Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Insider Podcast - Season 8 - Episode 27
3/30/2026 7:23:00 PM | Baseball, Men's Basketball, General
Donlon, Wetherbee Outline Vision, Energy, and Shared Belief
Click Here to Listen to the Podcast.
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) — The calendar turns toward a holiday weekend, but inside the world of Eastern Michigan Athletics, there is no pause. There is only momentum.
"With the holiday weekend in store, what better week is it to celebrate Eastern Michigan Athletics?" Greg Steiner opens, setting the tone for an episode built on energy, pride, and a long list of results that demand attention. Elena Davis follows his lead, as the two settle into a rhythm that mirrors the week itself, fast, layered, and full.
It starts with structure. The Mid-American Conference football schedule drops early in the week. Then comes a moment of introduction, as new men's basketball head coach Billy Donlon steps to the podium. By the time the weekend arrives, the story shifts from anticipation to history.
Eastern Michigan baseball does what it has not done in decades.
"Eastern goes out and does something it has not done since 1983, and that is sweep the Central Michigan Chippewa baseball team in a weekend set," Steiner says. Then, with a grin in his voice, "Ah, it feels good to send those Chippewas back north unhappy."
Davis pauses on the number.
"1983 is the last time we swept Central Michigan."
The realization lands.
"That's like a crazy stat."
The sweep becomes the centerpiece, but not the only headline. Women's golf continues its rise, sitting tied for 25th nationally after a runner-up finish at Florida State. Track and field posts steady performances. Across the board, the results stack up.
"It was a really good week for Eastern Michigan Athletics," Davis says.
Even in a week filled with wins, there are lessons. Lacrosse lets one slip at Akron, falling 10-9 after an early lead. It is a reminder that margins remain thin, even for defending conference champions.
Still, the larger takeaway comes from the unpredictability of March.
"How good are college sports?" Steiner asks.
He does not wait long to answer. A 15-inning marathon on Friday, the longest in the modern era for EMU baseball. A 1 percent win probability flipped into a comeback victory on Saturday after trailing 9-1. A weekend that tests endurance, then rewards belief.
"This team could have shut it down," Steiner says. "But they start to get healthy. They believe in themselves."
At the center of that belief stands interim head coach Trevor Beerman, guiding a six-game winning streak and a surge that has turned attention across the conference
.
"If there's a better team right now… I haven't seen them," Steiner adds.
Davis shifts the focus back to the voice behind the call. Steiner handled every inning, all 15 of them, then returned the next day.
"I'm impressed by you," she tells him. "How are you still talking?"
Steiner keeps it simple.
"I just keep drinking my lemon tea and water."
The schedule does not slow. Michigan arrives next. Conference play continues. Spring sports fill every corner of the calendar. Through it all, the tone remains consistent.
"Why not us?" Davis says.
It is not framed as a question. It sounds like a statement.
Segment 1 - Billy Donlon
Billy Donlon arrived in Ypsilanti with a clear sense of purpose and a quick grasp of place. He did not speak like a coach easing into a job. He spoke like a man who had already been thinking about Eastern Michigan for years.
"Why were you excited about this job?" he was asked on the Eastern Insider Podcast Powered by DTE.
His answer reached back through his own history. "With Coach Braun recruited me at a high school, so then I followed it," Donlon said, adding that he had tracked Eastern for years and even remembered the program's place in the larger college basketball landscape. "Chris Collins and I grew up together in his last game when Eastern Michigan beat Duke."
For Donlon, the hire was not built on surface-level familiarity. It was built on belief. He pointed to the interview process, where the tone around the athletic department made an immediate impression. "What really got my juices really flowing was the Zoom interview when you saw the connectivity, the tone at the top from President-Elect Kelly and Scott and Marcus and Jack and Mike," he said. "You could feel their passion, their purpose."
That energy mattered. So did the message.
"They were committed to whoever was going to be the coach," Donlon said. "We were going to get men's basketball at the top of the MAC."
That vision, more than anything, drew him in. He left a strong situation at Clemson because he saw a chance to build something with real support behind it.
