Schaumburg, Ill. – Dominican University Baseball returns to conference play against crosstown rival Concordia Chicago on Wednesday.
 
Series History vs. Concordia Chicago:
All-Time Record / Streak: 5-31 / L1
-Dominican first played Concordia Chicago in a double header on 3/29/2008 in River Forest, Ill. (L, 4-2; L, 4-1)
-The Stars average 4.06 runs against the Cougars and are 3-14 at home.
-Last season, DU split its doubleheader with CUC at home on 3/26/2025 (W, 4-3; L, 10-0).

DU in Review:
-The Stars hold a record of 6-8 (0-2 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.


Last Time Out:
-The Stars could not keep pace with the offensive output of North Park on Monday, falling at home by a final score of 20-6.
-Senior Zach Helein was 2-4 with a run scored.
-Sophomore Marco Stawski finished 1-4 with 2 RBIs.
-Senior Niko Krecu went 1-2 with 2 walks and an RBI.

Shining Stars:
-Senior Zach Helein has led the Stars in the hit category with 22 in the early season. The Las Vegas native has posted 26 total bases along with 8 RBIs and a team-high .373 average at the plate.
-Senior Matthew Earley is bringing the power for DU. The senior has posted 2 home runs, 10 RBIs, and 12 runs on 16 total hits. Earley has amassed a .348 batting average and a 1.092 OPS.
-Senior Ricky Powell has been an instrumental addition to the Dominican lineup, as Powell leads the Stars in RBIs with 12 on his 15 hits. Powell is .288 at the plate and has an OPS of .819.
-Senior Niko Krecu rounds out DU's lineup with a .261 batting average, 12 hits, a homer, and 10 RBIs.
-Freshman Austin Long has cemented himself as a strong two-way player. At the plate, Long is hitting .256 with 4 RBIs. On the mound, Long has started 2 games for the Stars and has posted a 1-0 record with an ERA of 3.12.
-Sophomore Alex Voegele surged out to DU's first option on the mound, as the Naperville native has started in 4 games this season while registering a 6.11 ERA and 18 strikeouts.
-Junior Langdon Downing has excelled in the Dominican starting rotation, totaling 3 starts with a 4.11 ERA and has notched 14 strikeouts.
 
Familiar Faces:
-Senior Matthew Earley looks to build off of a strong Junior campaign, where he posted a .311 batting average alongside 6 home runs, 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 home runs 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 picking 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:
-Concordia Chicago is 5-10 (0-2 NACC) on the 2026 season.
-The Cougars are off the heels of being swept by Concordia Wisconsin in their NACC-opening doubleheader on Saturday (8-5, 23-8).
-CUC is 2-3 away from home this season.
-The Cougars hit at a clip of .259, average 6.47 runs per game, 9.00 hits per game, and have a team ERA of 6.89.