Eastern Michigan Athletics
Tuesday, March 25
Ann Arbor, Mich.
4 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
11-10
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Michigan
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Eastern Michigan
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Michigan
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Photo by: Alex Paslawski
Fly the Flag: Baseball Captures Road Win Over Michigan
3/25/2025 9:18:00 PM | Baseball
Zuccaro's ninth-inning double and go-ahead run secured the win
Postgame Audio | Re-Listen to the Game | Radio Highlights.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University baseball team won a thriller against cross-county foe, the University of Michigan, 9-8, at Ray Fisher Stadium, to capture its first true "Power Four" road win since 2018.
Giano Zuccaro (Middleburg Heights, Ohio/Berea Midpark/Charleston) came through clutch in the ninth inning. Down 8-7, Zuccaro roped a double to right center to score Devan Zirwas (Imperial, Pa./West Allegheny/VCU) and tie the game. Later in the inning, Zuccaro ran home off a Wolverines' passed ball to score the deciding run.
After striking out the lead-off batter and walking the second man up, Ethan Davis (Brownstown, Ind./Brownstown Central/Marian/Frontier C.C.) forced a ground ball to second base where the Eagles would turn a double play to end the game.
Throughout the game, Eastern Michigan had nine hits, four of which went for extra bases, and nine walks to spark it's offense.
Zirwas led Eastern offensively, alongside Kevin Krill (White Lake, Mich./Lakeland/Oakland/Kalamazoo Valley C.C.) who each contributed multi-hit games in the victory.
Davis was the winning pitcher for Eastern Michigan, who pitched 1.3 innings of shutout ball, including the deciding ninth inning.
How it Happened
The game started with Eastern Michigan getting on the board in the first inning. Zirwas hit an opposite-field triple to put the Eagles up 2-0. Bruce Jellison (Hartland, Mich./Hartland/Wabash Valley) had a sacrifice to grow the EMU lead to 3-0 after the first inning. The Wolverines came right back and scored three runs in the first inning.
Eastern continued its offense in the second on a solo bomb from Harrison Travis (Soddy Daisy, Tenn./Soddy Daisy/Carson-Newman), his fifth of the year, to take a 4-3 lead. Michigan would not score in the bottom half as EMU had a one-run lead after two.
In the fourth, EMU tallied two more runs after getting a couple of hits, a wild pitch, and a sacrifice by Logan Hugo (Essexville, Mich./Essexville Garber) as the Eagles took a 6-3 lead. The game remained at that score for the next inning.
Michigan would come back and score four runs off three hits in the bottom of the sixth to take a 7-6 advantage over the Eagles. In the top of the seventh, Brendan Kleiman (Olney, Md./Sherwood/Frederick C.C.) tied the game for the Green and White at seven off a pinch hit RBI single.
After going scoreless in the seventh, the Wolverines scored on a sacrifice flyout after their first three runners reached base. In the ninth, Eastern Michigan came back to take the lead 9-8. The inning was highlighted by Zuccaro, who knocked an RBI double to tie the game and then scored the go-ahead run from third on a passed ball. In the bottom half, the Wolverines got one runner on before the Eagles turned a double play to secure the win.
Game Notes
» Eastern's record improved to 11-10 (6-3 MAC) while Michigan's shifted to 12-12 (7-3 Big Ten).
» Travis' homer in the second inning was his fifth of the year, he now stands in a three-way tie for second place on the team in the category.
» Zirwas finished the contest going 2-for-4 with a triple and two RBI. It marked his 10th multi-hit game and his ninth with multiple RBI.
» Krill finished the day with two hits, going 2-for-4 to pick up his third multi-hit game in 2025.
» Colin Milligan (Delaware, Ohio/Delaware Hayes) made his season debut for Eastern Michigan and pitched a one, two, three-inning in the fourth, striking out two out of three batters he faced. He is the first freshman for EMU in 2025 with a multi-strikeout debut.
» Henry Slaby (Avon Lake, Ohio/St. Edward) also made his Eastern Michigan debut. He struck out one batter while issuing one walk and pitched a scoreless inning in the fifth.
» Davis' was the winning pitcher for Eastern, he is now 2-0 for the season.
» Eastern finished the game with nine walks, the second-most it has had in a game this season behind only March 22, where it had 11 against Miami.
» 11 strikeouts from Eastern pitching is the second most it has had in a game this season behind the 13 against Pittsburgh on opening day, Feb. 14.
» EMU had at least one double, one triple, and one home run. It is the first time the Eagles have had all three hit varieties in a game this year and the first time since April 26, 2024 at Miami, when they had four home runs, one triple, and a double in a 12-10 loss.
» The win marked Eastern's 11th of the season. Last season, it did not capture its 11th win until March 30, which was over Central Michigan.
Postgame Quoteables
Ethan Davis:
"It was amazing, you know, just play to contact, trust the defense, and you know they're always gonna have my back."
"It's been a long time coming, you know, just keep trusting it."
"We got this next-man-up mentality. Everybody brings a lot of energy. It helps the guys out there hitting. We got our celebrations, everything."
