CLEVELAND, Ohio – Below is a team-by-team preview for the 2025 MAC Baseball season.

The MAC baseball season begins today, Feb. 14 while conference play starts up Friday, March 7. For more information visit getsomemaction.com or follow the MAC on X at @MACSports.

Team-By-Team Previews (In Preseason Coaches Poll Predicted Order)
1. Ball State
Ball State is coming off a 2024 season when it went 35-23-1 (18-12 Mid-American Conference) and made a run to the MAC Tournament championship game as the No. 3 seed. The Cardinals lost the MAC

Pitcher of the Year (Merritt Beeker) and Defensive Player of the Year (Michael Hallquist) to the pros but return MAC Freshman Pitcher of the Year Keegan Johnson and Second Team All-MAC first baseman Blake Bevis.

Head coach Rich Maloney enters the 2025 season 12 wins away from 1,000 in his career as a collegiate head coach, which is entering his 30th season.

The Ball State baseball program boasts the best winning percentage both overall (.636) and in conference play (.647) among MAC teams since 2019.

2. Kent State
Kent State was picked second in the 2025 Mid-American Conference preseason coaches' poll, which was announced on Wednesday. 

Head coach Jeff Duncan enters his twelfth season leading the Golden Flashes with a 40-man roster that includes 16 newcomers. Along with the 16 new players on the roster. Also returning for the Flashes is longtime associate head coach Mike Birkbeck, who is entering his twenty-ninth season at Kent State. Alongside Duncan and Birkbeck on the staff is Zeke Pinkham, Dan Bertolini, Kade McClure, and Lance MacDonald who are all entering their first season as members of the Kent State coaching staff.

The Flashes return 68% of their innings pitch on the mound led by Eric Chalus (72.2), Benny Roebuck (47), and Ciaran Caughey (42).

Kent State also returns left-handed fireman Peyton Cariaco, who was recently named to the initial watch list for the 20th annual National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Stopper of the Year award. During his junior season last year, Cariaco made 25 appearances and posted a 3.15 ERA across 40 innings pitched. The lefty picked up five wins and saves (both team highs), struck out 29 batters, and limited opposing hitters to a .267 batting average.

Offensively Kent State returns Jake Casey who had eight homers and steals for the Flashes before going down with an injury in mid-April. Junior Backstop, Brody Williams returns as a consistent bat and primary catch for the Flashes. Also returning to the batting order is switch-hitting infielder Ripken Reese and designated hitter, Dom Kibler, who both look to build off their 2024 campaign.

The Flashes will also look to get an instant impact out of Saginaw Valley State Transfer Hayden Jatczak. The infielder hit .468/.551/.563 with 16 homers and 82 RBIs while earning DII All-American Honors. Also looking to make a big splash in the Kent State lineup is Youngstown State transfer Alejandro Covas who finished second on the country last season in triples with 10 on his way to earning Horizon League Freshman of the Year. Freshman outfielder, Micah Rienstra-Kiracofe has been tabbed as the preseason MAC Freshman of the Year by both Perfect Game and D1Baseball and looks to make an instant impact for the Flashes.

3. Miami 
Preview story coming soon. 

4. Bowling Green 
The 2024 campaign was one for the record books for the Falcons. The program captured the program's 15th 20-win season, tallied a program record 24 conference wins and recorded the best conference start in MAC baseball history at 17-0. The team also broke the program records for walks drawn in a season as well as strikeouts thrown. The season concluded with a program record 14 All-MAC honors for the team, including Kyle Hallock being named MAC Coach of the Year, Nathan Archer being named MAC Player of the Year and Garrett Wright earning MAC Freshman of the Year.

For Bowling Green, the pitching unit will showcase experience this season. Of the 15 players who logged an inning of action on the mound last year, 11 return to the group this season, including retaining six of the top seven in ERA. As for at the plate, the Falcons will be looking for an influx of youth. Of the 16 players who logged at least on at-bat last year, only 10 return, including losing five of the top eight in batting average from a season ago. Overall, the Falcons return 71-percent of their innings pitched from last year and 51-percent of the team's at-bats. 

