Baseball Looks For Fifth-Straight Series Win Over Western Michigan This Weekend

Eastern Michigan Baseball vs. UMass
Date	Friday-Sunday \| April 17-19
Venue	Oestrike Stadium \| Ypsilanti, Mich.
Preview Info	EMU Notes \| Record Book (PDF).
Watch	Game One \| Game Two \| Game Three
Listen	Game One \| Game Two \| Game Three
Live Stats	Game One \| Game Two \| Game Three
Social Media	X: @EMU _Baseball \| @EMUAthletics IG: @emu_baseball \| @emuathletics

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University baseball team is looking to get back on track against its in-state rivals, the Western Michigan University Broncos, in a three-game series at Oestrike Stadium, Friday-Sunday, April 17-19.

Friday and Saturday's first pitches are scheduled for 3:05 p.m. while Sunday's game will start at 1:05 p.m.

Admission is free at Oestrike Stadium. Fans can stream games one and two live on Eagle All-Access as Greg Steiner and EMU baseball alum Jeremy Nordquist (1997-2000) will have the call for the series opener while Steiner will call games two and three solo. Sunday's series finale will be available on ESPN+ and live stats can be accessed 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 Western will meet for the 199th-201st times. The Eagles hold an even 99-99 record against the Broncos, as well as a 21-21 clip when facing them at home since 1999.
» Last season, the Eagles won their three-game series against the Broncos in Kalamazoo, 2-1, March 14-15. The Eagles have split or won the series against Western in each of the last five seasons.
» Eastern won 3-0 the last time it played the Broncos in Ypsilanti, March 24, 2024. In that game, former Eagle Nick Chittum threw the most recent complete game shutout to date for Eastern.
» John Hale is coming off a career game against UMass, April 12, where he recorded five extra-base hits and the most total bases in a game since 2009.
» EMU has thrived in late-inning situations as four of its last six wins have come in walk-off fashion.
» Eastern was most recently swept at home by UMass, April 10-12.
» Eastern next travels to Northern Illinois for the final MAC series between the two programs, April 24-26.
» 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 WESTERN MICHIGAN
Eastern and Western will meet for the 199th-201st times as the Broncos serve as EMU's most frequent opponent in program history. Overall, the Eagles hold an even 99-99 record against the Broncos, as well as a 21-21 clip when facing them at home since 1999. The Eagles are looking for their sixth consecutive series victory over Western and their 100th all-time victory over the team.

BEATING A TEAM 100 TIMES
If Eastern can muster one win against the Broncos this weekend, it will be the fourth opponent the Eagles have beaten 100 times or more in an all-time series, and the second time this season achieving the feat, most recently versus the other in-state foe, Central Michigan, March 27. Eastern totals 102 wins each against Central Michigan and Toledo while it holds 113 against Bowling Green, the most in one series.

LAST TIME VS. WESTERN MICHIGAN, APRIL 14-15, 2025
Eastern won 2-of-3 games at Western Michigan last season in a hard-fought series that saw run-rule finishes in two games. The Eagles dropped game one, 14-4, in the first game of a doubleheader, March 14, in eight innings as Ty Stecko went yard. Eastern won 10-8 in game two as Cooper Vance shined, recording three hits and adding four RBI to the winning effort. Cal Rutherford, who is slated to start a game this weekend, picked up the win in relief. The Eagles took the final game of the series in dominating fashion, 17-3. Three current Eagles homered in the contest, including John Hale, Devin Zirwas, and Bruce Jellison. Hale also tallied four RBI and Brendan Kleiman notched four hits.

LAST TIME AGAINST WMU AT HOME
Eastern again took 2-of-3 from the Broncos, March 23-24, 2024, at Oestrike Stadium. Game one was won 11-4 thanks to a six-run first inning and eight innings of strong pitching from Bobby Jones. In the next game, Eastern lost 8-3. The Eagles tallied 10 hits in the game, including two from Drew Jones. Kyle Schroedle had the best Eagle effort in the tilt as he went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in the seventh inning. Schroedle added on another home run in the final game, this time in the fifth inning as the series finale was a game to remember for Eagle starter, Nick Chittum. He went the distance for the Eagles with a complete game shutout in a 3-0 victory. The performance marked the first time an EMU hurler tossed 9.0 innings without allowing a run since Brent Mattson did so versus Butler, April 2, 2017. Furthermore, it was the first time an Eastern starter blanked a conference foe in a nine-inning contest since Brad Allen notched a 3-0 complete-game triumph over Bowling Green, March 25, 2017. Chittum's final stat line was: 9 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 SO, with 96 pitches.