Eastern's appeal, in his view, stretches beyond basketball. Donlon described the area as "a blue-collar area" where "people appreciate hard work" and "great character." He also pointed to the university itself, calling Eastern Michigan "one of the most diverse campuses in the country" and saying that gives student-athletes "a real-world education when you go out into the real world."
The roster, too, reflects the work ahead. In the transfer portal era, Donlon knows the challenge is constant, but he sees it as part of the job. "There's good and bad to the portal," he said. "One is your program can fall a lot quicker than it ever did, but your program can rise a lot quicker than it ever did in the new world order of college athletics."
His message to returning players was direct. "I'm not going to run anybody off. I'm not going to force anybody to leave," he said. "If you work hard and you're coachable, your talent level where it is, that's where it is right now. We'll get that better."
That blend of accountability and optimism defined the conversation. Donlon said his teams will be "tough" and "together," and that they will play "for Eastern Michigan on the front of the jersey. He also promised a style that reflects the demands of modern basketball. "You have to be able to win in the 80s," he said. "You have to be able to win both types of games."
The interview closed on a note that revealed as much about Donlon as any scouting report. Asked about his father, who was in the room for the introduction, Donlon paused before answering. "I owe everything to him," he said.
In that moment, the new coach at Eastern Michigan sounded less like a newcomer and more like someone ready to belong.
Segment 2 - Scott Wetherbee
Scott Wetherbee did not expect the message to matter as much as it did.
Somewhere in the middle of a fast-moving coaching search, his phone buzzed. A name popped up. Billy Donlon. At the time, it felt routine.
"I got a text message from him," Wetherbee said on the Eastern Insider Podcast Powered by DTE. "It's like two weeks ago now that he actually reached out to me and I actually forgot that he did."
The response was simple. A thank you. A direction to go through the search firm. Nothing more.
"You never thought that that's who I was going to hire at that time," Wetherbee admitted.
Two weeks later, that same name stood at the front of the room as the next head coach of Eastern Michigan men's basketball.
The path from that text to the final decision reflects the reality of modern hiring in college athletics. Wetherbee described a process built on volume, evaluation, and patience. "We had 25, 30 people on the list," he said. That group narrowed to a smaller pool for interviews, then tightened again as details came into focus.
The deeper the search went, the clearer one profile became.
"Winner, winner, winner, winner everywhere he's been," Wetherbee said. "And then that one started to stick out."
Still, resumes only go so far. The turning point came in conversation.
"It kind of changes as you go through the Zooms," he said. "It's like, man, that one really brought a lot of energy. Energy was important to us."
That word surfaced again and again. Energy. Presence. Relentless pace. Wetherbee pointed to what he saw immediately when Donlon arrived on campus.
"He introduces himself to everybody, talks to everybody," Wetherbee said. "You saw him at the workouts yesterday. I mean, he gets after it."
Then came the detail that stuck.
"He said, this is day one, but this is what day 365 is going to look like and day in year five is going to look like."
For an athletic director who has led multiple searches, that consistency mattered as much as any credential.
The process itself has evolved. This marked the first time Wetherbee used a search firm in his nine years leading Eastern Michigan athletics. The change allowed for quieter outreach and broader reach without early noise.
"They can do a lot of things behind the scenes," he said. "That helped out a lot."
Noise, however, never fully disappears. Opinions come from every direction. Fans, alumni, media. All invested. All vocal.
"It's tough to put out the noise because there are people who love this place," Wetherbee said. "And at the end of the day, I try to tell them, I love this place too."
Experience shaped his approach this time. After years of hiring assistants, he leaned toward a coach with a proven track record.
"It's nicer to have somebody that's had a blueprint," he said. "And he's been a head coach for nine seasons."
That clarity carried into the final decision. In a room that included university leadership and key stakeholders, the choice came into focus without hesitation.
"We all looked at each other and like, that's our guy, let's go," Wetherbee said. "There were no questions."
Now, the search gives way to something else. Investment. Support. Belief beyond the hiring moment.
"If you care about Eastern Michigan and you care about our student athletes, you need to step in," Wetherbee said. "Come give us a try. Let Billy win you over."
For Wetherbee, the work did not end with the hire. In many ways, it started there.