Last year, Nic Good stepped into a rotational role for the Falcons, starting all 15 games he appeared in for BGSU. Good was one of two pitchers for BGSU to not make a bullpen appearance last year, joined by DJ Newman who started all eight of his appearances before having his season ended due to injury. For Good, he struck out 55 batters while walking just 27 over the course of 66 innings, earning him an All-MAC Second Team selection as well as an All-MAC Defensive Team nod. Of his 55 strikeouts, 20 were strikeouts looking, leading the team. He also finished the season with six wins, the most on the team and fifth in the MAC.

Last season, Garrett Wright proved to be one of the hardest outs in college baseball. Wright ranked 26th in the nation, fourth among freshmen and first in the MAC, for the toughest players to strike out, doing so just once every 11.1 at-bats. For the year, he struck out just 11 times in 129 official at-bats. He also broke the program record for hit-by-pitches with 21, tied for 32nd in the nation. However, his average of 0.53 HBPs per game ranked fifth in the nation. Those stats culminated in a .503 on-base percentage, leading the MAC while ranking 27th overall in the country and third among all freshmen. 

5. Western Michigan
The Broncos are coming off of a 32-win campaign in 2024, the most wins for the program since 1993. Western Michigan went 19-11 in conference play to finish second in the regular season standings, its highest MAC finish since 1990. The Brown and Gold were the No. 2 seed for the MAC Tournament and went on a dominant three-day run where they outscored their opponents 29-3 on the way to the second MAC Tournament title in program history. The tournament win punched WMU's ticket to its 13th NCAA Tournament, where it faced No. 2 overall seed Kentucky and Indiana State in the Lexington Regional.

The WMU offense had an outstanding 2024, leading the MAC and ranking 13th in NCAA Division I with a .313 batting average, and posting a .416 on-base percentage which was second in the conference and 21st in the country. Led by Dylan Nevar's single-season program record 71 RBIs, the Broncos set the single-season team record for runs scored with 418. Western Michigan also set a new program record for hits (597) and tied its own record for walks (287).

The Broncos had a record-setting pitching staff as well last season, with the group racking up a single-season school record 444 strikeouts. Western Michigan was atop the MAC and tied for second in the nation with seven shutouts, one shy of the school record. WMU ranked atop the MAC with a 5.55 ERA, and posted a 4.85 mark in league play.

The Broncos bring back several key contributors on both sides of the ball from last year's championship squad. In addition to reigning MAC Tournament MVP Dylan Nevar, Brendan Harrity (.299), Michael Maloney (.273) and Grady Mee (.292) all return after starting all 55 games a season ago. On the pitching side, Turner Doran returns to anchor the bullpen after turning in a 3.44 ERA and collecting three saves last year. Joe Shapiro earned five wins in relief in 2024, including getting the victory in the MAC Tournament Championship Game. DJ Thompson split time between the bullpen and rotation a season ago and posted a 4.32 ERA in 50.0 innings. Each of Thompson's last three regular season starts turned into shutouts for Western Michigan.

Western Michigan welcomed seven transfers to this year's squad. Three transferred in from fellow Division I programs, Chris Akers (Towson), Aiden Hinds (Kent State) and Matt Maloney (Evansville). A pair of pitchers arrived at WMU from Division II programs, in Reese Gaber (University of Sioux Falls) and Ty McKinstry (Davenport), and the Broncos also grabbed a pair of players from the junior college ranks in Diego Pena (Kellogg CC) and Joey Wizceb (McHenry County College). WMU also welcomed five true freshmen to the program, with all five hailing from the state of Michigan.


6. Toledo
Rocket Hitting Notes

• Toledo returns five batters from last year's starting lineup – Caden Konczak, Charlie Scholvin, JP Wagner, Luke Walton and Brayden White.
• Walton hit .303 as a freshman last season, drilling 12 home runs with 39 RBI. He also slugged 14 doubles.
• Konczak is coming off of his top offensive season last year, hitting .279 with 55 base hits out of the leadoff spot, including eight home runs and 28 RBIs. Konczak also scored 36 runs and stole nine bases.
• Scholvin had a strong finish to last season, hitting .366 over his last 12 games. He batted .257 and was hit by 17 pitches for a .417 on-base percentage in 36 games as a true freshman.
• Toledo hit 89 home runs as a team last season, second-most in the MAC.