"Just locating my sinker, getting the contact I needed. Trust the sinker, get a ground ball, and that's what we did."
Giano Zuccaro:
"We work on dirt ball reads every week in practice. Just reading the ball down, seeing it trickle away from the catcher, and going for it. Head down and sliding home."
"They were attacking me in with a fastball all game. I knew it was going to be there, so I just met it out front and swung on it, hoping good things would happen."
"When we play like a complete baseball team, it's pretty fun to watch."
"Next-man-up mentality—regardless of the situation or elements, we're just going to try to do what we can to win."
Head Coach Robbie Britt:
"Today's a good example of when you're process-oriented, results follow."
"It doesn't take a superhuman effort—just a group effort."
"It's always good when you see competitive people that have a good process get good results."
"We celebrate till we shower, and then we're back to zero and zero."
"To watch Dom Anderson come back today and get two outs against Michigan, after two season-ending injuries, was super exciting."
Historical Notes
» Eastern played its 402nd game against a Big Ten opponent. They have an all-time record of 151-248-5.
» Eastern picked up its first win in Ann Arbor since April 15, 2015, ending an eight-game losing streak in the city.
» Eastern's win over Michigan is its first true road win over a "Power Four" team since it bested Oklahoma State, 6-5, in the series finale, March 11, 2018.
» The result marks the first time that Eastern Michigan has defeated a Big Ten Conference team on the road since it beat Ohio State, April 12, 2017.
» Eastern used a total of 10 pitchers. It marks the first time it has used 10 pitchers since April 25, 2023, when it beat Alma 15-12 at Comerica Park.
» Britt became the fourth head coach in program history to earn multiple "power conference" wins in his first two seasons at the helm of the program. Roger Coryell won five from 1989-90, Jay Alexander won six from 2009-10, and Mark Van Ameyde won four from 2015-16.
Up Next
Eastern Michigan continues a streak of four straight games played away from home, Friday, March 28, when it travels to Athens, Ohio, to take on the Ohio Bobcats. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. It will begin a three-game series from March 28-30. All games will be streaming 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.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University baseball team won a thriller against cross-county foe, the University of Michigan, 9-8, at Ray Fisher Stadium, to capture its first true "Power Four" road win since 2018.
Giano Zuccaro (Middleburg Heights, Ohio/Berea Midpark/Charleston) came through clutch in the ninth inning. Down 8-7, Zuccaro roped a double to right center to score Devan Zirwas (Imperial, Pa./West Allegheny/VCU) and tie the game. Later in the inning, Zuccaro ran home off a Wolverines' passed ball to score the deciding run.
After striking out the lead-off batter and walking the second man up, Ethan Davis (Brownstown, Ind./Brownstown Central/Marian/Frontier C.C.) forced a ground ball to second base where the Eagles would turn a double play to end the game.
Throughout the game, Eastern Michigan had nine hits, four of which went for extra bases, and nine walks to spark it's offense.
Zirwas led Eastern offensively, alongside Kevin Krill (White Lake, Mich./Lakeland/Oakland/Kalamazoo Valley C.C.) who each contributed multi-hit games in the victory.
Davis was the winning pitcher for Eastern Michigan, who pitched 1.3 innings of shutout ball, including the deciding ninth inning.
How it Happened
The game started with Eastern Michigan getting on the board in the first inning. Zirwas hit an opposite-field triple to put the Eagles up 2-0. Bruce Jellison (Hartland, Mich./Hartland/Wabash Valley) had a sacrifice to grow the EMU lead to 3-0 after the first inning. The Wolverines came right back and scored three runs in the first inning.
Eastern continued its offense in the second on a solo bomb from Harrison Travis (Soddy Daisy, Tenn./Soddy Daisy/Carson-Newman), his fifth of the year, to take a 4-3 lead. Michigan would not score in the bottom half as EMU had a one-run lead after two.
In the fourth, EMU tallied two more runs after getting a couple of hits, a wild pitch, and a sacrifice by Logan Hugo (Essexville, Mich./Essexville Garber) as the Eagles took a 6-3 lead. The game remained at that score for the next inning.
Michigan would come back and score four runs off three hits in the bottom of the sixth to take a 7-6 advantage over the Eagles. In the top of the seventh, Brendan Kleiman (Olney, Md./Sherwood/Frederick C.C.) tied the game for the Green and White at seven off a pinch hit RBI single.
After going scoreless in the seventh, the Wolverines scored on a sacrifice flyout after their first three runners reached base. In the ninth, Eastern Michigan came back to take the lead 9-8. The inning was highlighted by Zuccaro, who knocked an RBI double to tie the game and then scored the go-ahead run from third on a passed ball. In the bottom half, the Wolverines got one runner on before the Eagles turned a double play to secure the win.
Game Notes
» Eastern's record improved to 11-10 (6-3 MAC) while Michigan's shifted to 12-12 (7-3 Big Ten).
» Travis' homer in the second inning was his fifth of the year, he now stands in a three-way tie for second place on the team in the category.
» Zirwas finished the contest going 2-for-4 with a triple and two RBI. It marked his 10th multi-hit game and his ninth with multiple RBI.