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) — The calendar turns toward a holiday weekend, but inside the world of Eastern Michigan Athletics, there is no pause. There is only momentum.
"With the holiday weekend in store, what better week is it to celebrate Eastern Michigan Athletics?" Greg Steiner opens, setting the tone for an episode built on energy, pride, and a long list of results that demand attention. Elena Davis follows his lead, as the two settle into a rhythm that mirrors the week itself, fast, layered, and full.
It starts with structure. The Mid-American Conference football schedule drops early in the week. Then comes a moment of introduction, as new men's basketball head coach Billy Donlon steps to the podium. By the time the weekend arrives, the story shifts from anticipation to history.
Eastern Michigan baseball does what it has not done in decades.
"Eastern goes out and does something it has not done since 1983, and that is sweep the Central Michigan Chippewa baseball team in a weekend set," Steiner says. Then, with a grin in his voice, "Ah, it feels good to send those Chippewas back north unhappy."
Davis pauses on the number.
"1983 is the last time we swept Central Michigan."
The realization lands.
"That's like a crazy stat."
The sweep becomes the centerpiece, but not the only headline. Women's golf continues its rise, sitting tied for 25th nationally after a runner-up finish at Florida State. Track and field posts steady performances. Across the board, the results stack up.
"It was a really good week for Eastern Michigan Athletics," Davis says.
Even in a week filled with wins, there are lessons. Lacrosse lets one slip at Akron, falling 10-9 after an early lead. It is a reminder that margins remain thin, even for defending conference champions.
Still, the larger takeaway comes from the unpredictability of March.
"How good are college sports?" Steiner asks.
He does not wait long to answer. A 15-inning marathon on Friday, the longest in the modern era for EMU baseball. A 1 percent win probability flipped into a comeback victory on Saturday after trailing 9-1. A weekend that tests endurance, then rewards belief.
"This team could have shut it down," Steiner says. "But they start to get healthy. They believe in themselves."
At the center of that belief stands interim head coach Trevor Beerman, guiding a six-game winning streak and a surge that has turned attention across the conference
.
"If there's a better team right now… I haven't seen them," Steiner adds.
Davis shifts the focus back to the voice behind the call. Steiner handled every inning, all 15 of them, then returned the next day.
"I'm impressed by you," she tells him. "How are you still talking?"
Steiner keeps it simple.
"I just keep drinking my lemon tea and water."
The schedule does not slow. Michigan arrives next. Conference play continues. Spring sports fill every corner of the calendar. Through it all, the tone remains consistent.
"Why not us?" Davis says.
It is not framed as a question. It sounds like a statement.
Segment 1 - Billy Donlon
Billy Donlon arrived in Ypsilanti with a clear sense of purpose and a quick grasp of place. He did not speak like a coach easing into a job. He spoke like a man who had already been thinking about Eastern Michigan for years.
"Why were you excited about this job?" he was asked on the Eastern Insider Podcast Powered by DTE.
His answer reached back through his own history. "With Coach Braun recruited me at a high school, so then I followed it," Donlon said, adding that he had tracked Eastern for years and even remembered the program's place in the larger college basketball landscape. "Chris Collins and I grew up together in his last game when Eastern Michigan beat Duke."
For Donlon, the hire was not built on surface-level familiarity. It was built on belief. He pointed to the interview process, where the tone around the athletic department made an immediate impression. "What really got my juices really flowing was the Zoom interview when you saw the connectivity, the tone at the top from President-Elect Kelly and Scott and Marcus and Jack and Mike," he said. "You could feel their passion, their purpose."
That energy mattered. So did the message.
"They were committed to whoever was going to be the coach," Donlon said. "We were going to get men's basketball at the top of the MAC."
That vision, more than anything, drew him in. He left a strong situation at Clemson because he saw a chance to build something with real support behind it.
Eastern's appeal, in his view, stretches beyond basketball. Donlon described the area as "a blue-collar area" where "people appreciate hard work" and "great character." He also pointed to the university itself, calling Eastern Michigan "one of the most diverse campuses in the country" and saying that gives student-athletes "a real-world education when you go out into the real world."
