Baseball Begins MAC Play at Miami Friday-Sunday

Eastern Michigan Baseball at Miami
Date	Friday-Sunday \| March 6-8
Venue	Hayden Park, Oxford, Ohio
Preview Info	EMU Notes \| Record Book (PDF).
Watch Live	Game One \| Game Two \| Game Three
Live Stats	Sidearm Stats
Social Media	X: @EMU _Baseball \| @EMUAthletics IG: @emu_baseball \| @emuathletics

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University baseball team is set to open its 54th season of Mid-American Conference action with a three-game series at the defending MAC Tournament Champion, Miami University Friday-Sunday, at Hayden Park in Oxford, Ohio, March 6-8.

Friday's game will start at 3 p.m. while first pitch is slated for 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

The series will be streamed live on Chatterbox Sports and 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 Miami are meeting for the 137th-139th times this weekend. EMU is 65-71 all-time against the RedHawks dropped last seasons series two games to one at Oestrike Stadium, March 21-22.
» Eastern is beginning its 54th season of Mid-American Conference competition. EMU is 29-24 all-time in MAC openers and holds a 664-677-3 all-time MAC record.
» Interim Head Coach Trevor Beerman is searching for his first Mid-American Conference game and series win.
» Most recently, Eastern dropped a non-conference midweek tilt at Notre Dame, 11-1, in eight innings, March 3.
» 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 IN MAC OPENERS
Eastern is entering its 54th year of MAC play and holds a 29-24 record in MAC openers. After beating Akron, 8-7, March 10, 2023, Ball State, 10-9, March 8, 2024, and the Zips again, 6-5, March 7, 2025, Eastern is looking to win its fourth straight MAC opener for the first time in program history.

GOING FOR FOUR STRAIGHT CONFERENCE-OPENING SERIES WINS
The Eagles are looking to capture their fourth consecutive conference-opening series victory when they take on the RedHawks. Eastern took 2-of-3 against Akron to open the 2023 conference slate before defeating the 2023 MAC Tournament Champions, Ball State in 2024 to open MAC play, March 8-10. Last season, EMU swept Akron on the road to start MAC play, March 7-9. Should the Eagles win the series against Miami, it would mark the first time the program has won its conference-opening series in four straight seasons in program history.

LAST TIME OUT: AT NOTRE DAME, MARCH 3
Eastern Michigan suffered an 11-1 eight-inning non-conference loss to Notre Dame Tuesday, March 3. The Eagles led early before Notre Dame scored seven runs in the third inning and never looked back.
» Eli Henderson got the first start in his NCAA career. He went 2.1 innings and retired the side in order in each of the first and second innings.
» TJ Williams recorded his third multi-hit game of the season. He is tied with Ty Stecko for the team lead this season with 11 knocks. Williams reached base for the ninth-consecutive game and extended his hitting streak to six games, the longest current streak on the team.
» Ty Stecko walked for the 11th time this season, extending his reached-base streak to 12 games, the longest on the squad this season. Stecko's 11 walks tie for the fourth most in the MAC by value this season.
» Nathan Borchardt notched his seventh hit and sixth RBI of the season, scoring Williams from second base with a base hit to right field in the third inning.

ALL-TIME AGAINST MIAMI
Eastern and Miami will meet on the diamond for the 137th-139th times this weekend. Overall, the Eagles hold a 65-71 all-time record when facing the RedHawks and a 6-21 mark when facing them in Oxford since 1999. Miami has controlled the series as of late as it has won seven of the previous 10 matchups.

LAST SEASON VS. MIAMI
Eastern dropped a three-game series against Miami last season, March 21-22. Eastern was run ruled in the first game, 18-7 in seven innings, before losing game two, 14-11, and capturing a 19-12 win in the series finale.

Doubleheader Games 1/2, March 21
» Eastern dropped game one, 14-11, despite a six-run seventh inning.
»Eastern was run-ruled in game two, 18-7, in seven innings.
»Junior infielder Devan Zirwas was a bright spot, driving in seven runs on the day including a career-high five in game two.

