second Team All-SAC prior to the 2023 season. Most recently in 2024, Travis posted career numbers nearly across the board. He averaged .297 from the plate with a 1.066 OPS while drilling 25 extra-base hits (13 homers, 12 doubles), driving in 39 runs and working 21 walks while striking out 29 times.

Baseball Aims to Repeat as Michigan MAC Champs, Travels to Western Michigan for First In-State MAC Series

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Drew Beckner

Nick Chittum

Ethan Davis

John Hale

Fischer Hendershot

Logan Hugo

Bobby Jones

Drew Jones

Tyler Kapa

Niko Kreuzer

Harrison Travis

Devan Zirwas

Giano Zuccaro

Eastern Michigan Athletics