Schaumburg, Ill.— Dominican University Baseball returns home for an early series against Rockford on Tuesday with a new start time of 10:00 a.m.
 
Series History vs. Rockford:
All-Time Record / Streak: 11-25 / L1
-Dominican and Rockford first played on 4/7/2008 in a doubleheader at Wintrust Field. The Stars dropped both contests (13-6, 11-6).
-The Stars split the doubleheader at Rockford last season on 4/29/2025 (W, 17-15; L, 16-6).
-DU is 4-14 at home against the Regents.
-Dominican averages 5.94 runs per game against Rockford.

DU in Review:
-The Stars hold a record of 7-11 (1-5 NACC) in 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:
-Dominican split its doubleheader series at Concordia Wisconsin on Tuesday.
-DU took down the Falcons in Game 1 by a final score of 4-2.
-Junior Alex Garcia finished 2-3 with a home run.
-Freshman Austin Long was 1-5 with an RBI.
-Senior Niko Krecu went 1-3 with a two-RBI triple.
-Sophomore Alex Voegele went 8.0 innings on the mound for the Stars and picked up 6 strikeouts and the win.
-The Stars fell in Game 2 by a final score of 16-3.
-Senior Matthew Earley finished 2-4 with a triple, double, and run scored.
-Freshman Nick Lopez went 1-1 and hit his first collegiate home run.  

Shining Stars:
-Senior Zach Helein has led the Stars in the hit category with 27 in the early season. The Las Vegas native has posted 35 total bases along with 12 RBIs and a team-high .360 average at the plate.
-Senior Matthew Earley is bringing the power for DU. The senior has posted 2 home runs, 10 RBIs, and 15 runs on 19 total hits. Earley has amassed a .311 batting average and a 1.004 OPS.
-Senior Ricky Powell has been an instrumental addition to the Dominican lineup, as Powell leads the Stars in RBIs with 15 on his 18 hits. Powell is .286 at the plate and has an OPS of .857.
-Senior Niko Krecu rounds out DU's lineup with a .268 batting average, 15 hits, a homer, and 14 RBIs.
-Freshman Austin Long has cemented himself as a strong two-way player. At the plate, Long is hitting .311 with 5 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 5 games with a 1-1 record this season while registering a 4.91 ERA and 24 strikeouts.
-Junior Langdon Downing has excelled in the Dominican starting rotation, totaling 4 starts with a 4.67 ERA and has notched 15 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:
-Rockford is 12-6 overall and 2-4 inside the NACC.
-The Regents are on the heels of being swept at MSOE on Saturday (6-0, 12-2).
-RU is 0-2 away from home this season.
-Rockford hit .292 as a team and average 9 hits and 5.67 runs per game. The Regents hold a 3.71 team ERA and a fielding percentage of .943.