Eastern Michigan Athletics
Sunday, April 26
DeKalb, Ill.
2 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
13-28, 7-17
9
at
7
Northern Illinois
25-13, 16-8
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Mich. | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 2 |
| Northern Ill. | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 10 | 3 |
Stecko Homers for Fourth-Straight Game in Series-Finale Win at NIU
4/26/2026 6:08:00 PM | Baseball
Stecko is the first Eagle to homer in four straight games since 2002
DEKALB, Ill. (EMUEagles.com) – Ty Stecko homered for the fourth straight game as the Eastern Michigan University baseball team rallied for a 9-7 win over Northern Illinois University in a Mid-American Conference series finale Sunday, April 26, at Ralph McKinzie Field. Stecko joins Houston's Cade Climie as the only Division I players with an active four-game home run streak and sits five games behind Pittsburgh's Lorenzo Carrier, who homered in nine straight games from Feb. 28 to March 13 earlier this season. He is the first EMU player to homer in four consecutive games since the 2002 season.
Along with Stecko (North Huntingdon, Pa./Norwin/Mount St. Mary's), Nathan Borchardt (Stanley, N.C./East Lincoln/King) delivered a 2-for-5 performance with one double and a career-best four RBI.
Carter White (Shelby County, Ky./Shelby County/Lincoln Memorial) started for the first time in his Division I career and pitched a season-long 3.2 innings, allowing one run while striking out and walking three batters. Landon Mueller (Fremont, Neb./Fremont/Omaha) (2-2) earned the win after two innings of relief. Typical starter John Carmichael (Destrehan, La./Destrehan/McLennan C.C.) came on to earn his first save of the season with a scoreless ninth inning.
How it Happened
In a fitting end to one of the Mid-American Conference's storied rivalries, the Eagles erased an early deficit and surged ahead with multi-run frames, powered by clutch hitting and a strong finish on the mound.
Northern Illinois struck first in the opening inning, manufacturing one run on a balk, but Eastern Michigan's offense erupted in the fourth. After a game-tying RBI single by Devan Zirwas (Imperial, Pa./West Allegheny/VCU), Borchardt delivered a two-run single putting EMU in front, 3-1. Keegan Knupp (Lewis Center, Ohio/Olentangy Orange) capped the inning with an RBI single down the right-field line, scoring Borchardt and putting the Eagles up 4-1.
The Eagles continued to add on with a run in the fifth as Tristan Crane (Berkley, Mich./Brother Rice/Texas A&M Corpus Christi) singled home John Hale (Ashland City, Tenn./Sycamore/Motlow State C.C.) for a 5-1 advantage. The Huskies battled back in the sixth, scoring three times to pull within 5-4, but Stecko reclaimed momentum for EMU in the seventh with a two-run homer to right, pushing the lead to 7-4.
After NIU trimmed the deficit to 7-5 in the eighth, Borchardt came through again in the ninth, lining a two-run double to right center as Stecko and Crane crossed the plate for crucial insurance runs. The Huskies threatened in the bottom half, plating two more, but Carmichael shut the door with a scoreless ninth in his first relief appearance of the season to secure the win in EMU's final conference matchup against NIU.
Game Notes
» Eastern's record improved to 13-28 (7-17 MAC), and Northern Illinois' dropped to 25-13 (16-8 MAC).
» EMU outhit its foe for the 13th time this season and second consecutive game, producing an 8-5 record in such games.
» The Eagles had double-digit hits (11) for the 15th time this season and the fourth consecutive contest. The four-straight games with 10+ hits is the longest stretch of the season, surpassing the three-straight games it did so in a sweep against Central Michigan, March 27-29.
EMU won for the first time this season when facing a MAC opponent on the road.
» Eastern recorded its 12th inning of the season with four-plus runs as it plated four runs in the fourth inning.
» EMU pitching limited the Huskies to one extra-base hit, its fifth time this season doing so as it holds a 2-3 record in the situation.
» Ty Stecko homered for the fourth consecutive game for the first time in his career, as he is the only Eagle to accomplish the feat this season. The blast moved him to 20 career home runs in 83 career games as an Eagle. Stecko went 1-for-4 at the plate with two RBI, his 12th game with two or more RBI this season. He is six RBI away from 100 in his NCAA career as he totals 94. He is up to 10 homers this season, ranking second on the team and fourth in the MAC by value.
» Nathan Borchardt recorded two hits and an EMU career-high four RBI for his third multi-RBI game of the season and first since he drove in two runs at Ball State, March 13. He extended his hitting streak to four games as he has a pair of knocks in each of them.