WESTERN TIES
Eastern welcomes a familiar face back to Oestrike Stadium in Broncos' assistant coach Glenn Miller. Miller transferred to EMU after his 2022 freshman campaign at Spring Arbor and spent three seasons as an Eagle. He started 93.0% (115-of-123) of his career games, mostly on the left side of the infield. Miller earned two Academic All-MAC honors and one CSC Academic All-District award as he totaled over 100 hits as an Eagle (111) and led the team with 49 runs in 2023. Among Miller, Western Head Coach Billy Gernon previously coached with former EMU Head Coach Jake Boss Jr. in his first two season at Michigan State (2009-10).

MOST RECENTLY: VS. UMASS
Eastern was swept at home by MAC newcomer UMass, April 10-12.

Game One, L, 4-2, April 10
Eastern fell to UMass, 4-2, in the first all-time meeting between the two Mid-American Conference programs Friday, April 10, at Oestrike Stadium. The game was tied at one run apiece before a three-run sixth inning put the Minutemen ahead, 4-1, as they led the remainder of the contest. John Carmichael (0-5) started on the mound for Eastern and went five innings, allowing one earned run off six hits while striking out six and walking two. UMass' Caden Powers (3-3) earned the win and Cole Egan (2-3) was tagged with the loss.

Notables
» Eastern and UMass met for the first time in each program's respective histories.
» Eastern lost for the first time when facing a current MAC member in the inaugural matchup. It is now 10-1 in such games.
» Eastern pitching issued two walks or less for the seventh time this season.
» Eastern pitching didn't allow an extra-base hit for the third time this season.

Game Two, L, 10-0, April 11
Eastern Michigan struggled offensively in a 10-0 loss to UMass Saturday, April 11, at Oestrike Stadium.

Notables
» Nathan Borchardt walked a career-best four times for the third time this season. His four walks are the most from an Eagle in one game this year and tie for the most in the MAC. His four walks are the second-most in a single game by an individual since 1999. He is the first Eagle to walk four times in a game since Eli Gora in 2022 against Tennessee Tech, Feb. 26.
» Landon Mueller tied a season-long outing as he went four innings for the second time this season, originally doing so at Ball State, March 14. He struck out four or more batters for the third time in 2026.
» Bruce Jellison extended his hitting streak to 12-straight games, a career-best and the longest on the team this season with a single in the eighth inning.

Game Three, L, 19-15, April 12
Senior John Hale recorded five extra-base hits in the EMU's 19-15 Mid-American Conference loss at the hands of UMass Sunday, April 12, at Oestrike Stadium.

Notables
» Eastern tied its season-high with a trio of home runs for the fourth time this season, most recently accomplishing the feat at Ball State, March 15.
» Eastern's 15 runs mark a season-high and are its fifth time scoring in the double-digits this season. It also drove in a season-high 15 runs and walked nine times, its second-highest total of the campaign.
» Eastern's eight extra-base hits tie its season high, its most since it did so at Ball State, March 15.
» Eastern recorded 10+ hits for the 10th time this season. It has a record of 5-4 when doing so. The 15 hits tied for its third-highest total of the year.

