Eastern Michigan Athletics
Friday, May 23
Avon, Ohio
6:45 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
21-31
2
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Toledo
30-28
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9
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Eastern Michigan
0
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Toledo
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6
10
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Baseball Concludes Turnaround Season With Loss in MAC Tournament Second Round
5/23/2025 9:53:00 PM | Baseball
The Eagles made the tournament for the first time since 2017 and improved their overall win total by seven from 2024
Photo Gallery
AVON, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – The sixth-seeded Eastern Michigan University baseball team concluded its season as it was eliminated in the second run of the Mid-American Conference Baseball Championships by the fifth-seeded University of Toledo Rockets, 6-2, at Crushers Stadium.
The season proved to be one of progress with the Eagles qualifying for the postseason for the first time since 2018 as they surpassed their 2024-win total (14 overall, nine in conference) by seven wins and their conference win sum by three after winning 14 games, nine of which came in conference play as the team made.
Cooper Vance (New Waterford, Ohio/Mohawk) highlighted the EMU performances of the night as he knocked three hits including his career-best 14th double of the season that ranks second on the team.
Right-handed senior Tyler Kapa (Waterford, Mich./Kettering/Alma/Mott C.C./Davenport) got the start while Eastern got a productive four-inning, two-run outing out of junior righty Michael Pfeiffer (Brownsboro, Ala./Huntsville/Northwest-Shoals C.C.) who relieved Kapa after one inning of work.
Toledo's Brady Sasse (4-3) got the win and Kapa (5-7) was tagged with the loss.
How it Happened
Toledo's offense got on the board first with a two-run home run that left the yard quickly, gaining a 2-0 lead before Eastern Michigan recorded an out. After Toledo got two more runners on base, it added another run before Logan Hugo (Essexville, Mich./Essexville Garber) threw out a runner from right field attempting to advance to third base as the first inning ended with Toledo sporting a 3-0 lead.
Kapa was relieved by Pfeiffer in the top of the second. Pfeiffer started his outing tossing a scoreless inning for the Green and White as Toledo remained up by three after two innings.
Eastern Michigan first got on the board in the fourth inning when Bruce Jellison (Hartland, Mich./Hartland/Wabash Valley) had an RBI single to left-center, scoring Ty Stecko (North Huntingdon, Pa./Norwin/Mount St. Mary's) from second to cut the deficit to two runs with Toledo in control, 3-1.
Eastern threatened in the top of the fifth as Vance knocked his second single of the day and stole second to get into scoring position, but the bats were not able to get him home in the Eagles' second scoring opportunity of the tilt. In the bottom half of the inning, the Rockets were able to get their lead back to three on an RBI single to make it a 4-1 game. After Toledo had runners on first and second with two outs, the Eagles were able to get out of the inning and keep the deficit at three runs halfway through the ballgame.
The ensuing half inning, EMU had the bases loaded with nobody out down three. Despite this, the Eagles were unable to get any runs across as the next three batters were retired all via the strikeout. Pfieffer finished his outing with four innings pitched and was relieved by Drew Norris (Leawood, Kan./Blue Valley, Utah/Johnson C.C.) in the bottom of the sixth after allowing the first two base runners to reach. Later in the inning, the Rockets added an insurance run to push their lead to 5-1 on a sacrifice fly as it became a four-run contest after six.
After the Eagles went scoreless in the top of the seventh, Toledo hit its second dinger of the night, a solo home run to make it a 6-1 game in the bottom of the inning. With six more outs to play with, Eastern was retired in order in the eighth, before adding one run in the top of the ninth as Giano Zuccaro (Middleburg Heights, Ohio/Berea Midpark/Charleston) hit a sacrifice fly to score Drew Beckner (Westerville, Ohio/Big Walnut/Charleston).
The EMU rally fell short as the game concluded in a 6-2 win for Toledo.
Game Notes
» Vance had a game of note on offense going 3-for-4 while recording his career-best 14th double of the season, a figure that stands second on the team. The game became his sixth with at least a trio of hits.
