Baseball Hosts Michigan Tuesday, Looks For Seventh Consecutive Win

Eastern Michigan Baseball vs. Michigan
Date	Tuesday \| March 31
Venue	Oestrike Stadium \| Ypsilanti, Mich.
Preview Info	EMU Notes \| Record Book (PDF).
Watch	ESPN+
Listen	The Varsity Network
Live Stats	Statbroadcast
Social Media	X: @EMU _Baseball \| @EMUAthletics IG: @emu_baseball \| @emuathletics

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – Looking to notch its seventh consecutive win for the first time since the 2021 campaign, the Eastern Michigan University baseball team will play host to the University of Michigan at Oestrike Stadium Tuesday, March 31, at 3 p.m.

Admission is free at Oestrike Stadium. Fans can stream the game live on ESPN+ as Greg Steiner and Evan Stockton will have the call from the booth while Elena Davis will report from the sideline. Live stats will be available on EMUEagles.com, where a post-game recap will be posted. 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
» Eastern and Michigan will meet for the 193rd time Tuesday. Overall, the Eagles hold a 66-124-2 record against the Wolverines, and a 9-11 clip when facing them at home since 1999.
» Eastern split the series with Michigan last season, beating the Wolverines in Ann Arbor, 9-8, March 25, before losing at home in seven innings, 13-2, April 1.
» The contest against Michigan will mark the 408th for Eastern against a Big Ten opponent. Overall, the Eagles post a 151-251-5 record when facing Big Ten teams.
» Eastern is looking to win seven straight games for the first time this season and first time since the 2021 campaign.
» Eastern is shooting for three consecutive series wins for the first time since the 2018 season.
» EMU has thrived in late-inning situations as four of its last six wins have come in walk-off fashion.
» Most recently, Eastern swept Central Michigan, March 27-29, in a three-game weekend set for the first time since 1983.
» After hitting .193 prior to the Ball State series, March 13-15, Eastern's offense has vastly improved, batting .318 since.
» 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.
» 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.

ALL-TIME AGAINST MICHIGAN
Eastern and Michigan will meet on the diamond for the 193rd time Tuesday. Overall, the Eagles hold a 66-124-2 record against the Wolverines, and a 9-11 clip when facing them at home since 1999. Michigan has controlled the series in recent years having won eight of the previous 10 contests. Eastern once took seven straight over Michigan from 2011-14, its longest winning streak against the Big Ten foe.

ALL-TIME AGAINST THE B1G
The contest against Michigan will mark the 408th for Eastern against a Big Ten opponent. Overall, the Eagles post a 151-251-5 record when facing Big Ten teams. Additionally, the only four Big Ten institutions the Eagles have yet to face on the diamond are Maryland, Rutgers, USC, and UCLA.

LAST SEASON AGAINST MICHIGAN
Eastern split the season series with the Wolverines, beating the Wolverines in Ann Arbor, 9-8, March 25, before losing at home in seven innings, 13-2, April 1.

At Michigan, March 25, 2025
Eastern won a thriller against Michigan, 9-8, at Ray Fisher Stadium, to capture its first true "Power Four" road win since 2018. Giano Zuccaro came through clutch in the ninth inning. Down 8-7, Zuccaro roped a double to right center to score Devan Zirwas 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 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 who each contributed multi-hit games in the victory. Davis was the winning pitcher for Eastern Michigan, who pitched 1.1 innings of shutout ball, including the deciding ninth inning.

Notables
» 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.

Vs. Michigan, April 1, 2025
Eastern Michigan dropped the second game of a home-and-home series to Michigan, 13-2, April 1, 2025. Michigan's Tate Carey (4-0) earned the win while EMU freshman right-hander Colin Milligan was tagged with the loss in his first collegiate start. Freshman lefty Ethan LaPointe was a bright spot out of the bullpen, totaling a career best four strikeouts in 2.2 innings on the bump while allowing zero earned runs.

REMEMBERING THE RUN RULE
Eastern's 14-4 run-ruling victory over Michigan, March 19, 2024, marked its largest win over a power-conference team since it bested the Purdue Boilermakers by 18 runs (20-2) in the 2013 season, May 14. It was the first time the Eagles beat a power conference team since they beat Notre Dame in San Antonio, Texas, Feb. 22, 2019. The game also served as the first time Eastern Michigan defeated the Wolverines since April 15, 2015, when it bested Michigan in Ann Arbor by a score of 4-3. It was also the first time the Eagles defeated the Wolverines at home since April 23, 2013, when Eastern won a high-scoring game, 15-10.