EXTRA-BASE JOHNNY
Senior John Hale erupted for a five-hit day against UMass, April 12, with all five hits going for extra bases. Hale hit three doubles and two home runs, both of which are career highs. He totaled 14 bases, the most from an individual Eagle since Wally Gerbus set the modern EMU record with four home runs and 16 total bases against Bowling Green, April 8, 2009, a game that saw Eastern score 27 runs, the second-most in program history. His 14 total bases put him in third for the most total bases tallied in a game this season.
» John Hale's 14 total bases rank third for the most total bases recorded in an NCAA game this season. His total is the most in a game by a MAC player this season and most since 2024 when Toledo's Garrett Pike also had 14 total bases in a game against Kent State, April 13, 2024.
» John Hale totaled five hits, all of which went for extra bases as he recorded three doubles and two home runs, all marking career highs for the senior. Both his doubles and homers totals tied EMU individual season-highs and are the second-most in one game in the MAC.
» John Hale is the first Eagle this season to have a game with five extra-base hits. His five hits tie for the most by an individual Eagle this season and the most in the MAC.
» John Hale joined Ty Stecko (at Austin Peay, Feb. 20) and Nick Weaver (at Ball State, March 15) as the only Eagles to record multiple home runs in one game this year.
» Overall, John Hale went 5-for-7 at the dish with a career-best five hits, five RBI, four runs, and kept busy in center field with a career-high seven putouts and one assist.

HALE: D1 BASEBALL WEEK 9 TOP-100 HITTER
John Hale was named to D1 Baseball's Week 9 Top-100 Hitters List. In 15 at-bats, Hale recorded seven hits, four doubles, and two home runs, totaling five RBI and five runs. He posted a .412 batting average, 1.474 OPS, and 0.691 weighted on-base average.

ALL HALE JOHN
John Hale has been seeing the ball well over his last 10 games. He is batting a team-best .450 while also pacing the squad in runs (12), hits (18), extra-base hits (eight), and slugging percentage (.750). With 18 games remaining, the center fielder has already eclipsed his extra-base hit total from 2025, as he has 14 compared to 13. He is also on pace to surpass his walk total from last year as he has 17 this year, just four less than his 2025 total. Hale has increased his average from .297 to .306 and made a 112-point improvement to his OPS (.837 to .949).

TWO WITH FIVE HITS
Both John Hale (vs. UMass, April 12) and TJ Williams (vs. Central Michigan, March 27) have recorded five-hit games this season, making EMU the only MAC team with two players who have each knocked five hits in a game in 2026. Furthermore, the achievement marks EMU's first time having two players with five-hit games in one season since 2013, when Sam Ott did so against Ohio, March 31, and John Rubino tallied five hits against Northern Illinois, May 12.

TWO HOMERS IN ONE INNING
Both Devan Zirwas and John Hale went yard in the second inning in the series finale against UMass, April 12. The outburst marked the second time this season EMU has homered twice in one inning. The first came at Austin Peay, Feb. 20, when Zirwas and Ty Stecko did so in the third inning in a 7-6 win.

MORE INNINGS, MORE STRIKES
Fischer Hendershot threw a career-high 4.1 innings out of the bullpen and recorded a career-high seven strikeouts against UMass, April 12. His previous career best for both statistics came March 8, 2025, at Akron, where he pitched 3.2 innings and recorded five strikeouts. The performance continues Hendershot's improvement in his second season as he has increased his strikeout total by nine, totaling 27 after recording 18 in 2025. The 6-foot-4 righty has more than cut his walks in half, issuing just seven this season after handing out 16 free passes last year.

CONSISTENT CARMICHAEL
Friday starter John Carmichael has provided consistency in his first year as an Eagle. The McLennan C.C. transfer has gone at least five innings in seven of his nine starts with his longest being a six-inning, four earned run outing at Toledo, April 3. Carmichael most recently allowed a season-low one earned run while striking out six and walking two in five innings of work against UMass, April 10.

BREAKOUT BRUCE
After struggling in the season's early going, Bruce Jellison has found his rhythm. In the last 10 games, he is batting .441 with 15 hits, two home runs, a 1.201 OPS, and more walks (seven) than strikeouts (six). All rank inside the top three on the team.

Jellison First 20 Games of the Season
.158 BA, .525 OPS, 9 Hits, 3 XBH, 6 RBI, 14 SO, 12 BB

Jellison Last 10 Games
.441 BA, 1.201 OPS, 15 Hits, 2 HR, 15 RBI, 6 SO, 7 BB

CONFERENCE-ONLY STANDINGS
The Eagles are at or near the top in a number of statistics in conference games. Eastern boasts the fifth-best batting average in MAC competition (.292) and the third-most hits in conference games with 192. EMU has been effective on the basepaths, successfully stealing on 84.8% of their attempts and ranking second in conference play as it totals 28 stolen bases. On defense, Eastern is tied for second in runners caught stealing with 10 and totals the third-most putouts (473). Individually, Devan Zirwas is tied for second in MAC play with six homers and seventh in RBI with 24, John Hale slots fourth in doubles (seven) and ranks sixth in batting average (.394) and hits (26). Hale, Bruce Jellison, and TJ Williams all rank in the top ten in MAC play for on-base percentage with .500 each, tying for sixth.

