Baseball Battles Oakland in Midweek Clash Wednesday

Eastern Michigan Baseball at Oakland
Date	Wednesday \| April 22
Venue	Oakland Baseball Field \| Rochester, 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) – The Eastern Michigan University baseball team travels to nearby Rochester, Mich., for a clash with the Golden Grizzlies of Oakland University in a midweek non-conference tilt at the Oakland Baseball Field Wednesday, April 22, at 3 p.m.

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
» The Eagles and Golden Grizzlies will meet for the 70th time. Eastern holds a 48-21 record when facing Oakland, and an 11-7 record when facing it on the road.
» Eastern dropped both games to Oakland in 2024, losing 20-17 at home, April 9, before dropping a 14-11 decision in Rochester, April 23.
» EMU has thrived in late-inning situations as four of its last seven wins have come in walk-off fashion.
» Eastern most recently fell in a three-game series (2-1) to Western Michigan, April 17-19.
» 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.

IN THE SERIES: OAKLAND
The Eagles and Golden Grizzlies will meet for the 70th time Wednesday. Eastern holds a 48-21 record when facing Oakland, and an 11-7 record when facing them on the road. Oakland has controlled the series in recent years, winning seven of the last 10 matchups as EMU is looking to top the Golden Grizzlies for the first time since 2023, when it took 2-of-3 games against OU.

ALL-TIME AGAINST THE HORIZON
Eastern will face off against a Horizon League opponent for the 100th time in program history. The Eagles typically perform well against the conference, holding a 59-40 all-time record with a majority of its games (70) against the fellow mid-major coming against Oakland, whom EMU holds a 48-21 all-time mark against.

LAST TIME VS. OAKLAND
Eastern last faced Oakland in the 2024 campaign, dropping a 14-11 decision in Rochester, April 23. The Eagles were led by Giano Zuccaro, who batted 4-for-5 on the day with one home run and one double, and Nathan Ball, who homered for the first time in his collegiate career, finishing the game with two hits and a career-high three RBI. The game prior saw EMU knock 24 hits, the third-most in program history and most since 2009 as EMU dropped a 20-17 contest at home, April 9.

MOST RECENTLY: VS. WESTERN MICH.
Eastern fell in a three-game set to Western Michigan, 2-1, April 17-19.

Game One, W, 4-3, April 17
Eastern earned a dramatic 4-3 victory over Western Michigan, capturing its 100th all-time win in the storied rivalry. John Carmichael (1-5) earned the win, going an NCAA Division I career-long six innings, allowing two earned runs while striking out seven and walking two. Tristan Crane homered for the third time this season and gave EMU the lead for good with a three-run shot to left field in the sixth inning. Fischer Hendershot (4) was credited with his fourth save of the season as he entered in the top of the ninth inning and retired the side in order.

Notables
» EMU got its leadoff man in five of the eight innings it batted in.
» The Eastern bullpen went a combined three innings, allowing just one hit and one earned run with scoreless frames from Tommy Rose and Fischer Hendershot.
» Tristan Crane homered for the third time this season with a three-run shot to left field in the sixth inning. He drove in multiple runs for the third time this season, marking his second time with a season-best three RBI.
» EMU and WMU met for the 199th time as it holds a 100-99 record against the Broncos. After Friday's victory, EMU has 100+ wins against four opponents – Western Michigan (100), Central Michigan (102), Toledo (102), and Bowling Green (113).

Game Two, L, 12-7, April 18
Devan Zirwas reached the 100 career RBI mark as the Eagles dropped a 12-7 decision to rival Western Michigan, April 18. Zirwas totals 93 RBI as an Eagle while he drove in seven at VCU in the 2024 season.
Notables
» Eastern recorded 11 hits marking its 11th time with double-digit hits this season.
» Eight of the nine EMU starters reached base safely via a hit.
» Devan Zirwas recorded his career-best and team-leading 12th homer of the season with a two-run shot to right field in the third inning.
» Bruce Jellison had a productive 3-for-5 day at the plate, marking his seventh multi-hit performance of the season. His three hits tie a season high previously set in a win over Central Michigan, March 27.
» Carter White tossed a season-long 2.2 scoreless innings with two strikeouts and one walk. He's up to 18 strikeouts and 10 walks this season.

