Baseball Faces Notre Dame in Midweek Clash Tuesday

Eastern Michigan Baseball at Notre Dame
Date	Tuesday \| March 3
Venue	Frank Eck Stadium \| South Bend, Ind.
Preview Info	EMU Notes \| Record Book (PDF).
Live Stats	Statbroadcast
Social Media	X: @EMU _Baseball \| @EMUAthletics IG: @emu_baseball \| @emuathletics

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University baseball team looks to keep up the momentum after a series split at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville as it is set to face the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish in a one-and-done contest Tuesday, March 3, at Frank Eck Stadium in South Bend, Ind. First pitch is set for 4:30 p.m.

Fans can follow along using the live stats links that can be accessed on the EMU baseball schedule page at EMUEagles.com. 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.

FIRST PITCHES
» Following the departure of Robbie Britt to the Boston Red Sox, former assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Trevor Beerman was promoted to interim head coach for the 2026 season.
» At 30 years old, Interim Head Coach Trevor Beerman is the youngest known coach at the NCAA Division I level.
» Eastern and Notre Dame are meeting for the 11th time in program history.
» Eastern is 21-35 all-time against the Atlantic Coast Conference as it will face an ACC team for the first time this season and 57th time overall.
» Most recently, Eastern split a four-game series (2-2) at SIUE, Feb. 27-March 1.
» Eastern totals 22 newcomers, including seven freshmen and 15 transfers. The Eagles bring back 18 players from the 2025 season.
» Eastern returns key players in Devan Zirwas and Ty Stecko. Zirwas was named a top-150 outfielder by D1 Baseball and Stecko earned Preseason All-MAC honors from Perfect Game.

ALL-TIME AGAINST NOTRE DAME/THE ACC
Eastern and Notre Dame are meeting for the 11th time in each schools' respective history. Eastern is 4-6 all-time against the Irish and is searching for its first win over them since Feb. 22, 2019. After last season's contest, EMU and ND are meeting in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2015-16. The Eagles are 21-35 all-time against the ACC. Eastern is facing an ACC opponent for the first time this season.

LAST TIME OUT: AT SIUE, FEB 27-MARCH 1
Eastern split a four-game road set at SIUE. Eastern dropped the first game, 12-7, before winning games two (9-1) and three (8-7 (7). The Eagles dropped a back-and forth rubber match, 4-3, to conclude the series.

LAST SEASON VS. THE IRISH
After falling behind, 12-5, after six innings, EMU scored five runs over the final three innings, including three in the ninth, but ultimately dropped a 12-10 decision at Notre Dame, May 13, 2025. Eastern Michigan collected 12 hits, including multi hit games from Devan Zirwas and Logan Hugo. Zirwas went 2-for-4 with one double and two RBI. Drew Jones also recorded a hit and scored twice.

POWER PRODUCTION
Eastern Michigan has hit 14 home runs through 12 games, ranking second in the Mid-American Conference and 60th nationally. The Eagles average 1.17 home runs per game, which ranks third in the league. Ty Stecko leads the way with five home runs and a .711 slugging percentage. Devan Zirwas adds four home runs and ranks second on the team with 26 total bases. Keegan Knupp has chipped in two long balls.

ALL HALE
John Hale hit .462 in the four game series at SIUE, collecting six hits in 13 at bats. He recorded three doubles and one home run in the series while driving in seven runs. Hale leads the team with three doubles on the season and ranks second with seven RBI after his recent surge.

STECKO'S HOT STICK
Ty Stecko's five home runs rank him third in the MAC by value and his 11 RBI puts him at sixth in the conference by value. Stecko also ranks among the top-10 in the MAC for walks (5th - 10), runs (6th - 11), OPS (6th - 1.182), and stolen bases (6th - five). Stecko added two home runs and one double, totaling 10 bases and three RBI in the SIUE series, Feb. 28 - March 1.

STRONG PLATE DISCIPLINE
The Eagles have drawn 62 walks in 12 games. That total ranks 64th nationally and third in the Mid American Conference. Twelve games into the season, Ty Stecko has worked 10 walks, leading the Eagles and ranking fifth in the MAC. Also showing a good eye at the dish is Devan Zirwas and TJ Williams, who each have nine walks.