BASE STEALING CONSISTENCY
With no stolen bases against UMass, April 11, Eastern's 10-game streak with at least one stolen base, its second-longest streak of the season, was snapped. It previously had at least one stolen base in 11-straight games from Feb. 27-March 14. EMU swiped three bases in its most recent game against UMass, April 12, a season-high two from Lewood Molessa and one from Drew Jones, his ninth of the season and second-most on the team. TJ Williams paces the Eagles in the category this season with 10 swipes in 13 attempts, slotting ninth in the MAC.

CARDIAC EAGLES
Eastern has four walk-off wins, tying for the third-most nationally and 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.

WELCOME BACK LEEWOOD MOLESSA
After making a comeback from injury against Central Michigan, March 27-29, Leewood Molessa stepped up to the plate to aid the Eagles in a series sweep. Batting .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. Molessa recently homered for the first time as an Eagle with a solo shot to left field in the fourth inning at Toledo, April 3.

LETHAL ARM BEHIND THE PLATE
Nick Weaver continues to rank among the top defensive catchers in college baseball entering the series against Western Michigan. Weaver has thrown out 16 runners attempting to steal in 33 attempts. That total places him tied for fifth nationally by value in caught stealing, tying Northern Illinois' Ivan Dahlberg. The national leader, LaSalle's Jayden Novak, sits at 21.

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.

ONE-RUN DUBS
Eastern thrives in close games as it is 6-2 in one-run games this season. Its last one-run contest was of the winning variety as Ty Stecko's two-run double lifted the Eagles to a 12-11 walk-off win over Central Michigan, March 29. The six one-run victories are the most since it also put up six in the 2024 season. It last recorded seven in the 2021 campaign. Eastern's six one-run wins rank second in the conference as Akron paces the MAC with seven one-run victories. Overall, EMU's eight one-run contests slot third in the league while Akron leads with 12, and Western Michigan places second with 10.

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

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

EMU Offense Since the BSU Series (17 games)
.296 BA, .447 SLG%, .410 OB%, .857 OPS

The improvement features a 103-point increase in batting average, 111-point jump in slugging percentage, 87-point surge in on-base percentage, and a 198-point advancement in OPS. 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. It was disciplined from top to bottom as EMU walked 20 times, was hit by six pitches, and struck out just 16 times. EMU most recently batted .240 with a .781 OPS, 10 extra-base hits, and 17 RBI in the series against UMass, April 10-12.

HITTING CONSISTENCY
EMU has posted nine or more hits 16 times this season with 10 of those occurrences coming in the last 15 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 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. EMU had eight or more hits in all three games against Toledo (eight, nine, 12), April 3-4. Its best output last weekend was 15 hits against UMass, April 12, the third-most this season and the team's fourth time knocking 15 or more in a game.

ZIRWAS' INCREASED POWER
After knocking 20 doubles and eight home runs 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 the MAC with 11 bombs, surpassing his season total from 2025 just 27 games into the 2026 slate as he has three more long balls than last season. The left-handed bat earned five RBI on three hits last weekend against UMass, recording two doubles and one home run. He is one home run from reaching 20 in his Eastern career, which would tie him with five other Eagles for the 15th most in program history.

EXTRA BASE ZIRWAS
Devan Zirwas leads the team with 22 extra-base hits (nine doubles, two triples, 11 home runs) as his 11 home runs lead the conference. Thirty-four games into the season, he is seven extra-base hits away from tying his 29 from last season (20 doubles, one triple, eight homers). With 18 regular-season games remaining and factoring in Zirwas' 0.64 extra-base hits per game, he is expected to end the season with 34 extra-base knocks, five more than he had in 2025.

DEV'S CAREER SLUGGING
Devan Zirwas posts a .563 slugging percentage in 85 games in the Script E, currently ranking ninth in program history. He posted a .561 slugging percentage in 2025 and holds a .565 clip this season.