Game Three, L, 12-3, April 19
Eastern fell to Western Michigan, 12-3, Sunday, April 19, in the finale of a three-game Mid-American Conference series at Oestrike Stadium. WMU jumped out to a 7-0 lead after three innings and never looked back.

Notables
» Western Michigan is EMU's most frequent opponent as the two programs have met 201 times, six more than the 195 meetings with Bowling Green.
» Senior right-hander Michael Pfeiffer struck out a season-high five batters for the second consecutive start as he also fanned five Toledo Rockets in the first game of a doubleheader, April 3.
» Tristan Crane recorded a pair of hits for the third time this season and knocked his third double and sixth extra-base hit of the campaign.
» Bruce Jellison doubled for the fourth time this season, marking his sixth extra-base hit as he is one extra-base knock away from tying the seven he recorded in 2025.
» Tommy Rose worked a scoreless seventh inning in his 10th appearance of the season.

LAST TIME VS. THE HORIZON LEAGUE
Eastern has faced one Horizon League member already this season as it walked off Youngstown State at home, 8-7, March 24. EMU rallied from down five runs, scoring a total of four runs in the eighth and ninth innings for its third straight win on the heels of Demir Heidelberg's career-high four RBI. Greg Kennedy tossed a scoreless two innings out of the bullpen with a career-high three strikeouts to earn the first win of his NCAA Division I tenure.

Notables
» Eastern pitching struck out 10+ batters for the fourth time this season, leading to a 2-4 record.
» Eastern worked a season-high 10 walks, its most since it walked 12 times in a 15-6 win at Albany, April 17, 2025.
» Eastern swiped a season-high six bases. The performance marked the second straight setting a season high in the category as its four stolen bases against Akron, March 22, was previously a season high.
» Eastern came back from a deficit of three or more runs for the second time this season. It previously rallied from down five runs to beat Little Rock, 11-6, Feb. 14.

ZIRWAS 100 RBI
Devan Zirwas reached the 100 career RBI mark as he drove in two runs against Western Michigan, April 18. The left-handed bat totals 93 RBI as an Eagle while he drove in seven at VCU in the 2024 season. He is the first Eagle to reach the mark this season as Ty Stecko and Nathan Borchardt are the next Eagles slated to reach the milestone. Stecko currently totals 84 RBI while Borchardt posts 87.

CLIMBING CAREER LEADERBOARDS
With Devan Zirwas' third inning homer against Western Michigan, April 18, he totals 20 home runs as an Eagle, tying for 15th by value in program history and joining five other players. Zirwas needs three doubles to break into the career leaderboards for two-baggers as he currently posts 29, and 11 RBI to do so in runs driven in, holding 93 as an Eagle. He also compiles a .558 slugging clip, tying for 10th in program history.

CRANE'S INCREASED PRODUCTION
Seeing an increased role lately, Tristan Crane has been productive as a catcher and shortstop, starting four of the last six games he's played in. In those six contests, Crane is batting .437 (7-of-16) with two home runs, two doubles, and seven RBI. Prior to the stretch, Crane batted .140 (6-of-43) in 17 games played (12 starts), with one double, one homer, and five RBI while striking out 16 times and walking three.

BORCHARDT'S EYE
Junior Nathan Borchardt has excelled in working walks as of late. He has earned one base-on-balls in each of the last six games, highlighted by a career-best four walks against UMass, April 11, the second-most in one game by an individual Eagle since 1999 and the second-most in the MAC. Overall, Borchardt has walked 11 times in the previous six contests, producing a team-best .571 on-base percentage. Borchardt's 24 walks leads the Eagles and ranks eighth in the MAC by value as he is one of three Eagles with more walks than strikeouts (24 to 21), joining TJ Williams (22 to 20), Bruce Jellison (21 to 20), and John Hale (19 to 18).

