Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
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Little Rock
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Baseball Rallies Past Little Rock, 11-6, for Beerman’s First Win
2/14/2026 3:11:00 PM | Baseball
Eight-run seventh inning lifts Eagles on Valentine’s Day
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (EMUEagles.com) – Devan Zirwas and Ty Stecko each launched key home runs to highlight the Eastern Michigan University baseball team's showing as the Eagles used an eight-run outburst in the 7th inning to earn an 11-6 win at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock at Gary Hogan Field, Saturday, Feb. 14.
The win marked the first of the season and first of the Interim Head Coach Trevor Beerman era.
Stecko's (North Huntingdon, Pa./Norwin/Mount St. Mary's) three-run homer cut the Eastern deficit to two runs in the sixth inning, before Zirwas (Imperial, Pa./West Allegheny/VCU) blew the game open with a go-ahead grand slam in the seventh.
Entering the game in relief effort in the fifth inning, Eli Henderson (Gallatin, Tenn./Trousdale County/Columbia State C.C.) earned the win after pitching the fifth and sixth innings.
How it Happened
Little Rock got the scoring started with a solo home run to left field in the bottom of the second inning.
Carter White (Shelby County, Ky./Shelby County/Lincoln Memorial) came in to relieve Landon Mueller (Fremont, Neb./Fremont/Omaha) to start the bottom of the fourth inning. In his first Eastern start, Mueller went three innings, allowing one earned run, while striking out two opposing batters and walking four. The inning saw the Trojans extend their lead, recording their second solo home run of the day to left field.
Little Rock had a three spot in the fifth, pushing its advantage to 5-0 before Stecko's two-out, three-run homer in the sixth inning drew EMU to within two at 5-3.
Eastern's offense exploded in the seventh inning, scoring eight runs, highlighted by a grand slam off the bat of Zirwas to take an 8-5 lead. Little Rock tacked on one run in the eighth before Emmett Gillies (Columbus, Ohio/Bishop Hartley/Akron) slammed the door on the Trojans to secure the Eagles' first win of the young campaign.
Game Notes
» Eastern out-hit its opponent for the first time this season. It is now 1-0 when doing so.
» Eastern scored 11+ runs for the first time this season and first since it plated 12 in a 12-11 walk-off win over Kent State, May 15, 2025. It also had 10 or more hits for the first time this season and first since it knocked 15 in a 10-7 Mid-American Conference Tournament win over Bowling Green, May 22, 2025.
» Eastern's eight runs in the seventh is its highest single-inning total of the season and highest since it scored nine runs in the second inning against Miami, March 22, 2025.
» Eastern came back from down five runs for the first time since it erased a five-run deficit to beat Western Michigan in the first game of a doubleheader, March 14, 2025, topping the Broncos, 10-8.
» The Eagles went 4-for-10 with runners in scoring position.
» Ty Stecko's sixth-inning home run represents EMU's first home run of the 2026 season and the 12th dinger of his Eastern career.
» Devan Zirwas' seventh-inning grand slam was his first home run of the season, ninth as an Eagle, and his second grand slam in the Script E.
» Bruce Jellison (Hartland, Mich./Hartland/Wabash Valley), Devan Zirwas, and Ty Stecko each drove in multiple runs. It was the first multi-RBI showing for all three student-athletes this season. The game served as Zirwas' 22nd with multiple RBI as an Eagle, the 17th for Stecko, and 15th for Jellison.
» In his first NCAA Division I appearance, Eli Henderson grabbed the first win of his career.
» Kevin Krill (White Lake, Mich./Lakeland/Kalamazoo Valley C.C.) knocked two hits for his first multi-hit game of the season and fourth as an Eagle after recording three such games last season.
» Leewood Molessa (Pullman, W. Va./Williamstown/UMBC) recorded his first hit in an EMU uniform with his single up the middle in the fifth inning.
» Landon Mueller, Nick Weaver (Streamwood, Ill./Streamwood/Elgin C.C.), Carter White, Eli Henderson, and Tommy Rose (Plymouth, Mich./Plymouth) made their respective Eastern Michigan debuts.
Historical Notes
» Eastern and Little Rock met for the fourth time in program history. Eastern now holds a 2-2 record against the Trojans.
» The win marked the first of the Interim Head Coach Trevor Beerman era.
Up Next
The Eagles and Trojans play the third and final game of the series tomorrow, Sunday, Feb. 15. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
Follow Us
Keep up with all things Eastern baseball by following the team on X @EMU_Baseball, and on Instagram @emu_baseball.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Henderson, Eli (1-0)
L: Royal, Hunter (0-1)
Batting:
2B: Jellison, Bruce 1
HR: Zirwas, Devan 1 ; Stecko, Ty 1
RBI: Jellison, Bruce 2 ; Zirwas, Devan 4 ; Williams, TJ 1 ; Stecko, Ty 3 ; Weaver, Nick 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Jellison, Bruce 1 ; Zirwas, Devan 1 ; Williams, TJ 2 ; Hale, John 2 ; Stecko, Ty 2 ; Weaver, Nick 1 ; Krill, Kevin 1 ; Jones, Drew 1
SB: Molessa, Leewood 1
CS: Williams, TJ 1
HBP: Hale, John 2 ; Weaver, Nick 1
Batting:
2B: Smith, Kade 1
3B: Rhoades, Ty 1
HR: Baumbach, Nico 1 ; Castillo, Luis 1
RBI: Baumbach, Nico 2 ; Rhoades, Ty 2 ; Cano, Angel 1 ; Castillo, Luis 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Lopez, Jerdy 1 ; Smith, Kade 1 ; Baumbach, Nico 2 ; Cano, Angel 1 ; Castillo, Luis 1
SB: O'Brien, Michael 1
CS: Rhoades, Ty 1
HBP: Chaplain, Cooper 1