LAST TIME: VS. CENTRAL MICH., MARCH 27-29
Eastern swept Central Michigan for the first time in a weekend series since the 1983 campaign.

Game one, Friday, March 27
Eastern won a historic, 15-inning thriller against rival Central Michigan University, 9-8, at Oestrike Stadium. The 15-inning contest is Eastern's longest in the modern statistical era (1999-present). Tommy Rose earned the win, the first of his career, as he tossed a career-long 4.0 innings with a career-high seven strikeouts while allowing just one hit. Eastern right-hander John Carmichael started on the mound, going 5.2 innings while allowing four earned runs off four hits. He struck out five batters while walking three.

Notables
» Eastern knocked a season-high 21 hits and struck out a season-high 19 batters.
» All EMU starters recorded at least one hit for the first time this season.
» Eastern outhit its opponent for the seventh time this season, producing a 4-3 recording when doing so.
» Eastern recorded 10+ hits and struck out 10+ batters for the second time this season, winning for the first time when doing so.

Game Two, Saturday, March 28
Eastern stormed back from a nine-run hole to defeat rival Central Michigan, 12-11, in a walk-off thriller thanks to Ty Stecko's two-run double in the bottom of the ninth inning Saturday, March 28, at Oestrike Stadium. Eastern's comeback is the largest since the 2011 season as it won its fifth-consecutive game and walked off its opponent for the third straight contest. Cole Egan (2-1) earned the win after tossing two scoreless innings while Stecko, Bruce Jellison, and Leewood Molessa each drove in multiple runs for EMU.

Notables
» Eastern struck out just four times, its lowest total of the season.
» Eastern came back from down nine runs. The comeback win marks its fourth of the season and is the largest of the year thus far. It's the largest since Eastern beat Michigan State, 17-15, April 26, 2011, after falling behind 10-0 in the second inning.
» Ty Stecko reached 100 career hits with his multi-hit outing. He is the second Eagle to hit the mark this season after Devan Zirwas accomplished the feat.
» Ty Stecko's walk-off double was Eastern's first walk-off hit since May 16, 2024, in a 12-11 win over Kent State.
Game Three, Sunday, March 29
The Eastern Michigan University baseball team surged to a 13-7 victory over Central Michigan Sunday, March 29, at Oestrike Stadium, completing a pivotal Mid-American Conference sweep and extending the win streak to six consecutive games. Eastern sophomore Cal Rutherford (2-0) got the start and earned his second win of the season as he went a career-long six innings, allowing four earned runs off seven hits while striking out six and walking two. Fellow sophomore Fischer Hendershot earned his third save of the season after tossing three relief innings, allowing two runs. Senior Devan Zirwas led the EMU offense, driving in six runs, four of which came off a third-inning grand slam as he was 3-for-3 from the dish.

Notables
» Eastern tied a season high with 13 runs and set a season high with 12 RBI. It advanced to 3-1 on the season when scoring 10+ runs. The 11 hits mark the eighth time it has knocked double-digit hits in one game this season.
» Eastern struck out a season-low four times for the second consecutive game.
» Eastern pitching issued a season-low two walks, marking the fifth time it's done so this season.
» Eastern swept Central Michigan in a three-game weekend series for the first time since March 6-7, 1983.
» The sweep against Central Michigan marks the first series sweep for the Eagles since March 7-9, 2025, over Akron.
» The sweep against Central Michigan marks the first time Eastern Michigan swept a home series since May 18-20, 2023, against Northern Illinois.

ON THE EMU WINNING STREAK
Eastern's six-game winning streak is tied for the fifth-longest nationally. It marks the first time EMU has won six consecutive games since the 2023 season, April 23-May 5. That streak saw EMU beat Toledo, April 23, Alma, April 25, before sweeping a road series at Niagara, April 28-30, and winning the series opener at CMU, May 5. EMU is looking to win its seventh straight game against Michigan Tuesday. A win over the Wolverines would mark the first seven-game streak since 2021 when the Eagles won eight straight, May 1-11.
» The streak marks the first time Eastern has won five straight MAC games since the 2021 campaign, May 4-8, winning one game against Toledo and four versus Bowling Green.

SWEEPING SERIES
Eastern's sweep against Central Michigan is the first of the season and marks the first time sweeping CMU in a weekend series since March 6-7, 1983. It also marks the first sweep of any kind since EMU swept Akron to open MAC play last season, March 7-9, and the first time sweeping a home series since it swept Northern Illinois to close out the 2023 regular season, May 18-20.