STRIKING OUT ONE OF THE NATION'S BEST
EMU struck out Western Michigan's Tanner Mally twice in the series finale against the Broncos, April 19, making EMU the only team to strikeout the nation's batting average (.480) and on-base percentage (.593) leader twice. Mally also slots second in toughest to strikeout as he fans once every 25.4 at-bats. Mally had struck out just three times prior as Fischer Hendershot K'd the right-handed bat on a 2-2 count in the fourth inning before Brian Henson caught him looking on a 2-2 breaking ball to end the WMU half of the seventh.

SUCCESS WITH LESS STRIKEOUTS
EMU has success when striking out five times or less this season, holding a 5-1 record when doing so. Eastern most recently struck out less than five times with a season-low four strikeouts in the 4-3 win against Western Michigan, April 17. Conversely, the Eagles are 6-25 when striking out six times or more.

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.
» 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 .405 while pacing the squad in runs (eight), hits (15), extra-base hits (eight), and ranking second in slugging percentage (.676). With 16 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 19 this year, just two less than his 2025 total. Hale has made a 85-point improvement to his OPS (.837 to .922).

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 12, totaling 30 after recording 18 in 2025. The 6-foot-4 righty has more than cut his walks in half, issuing just eight this season after handing out 16 free passes last year. Hendershot has also improved on his save total, posting four thus far this season, the second most in the conference and one more than he had in 2025. He most recently earned a save with a scoreless 1-2-3 ninth inning in the 4-3 win over Western Michigan, April 17.

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 eight of his 10 starts with his longest being a six-inning, four earned run outing at Toledo, April 3. Carmichael most recently went six innings for the second time this season and second time in his last three starts, allowing four hits and two earned runs while striking out seven and walking one, earning the 4-3 win over Western Michigan, April 17. Among qualified pitchers, Carmichael has issued the sixth-fewest walks in the conference (16) and allowed the sixth-fewest doubles. Overall, he posts a 6.52 ERA and has 42 strikeouts compared to 16 walks this season.

BREAKOUT BRUCE
After struggling in the season's early going, Bruce Jellison has found his rhythm. In the last 13 games, he is batting .404 with 19 hits, two home runs, a 1.085 OPS, and more walks (eight) than strikeouts (six). All rank inside the top three on the team. Jellison recently recorded his second three-hit day of the season against Western Michigan, April 18. He has added more power compared to last season, totaling six extra-base hits through 34 games after knocking seven in 49 games last season.

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

Jellison Last 13 Games
.404 BA, 1.085 OPS, 19 Hits, 2 HR, 15 RBI, 6 SO, 8 BB

CONFERENCE-ONLY STANDINGS
The Eagles are at or near the top in a number of statistics in conference games. Eastern boasts the third-most doubles (51), fourth-most hits (218) and walks (109), fifth-most total bases (337), and sixth-best batting average in MAC competition (.290). Pitching wise, EMU hurlers have 175 strikeouts, the fourth-most in the MAC. On defense, Eastern is tied for third in runners caught stealing with 11 and totals the third-most putouts (554). Individually, Devan Zirwas is tied for second in MAC play with seven homers and sixth in RBI with 26. Ty Stecko slots fourth in doubles (eight), while John Hale ranks fifth in doubles (seven), sixth in hits (28), seventh in on-base percentage (.489), and ninth in batting average (.368). TJ Williams holds the fifth-best batting average (.393) and ranks sixth with a .500 on-base clip as Nathan Borchardt's 17 walks and seven doubles are tied for fifth.

CARDIAC EAGLES
Eastern has four walk-off wins, tying for the third-most nationally, the most by a MAC team, 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.

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 17 runners attempting to steal in 42 attempts. That total places him tied for sixth nationally by value in caught stealing, ranking second in the MAC to Northern Illinois' Ivan Dahlberg, who totals 19 this season. The national leader, LaSalle's Jayden Novak, sits at 23. Weaver most recently caught one Western Michigan Bronco stealing, April 18.

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 7-2 in one-run games this season. Its last one-run contest was of the winning variety as EMU captured a 4-3 win over Western Michigan, April 17. The seven one-run victories are the most since it also put up seven in the 2021 season. It last recorded eight or more in the 2011 campaign, a season that saw EMU post a 12-6 record in such contests. Eastern's seven one-run wins rank second in the conference as Akron paces the MAC with eight one-run victories. Overall, EMU's nine one-run contests slot third in the league while Akron leads with 13, and Western Michigan places second with 11.