» John Hale registered his 12th multi-hit game with a 2-for-5 showing, including one double. Hale has exceeded his 2025 extra-base hit total (13) by five with 18 as he has a team-best 13 doubles this season, ranking fourth in the MAC.
» Tristan Crane secured his fifth consecutive multi-hit game and seventh of the season, extending his hitting streak to a career-best eight games, currently the longest on the team and one game from tying Demir Heidelberg's (Homewood, Ill/Homewood-Flossmoor) nine-game hitting streak, the team's longest by an individual this year. He finished the day 2-for-5 with one RBI and one run scored.
» Carter White started for the first time in his Division I career and pitched a season-long 3.2 innings, allowing one run or less for the sixth time while striking out and walking three batters.
» Devan Zirwas went 2-for-4 at the plate with two runs and one RBI, marking his 12th multi-hit game of the year. He doubled for the 12th time for his team-best 26th extra-base hit of the season. He is tied for 20th in program history, with 32 two-baggers in the Script E.
» Landon Mueller (2-2) earned his second win of the season after two innings of relief and John Carmichael recorded his first NCAA save after tossing a scoreless ninth inning.
Historical Notes
» EMU and NIU met for the 146th time as it holds an 85-61 record against the Huskies and a 22-20 mark when facing them in DeKalb.
» Eastern and NIU met for the final time as Mid-American Conference opponents. Overall, EMU Athletics is 6-2 this season when facing the Huskies for the final time in the regular season.
» Ty Stecko is the first Eagle to homer in four consecutive games since the 2002 season. Program career home runs leader Ryan Goleski did so from May 17-19 while Chad Jenkins homered in five straight games, May 10-18.
Up Next
Eastern next hosts Washington for Education Day, April 28, at 12 p.m. Admission is free at Oestrike Stadium and the game can be streamed on ESPN+.
Follow Us
Keep up with all things Eastern baseball by following the team on X @EMU Baseball, and on Instagram @emu_baseball.
Along with Stecko (North Huntingdon, Pa./Norwin/Mount St. Mary's), Nathan Borchardt (Stanley, N.C./East Lincoln/King) delivered a 2-for-5 performance with one double and a career-best four RBI.
Carter White (Shelby County, Ky./Shelby County/Lincoln Memorial) started for the first time in his Division I career and pitched a season-long 3.2 innings, allowing one run while striking out and walking three batters. Landon Mueller (Fremont, Neb./Fremont/Omaha) (2-2) earned the win after two innings of relief. Typical starter John Carmichael (Destrehan, La./Destrehan/McLennan C.C.) came on to earn his first save of the season with a scoreless ninth inning.
How it Happened
In a fitting end to one of the Mid-American Conference's storied rivalries, the Eagles erased an early deficit and surged ahead with multi-run frames, powered by clutch hitting and a strong finish on the mound.
Northern Illinois struck first in the opening inning, manufacturing one run on a balk, but Eastern Michigan's offense erupted in the fourth. After a game-tying RBI single by Devan Zirwas (Imperial, Pa./West Allegheny/VCU), Borchardt delivered a two-run single putting EMU in front, 3-1. Keegan Knupp (Lewis Center, Ohio/Olentangy Orange) capped the inning with an RBI single down the right-field line, scoring Borchardt and putting the Eagles up 4-1.
The Eagles continued to add on with a run in the fifth as Tristan Crane (Berkley, Mich./Brother Rice/Texas A&M Corpus Christi) singled home John Hale (Ashland City, Tenn./Sycamore/Motlow State C.C.) for a 5-1 advantage. The Huskies battled back in the sixth, scoring three times to pull within 5-4, but Stecko reclaimed momentum for EMU in the seventh with a two-run homer to right, pushing the lead to 7-4.
After NIU trimmed the deficit to 7-5 in the eighth, Borchardt came through again in the ninth, lining a two-run double to right center as Stecko and Crane crossed the plate for crucial insurance runs. The Huskies threatened in the bottom half, plating two more, but Carmichael shut the door with a scoreless ninth in his first relief appearance of the season to secure the win in EMU's final conference matchup against NIU.
Game Notes
» Eastern's record improved to 13-28 (7-17 MAC), and Northern Illinois' dropped to 25-13 (16-8 MAC).
» EMU outhit its foe for the 13th time this season and second consecutive game, producing an 8-5 record in such games.