SERIES WINNERS X3?
After topping Akron, 2-1, March 20-22, and sweeping Central Michigan, March 27-29, Eastern has won back-to-back series for the first time since it swept the Zips to start MAC play last season, March 7-9, and took 2-of-3 games from rivals Western Michigan, March 14-15. Eastern is looking to win a third consecutive series for the first time since the 2018 season, when the Eagles won 2-of-3 against Bowling Green, March 30-April 1, Ball State, April 6-8, and Ohio, April 13-14. A series win over Toledo would be the first time Eastern has won three straight MAC series since 2024 when it took 2-of-3 from Ball State, March 8-10, Western Michigan, March 23-24, and Central Michigan, March 28-30.

CARDIAC EAGLES
Eastern has won six consecutive games, four of which have come in walk-off fashion. The four walk-off wins tie for the second-most nationally and are the most in one season since EMU walked off its opponent five times in the 2011 campaign. TJ Williams wore a bases-loaded hit by pitch to lift EMU to victory over Akron, 9-8 (10), March 21, before Tristan Crane worked a bases-loaded walk to seal the comeback against Youngstown State, 8-7, March 24. Leewood Molessa hit a sacrifice fly to right field to score Drew Jones from third base in the 15-inning series opener against CMU, ending the game in a 9-8 final, March 27. Ty Stecko possesses the most recent walk-off with a two-run double down the left-field line in game two against the Chippewas, concluding the contest in a 12-11 decision, March 28.

MASSIVE COMEBACK
Eastern came back from nine down against Central Michigan, March 28, winning in walk-off fashion, 12-11. Eastern's nine-run comeback is its fourth and largest of the season, and largest since it erased a 10-0 deficit at Michigan State, April 26, 2011, a day that saw EMU defeat the Spartans in East Lansing, 17-15. The comeback is the largest by a MAC school in a conference game since March 26, 2023, when Ohio overcame a 10-run deficit to beat Northern Illinois.

HAVE A DAY DEVAN ZIRWAS
Devan Zirwas went off for a career-high six RBI off three hits, including one grand slam and one double against Central Michigan, March 29. Zirwas' six RBI are a single-game high for the team and mark the first six-RBI performance since Logan Hugo reached the mark in a 15-6 win at Albany, April 17, 2025. The six RBI are the second most by an individual in the MAC this season. Zirwas finished the game with three hits, his seventh multi-hit game of the year, the second most on the squad.

BREAKOUT BRUCE
Bruce Jellison had a breakout week against Youngstown State, March 24, and Central Michigan, March 27-29. In 16 at-bats, Jellison batted .438 with a 1.190 OPS. He knocked seven hits, including one home run, resulting in 10 RBI, 10 total bases, and three runs scored. Jellison was productive without hitting the ball, working three walks and getting hit by a pitch three times. He played a perfect third base with a 1.000% fielding clip with six assists. The right-handed bat drove in at least three runs each game this weekend, tying his career-high with a four RBI and one home run against the Chippewas, March 28.

WELCOME BACK LEEWOOD MOLESSA
After making a comeback from injury this past weekend against Central Michigan, March 27-29, Leewood Molessa stepped up to the plate to lead the Eagles to a series sweep. In his last three games, Molessa batted .333 with a .891 OPS, knocking four hits, including one for extra bases while driving in six runs. Molessa also stayed disciplined at the plate, drawing a team-leading four walks in the series with one hit by pitch and three strikeouts. Molessa's resurgence is a far cry from the beginning of the season whilst dealing with an injury: one hit and one walk in 15 at-bats, including nine strikeouts in the first five games of the season.

15-INNING GAME
The 15-inning game against Central Michigan marks the longest for the Eagles in the modern statistical era (1999-present). The game currently stands as the fifth-longest in the nation this season and the longest in the MAC.

RECORDS IN THE 15-INNING GAME
» Eastern struck out 19 batters against Central Michigan, March 27 the most in one game for the program since 1999. The 19 strikeouts are the most in one game in the MAC and seventh-most nationally. Tommy Rose led the way with a career-high seven strikeouts in four innings of relief, John Carmichael had five, Fischer Hendershot sat down four, and Cole Egan posted three.
» Eastern's 61 at-bats are the most in program history since 1999 and the most in the conference in one game.
» Ty Stecko posted eight at-bats, the most in program history since 1999. His eight at-bats are the most in the MAC in a single game and the second-most in the country.

21 HITS/MAC SINGLE-GAME HIGHS
» Eastern's 21 hits against CMU, March 27, tie for sixth in program history in one game and tie for the second-most in the conference.
» Eastern's 61 at-bats, 45 putouts, 15.0 innings pitched, and 19 batters struck out are the most in the MAC in a single game this season. Its 21 hits are the second most.