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)
.293 BA, .440 SLG%, .406 OB%, .846 OPS

The improvement features a 100-point increase in batting average, 104-point jump in slugging percentage, 83-point surge in on-base percentage, and a 187-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 .271 with a .894 OPS, six extra-base hits, and 14 RBI in the series against Western Michigan, April 17-19.

HITTING CONSISTENCY
EMU has posted nine or more hits 17 times this season with nine 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. Eastern's best output against Western Michigan was a 12-hit performance, April 18.

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 ranks second in the MAC with 12 bombs, surpassing his season total from 2025 just 27 games into the 2026 slate as he has four more long balls than last season. The left-handed bat homered for the 12th time this season against Western Michigan, April 18, as his 12 homers are the most by an Eagle in one season since St. Louis Cardinals' prospect Josh Kross had 15 in 2023, a year that saw him earn MAC Freshman of the Year and Freshman All-American status from the CBN.

EXTRA BASE ZIRWAS
Devan Zirwas leads the team with 23 extra-base hits (nine doubles, two triples, 12 home runs) as his 12 home runs rank second in the conference. Thirty-seven games into the season, he is six extra-base hits away from tying his 29 from last season (20 doubles, one triple, eight homers). With 16 regular-season games remaining and factoring in Zirwas' 0.62 extra-base hits per game, he is expected to end the season with 33 extra-base knocks, five more than he had in 2025.

DEV'S CAREER SLUGGING
Devan Zirwas posts a .558 slugging percentage in 88 games in the Script E, currently tying for 10th in program history. He posted a .561 slugging percentage in 2025 and holds a .553 clip this season.

MUELLER OUT OF THE PEN
Junior righty Landon Mueller has excelled out of the bullpen in seven of his last eight outings, excluding his appearance against Central Michigan, March 28. Outside of his appearance against the Chippewas, he totals 18.2 innings pitched out of the pen, posting a 5.30 ERA while allowing 11earned runs off 20 hits and striking out 22 opposing batters while walking eight. Opponents hit .260 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.

POWER PRODUCTION
Eastern Michigan has hit 36 home runs through 37 games, ranking sixth in the Mid-American Conference. Devan Zirwas and Ty Stecko lead the way with 12 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, along with Tristan Crane, who homered for the third time this season against WMU, April 17. Bruce Jellison, Nathan Borchardt, and Keegan Knupp, have each chipped in two long balls.

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 ranks second on the team with 34 hits and slots among the top offensive producers in total bases (40), while also showing plate discipline with 22 walks (10th in the MAC) and 20 strikeouts, one of four Eagles with more walks than strikeouts. On the base paths, Williams has been a key weapon, leading the team with 10 stolen bases in 13 attempts. 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 191 walks in 37 games. That total ranks 88th nationally and fourth in the Mid-American Conference. Thirty-seven games into the season, Borchardt's 24 walks leads the Eagles and ranks eighth in the MAC by value as he is one of three Eagles with more walks than strikeouts (24 to 21), joining TJ Williams (22 to 20), Bruce Jellison (21 to 20), and John Hale (19 to 18).

TEAM-LEADING ZIRWAS
Devan Zirwas leads the roster with 23 extra-base hits (nine doubles, two triples, and 12 home runs), 40 RBI, 83 total bases, two triples, 30 runs, and a .553 slugging percentage. Currently ranking second in the MAC in home runs (12), third in triples (two), fifth in RBI (40), and eighth 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.

Eastern Michigan Athletics

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Players Mentioned

Nathan Borchardt

John Carmichael

Tristan Crane

John Hale

Demir Heidelberg

Fischer Hendershot

Brian Henson

Bruce Jellison

Drew Jones

Greg Kennedy

Keegan Knupp

Leewood Molessa

Landon Mueller

Michael Pfeiffer

Tommy Rose

Ty Stecko

Nick Weaver

Carter White

TJ Williams

Devan Zirwas

Giano Zuccaro