On the mound and in the field

• Sophomore Jacob Tabor was named to the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Watch List on Wednesday. He was Second-Team All-MAC and an NCBWA Freshman All-American in 2024.
• Toledo returns Jackson Bergman, RJ Shunck and Yianni Skeriotis from last year's starting pitching rotation.
• Several bullpen pieces from a year ago including Tabor, Brennan McCune and Nathan Leininger return to Toledo this year.
• The Rockets also added several pitchers out of the transfer portal, including Logan Jones (Jacksonville), Ryan Kennedy (Virginia Tech), Josh Laisure (Wright State) and Cooper Loveridge (Air Force).
• Toledo's arms combined to allow a .270 opponent batting average, the lowest in the league, and held the MAC's second-best ERA at 5.66.
• UT broke its program record a year ago with 514 strikeouts on the season, the second-most in the MAC.

7. Northern Illinois
A new-look Northern Illinois University baseball team takes the field to start the 2025 season this weekend at Nicholls, starting on Friday night at 6:30 p.m. The Huskies have added over 20 new faces to a team that won 21 games a year ago in head coach Ryan Copeland's first season in the NIU dugout.

The Huskies re-tooled the pitching staff for 2025, adding 11 new arms. NIU does return two weekend starters in redshirt-junior Adam Brouwer (Tinley Park, Ill./Illinois-Springfield) and sophomore Ty Brachbill (Shelbyville, Ill./Shelbyville). Brouwer was one of three All-Mid-American Conference Second Team selections for NIU last season, leading the team with seven wins and finishing the year second on the team with 55 strikeouts and 73.1 innings pitched. He was 7-1 in 10 conference starts with a 3.62 ERA.

Sophomore outfielder Charlie Parcell (Des Plaines, Ill./Maine West) is NIU's top returning hitter. Parcell hit .277 in 52 games his freshman year, slugging 12 doubles and driving in 25 runs. He finished the year with a hit in eight of the last nine games.

8. Ohio
Ohio's roster includes key returners alongside several fresh faces. There are eight freshman this season and five transfers.

The Bobcats will rely on their strong pitching staff this year, including graduate student Jacob Tate (Louisville, Tenn.). Senior Dillon Masters (New Albany, Ohio) and Blake Gaskey (Davenport, Iowa) also return. Both pitchers tied for 57 strikeouts last season.

On the defensive side, sophomore JR Nelson (Vernon Hills, Ill.) is a key returner who earned Mid-American Conference All-Defensive Team honors last season. As a freshman, Nelson started all 49 games, in which he recorded 59 putouts and 124 assists, with a mere seven errors. Senior Wes Lug (Huntersville, N.C.) will also contribute. Last season he recorded a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage on 81 total chances.

At the plate, sophomore Pauly Mancino (Westlake, Ohio) will be helpful for the Bobcats. In 2024, Mancino tallied a .248 batting average as a true freshman. 

Ohio's season opens February 14 with a three-game series at Wofford in Spartanburg, South Carolina. It will stay on the road for another weekend, taking on West Georgia from February 21-23, before facing West Virginia on February 25.

Ohio will host Butler in its home opener at Bob Wren Stadium on February 28, kicking off a three-game series in Athens. MAC play begins March 7 against Bowling Green, with other key conference matchups against Central Michigan, Toledo and Miami. The Bobcats will also face Ohio State in Columbus on May 6, a highly anticipated in-state battle late in the season.

9. Central Michigan
CMU opens the season on Friday (7:30 p.m. ET) at Houston Christian. The Chippewas and Huskies are scheduled to play a four-game series that concludes on Sunday after a Saturday doubleheader.

After that, it's visits to San Francisco, Kentucky, Virginia and West Virginia before the Mid-American Conference-opening weekend at Ohio March 14-16. The home opener, a nonleague game, is scheduled for March 19 against Cleary.

Redshirt junior left-hander Evan Waters is expected to start at Houston Christian on Friday. He is one of few roster veterans with any measurable experience. Among the others are outfielder Cole Prout, shortstop Elijah Henning, and catcher Spencer Verburg.

Among myriad newcomers who are expected to contribute are pitchers Liam Stumpf and Alejandro Espinoza, both right-handers, along with infielders Aaron Piasecki, Brady Krzciok and Jake Kutella and Zach Knowlton.

Piasecki, a junior who hails from Muskegon, was a National Junior College All-American last season at Kellogg CC, where he hit .481 with six homers, 65 RBI and 24 stolen bases.