ZIRWAS 100 RBI
Senior outfielder Devan Zirwas is approaching the 100 RBI milestone as he sits with 98 in his career, requiring two more to reach the century mark. Zirwas drove in seven runs as a VCU Ram in 2024 before totaling 53 in his first EMU season in 2025. He currently leads the team and ranks fourth in the MAC with 38 RBI.

RUTHERFORD RAMPING UP
Sophomore righty Cal Rutherford has stepped up his game this season. In six appearances (four starts), Rutherford posts a 5.72 ERA and holds a 2-1 record. In 28.1 innings, he's allowed 18 earned runs off 25 hits while striking out 24 batters and walking 12 as opponents are batting .243 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. He most recently started in the second game against UMass, April 11, going 1.2 innings and allowing five earned runs before being relieved.

Rutherford when starting
18.0 IP, 22 H, 17 ER, 21 K's, 9 BB

MUELLER OUT OF THE PEN
Junior righty Landon Mueller has excelled out of the bullpen in five of his last six outings, excluding his appearance against Central Michigan, March 28. Outside of his appearance against the Chippewas, he totals 16.2 innings pitched out of the pen, posting a 3.55 ERA while allowing just five earned runs off 12 hits and striking out 14 opposing batters while walking six. Opponents hit .245 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 17-14 in the ninth inning this season and 33-27 in the eighth and ninth innings combined. Eastern scored one run in the ninth inning in the series opener against UMass, April 10, and two in the series finale, April 12. EMU has scored at least one run in the ninth inning in six of its last 10 opportunities.

POWER PRODUCTION
Eastern Michigan has hit 34 home runs through 34 games, ranking fifth in the Mid-American Conference. Devan Zirwas and Ty Stecko lead the way with 11 and five home runs, respectively. John Hale has four, two of which came against UMass, April 12. Nick Weaver has a trio of bombs, two that came at Ball State, March 15, while Bruce Jellison, Nathan Borchardt, Keegan Knupp, and Tristan Crane have each chipped in two long balls. Zirwas' 11 homers lead the MAC and 11th by value in the country.

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 29 games played, he's hitting .315 with a .439 on-base percentage, both of which rank inside the top three on the team. He leads the team with 34 hits and ranks among the top offensive producers in total bases (40), while also showing plate discipline with 22 walks (ninth in the MAC) and 20 strikeouts, the best walk-to-strikeout ratio on the squad among qualified batters. On the base paths, Williams has been a key weapon, leading the team with 10 stolen bases in 13 attempts, ranking 12th in the MAC. He has been effective situationally, hitting .390 (16-of-41) when leading off, .326 (15-of-46) with runners on base, and advances runners at a .509 clip (28-of-55).

STRONG PLATE DISCIPLINE
The Eagles have drawn 178 walks in 34 games. That total ranks 90th nationally and fourth in the Mid-American Conference. Thirty-four games into the season, TJ Williams has worked 22 walks, leading the Eagles and ranking ninth in the MAC. Also showing a good eye at the dish is Bruce Jellison (20 walks, 20 strikeouts) and John Hale (17 walks, 18 strikeouts).

TEAM-LEADING ZIRWAS
Devan Zirwas leads the roster with 22 extra-base hits (nine doubles, two triples, and 11 home runs), 38 RBI, 78 total bases, two triples, 28 runs, and a .565 slugging percentage. Currently tied for first in the MAC in home runs (11) and ranking third in triples (two), fourth in RBI (38), and seventh in doubles (nine), 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.

ON THE HORIZON
Eastern travels to DeKalb, Ill., for the final MAC series between EMU and Northern Illinois Friday-Sunday, April 24-26.

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

Baseball Looks For Fifth-Straight Series Win Over Western Michigan This Weekend

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Nathan Borchardt

John Carmichael

Tristan Crane

Cole Egan

John Hale

Fischer Hendershot

Bruce Jellison

Bobby Jones

Drew Jones

Brendan Kleiman

Keegan Knupp

Leewood Molessa

Landon Mueller

Cal Rutherford

Ty Stecko

Cooper Vance

Nick Weaver

TJ Williams

Devan Zirwas

Eastern Michigan Athletics