Baseball Opens Home Slate Against Michigan State Tuesday

Eastern Michigan Baseball vs. Michigan State
Date	Tuesday, March 10
Venue	Oestrike Stadium \| Ypsilanti, Mich.
Preview Info	EMU Notes \| Record Book (PDF).
Live Stats	Statbroadcast
Social Media	X: @EMU _Baseball \| @EMUAthletics IG: @emu_baseball \| @emuathletics

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – After a grueling 16-game early-season road trip, the Eastern Michigan University baseball team returns to Oestrike Stadium for the first time in the 2026 season as it welcomes the Spartans of Michigan State University to Ypsilanti to begin the home slate Tuesday March 10, at 4 p.m.

Admission is free at Oestrike Stadium and fans can stream the game live on Eagle All-Access. Fans can access live stats on EMUEagles.com. Stay tuned to EMU baseball socials including EMU_Baseball on X and emubaseball 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.
» EMU is opening its 55th year at Oestrike Stadium. It has played over 1,000 games at the venue, where it holds a 577-441 record.
» Eastern and Michigan State are meeting for the 143rd time. Eastern posts a 58-82-2 record when facing MSU and a 5-9 mark when facing it in Ypsilanti since 1999.
» Eastern is clashing with former Head Coaches Jake Boss (2008) and Mark VanAmeyde (2015-17).
» The contest against Michigan State will mark the 407th for Eastern against a Big Ten opponent. Overall, the Eagles post a 151-250-5 record when facing Big Ten teams.
» Interim Head Coach Trevor Beerman is searching for his first win at Oestrike Stadium and first power-conference victory.
» Most recently, Eastern was swept in its conference-opening series at Miami, March 6-8.
» 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.

PLAYING THE OLD BENCH BOSS
Current Michigan State Head Coach Jake Boss Jr. had a short stint as the head coach at Eastern Michigan as Boss' 2008 EMU squad had a rollercoaster season. After starting the campaign 0-17, the Eagles went on to win the next 21-of-34 contests en route to being crowned MAC West Champions and eventual MAC Tournament Champions, marking the last time the Eagles have won a MAC Tournament.

MORE MSU CONNECTIONS
Jake Boss Jr. is not the only former Eagle on the Spartans' staff. Former Eastern Michigan Head Coach Mark Van Ameyde (2015-17) is currently in his second stint at Michigan State as he, like Boss Jr., joined the Spartans' staff after his time at EMU. In his time at Eastern, Van Ameyde posted a 6-6 mark against State and led the Eagles to the MAC Tournament Championship game in 2017, finishing as the runner-up to Ohio University, marking the last time Eastern Michigan appeared in the game. Eastern is 6-18 when facing the Spartans under Boss and 3-15 when both Boss and VanAmeyde are in the same dugout.

ALL-TIME AGAINST MSU
The Eagles and Spartans will meet for the 143rd time. Eastern posts a 58-82-2 record when facing MSU and a 5-9 mark when facing it in Ypsilanti since 1999. The Spartans have controlled the series in recent years as they have won eight of the last 10 matchups, including six straight, which marks EMU's longest losing streak against the Big Ten foe. The last five games have all been decided by two runs or less including last season's 3-1 loss in East Lansing, May 6.

LAST TIME AGAINST MSU
Eastern Michigan fell to Michigan State, 3-1, as the Eagles battled difficult weather conditions throughout the game on a damp and dreary night in East Lansing, May 6, 2025. The Eastern pitching staff shined on a bullpen day as seven EMU hurlers combined to allow just two earned runs with four pitchers tossing a scoreless frame. Ty Stecko led the EMU offense with one hit and two walks as he reached base in 3-of-4 plate appearances. Sophomore right-hander Emmett Gillies got the start and went two innings into the game, allowing one run off two hits while posting one strikeout and one walk. MSU starting pitcher Aidan Donovan (2-3) earned the win while reliever Dominic Pianto (2) secured the save. Gillies (0-1) was tagged with the loss.

NOTABLES LAST TIME AGAINST MSU
» Eastern pitching limited a Power Four opponent to three runs or less for the first time since it held the Atlantic Coast Conference's Notre Dame to two runs in a 4-2 win over the Fighting Irish in the 2019 Alamo Irish Classic in San Antonio, Texas, Feb. 22. The game was also the first where Eastern held a Big Ten Conference foe under three runs since it limited the Ohio State Buckeyes to just one run in a 6-1 win in Columbus, March 4, 2018.
» Eastern Michigan pitchers limited Michigan State to just 1-for-7 (.143) with runners in scoring position.
» Eastern Michigan left 11 runners stranded on base in the loss.

LAST TIME AT HOME AGAINST MSU
Eastern fended off a late comeback to hold on for a 4-3 win over Michigan State, April 4, 2017, at Oestrike Stadium. The difference in the ball game was a solo home run from redshirt senior Mike Mioduszewski in the sixth inning. Elsewhere, EMU only notched three other hits. On the mound, three pitchers combined to go the distance. Junior Justin McMurtrey got his first start at EMU, going the first four without giving up a run. Freshman James Harness picked up his second EMU win after going the next three, giving up two runs, but striking out three. Senior Matthew Beaton closed out the final two frames to seal the win and earn a save.