Krzciok – pronounced Kr-zook – is a Clarkston native who hit .496 with 12 homers and 48 RBI a year ago at Macomb Community College.

Krzciok and Piasecki earned their respective Michigan Community College Athletic Association Conference Player of the Year awards in 2024, Krzciok in the east, Piasecki in the west.

Knowlton is a speedy center fielder from Kansas who hit .347 with 20 extra-base hits, drove in 47 runs and scored 55 a year ago at Highland (Kan.) CC. Kutella hit .414 with nine home runs, 61 RBI and a .723 slugging percentage last spring at Triton (Ill.) JC.

10. Eastern Michigan
The Eastern Michigan University baseball team is slated to begin its 2025 campaign in the Sunshine State of Florida as the Eagles will take on the Pittsburgh Panthers in a three-game series at Centennial Park, in Port Charlotte, Friday-Sunday, Feb. 14-16. Friday and Saturday's games will start at 1 p.m. while Sunday's will begin at 12 p.m.

Head Coach Robbie Britt enters his second season at the helm of the program in 2025. The 2025 campaign marks Britt's sixth overall season as a collegiate head coach. In 225 career games, Britt posts a 139-86 record and .617 career winning percentage.  The Eagles went 14-38 in Britt's first season.

The 2025 campaign marks the 77th season of EMU baseball. Overall, the program holds a 36-40 record in season-opening contests dating back to the program's first season, 1949. Last season, the Eagles fell to the Belmont Bruins in the first game of the year, 4-3.

Eastern returns one All-MAC player in senior right-handed pitcher Bobby Jones. Last season, Jones led the team in  ERA (6.28), WHIP (1.31), wins (five), innings pitched (86.0), and strikeouts (79), while issuing the second-least amount of walks of any EMU starter (24), and allowing the lowest opposing batting average of all starters (.255). Additionally, Jones' 86.0 innings on the mound ranked as the most in the MAC, while ranking seventh in the conference in opposing batting average, strikeouts, and walks allowed. 

The Eagles return key position players in Giano Zuccaro and Logan Hugo.
 
Zuccaro averaged .341 from the plate with a .946 OPS, adding 57 hits and 12 doubles along with 30 RBI. His hits, doubles, and triples (two) total all ranked as the second-most on the team while playing a clean outfield with a 1.000 fielding percentage and two assists.
 
Hugo averaged .284 from the dish with a .857 OPS, adding 52 hits and a team-high 10 home runs, totaling 19 extra base hits, along with 30 RBI. Also a threat on the base paths, Hugo led the team with 18 stolen bases in 22 attempts in 2024, and was second on the squad with 92 total bases.

Along with Second Team All-MAC selection Bobby Jones, the Eagles return veteran left-hander Drew Beckner. In 15 total appearances and 10 starts last season, he posted a 6.52 ERA, 1.74 WHIP, held opposing batters to a .262 average, and stuck out 62 while walking 50. In 69 innings of work, Beckner allowed 59 runs (50 earned), 70 hits, and 21 extra-base hits (eight homers).

11. Akron
The Zips finished the 2024 season with a 15-39 overall record, a 10-20 record in the MAC. The Blue and Gold was 3-14 at home and 9-22 on the road. The Zips will travel to begin the season, as the Blue and Gold will play 12 straight games away from Skeeles Field before hosting Oakland on March 5.

Before dropping series to Kent State and Ohio to conclude conference play last season, the Zips had won three straight series which featured  a pair of sweeps against Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan while taking 2-of-3 games against Western Michigan.

The Zips were led by Max Bowman in batting average (.321), hits (63), triples (4), home runs (7) and RBI (44). Sam Seeker and Jack Poist shared the lead for doubles (15) while Post had the most stolen bases last season (21). Three Zips recorded three wins, which included All-MAC selection Jared Schaeffer. Schaeffer also led the Akron pitching staff in strikeouts (61), innings pitched (81.1) and ERA (4.32). Sean Perkins had the most saves for the Zips (3).

Notable returners from last season include Schaeffer, Perkins, Bowman, Poist, Jack Kelley and Evan Bottone.

In total, Akron returns 18 players from last season while welcoming 17 newcomers

Akron was selected to finish 11th in the MAC Coaches Preseason Poll.