Baseball Hosts Bowling Green for 1976 Celebration Weekend

Eastern Michigan Baseball vs Bowling Green
Date	Friday-Sunday \| May 1-3
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 welcomes the Bowling Green State University Falcons to Oestrike Stadium Friday-Sunday, May 1-3, with game one and two starting at 3:05 p.m., while game three will start at 1:05 p.m. Sunday.

Eastern is set to honor its 1976 College World Series Runner-Up team with a pre-game ceremony beginning at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, May 2.

Fans can stream games one and three live on ESPN+ with Greg Steiner and Evan Stockton on the call while Elena Davis will have coverage from the sidelines. Game two is available on Eagle All-Access. Live stats are available 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 Falcons will meet for the 196th-198th times in the series. EMU leads the all-time series 113-82.
» Eastern has taken down Bowling Green 113 times which is the most the Eagles have beaten any of its opponents.
» The Eagles are honoring the 1976 College World Series Runner-Up team against the Falcons on Saturday.
» Ty Stecko was named MAC Player of the Week for the first time in his career after homering in all four games last week, April 27. He also landed in the DH role in the NCAA Lineup of the Week.
» EMU has thrived in late-inning situations as five of its last eight wins have come in either walk-off or go-ahead fashion.
» Eastern most recently lost a home tilt against Washington, April 28, 6-4.
» Eastern next travels to Youngstown State to face the Penguins for the second time this season, May 6.
» 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: BGSU
The Eagles and Falcons will meet for the 196th-198th times in this series. EMU leads the all-time series, 113-82. EMU is 24-14 when facing the Falcons at home since 1999. Last time at Oestrike versus the Falcons, the Eagles dropped two-of-three games to the eventual MAC regular season champions.

LAST TIME VS. BGSU
EMU lasted played Bowling Green in the MAC Tournament in Avon, Ohio where they stunned the Falcons 10-7 in extras to record its first postseason win since 2017. The May 22, 2025 game saw Drew Beckner toss 6.0 innings while allowing three runs and striking out eight batters on his way to 139 total pitches. The game had been back and forth until the ninth innings where the Eagles led by four, but Bowling Green tied the game at seven runs apiece in the bottom of the ninth. Eastern plated three in the 10th highlighted by a bases-clearing, two-run double from Logan Hugo to storm ahead 9-7 before Harrison Travis doubled to right-center to score Hugo and cap the scoring in the game. Ethan Davis shut down the Falcons in the bottom half, allowing zero BGSU runs as he forced a double-play ball to shortstop to secure the win. Gianno Zucaro led the way with three hits and three runs scored.

MOST RECENTLY: VS WASHINGTON, APRIL 28
Eastern lost, 6-4 in a standalone game to Washington in which it hosted a west-coast school for the first time in program history. The Tuesday tilt marked a day to remember for the catcher Nathan Borchardt, who was the Eagles only source of runs as he homered twice with four RBI recorded versus the Big Ten Conference opponent. The Eastern bullpen had a solid performance following Tommy Rose's act, allowing two runs across seven innings with scoreless appearances from Emmett Gillies, Greg Kennedy, and Jack Angus. The Eagles were winning 4-3 entering the top of the ninth inning thanks to a go-ahead Borchardt blast. EMU turned to the bullpen to protect the lead, but after a leadoff hit, reliever Cole Egan was unable to record an out, and Washington hit a three-run homer off Landon Mueller, giving the Huskies the 6-4 lead.

Notables
» The game marked the 409th for Eastern against a Big Ten opponent.
» The loss was the first time this season the Eagles lost a game after leading in the eighth inning as they are 8-1 in the scenario.
» Nathan Borchardt went yard for the third time this season with a three-run shot to right field to tie the game in the sixth inning, extending his hitting streak to seven games. He homered once more in the eighth inning for his first two-homer outing as an Eagle. Borchardt finished the day 2-for-3 at the plate for his 10th multi-hit game of the season and fifth consecutive game doing so. He also matched a career high with four RBI for the second straight game.
» Nathan Borchardt is the fourth Eagle to record a two-homer game this season. He joins Hale, Weaver, and Stecko.
» Tristan Crane singled to extend his hitting streak to nine games, tying Demir Heidelberg for the longest on the team this season.
» Kriss Sydlowski recorded his first extra-base hit of the season with a double off the right-field wall in the fifth inning.

HONORING 1976
Eastern Michigan celebrates the 50th anniversary of its 1976 College World Series team this weekend, May 2, a group that finished 46-16 and placed second in the nation. Led by Head Coach Ron Oestrike, the Hurons powered through the postseason with dominant pitching and three one-run wins in Omaha to reach the national championship series. That run still stands as one of the greatest achievements in program history and a defining moment for Eastern Michigan Eagles baseball on the national stage.

