Danville, KY. – Dominican University Baseball opens its 2026 campaign at the Centre College Invite this weekend, with three games in two days.

Series History vs. Wheaton:
All-Time Record / Streak: 0-8 / L8
-Dominican and Wheaton first played on 3/20/2009, in Wheaton, Ill (L, 3-2 & L, 2-1)
-The last meeting between the Stars and Thunder was on 3/23/2018 (L, 5-2).
-DU averages 2.5 runs per game against Wheaton.
 
Series History vs. Brevard:
All-Time Record / Streak: 0-0 / N/A
-This will be the first matchup between Dominican and Brevard.
 
Series History vs. #13 Centre:
All-Time Record / Streak: 1-3 / W1
-Dominican and Centre first played on 2/24/2019, in Danville, KY (L, 11-1).
-The last meeting between the Stars and Colonels was on 2/26/2023 (W, 10-8).
-DU averages 5.25 runs per game against Centre.

DU in Review:
-The Stars hold a record of 0-0 (0-0 NACC) on the 2026 season.
-In the 2025 season, Dominican went 18-22 overall with a 9-15 conference record.
-DU did not qualify for the NACC Tournament last season and is looking for its first postseason berth since 2019.
-The 2026 season marks the 15^th season with Head Coach Steve Hardman at the helm. Hardman has amassed a 231-298 record in his career at Dominican.
-As a team last season, the Stars hit with a .284 batting average while holding a 7.99 ERA.
 
Familiar Faces:
-Senior Matthew Earley looks to build off of a strong Junior campaign, where he posted a .311 batting average alongside 6 homeruns, 42 RBIs, 15 doubles, and 6 triples. At first base, Earley recorded a .972 fielding percentage.
-Senior Zach Helein was a key piece of the Dominican outfield last campaign. Helein totaled 29 RBIs, 6 doubles, and a .874 OPS at the plate. In center field, Helein notched a .975 fielding percentage on 121 chances.
-Senior Niko Krecu brought power to the Stars' lineup, being second among returners with 4 homeruns last year on a .246 batting average.
-Graduate Student Matthew Hannafin will be a key piece in DU's starting rotation, having started 9 games last campaign. Hannafin totaled 24 strikeouts and only allowed 13 walks across his 41.2 innings pitched.
-Sophomore Ethan Buckner was instrumental in starting games the right way on the mound last season for the Stars, leading all Dominican pitchers with 33 strikeouts and picked up a 4-4 record.
-Sophomore Koufax Cranmer took on the role as the closer for DU, leading the squad in saves with 4 last campaign. Cranmer allowed just a .218 batting average to his opponents and collected 10 strikeouts.
 
Scouting Report vs. Wheaton:
-Wheaton is 1-3 to start the 2026 season.
-The Thunder opened the season with a four game series at Covenant College (GA).
-Wheaton is hitting .320 as a team through 4 games and has a team ERA of 9.15.
-Last season, the Thunder finished 16-25 and went 8-12 in the CCIW. In 2025, Wheaton posted a .257 batting average and a 5.70 ERA.
 
Scouting Report vs. Brevard:
-Brevard is 6-2 this season.
-The Tornadoes opened their campaign with a six-game win streak before dropping back-to-back games against Capital on Friday, February 20^th.
-Brevard is hitting .391 as a team through 8 games and has a team ERA of 4.80.
-The Tornadoes are outscoring their opponents 86-44 and have 9 homeruns to their opponents' 6.
 
Scouting Report vs. #13 Centre:
-#13 Centre is 5-1 to start the year, with all six of its games being at home.
-The Colonels took two of three from the University of Chicago and swept Trine in a three game series over the past two weeks.
-Centre is hitting .343 as a team and have stingy pitching with a team ERA of 2.47.
-The Colonels have outscored their opponents 52-17 to start the season and are outhitting their opponents 70-37.