OPENING AT HOME AGAINST MSU
Since 1999, Eastern has opened its home season against Michigan State twice. It last did so March 17, 2010, a 9-6 win for MSU on a day where the Eagles were tagged with five errors. Prior to that, EMU kicked off the home season against Michigan State with a doubleheader March 28, 2001. The Spartans won both games and outscored Eastern 22-4.

ALL-TIME AGAINST THE B1G
The contest against Michigan State will mark the 407th for Eastern against a Big Ten opponent. Overall, the Eagles post a 151-250-5 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 HOME OPENER VS. A B1G TEAM
Eastern last opened their home season against the Big Ten Conference in 2024 when it 'run-ruled' Michigan, 14-4 in seven innings, March 19. Senior Bobby Jones started on the mound and picked up the win for Eastern Michigan. The right-hander went one shutout inning without giving up a hit, allowing no walks and striking out two. Sophomore Aaron Pirkle also made an impact on the mound for the Eagles, throwing one scoreless inning while allowing one hit. In addition to his four hits, Giano Zuccaro had two doubles and two RBI to lead the Eagles. Junior Lucas Johnson also compiled a standout performance at the dish, going 3-for-4 with one double, one home run, one walk, and four RBI. Senior Kyle Schroedle also helped out for Eastern Michigan, putting together two hits in four trips to the plate while adding a double, a home run, a walk, and three RBI.
» The Eagles beat a power five team by 10 or more runs for the first time since May 14, 2013, when they beat up on the Purdue University Boilermakers, 20-2, in West Lafayette, Ind.

LAST HOME OPENER
Eastern fell in the first game of a doubleheader to Miami to open the 2025 season, March 21, 2025. Miami jumped out to an early lead in the first inning with a three-run home run, putting the RedHawks ahead 3–0. Eastern quickly answered in the bottom half of the inning, highlighted by a two-run homer from Ty Stecko that tied the game at 3–3. Miami regained the lead in the second on a two-run homer and added another run in the third on an RBI single to make it 6–4. The RedHawks then broke the game open in the fifth inning, scoring eight runs off two grand slams, extending the lead to 14–4. EMU mounted a late rally, beginning with a solo home run from Stecko in the sixth and a massive six-run seventh inning fueled by six hits and several RBI singles, cutting the deficit to 14–11. Despite the comeback effort, Miami's pitching and defense held the Eagles scoreless over the final two innings to secure the 14–11 victory.

EARLIEST HOME OPENER SINCE?
The March 10 home opener against MSU is the earliest Eastern has opened its home season since at least the 1999 campaign. Besides March 10, the earliest the Eagles played their first game at Oestrike Stadium was March 15, 2000, a 9-6 loss to Oakland.

LAST TIME OUT: AT MIAMI, MARCH 6-8
Eastern was swept by the defending MAC Tournament Champion Miami RedHawks as it opened conference play in Oxford, Ohio, March 6-8.

Game One: Miami 13, EMU 3 (8), March 6
Both teams fought a tough contest early as Nick Weaver delivered his first career home run in the top of the third to tie the game 1-1. After a strong fourth period to go up 5-2 in the bottom of the seventh inning, Miami scored six runs to put the game out of reach. Junior right-hander John Carmichael (0-3) got the start and went five innings. He allowed three runs, all earned, off six hits while striking out one and walking three.

Game Two: Miami 8, EMU 5, March 7
Miami seized early control with four runs in the first inning and three more in the second, capitalizing on three hits, multiple walks and a two-RBI double to quickly build a 7-0 advantage. Despite the Eagles stabilizing the game following the surge from Miami, they couldn't complete the rally as their three-run ninth inning fell short. The Eastern bullpen had a strong performance, tossing 6.1 Innings with zero earned runs, highlighted by a career-long scoreless four innings from Cal Rutherford.

Game Three: Miami 9, EMU 4, March 8
Eastern's bullpen struck out 13 RedHawks but dropped its third and final game of the Mid-American Conference-opening series, March 8. Miami seized momentum in the bottom of the first, capitalizing on a three-run home run and a wild pitch to plate four runs and put Eastern Michigan in catch-up mode. The Eagles answered in the second inning, stringing together doubles from Nick Weaver and Demir Heidelberg, who each drove in a run to cut the deficit to 5-2. In the third, Nathan Borchardt launched a solo homer, his second of the season, to pull EMU within two. Eastern tacked on one run in the eighth inning, but it was unable to overcome the deficit as the RedHawks completed the sweep with the 9-4 win.

BATS HEATING UP
With 19 total hits against Miami in the final two games of the series, March 7-8, the Eagles finished with more hits than their opponent in two consecutive games for the first time this season. Their two-game stretch of 19 hits is second most this season, behind 20 hits at Austin Peay, Feb. 20 and Feb. 21. Outside of usual production from Nathan Borchardt and Ty Stecko, Nick Weaver and Demir Heidelberg got into a rhythm at the plate against Miami, March 6-8, as Weaver hit .500 with three extra-base hits (two doubles, one home run) for two RBI and a 1.681 OPS with zero strikeouts. Heidelberg made his first two career starts Saturday and Sunday, batting .429 with three hits, one double, and one RBI in the series. Drew Jones also batted .286 with two hits, one double, and two RBI.