» The Eagles had double-digit hits (11) for the 15th time this season and the fourth consecutive contest. The four-straight games with 10+ hits is the longest stretch of the season, surpassing the three-straight games it did so in a sweep against Central Michigan, March 27-29.
EMU won for the first time this season when facing a MAC opponent on the road.
» Eastern recorded its 12th inning of the season with four-plus runs as it plated four runs in the fourth inning.
» EMU pitching limited the Huskies to one extra-base hit, its fifth time this season doing so as it holds a 2-3 record in the situation.
» Ty Stecko homered for the fourth consecutive game for the first time in his career, as he is the only Eagle to accomplish the feat this season. The blast moved him to 20 career home runs in 83 career games as an Eagle. Stecko went 1-for-4 at the plate with two RBI, his 12th game with two or more RBI this season. He is six RBI away from 100 in his NCAA career as he totals 94. He is up to 10 homers this season, ranking second on the team and fourth in the MAC by value.
» Nathan Borchardt recorded two hits and an EMU career-high four RBI for his third multi-RBI game of the season and first since he drove in two runs at Ball State, March 13. He extended his hitting streak to four games as he has a pair of knocks in each of them.
» John Hale registered his 12th multi-hit game with a 2-for-5 showing, including one double. Hale has exceeded his 2025 extra-base hit total (13) by five with 18 as he has a team-best 13 doubles this season, ranking fourth in the MAC.
» Tristan Crane secured his fifth consecutive multi-hit game and seventh of the season, extending his hitting streak to a career-best eight games, currently the longest on the team and one game from tying Demir Heidelberg's (Homewood, Ill/Homewood-Flossmoor) nine-game hitting streak, the team's longest by an individual this year. He finished the day 2-for-5 with one RBI and one run scored.
» Carter White started for the first time in his Division I career and pitched a season-long 3.2 innings, allowing one run or less for the sixth time while striking out and walking three batters.
» Devan Zirwas went 2-for-4 at the plate with two runs and one RBI, marking his 12th multi-hit game of the year. He doubled for the 12th time for his team-best 26th extra-base hit of the season. He is tied for 20th in program history, with 32 two-baggers in the Script E.
» Landon Mueller (2-2) earned his second win of the season after two innings of relief and John Carmichael recorded his first NCAA save after tossing a scoreless ninth inning.
Historical Notes
» EMU and NIU met for the 146th time as it holds an 85-61 record against the Huskies and a 22-20 mark when facing them in DeKalb.
» Eastern and NIU met for the final time as Mid-American Conference opponents. Overall, EMU Athletics is 6-2 this season when facing the Huskies for the final time in the regular season.
» Ty Stecko is the first Eagle to homer in four consecutive games since the 2002 season. Program career home runs leader Ryan Goleski did so from May 17-19 while Chad Jenkins homered in five straight games, May 10-18.
Up Next
Eastern next hosts Washington for Education Day, April 28, at 12 p.m. Admission is free at Oestrike Stadium and the game can be streamed on ESPN+.
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: Mueller, Landon (2-2)
L: Carter Cox (4-4)
S: Carmichael, John (1)
Batting:
2B: Hale, John 1 ; Zirwas, Devan 1 ; Borchardt, Nathan 1
HR: Stecko, Ty 1
RBI: Crane, Tristan 1 ; Zirwas, Devan 1 ; Stecko, Ty 2 ; Borchardt, Nathan 4 ; Knupp, Keegan 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Hale, John 2 ; Crane, Tristan 2 ; Zirwas, Devan 2 ; Stecko, Ty 2 ; Borchardt, Nathan 1
CS: Knupp, Keegan 1
HBP: Stecko, Ty 1
Batting:
2B: Ivan Dahlberg 1
RBI: Wyatt Wawro 2 ; Cole Smith 1 ; Vinny Spotofora 1 ; Gavin Baldwin 1
SF: Cole Smith 1 ; Gavin Baldwin 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Wyatt Wawro 1 ; Cole Smith 1 ; Nolan Sandee 1 ; Marcus Romero 2 ; Ivan Dahlberg 2
SB: Wyatt Wawro 1 ; Charlie Parcell 1
CS: Charlie Parcell 1
HBP: Gavin Baldwin 1 ; Nolan Sandee 1 ; Charlie Parcell 2
Game Leaders
AB
5
R
2
H
2
RBI
1
AB
4
R
2
H
2
RBI
1
AB
5
R
1
H
2
RBI
4
Players Mentioned
C
/ Baseball
RHP
/ BaseballUTIL
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
LHP
/ BaseballINF
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