GRADUATION WEEKEND
Eastern Michigan baseball honors 17 graduating student-athletes this weekend during Spring Commencement, recognizing players who combined Division I competition with academic achievement. The group includes everyday contributors and key leaders such as Devan Zirwas, John Hale, and Bruce Jellison, along with pitchers and role players who helped shape the roster across multiple seasons.

THE SWINGMAN
Ty Stecko homered in four consecutive games with five home runs in the four-game span, April 22-26. He is the first Eagle to homer in four straight games since program career home runs leader Ryan Goleski (2001-03) did so from May 17-19 in the 2002 season. Stecko joins Central Arkansas' Zeb Allen and North Alabama's Nash Rippen 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. The stretch has elevated the senior to 10 home runs this season, the second-highest total on the team, ranking fourth in the conference by value. The blasts moved him to 20 career home runs in 83 career games as an Eagle, tying for 15th by value in program history.

STECKO'S NUMBERS LAST WEEK
In 18 at-bats against Oakland, April 22, and Northern Illinois, April 24-26, Stecko recorded a .500 batting average and 1.968 OPS. He had nine hits, seven of which went for extra bases (two doubles and five home runs), equaling 10 RBI and 26 total bases.

STECKO MAC POTW/NCAA HONORS
Ty Stecko was named MAC Player of the Week and was the designated hitter on NCAA Baseball's Lineup of the Week after his five-home run week that saw him drive in 10 runs off a .500 batting average and 1.968 OPS. The honor marks Stecko's first player of the week award in his collegiate career and EMU baseball's first of the season.

CRANE'S INCREASED PRODUCTION
Seeing an increased role lately, Tristan Crane has been productive as a catcher and shortstop, starting eight of the last 10 games he's played in. In those 10 contests, Crane is batting .474 (18-of-38) with two home runs, four doubles, and 11 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. 2026 serves as Crane's first year serving as a full-time position player as he was a two-way player last season at Texas A&M Corpus Christi, totaling just 32 at-bats for the Islanders.

TWO NUKE NATE
Nathan Borchardt went yard twice in the game against Washington, April 28. The game marked his first two-homer game as an Eagle as he is the fourth of the season to record two home runs in a game, joining Ty Stecko, Nick Weaver, and John Hale. Borchardt finished the day 2-for-3 at the plate for his 10th multi-hit game of the season and fifth consecutive game doing so. He also matched a career high with four RBI for the second straight game.

BORCHARDT'S EYE
Junior Nathan Borchardt has excelled in working walks as of late. He has earned at least one base-on-balls in seven of the last 10 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 12 times in the previous 10 contests, producing a team-best .545 on-base percentage. Borchardt's 26 walks leads the Eagles and ranks ninth in the MAC by value as he is the only Eagle with more walks than strikeouts.

BORCHARDT'S BIG WEEK
Nathan Borchardt is coming off his best offensive week as an Eagle, April 22-26. Borchardt recorded multiple hits in all four games, marking the longest multi-hit streak of his career. He also doubled in all four games and recorded RBI in 3-of-4, including a season-high four RBI in the 9-7 win at Northern Illinois, April 26.

OUCH!
Eastern was hit by seven pitches in the 11-10 win at Oakland, April 22, tying for the most by an EMU team in the modern statistical era (1999-present). The total ranks second in the MAC single-game leaderboards this season and third in the nation. The figure tied EMU's program record set in a 5-4 loss at Arizona State, March 5, 2016. EMU has been hit by 62 pitches this season, ranking seventh in program history. John Hale has been beaned 12 times, leading the team and one HBP short of tying his 13 from last season, which stands sixth in program history by value.

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 95 RBI as an Eagle and 102 in his collegiate tenure after driving 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 92 RBI while Borchardt posts 97.

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. Joining him is Ty Stecko, who is up to 21 homers as an Eagle, ranking 14th. Zirwas has 32 doubles as an Eagle, ranking 19th in program history as he needs nine RBI to break into the career leaderboards in runs driven in, holding 95 as an Eagle. He also compiles a .554 slugging clip, ranking narrowly outside of the program's top 10.

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 (.483) and on-base percentage (.596) leader twice. Mally ranks first in the nation in toughest to strikeout as he fans once every 28.6 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 6-2 record when doing so. Eastern most recently struck out five times or less with five strikeouts in the 15-9 loss at NIU, April 24, losing for just the second time when doing so. Conversely, the Eagles are 6-26 when striking out six times or more.

ALL HALE JOHN
John Hale has been seeing the ball well over his last 15 games. He is batting .356 while leading the team in hits (21) and ranking among the team leaders in runs 12), doubles (seven), extra-base hits (10)with a .627 slugging percentage. With 11 games remaining, the center fielder has already eclipsed his extra-base hit total from 2025, as he has 18 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 76-point improvement to his OPS (.837 to .933).