FIVE-HIT TJ
» TJ Williams had five hits against Central Michigan, March 27. The five knocks are the second most in a single game for the Eagles since 1999. His five hits are a season-high for the team, tie for the most by a MAC player in one game this season, and stand second nationally.

BATS ARE BACK
After struggling offensively in the season's early-going, the Eastern bats have heated up lately.

EMU Offense Prior to BSU Series (17 games)
.193 BA , .336 SLG%, .323 OB%, .659 OPS, 168 SO, 85 BB

EMU Offense Since the BSU Series (10 games)
.318 BA, .469 SLG%, .435 OB%, .904 OPS, 64 SO, 62 BB

The improvement features a 125-point increase in batting average, 133-point jump in slugging percentage, 112-point surge in on-base percentage, a 245-point advancement in OPS, while striking out 64 times and walking 62. The offense had its best weekend of the season against Central Michigan, March 27-29. It batted .341 with a .921 OPS, scoring 34 runs off 44 hits, 13 extra-base hits, while driving in 32 runs and totaling 62 bases. The offense was disciplined from top to bottom as EMU walked 20 times, was hit by six pitches, and struck out just 16 times.

HITTING CONSISTENCY
EMU has posted nine or more hits 13 times this season with 11 of those occurrences coming in the last 13 games. Eastern posted double-digit hits in three consecutive games for the first time this season with 21 hits against Central Michigan Friday, March 27, 12 Saturday, March 29, and 11 Sunday, March 11. Eastern last recorded double-digit hits in three consecutive games in the 2025 season when it accomplished the feat in five straight contests, May 9-15.

ZIRWAS' INCREASED POWER
After knocking 20 doubles last season (fifth in program history), Devan Zirwas has added even more power to his bat in 2026. What was a double last year is a homer in 2026 as he leads the Eagles and ranks second in the MAC with nine bombs, surpassing his season total from 2025 just 27 games into the 2026 slate. The left-handed bat earned seven RBI on five hits last weekend against Central Michigan, recording one double and one home run. His home run in the final game of the series was a grand slam to give the Eagles a commanding 10-1 lead in the third inning. Zirwas' grand slam was the second of the season for him, the first came against Little Rock, February 24.

EXTRA BASE ZIRWAS
Devan Zirwas leads the team with 18 extra-base hits (seven doubles, two triples, nine home runs) as his nine home runs rank second in the conference. Twenty-seven games into the season, he is 11 extra-base hits away from tying his 29 from last season (20 doubles, one triple, eight homers). With 26 regular-season games remaining and factoring in Zirwas' 0.66 extra-base hits per game, he is expected to end the season with 35 extra-base knocks, six more than he had in 2025.

DEV'S CAREER SLUGGING
Devan Zirwas posts a .571 slugging percentage in 78 games in the Script E, currently ranking seventh in program history. He posted a .561 slugging percentage in 2025 and holds a .594 clip this season.

HEIDELBERG'S EMERGENCE
Freshman Demir Heidelberg has burst onto the scene as of late. Heidelberg leads the team in batting average for those with over 45 at-bats as he is batting .367 and ranks fourth on the team with four doubles. The freshman is riding a nine-game hitting streak, the longest on the team this season. He batted .385 with five singles and two RBI in the series sweep against Central Michigan, March 27-29.

RUTHERFORD RAMPING UP
Sophomore righty Cal Rutherford has stepped up his game this season. In six appearances, Rutherford posts a 3.47 ERA and holds a 2-0 record. In 23.1 innings, he's allowed nine earned runs off 18 hits while striking out 20 batters and walking eight while opponents are batting .222 off him. Rutherford earned his second consecutive win in his start against Central Michigan, March 29, going a career-long six innings, allowing four earned runs off seven hits while striking out six and walking two.

Rutherford when starting
14.0 IP, 15 H, 8 ER, 17 K's, 5 BB

MUELLER OUT OF THE PEN
Junior righty Landon Mueller has excelled out of the bullpen in his last five of his last six outings, excluding his most recent appearance against Central Michigan, March 28. Prior to his appearance against the Chippewas, he totaled 12.2 innings pitched out of the pen, posting a 4.26 ERA while allowing just six earned runs off 12 hits and striking out 17 opposing batters while walking five. Opponents hit .235 off him in the stretch. As a starter in his first three outings of the season, Mueller went 5.2 innings with a 17.47 ERA while striking out five and walking eight.