YEAR TWO ZIRWAS
Devan Zirwas leads the roster with eight extra-base hits (three doubles, one triple, and four home runs) His 26 total bases and nine hits tied for the team lead. Also, his .591 slugging percentage ranks second on the roster. Currently ranking fourth in the MAC in home runs (four) and walks (nine), while ranking sixth in RBI (11), Zirwas looks to build off a season where he totaled 69 hits, 20 doubles, eight homers, and 53 RBI off a .337 batting average and .997 OPS.

ZIRWAS CLOSING IN ON 100 HITS
Senior Devan Zirwas is closing in on the 100 hits milestone as he totals 91 in his three-year collegiate baseball career. Zirwas recorded 13 hits as a VCU Ram in 2024 before leading the Eagles with 69 last season. Zirwas totals nine hits this season and would be the first Eagle to reach the milestone in 2026.

CLUTCH WITH TWO OUTS
Eastern Michigan has received strong two out production from the heart of the order. Ty Stecko has eight two-out RBI, John Hale has seven, and Drew Jones has four. Hale is hitting .417 with two outs, while Keegan Knupp is batting .364 in those situations.

BULLPEN PRODUCTION
Outside of the Vanderbilt series, Feb. 17-18, the Eastern bullpen has allowed 22 earned runs in 45.1 innings of work. Emmett Gillies is a highlight out of the bullpen, owning a 1-0 record with a 0.00 ERA in five relief appearances. Over 5.1 innings, he has allowed three hits, zero runs, and struck out six while walking two. Opponents are hitting .167 against him. Fischer Hendershot joins him with four relief appearances with a 0.00 ERA, allowing just two hits off a .143 average with two saves. Cole Egan and Landon Mueller chip in, as both tossed a scoreless three innings in the SIUE series.

STRONG IN THE FIELD
Eastern Michigan ranks 63rd nationally and fourth in the conference with a .978 fielding percentage. The Eagles have committed only nine errors in 417 chances. Nick Weaver, Ty Stecko, John Hale, and Ben Schechterman all own perfect fielding percentages. Weaver has also thrown out seven runners attempting to steal. The defense continues to convert routine plays and support the pitching staff.

LETHAL ARM BEHIND THE PLATE
Nick Weaver continues to rank among the top defensive catchers in college baseball entering the matchup with Notre Dame. Weaver has thrown out six runners attempting to steal in 13 attempts. That total places him tied for sixth nationally in caught stealing. The national leaders sit at eight. Weaver's six caught stealing matches several prominent programs across the country and places him firmly in the national conversation at his position. His 46.2% caught-stealing rate ranks among the strongest in the country among catchers with double-digit attempts against them. Additionally, Weaver has yet to be charged with a passed ball this season.

AGGRESSIVE ON THE BASE PATHS
The Eagles have stolen 18 bases through 12 games, ranking sixth in the conference and 96th nationally. Ty Stecko leads with five steals, while TJ Williams has four. As a team, Eastern Michigan has been successful on 18-of-20 attempts.

PINCH HIT PRODUCTION
Eastern Michigan has received timely results off the bench. Kevin Krill owns a .667 pinch hitting average. Drew Jones, Nathan Borchardt, and Ben Schechterman also hold pinch hits this season. Krill recently knocked an RBI double in a pinch-hit situation in the eighth inning at SIUE, March 1.

BORCHARDT BATTING WELL
A newcomer to the NCAA Division I stage, Nathan Borchardt has done well at the plate thus far. The catcher leads the Eagles with a .300 batting average with six hits, one double, and one home run, totaling to five RBI and 10 total bases.
» Nathan Borchardt set season highs with three hits, three RBI, one double, and his first home run as an Eagle. He led the team in all three categories and accounted for nearly half of EMU's runs In the second game of the Austin Peay series, Feb. 21.
» Nathan Borchardt walked a career high three times and accounted for three of the four runners on base for the Eagles in the series finale at Austin Peay, Feb. 22.

ON THE HORIZON
Eastern begins MAC play with a three-game series at conference regular season and tournament favorite Miami University, Friday-Saturday, March 6-8. The series will take place at Hayden Park in Oxford, Ohio.

FOLLOW US
Keep up with all things Eastern baseball by following the team on X @EMU Baseball, and on Instagram @emu baseball.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Nathan Borchardt

Cole Egan

Emmett Gillies

John Hale

Fischer Hendershot

Logan Hugo

Drew Jones

Keegan Knupp

Kevin Krill

Landon Mueller

Ben Schechterman

Ty Stecko

Nick Weaver

TJ Williams

Devan Zirwas

Eastern Michigan Athletics