The roster, too, reflects the work ahead. In the transfer portal era, Donlon knows the challenge is constant, but he sees it as part of the job. "There's good and bad to the portal," he said. "One is your program can fall a lot quicker than it ever did, but your program can rise a lot quicker than it ever did in the new world order of college athletics."
His message to returning players was direct. "I'm not going to run anybody off. I'm not going to force anybody to leave," he said. "If you work hard and you're coachable, your talent level where it is, that's where it is right now. We'll get that better."
That blend of accountability and optimism defined the conversation. Donlon said his teams will be "tough" and "together," and that they will play "for Eastern Michigan on the front of the jersey. He also promised a style that reflects the demands of modern basketball. "You have to be able to win in the 80s," he said. "You have to be able to win both types of games."
The interview closed on a note that revealed as much about Donlon as any scouting report. Asked about his father, who was in the room for the introduction, Donlon paused before answering. "I owe everything to him," he said.
In that moment, the new coach at Eastern Michigan sounded less like a newcomer and more like someone ready to belong.
Segment 2 - Scott Wetherbee
Scott Wetherbee did not expect the message to matter as much as it did.
Somewhere in the middle of a fast-moving coaching search, his phone buzzed. A name popped up. Billy Donlon. At the time, it felt routine.
"I got a text message from him," Wetherbee said on the Eastern Insider Podcast Powered by DTE. "It's like two weeks ago now that he actually reached out to me and I actually forgot that he did."
The response was simple. A thank you. A direction to go through the search firm. Nothing more.
"You never thought that that's who I was going to hire at that time," Wetherbee admitted.
Two weeks later, that same name stood at the front of the room as the next head coach of Eastern Michigan men's basketball.
The path from that text to the final decision reflects the reality of modern hiring in college athletics. Wetherbee described a process built on volume, evaluation, and patience. "We had 25, 30 people on the list," he said. That group narrowed to a smaller pool for interviews, then tightened again as details came into focus.
The deeper the search went, the clearer one profile became.
"Winner, winner, winner, winner everywhere he's been," Wetherbee said. "And then that one started to stick out."
Still, resumes only go so far. The turning point came in conversation.
"It kind of changes as you go through the Zooms," he said. "It's like, man, that one really brought a lot of energy. Energy was important to us."
That word surfaced again and again. Energy. Presence. Relentless pace. Wetherbee pointed to what he saw immediately when Donlon arrived on campus.
"He introduces himself to everybody, talks to everybody," Wetherbee said. "You saw him at the workouts yesterday. I mean, he gets after it."
Then came the detail that stuck.
"He said, this is day one, but this is what day 365 is going to look like and day in year five is going to look like."
For an athletic director who has led multiple searches, that consistency mattered as much as any credential.
The process itself has evolved. This marked the first time Wetherbee used a search firm in his nine years leading Eastern Michigan athletics. The change allowed for quieter outreach and broader reach without early noise.
"They can do a lot of things behind the scenes," he said. "That helped out a lot."
Noise, however, never fully disappears. Opinions come from every direction. Fans, alumni, media. All invested. All vocal.
"It's tough to put out the noise because there are people who love this place," Wetherbee said. "And at the end of the day, I try to tell them, I love this place too."
Experience shaped his approach this time. After years of hiring assistants, he leaned toward a coach with a proven track record.
"It's nicer to have somebody that's had a blueprint," he said. "And he's been a head coach for nine seasons."
That clarity carried into the final decision. In a room that included university leadership and key stakeholders, the choice came into focus without hesitation.
"We all looked at each other and like, that's our guy, let's go," Wetherbee said. "There were no questions."
Now, the search gives way to something else. Investment. Support. Belief beyond the hiring moment.
"If you care about Eastern Michigan and you care about our student athletes, you need to step in," Wetherbee said. "Come give us a try. Let Billy win you over."
For Wetherbee, the work did not end with the hire. In many ways, it started there.
Season 8 – Episode 27: Donlon, Wetherbee Outline Vision, Energy, and Shared Belief
Monday, March 30
Mondays are better after a series win🙂↔️
Monday, March 30
Baseball Completes Sweep Over Central Michigan for Sixth Consecutive Win
Sunday, March 29
Sweeps are fun!
Sunday, March 29