» Jellison's RBI in the fourth inning was his 29th of the season and first of the tournament.
» Pfieffer's four innings pitched included three strikeouts while allowing just three hits. It's the third time this season in his 15 appearances that he tossed four or more frames of work.
» Eastern Michigan fielding finished the game with no errors for the second consecutive game. It's the fifth time this season it has had consecutive games with no errors. In the 18 games that Eastern Michigan has not had a fielding error, it has a 9-9 record.
» Taking over for Pfieffer in the top of the sixth, Norris ended the night with 2.1 while allowing one run on just two hits. It's the sixth time in 2025 that he has gone at least two innings.
Historical Notes
» After the result, Eastern's record fell to 21-31 (12-18 MAC) while Toledo's moved to 30-28 (17-13 MAC).
» Eastern Michigan played its 65th all-time game in the MAC Tournament. They now hold a 38-27 record in MAC Tournament games.
» EMU matched up with the five seed for the eighth time in MAC Tournament history. Overall, it is 5-3 when doing so.
» The game marked the eighth time in which Eastern Michigan faced Toledo in the MAC Tournament. The Eagles have a 4-4 record in these games
» Eastern played its 10th game as the sixth seed in the tournament, posting a 2-8 record all-time.
» After Friday's result, Head Coach Robbie Britt holds a 10-6 record in conference tournament games and has coached in 16 of them in his six-year head coaching career.
» Eastern Michigan played its 180th all-time game against the Rockets. After tonight's result, the Eagles now hold a record of 102-78 in those games.
» The Eagles played their 19th tournament game in Avon, they now have a 9-10 record when the tournament is being played there.
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.
AVON, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – The sixth-seeded Eastern Michigan University baseball team concluded its season as it was eliminated in the second run of the Mid-American Conference Baseball Championships by the fifth-seeded University of Toledo Rockets, 6-2, at Crushers Stadium.
The season proved to be one of progress with the Eagles qualifying for the postseason for the first time since 2018 as they surpassed their 2024-win total (14 overall, nine in conference) by seven wins and their conference win sum by three after winning 14 games, nine of which came in conference play as the team made.
Cooper Vance (New Waterford, Ohio/Mohawk) highlighted the EMU performances of the night as he knocked three hits including his career-best 14th double of the season that ranks second on the team.
Right-handed senior Tyler Kapa (Waterford, Mich./Kettering/Alma/Mott C.C./Davenport) got the start while Eastern got a productive four-inning, two-run outing out of junior righty Michael Pfeiffer (Brownsboro, Ala./Huntsville/Northwest-Shoals C.C.) who relieved Kapa after one inning of work.
Toledo's Brady Sasse (4-3) got the win and Kapa (5-7) was tagged with the loss.
How it Happened
Toledo's offense got on the board first with a two-run home run that left the yard quickly, gaining a 2-0 lead before Eastern Michigan recorded an out. After Toledo got two more runners on base, it added another run before Logan Hugo (Essexville, Mich./Essexville Garber) threw out a runner from right field attempting to advance to third base as the first inning ended with Toledo sporting a 3-0 lead.
Kapa was relieved by Pfeiffer in the top of the second. Pfeiffer started his outing tossing a scoreless inning for the Green and White as Toledo remained up by three after two innings.
Eastern Michigan first got on the board in the fourth inning when Bruce Jellison (Hartland, Mich./Hartland/Wabash Valley) had an RBI single to left-center, scoring Ty Stecko (North Huntingdon, Pa./Norwin/Mount St. Mary's) from second to cut the deficit to two runs with Toledo in control, 3-1.
Eastern threatened in the top of the fifth as Vance knocked his second single of the day and stole second to get into scoring position, but the bats were not able to get him home in the Eagles' second scoring opportunity of the tilt. In the bottom half of the inning, the Rockets were able to get their lead back to three on an RBI single to make it a 4-1 game. After Toledo had runners on first and second with two outs, the Eagles were able to get out of the inning and keep the deficit at three runs halfway through the ballgame.