Series Finale, March 22
Eastern Michigan was led by Logan Hugo who was 5-for-6 with four extra-base hits and one triple away from the cycle. Fischer Hendershot earned the win on the mound marking the first of his collegiate career, as he struck out two in 1 2/3 innings pitched.
» EMU had 18 hits as a team and went 18-for-41 from the plate including seven extra-base hits, five of which were doubles, along with a multi-homer (two) game from Hugo.
» Bruce Jellison also had a big game offensively for Eastern Michigan, as he went 4-for-5, with one double and two RBI.
» The Eagles scored in every inning except for third and the sixth.
» Eastern Michigan scored 19 runs on the day. The 19 runs are the most runs it has scored in a game since April 11, 2023, when it scored 21 runs at Western Michigan.
» Eastern Michigan had 11 walks in the win over Miami. It was the most in a single game since It had 12 walks at Niagara, April 30, 2023.
» The Eagles had 18 RBI, the most RBI it has had in a game since they had 19 RBI at Western Michigan, April 11, 2023.

LAST TIME AT MIAMI
Eastern was swept in a three-game series in Oxford, April 26-28, 2024. EMU dropped game one, 12-10, April 26, lost game two, 11-8, and was run ruled in the series finale, 13-3, April 28.

PFEIFFER BUILDING OFF CAREER-LONG START
Shifting to a weekend starter role this season, senior right-hander Michael Pfeiffer is looking to build off the best start of his NCAA career. In his start at SIUE, Feb. 28, Pfeiffer went a career-long six innings allowing just two hits and one earned run, while striking out one and walking three. His six innings of work tied for the fourth longest outing by a MAC pitcher this season. Pfeiffer has allowed two or less earned runs in two of his three starts this season as he relinquished two earned runs while striking out three and walking one at Little Rock, Feb. 15.

POWER PRODUCTION
Eastern Michigan has hit 14 home runs through 13 games, ranking second in the Mid-American Conference and 71st nationally. The Eagles average 1.08 home runs per game, which ranks fourth in the league. Ty Stecko leads the way with five home runs, a .659 slugging percentage, and 27 total bases. Devan Zirwas adds four home runs and 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 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 (4th - 11), runs (7th - 11), 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. He worked his 12th walk of the season at Notre Dame, March 3.

STRONG PLATE DISCIPLINE
The Eagles have drawn 67 walks in 12 games. That total ranks 63rd nationally and third in the Mid American Conference. Twelve games into the season, Ty Stecko has worked 11 walks, leading the Eagles and ranking fourth in the MAC. Also showing a good eye at the dish is Devan Zirwas (10 walks) and TJ Williams (nine walks), 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 rank second on the team. Also, his .565 slugging percentage ranks second on the roster. Currently ranking fourth in the MAC in home runs (four) and fifth in walks (10), 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 .357 with two outs (14 at-bats), Tristan Crane hits .400 (five), Ty Stecko produces a .353 clip (17), and Keegan Knupp is batting .333 (12) in those situations.

BULLPEN PRODUCTION
Outside of the Vanderbilt series, Feb. 17-18, the Eastern bullpen has allowed 30 earned runs in 50.2 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 47th nationally and first in the conference with a .980 fielding percentage. The Eagles have committed only nine errors in 446 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.

LETHAL ARM BEHIND THE PLATE
Nick Weaver continues to rank among the top defensive catchers in college baseball entering the series against Miami. Weaver has thrown out six runners attempting to steal in 13 attempts. That total places him tied for fourth nationally by value 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 19 bases through 13 games, ranking sixth in the conference and 98th nationally. Ty Stecko and TJ Williams each pace the team with five. As a team, Eastern Michigan has been successful on 19-of-22 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, Ben Schechterman, and Demir Heidelberg also hold pinch hits this season. Heidelberg recently recorded his first collegiate hit in a pinch-hit situation, singling to right field in the eighth inning at Notre Dame, March 3.

BORCHARDT BATTING WELL
A newcomer to the NCAA Division I stage, Nathan Borchardt has done well at the plate thus far. He leads the Eagles with a .304 batting average with seven hits, one double, and one home run, totaling to six RBI and 11 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.
» Nathan Borchardt secured his seventh hit and sixth RBI of the season with a single to right field at Notre Dame, March 3.

ON THE HORIZON
Eastern welcomes Michigan State University to for its home opener Wednesday, March 11, at 3 p.m. Admission is free at Oestrike Stadium in Ypsilanti, Mich.

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

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Players Mentioned

Nathan Borchardt

Tristan Crane

Cole Egan

Emmett Gillies

John Hale

Demir Heidelberg

Fischer Hendershot

Eli Henderson

Logan Hugo

Bruce Jellison

Drew Jones

Keegan Knupp

Kevin Krill

Landon Mueller

Michael Pfeiffer

Ben Schechterman

Ty Stecko

Nick Weaver

TJ Williams

Devan Zirwas

Eastern Michigan Athletics