Eastern Michigan Athletics
Friday, April 24
DeKalb, Ill.
4 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
12-27, 6-16
9
at
15
Northern Illinois
24-12, 15-7
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Michigan | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 15 | 0 |
| Northern Illinois | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | X | 15 | 16 | 0 |
Baseball Falls in High-Scoring Series Opener at NIU
4/24/2026 8:04:00 PM | Baseball
Ty Stecko went 2-for-5 with three RBI
DEKALB, Ill. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University baseball team opened its final Mid-American Conference series against Northern Illinois with a 15-9 loss Friday, April 24, at Ralph McKinzie Field.
Ty Stecko (North Huntingdon, Pa./Norwin/Mount St. Mary's) led the Eagles, going 2-for-5 at the plate with one double, one home run, and three RBI.
How it Happened
In a game that featured 24 total runs and 31 hits, both teams' offenses came out swinging. The Eagles started strong in the top of the first as Stecko launched a two-run home run to center, putting EMU ahead 2-0. However, Northern Illinois responded with a six-run bottom half, using two home runs to seize momentum early. Despite narrowing the gap to two runs in the fifth, NIU extended its lead with a four-run eighth that ultimately put the contest out of reach.
Pitching proved to be the difference, as EMU's starter was tagged for six earned runs in the opening inning and NIU would add late insurance against the bullpen. Jack Angus (Darien, Ill./Montini Catholic/Stetson) delivered 3.1 effective innings of relief, allowing just one earned run and helping stabilize the middle frames. Offensively, the Eagles showcased their recent progress, matching their third-highest hit total of the season. Devan Zirwas (Imperial, Pa./West Allegheny/VCU) crossed the plate three times, Drew Jones (Cleveland, Ohio/Brush/Ohio State) tripled and scored twice, and Tristan Crane (Berkley, Mich./Brother Rice/Texas A&M Corpus Christi), and Borchardt each delivered multi-hit performances. Despite the offensive highlights, NIU's early and late scoring surges proved insurmountable.
The series opener marked the 144th all-time meeting between EMU and NIU—a rivalry that stretches back to 1951 and concludes its MAC chapter this weekend as NIU transitions to the Horizon League next year.
Game Notes
» Eastern's record dropped to 12-27 (6-16 MAC), and Northern Illinois' improved to 24-12 (15-7 MAC).
» All Eastern Michigan starters reached base safely with a hit by the fifth inning.
» Eastern recorded six extra-base hits by the fifth inning, tying for its third-most in a game this season. It finished the game with seven, its second-most of the season.
» The Eagles had double-digit hits for the 13th time this (15) and the second-consecutive contest after recording 12 hits in the 11-10 win at Oakland, April 22. EMU's 15 hits tied their third-highest single-game total this season, matching March 15 at Ball State and April 12 vs. UMass.
» Ty Stecko homered for the second consecutive game for the second time this season after doing so against SIUE, Feb. 27-28. The blast moved him to 18 career home runs in 81 career games as an Eagle. Stecko went 2-for-5 at the plate with three RBI, his ninth game with two or more RBI and 11th with multiple hits. He is 11 RBI away from 100 in his NCAA career as he totals 89.
» Tristan Crane pocketed his third consecutive multi-hit game and fifth of the season, extending his hitting streak to a career-best six games, currently the longest on the team. He finished the day 2-for-5 with one double, one RBI, and one run scored.
» Jack Angus pitched a season-long 3.1 innings, allowing one run or less for the fifth time this season and third time in his last four appearances. The righty also struck out a season-best two batters.
» Devan Zirwas went 2-for-5 with three runs, marking his 10th multi-hit game of the year. He doubled for the 10th time for his team-best 24th extra-base hit of the season.
» Nathan Borchardt totaled two hits and one RBI, marking his seventh multi-hit game of the campaign and second consecutive game doing so. Borchardt has notched back-to-back multi-hit games twice this season as he first accomplished the feat against Miami, March 6-7.
» Drew Jones tripled for the first time in his NCAA tenure in the fourth inning. The triple was Eastern's sixth of the season.
Historical Notes
» EMU and NIU met for the 144th time as it holds a 84-60 record against the Huskies and 21-19 mark when facing them in DeKalb.
Up Next
The Eagles and Huskies play the second game of the series tomorrow, Saturday, April 25. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET in DeKalb, Ill.
Follow Us
Keep up with all things Eastern baseball by following the team on X @EMU Baseball, and on Instagram @emu_baseball.
Ty Stecko (North Huntingdon, Pa./Norwin/Mount St. Mary's) led the Eagles, going 2-for-5 at the plate with one double, one home run, and three RBI.
How it Happened
In a game that featured 24 total runs and 31 hits, both teams' offenses came out swinging. The Eagles started strong in the top of the first as Stecko launched a two-run home run to center, putting EMU ahead 2-0. However, Northern Illinois responded with a six-run bottom half, using two home runs to seize momentum early. Despite narrowing the gap to two runs in the fifth, NIU extended its lead with a four-run eighth that ultimately put the contest out of reach.