The ensuing half inning, EMU had the bases loaded with nobody out down three. Despite this, the Eagles were unable to get any runs across as the next three batters were retired all via the strikeout. Pfieffer finished his outing with four innings pitched and was relieved by Drew Norris (Leawood, Kan./Blue Valley, Utah/Johnson C.C.) in the bottom of the sixth after allowing the first two base runners to reach. Later in the inning, the Rockets added an insurance run to push their lead to 5-1 on a sacrifice fly as it became a four-run contest after six.
After the Eagles went scoreless in the top of the seventh, Toledo hit its second dinger of the night, a solo home run to make it a 6-1 game in the bottom of the inning. With six more outs to play with, Eastern was retired in order in the eighth, before adding one run in the top of the ninth as Giano Zuccaro (Middleburg Heights, Ohio/Berea Midpark/Charleston) hit a sacrifice fly to score Drew Beckner (Westerville, Ohio/Big Walnut/Charleston).
The EMU rally fell short as the game concluded in a 6-2 win for Toledo.
Game Notes
» Vance had a game of note on offense going 3-for-4 while recording his career-best 14th double of the season, a figure that stands second on the team. The game became his sixth with at least a trio of hits.
» Jellison's RBI in the fourth inning was his 29th of the season and first of the tournament.
» Pfieffer's four innings pitched included three strikeouts while allowing just three hits. It's the third time this season in his 15 appearances that he tossed four or more frames of work.
» Eastern Michigan fielding finished the game with no errors for the second consecutive game. It's the fifth time this season it has had consecutive games with no errors. In the 18 games that Eastern Michigan has not had a fielding error, it has a 9-9 record.
» Taking over for Pfieffer in the top of the sixth, Norris ended the night with 2.1 while allowing one run on just two hits. It's the sixth time in 2025 that he has gone at least two innings.
Historical Notes
» After the result, Eastern's record fell to 21-31 (12-18 MAC) while Toledo's moved to 30-28 (17-13 MAC).
» Eastern Michigan played its 65th all-time game in the MAC Tournament. They now hold a 38-27 record in MAC Tournament games.
» EMU matched up with the five seed for the eighth time in MAC Tournament history. Overall, it is 5-3 when doing so.
» The game marked the eighth time in which Eastern Michigan faced Toledo in the MAC Tournament. The Eagles have a 4-4 record in these games
» Eastern played its 10th game as the sixth seed in the tournament, posting a 2-8 record all-time.
» After Friday's result, Head Coach Robbie Britt holds a 10-6 record in conference tournament games and has coached in 16 of them in his six-year head coaching career.
» Eastern Michigan played its 180th all-time game against the Rockets. After tonight's result, the Eagles now hold a record of 102-78 in those games.
» The Eagles played their 19th tournament game in Avon, they now have a 9-10 record when the tournament is being played there.
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: SASSE, Brady (4-3)
L: Kapa, Tyler (5-7)
S: CURRY, Braden (3)
Batting:
2B: Vance, Cooper 1
RBI: Zuccaro, Giano 1 ; Jellison, Bruce 1
SF: Zuccaro, Giano 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Stecko, Ty 1 ; Beckner, Drew 1
SB: Stecko, Ty 1 ; Vance, Cooper 1
HBP: Stecko, Ty 1 ; Jellison, Bruce 1
Batting:
HR: KONCZAK, Caden 1 ; LETO, Luke 1
RBI: KONCZAK, Caden 2 ; SUDBROOK, Troy 1 ; CAHILL, Cole 1 ; LETO, Luke 1 ; WALTON, Luke 1
SF: SUDBROOK, Troy 1
Base Running:
RUNS: HERBERT, Kaleb 1 ; KONCZAK, Caden 2 ; SUDBROOK, Troy 1 ; LETO, Luke 1 ; WHITE, Brayden 1
SB: HERBERT, Kaleb 1
HBP: SCHOLVIN, Charlie 1 ; WHITE, Brayden 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
4
R
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H
3
RBI
0
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
LHP
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ BaseballINF
/ Baseball
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