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. 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. He has 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 fourth-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 win over WMU, 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 11 starts with his longest being a six-inning, four earned run outing at Toledo, April 3. Carmichael most recently had an off start, making it just one inning at Northern Illinois, April 24. Among qualified pitchers, Carmichael has issued the fifth-fewest walks in the conference (16) and allowed the seventh-fewest doubles (9). Overall, he posts a 7.33 ERA and has 43 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 17 games, he is batting .355 with 22 hits, two home runs, a .949 OPS, 16 RBI, and eight walks and with eight strikeouts. He has added more power compared to last season, totaling six extra-base hits through 38 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 17 Games
.355 BA, .949 OPS, 22 Hits, 2 HR, 16 RBI, 8 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 second-most doubles (62) and hits (259), the sixth-best batting average in MAC competition (.290), while posting the fifth-most walks (113) and total bases (406). Pitching wise, EMU hurlers have 194 strikeouts, the fifth-most in the MAC. On defense, Eastern is tied for second in runners caught stealing with 13 and totals the fourth-most putouts (629). Individually, Devan Zirwas is tied for second in MAC play with seven homers and fifth in RBI with 27. Ty Stecko, John Hale, and Zirwas all slot fourth in doubles with nine, while Nathan Borchardt places third with 10. Hale also ranks seventh in hits (33). Borchardt's 17 walks rank fifth.

CARDIAC EAGLES
Eastern has four walk-off wins, tying for the third-most nationally by value, 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 Bowling Green. Weaver has thrown out 18 runners attempting to steal in 47 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 20 this season. The national leader, LaSalle's Jayden Novak, sits at 27. Weaver most recently caught one NIU Huskie stealing, April 26.

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 8-2 in one-run games this season. Its last one-run contest was of the winning variety as EMU captured an 11-10 (10) win at Oakland, April 22. The eight one-run victories are the most since it also put up seven in the 2021 season. It last recorded nine or more in the 2011 campaign, a season that saw EMU post a 12-6 record in such contests. Eastern's eight one-run wins rank second in the MAC as Akron paces the conference with eight one-run victories.

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 (25 games)
.297 BA, .464 SLG%, .400 OB%, .864 OPS

The improvement features a 104-point increase in batting average, 128-point jump in slugging percentage, 77-point surge in on-base percentage, and a 205-point advancement in OPS. The offense had its best weekend of the season against Central Michigan, March 27-29. The EMU offense had one of its best weekends of the season at NIU last weekend, April 24-26, batting .340 with 53 hits, 15 doubles, one triple, and seven home runs, totaling 35 RBI and 91 total bases with a .973 OPS.

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. 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.

MUELLER OUT OF THE PEN
Junior righty Landon Mueller has excelled out of the bullpen in 10 of his last 11 outings, excluding his appearance against Central Michigan, March 28. Outside of his appearance against the Chippewas, he totals 20.2 innings pitched out of the pen, posting a 6.53 ERA while allowing 15 earned runs off 26 hits and striking out 25 opposing batters while walking 13. 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 45 home runs through 42 games, ranking fifth in the Mid-American Conference. Devan Zirwas and Ty Stecko lead the way with 12 and 10 home runs, respectively, as Stecko hit five home runs from April 22-26. John Hale has five, while Tristan Crane and Nathan Borchardt each have four after Borchardt homered twice in the game against Washington, April 28. Nick Weaver has a trio of bombs, two that came at Ball State, March 15. Bruce Jellison 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 32 games played, he's hitting .298 with a .420 on-base percentage, both of which rank inside the top three on the team. He ranks fourth on the team with 34 hits and shows solid plate discipline with 22 walks and 24 strikeouts. On the base paths, Williams has been a key weapon, leading the team with 10 stolen bases in 13 attempts.

STRONG PLATE DISCIPLINE
The Eagles have drawn 204 walks in 42 games. That total ranks fifth in the Mid-American Conference. Forty-two games into the season, Nathan Borchardt's 26 walks lead the Eagles and ranks ninth in the MAC by value.

TEAM-LEADING ZIRWAS
Devan Zirwas leads the roster with 26 extra-base hits (12 doubles, two triples, and 12 home runs), 42 RBI, 94 total bases, two triples, 38 runs. Currently ranking second in the MAC in home runs (12), third in triples (two), fifth in doubles (12), and eighth in RBI (42). 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 Youngstown, Ohio, to complete the second half of a home-and-home series against the Youngstown State Penguins Wednesday, May 6, at 5 p.m.

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

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Players Mentioned

Jack Angus

Drew Beckner

Nathan Borchardt

John Carmichael

Tristan Crane

Ethan Davis

Cole Egan

Emmett Gillies

John Hale

Demir Heidelberg

Fischer Hendershot

Brian Henson

Logan Hugo

Bruce Jellison

Drew Jones

Greg Kennedy

Keegan Knupp

Leewood Molessa

Landon Mueller

Tommy Rose

Ty Stecko

Kriss Sydlowski

Nick Weaver

TJ Williams

Devan Zirwas

Eastern Michigan Athletics