» Krill finished the day with two hits, going 2-for-4 to pick up his third multi-hit game in 2025.
» Colin Milligan (Delaware, Ohio/Delaware Hayes) made his season debut for Eastern Michigan and pitched a one, two, three-inning in the fourth, striking out two out of three batters he faced. He is the first freshman for EMU in 2025 with a multi-strikeout debut.
» Henry Slaby (Avon Lake, Ohio/St. Edward) also made his Eastern Michigan debut. He struck out one batter while issuing one walk and pitched a scoreless inning in the fifth.
» Davis' was the winning pitcher for Eastern, he is now 2-0 for the season.
» Eastern finished the game with nine walks, the second-most it has had in a game this season behind only March 22, where it had 11 against Miami.
» 11 strikeouts from Eastern pitching is the second most it has had in a game this season behind the 13 against Pittsburgh on opening day, Feb. 14.
» EMU had at least one double, one triple, and one home run. It is the first time the Eagles have had all three hit varieties in a game this year and the first time since April 26, 2024 at Miami, when they had four home runs, one triple, and a double in a 12-10 loss.
» The win marked Eastern's 11th of the season. Last season, it did not capture its 11th win until March 30, which was over Central Michigan.
Postgame Quoteables
Ethan Davis:
"It was amazing, you know, just play to contact, trust the defense, and you know they're always gonna have my back."
"It's been a long time coming, you know, just keep trusting it."
"We got this next-man-up mentality. Everybody brings a lot of energy. It helps the guys out there hitting. We got our celebrations, everything."
"Just locating my sinker, getting the contact I needed. Trust the sinker, get a ground ball, and that's what we did."
Giano Zuccaro:
"We work on dirt ball reads every week in practice. Just reading the ball down, seeing it trickle away from the catcher, and going for it. Head down and sliding home."
"They were attacking me in with a fastball all game. I knew it was going to be there, so I just met it out front and swung on it, hoping good things would happen."
"When we play like a complete baseball team, it's pretty fun to watch."
"Next-man-up mentality—regardless of the situation or elements, we're just going to try to do what we can to win."
Head Coach Robbie Britt:
"Today's a good example of when you're process-oriented, results follow."
"It doesn't take a superhuman effort—just a group effort."
"It's always good when you see competitive people that have a good process get good results."
"We celebrate till we shower, and then we're back to zero and zero."
"To watch Dom Anderson come back today and get two outs against Michigan, after two season-ending injuries, was super exciting."
Historical Notes
» Eastern played its 402nd game against a Big Ten opponent. They have an all-time record of 151-248-5.
» Eastern picked up its first win in Ann Arbor since April 15, 2015, ending an eight-game losing streak in the city.
» Eastern's win over Michigan is its first true road win over a "Power Four" team since it bested Oklahoma State, 6-5, in the series finale, March 11, 2018.
» The result marks the first time that Eastern Michigan has defeated a Big Ten Conference team on the road since it beat Ohio State, April 12, 2017.
» Eastern used a total of 10 pitchers. It marks the first time it has used 10 pitchers since April 25, 2023, when it beat Alma 15-12 at Comerica Park.
» Britt became the fourth head coach in program history to earn multiple "power conference" wins in his first two seasons at the helm of the program. Roger Coryell won five from 1989-90, Jay Alexander won six from 2009-10, and Mark Van Ameyde won four from 2015-16.
Up Next
Eastern Michigan continues a streak of four straight games played away from home, Friday, March 28, when it travels to Athens, Ohio, to take on the Ohio Bobcats. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. It will begin a three-game series from March 28-30. All games will be streaming 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.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Davis, Ethan (2-0)
L: Will Rogers (0-2)
Batting:
2B: Zuccaro, Giano 1 ; Vance, Cooper 1
3B: Zirwas, Devan 1
HR: Travis, Harrison 1
RBI: Zirwas, Devan 2 ; Jellison, Bruce 1 ; Zuccaro, Giano 1 ; Travis, Harrison 1 ; Kleiman, Brendan 1
SH: Zuccaro, Giano 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Schechterman, Ben 1 ; Hugo, Logan 1 ; Zirwas, Devan 2 ; Jellison, Bruce 1 ; Zuccaro, Giano 1 ; Travis, Harrison 1 ; Krill, Kevin 1 ; Vance, Cooper 1
HBP: Jellison, Bruce 1 ; Krill, Kevin 1
Batting:
2B: Benjamin Casillas 2 ; Colby Turner 1 ; Cole Caruso 2
RBI: Mitch Voit 1 ; Colby Turner 2 ; Cole Caruso 2 ; Brayden Jefferis 2
SF: Colby Turner 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Benjamin Casillas 2 ; Mitch Voit 1 ; Jeter Ybarra 1 ; Cole Caruso 1 ; Matt Spear 1 ; Robert Hamchuk 1 ; Brayden Jefferis 1
SB: Mitch Voit 1
HBP: Matt Spear 1 ; Robert Hamchuk 2
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
4
R
2
H
2
RBI
2
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
1
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
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RHP
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INF
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RHP
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