NINTH INNING COMEBACK EFFORTS
Eastern has outscored its opponent 13-8 in the ninth inning this season and 28-17 in the eighth and ninth innings combined. Eastern scored two in the ninth inning in walk-off fashion against CMU, March 28, and two eighth inning against the Chippewas, March 29, lengthening its lead en route to a 13-7 victory. CMU was held scoreless in the eighth and ninth innings in games two and three.

POWER PRODUCTION
Eastern Michigan has hit 27 home runs through 27 games, ranking sixth in the Mid-American Conference. Devan Zirwas and Ty Stecko lead the way with nine and five home runs, respectively. Nick Weaver has burst onto the scene with a trio of bombs, two of which came at Ball State, March 15, while Nathan Borchardt, John Hale and Keegan Knupp have each chipped in two long balls. Zirwas' nine homers rank second in the MAC and eighth by value in the country.

BORCHARDT BATTING WELL
A newcomer to the NCAA Division I stage, Nathan Borchardt has done well at the plate thus far. He ranks third on the team among qualified batters (two plate appearances per game and 75% games played) with a .292 batting average with 19 hits, seven doubles and two home runs, totaling 11 RBI and 32 total bases among players with 30 AB. He has five multi-hit games this season, the fourth-most on the team. He also ranks the team with a .350 average with runners in scoring position while advancing runners at a .462 rate and batting .353 with two outs.

TJ'S BEST D1 SEASON
After seeing limited playing time at Kansas in the 2025 season, TJ Williams has been one of the most consistent contributors in the lineup. In 25 games played, he's hitting .333 with a .462 on-base percentage, both of which rank inside the top three on the team. He leads the team with 32 hits and ranks among the top offensive producers in total bases (38), while also showing plate discipline with 21 walks (fourth in the MAC) and 16 strikeouts, the best walk-to-strikeout ratio on the squad. On the base paths, Williams has been a key weapon, leading the team with nine stolen bases in 12 attempts, ranking sixth in the MAC. He has been effective situationally, hitting .359 with runners on base, .318 with runners in scoring position, and advances runners at a .542 clip. He recently finished with five hits against Central Michigan, March 27, the second most in the MAC and the nation this season.

STRONG PLATE DISCIPLINE
The Eagles have drawn 147 walks in 27 games. That total ranks 53rd nationally and third in the Mid-American Conference. Twenty-seven games into the season, TJ Williams has worked 21 walks, leading the Eagles and ranking fourth in the MAC. Also showing a good eye at the dish is Nathan Borchardt (13 walks, 15 strikeouts), while John Hale (16 walks, 13 strikeouts) and Bruce Jellison (15 walks, 16 strikeouts) have also done well.

TEAM-LEADING ZIRWAS
Devan Zirwas leads the roster with 18 extra-base hits (seven doubles, two triples, and nine home runs), 32 RBI, 66 total bases, 24 runs, and a .589 slugging percentage. Currently ranking second in the MAC in home runs (nine) and triples (two), fourth in RBI (32), and sixth in doubles (seven), Zirwas looks to build off a season where he totaled 69 hits, 20 doubles (fifth in program history), eight homers, and 53 RBI off a .337 batting average and .997 OPS.

BULLPEN PRODUCTION
Outside of the Vanderbilt series, Feb. 17-18, the Eastern bullpen has allowed 97 earned runs in 127.2 innings of work. Tommy Rose is a highlight out of the bullpen with a 3.26 ERA in seven total appearances with six walks and 15 strikeouts. Cole Egan has a 5.27 ERA as the most used bullpen arm with 11 relief appearances as he totals 16 strikeouts and just four walks. Fischer Hendershot joins him with 10 relief appearances with a 5.09 ERA, striking out 17 while walking five with three saves, which ranks second in the MAC.

ON THE HORIZON
Eastern makes the short trip south for a three-game MAC series against the University of Toledo, Thursday-Saturday, April 2-4. The series will take place at Scott Park in Toledo, Ohio.

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

Baseball Hosts Michigan Tuesday, Looks For Seventh Consecutive Win

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Players Mentioned

Nathan Borchardt

John Carmichael

Tristan Crane

Ethan Davis

Cole Egan

John Hale

Demir Heidelberg

Fischer Hendershot

Logan Hugo

Bruce Jellison

Drew Jones

Keegan Knupp

Kevin Krill

Ethan LaPointe

Colin Milligan

Leewood Molessa

Landon Mueller

Tommy Rose

Cal Rutherford

Ty Stecko

Nick Weaver

TJ Williams

Devan Zirwas

Giano Zuccaro

Eastern Michigan Athletics