13 BULLPEN STRIKEOUTS/15 TOTAL K'S
The EMU bullpen continued its strong season against Miami, March 8, striking out 13 RedHawks and allowing just four earned runs over 7.1 innings of work. Thirteen strikeouts from the bullpen are the most from the Eagles since they struck out 15 opposing batters against Miami, April 11, 2022, a day that saw the pitching staff sit down 17 as a team via the strikeout, the most in program history in a single game since 1999. Eastern struck out a total of 15 RedHawks in the series finale Sunday, the third-most in a single game since 1999, second most in the MAC, and 10th most nationally by value.

MUELLER'S SEVEN BULLPEN STRIKEOUTS
Landon Mueller struck out a career-high seven batters in his relief appearance at Miami, March 8. His seven strikeouts out of the bullpen are the most by an EMU reliever since current Philadelphia Phillies prospect Luke Russo fanned 11 in five relief against Miami, April 11, 2022, a day that saw the pitching staff sit down 17 as a team via the strikeout, the most in program history in a single game since 1999.

NINTH INNING COMEBACK EFFORTS
Eastern has outscored its opponent 7-0 in seven innings this season and 14-7 in the eighth and ninth innings. Eastern recently scored three runs in the ninth in the second game at Miami, March 7, but fell, 8-5.

POWER PRODUCTION
Eastern Michigan has hit 17 home runs through 16 games, ranking third in the Mid-American Conference and 83rd nationally. The Eagles average 1.06 home runs per game, which ranks fifth in the league. Ty Stecko and Devan Zirwas lead the way with five home runs. Nathan Borchardt and Keegan Knupp have each chipped in two long balls.

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 .333 batting average with 12 hits, two doubles and two home runs, totaling eight RBI and 20 total bases. Most recently in the Miami series, he batted .385 with five hits, one double, and one home run with a 1.121 OPS, two RBI, and nine total bases.

STECKO'S HOT STICK
Ty Stecko's five home runs rank him second 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 (5th - 13), stolen bases (5th - five), and runs (10th - 11). Stecko batted .333 with four hits and two walks in the Miami Series, March 6-8.

STRONG PLATE DISCIPLINE
The Eagles have drawn 79 walks in 16 games. That total ranks 73rd nationally and third in the Mid American Conference. Sixteen games into the season, Ty Stecko has worked 13 walks, leading the Eagles and ranking fifth in the MAC. Also showing a good eye at the dish is TJ Williams (11 walks) and Devan Zirwas (10 walks).

YEAR TWO ZIRWAS
Devan Zirwas leads the roster with eight extra-base hits (three doubles, one triple, and five home runs). His 30 total bases rank second on the team while his .508 slugging percentage ranks third on the roster. Also, his 10 hits stand fourth. Currently ranking second in the MAC in home runs (four) and eighth in walks (10), while ranking ninth in RBI (12), 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 92 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 10 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 six. Nathan Borchardt is hitting .400 with two outs (4-for-10), Nick Weaver is batting .417 (5-for-12) while Drew Jones hits .385 (5-for-13) in the situation and John Hale bats .333 (5-for-15).

BULLPEN PRODUCTION
Outside of the Vanderbilt series, Feb. 17-18, the Eastern bullpen has allowed 43 earned runs in 67.0 innings of work. Emmett Gillies is a highlight out of the bullpen, owning a 1-0 record with a 1.35 ERA in six relief appearances. Over 6.2 innings, he has allowed five hits, one earned run, and struck out seven while walking two while opponents are hitting .208 against him. Fischer Hendershot joins him with five relief appearances with a 2.57 ERA, allowing just five hits off a .143 average with two saves, which ranks second in the MAC. Cole Egan and Landon Mueller chip in, as Egan has allowed two earned runs this season off six hits while striking out six and walking one. Mueller most recently struck out a career-high seven batters and allowed just one earned run in 3.2 relief innings at Miami, March 8.

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, Brue Jellison, and John Hale also hold pinch hits this season. Hale recently recorded a pinch-hit RBI single in the eight inning at Miami, March 8, marking his eighth hit and RBI of the season.

ON THE HORIZON
Eastern returns to the road and Mid-American Conference play with a three-game series at Ball State University Friday-Sunday, March 13-15. The series will take place at Shebek Stadium in Muncie, Ind.

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

John Carmichael

Cole Egan

Emmett Gillies

John Hale

Demir Heidelberg

Fischer Hendershot

Lucas Johnson

Bobby Jones

Drew Jones

Keegan Knupp

Kevin Krill

Landon Mueller

Cal Rutherford

Ben Schechterman

Ty Stecko

Nick Weaver

TJ Williams

Devan Zirwas

Giano Zuccaro

Eastern Michigan Athletics