Pitching proved to be the difference, as EMU's starter was tagged for six earned runs in the opening inning and NIU would add late insurance against the bullpen. Jack Angus (Darien, Ill./Montini Catholic/Stetson) delivered 3.1 effective innings of relief, allowing just one earned run and helping stabilize the middle frames. Offensively, the Eagles showcased their recent progress, matching their third-highest hit total of the season. Devan Zirwas (Imperial, Pa./West Allegheny/VCU) crossed the plate three times, Drew Jones (Cleveland, Ohio/Brush/Ohio State) tripled and scored twice, and Tristan Crane (Berkley, Mich./Brother Rice/Texas A&M Corpus Christi), and Borchardt each delivered multi-hit performances. Despite the offensive highlights, NIU's early and late scoring surges proved insurmountable.
The series opener marked the 144th all-time meeting between EMU and NIU—a rivalry that stretches back to 1951 and concludes its MAC chapter this weekend as NIU transitions to the Horizon League next year.
Game Notes
» Eastern's record dropped to 12-27 (6-16 MAC), and Northern Illinois' improved to 24-12 (15-7 MAC).
» All Eastern Michigan starters reached base safely with a hit by the fifth inning.
» Eastern recorded six extra-base hits by the fifth inning, tying for its third-most in a game this season. It finished the game with seven, its second-most of the season.
» The Eagles had double-digit hits for the 13th time this (15) and the second-consecutive contest after recording 12 hits in the 11-10 win at Oakland, April 22. EMU's 15 hits tied their third-highest single-game total this season, matching March 15 at Ball State and April 12 vs. UMass.
» Ty Stecko homered for the second consecutive game for the second time this season after doing so against SIUE, Feb. 27-28. The blast moved him to 18 career home runs in 81 career games as an Eagle. Stecko went 2-for-5 at the plate with three RBI, his ninth game with two or more RBI and 11th with multiple hits. He is 11 RBI away from 100 in his NCAA career as he totals 89.
» Tristan Crane pocketed his third consecutive multi-hit game and fifth of the season, extending his hitting streak to a career-best six games, currently the longest on the team. He finished the day 2-for-5 with one double, one RBI, and one run scored.
» Jack Angus pitched a season-long 3.1 innings, allowing one run or less for the fifth time this season and third time in his last four appearances. The righty also struck out a season-best two batters.
» Devan Zirwas went 2-for-5 with three runs, marking his 10th multi-hit game of the year. He doubled for the 10th time for his team-best 24th extra-base hit of the season.
» Nathan Borchardt totaled two hits and one RBI, marking his seventh multi-hit game of the campaign and second consecutive game doing so. Borchardt has notched back-to-back multi-hit games twice this season as he first accomplished the feat against Miami, March 6-7.
» Drew Jones tripled for the first time in his NCAA tenure in the fourth inning. The triple was Eastern's sixth of the season.
Historical Notes
» EMU and NIU met for the 144th time as it holds a 84-60 record against the Huskies and 21-19 mark when facing them in DeKalb.
Up Next
The Eagles and Huskies play the second game of the series tomorrow, Saturday, April 25. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET in DeKalb, Ill.
Follow Us
Keep up with all things Eastern baseball by following the team on X @EMU Baseball, and on Instagram @emu_baseball.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Blake Gaskey (4-1)
L: Carmichael, John (1-6)
Batting:
2B: Hale, John 1 ; Zirwas, Devan 1 ; Stecko, Ty 1 ; Crane, Tristan 1 ; Borchardt, Nathan 1
3B: Jones, Drew 1
HR: Stecko, Ty 1
RBI: Hale, John 2 ; Jellison, Bruce 1 ; Stecko, Ty 3 ; Crane, Tristan 1 ; Borchardt, Nathan 1 ; Weaver, Nick 1
SF: Hale, John 1 ; Jellison, Bruce 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Jellison, Bruce 1 ; Zirwas, Devan 3 ; Stecko, Ty 1 ; Crane, Tristan 1 ; Jones, Drew 2 ; Knupp, Keegan 1
SB: Sydlowski, Kriss 1 ; Knupp, Keegan 1
Batting:
2B: Wyatt Wawro 1 ; Gavin Baldwi 2 ; Cooper Cohn 1
HR: Caden Robert 1 ; Will Couchma 1
RBI: Nolan Sandee 1 ; Caden Robert 5 ; Gavin Baldwi 2 ; Charlie Parc 2 ; Will Couchma 3
SF: Charlie Parc 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Wyatt Wawro 3 ; Nolan Sandee 2 ; Caden Robert 2 ; Vinny Spotof 1 ; Gavin Baldwi 1 ; Ivan Dahlber 1 ; Charlie Parc 1 ; Will Couchma 2 ; Cooper Cohn 1 ; Marcus Romer 1
SB: Nolan Sandee 1 ; Marcus Romer 2
HBP: Wyatt Wawro 1 ; Nolan Sandee 1 ; Gavin Baldwi 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
lf/rf
AB
5
R
3
H
2
RBI
0
AB
5
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
RHP
/ Baseball
C
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/ Baseball
UTIL
/ BaseballINF
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