Schaumburg, Ill.— Dominican University Baseball wraps up its home NACC schedule in a doubleheader series against Aurora on Wednesday afternoon.
 
Series History vs. Aurora:
All-Time Record / Streak: 10-29 / L9
-Dominican and Aurora first played on 5/1/2008 in a doubleheader at Aurora. DU dropped both games of the series (15-5, 5-4).
-The Stars were swept by the Spartans at home last season on 4/23/2025 (11-10, 15-6).
-DU is 6-12 at home against Aurora.
-Dominican averages 4.67 runs per game against the Spartans.

DU in Review:
-The Stars hold a record of 13-18 (6-12 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 their series at home against Wisconsin Lutheran on Saturday.
-In Game 1, the Stars surged out to an early 4-1 lead and ultimately earned a 7-5 victory.
-Freshman Austin Long earned Star of the Game with a 4-5 day, including 2 RBIs, a double, and 2 runs scored.
-Senior Ricky Powell was 2-4 with a walk.
-Senior Matthew Earley finished 2-5 with an RBI, a double, and a run scored.
-Senior Aaron O'Grady picked up the save for the Stars, pitching one inning and allowing just one hit.
- The Stars fell 5-1 in Game 2.
-Senior Zach Helein was 2-3 with a run scored and 2 walks.
-Sophomore Christian Pogorzelski finished 2-2 with 2 walks.
-Graduate Student Matthew Hannafin got the start and went 6.1 innings and allowed just 2 runs while picking up 5 strikeouts.

Shining Stars:
-Senior Zach Helein has led the Stars in the hit category with 46 on the year. The Las Vegas native has posted 57 total bases along with 17 RBIs and a team-high .371 average at the plate. Helein is 9^th in the NACC in hits.
-Senior Matthew Earley is bringing the power for DU. The senior has posted 3 home runs, 15 RBIs, and 22 runs on 32 total hits. Earley has amassed a .276 batting average and a .846 OPS.
-Senior Ricky Powell has been an instrumental addition to the Dominican lineup, as Powell leads the Stars in RBIs with 26 on his 33 hits and leads the team in homers with 5. Powell is .289 at the plate and has an OPS of .876.
-Senior Niko Krecu rounds out DU's lineup with a .271 batting average, 26 hits, 2 homers, and a 3^rd best 23 RBIs.
-Freshman Austin Long has cemented himself as a strong two-way player. At the plate, Long hits .361 with 15 RBIs. On the mound, Long has started 3 games for the Stars and has posted a 1-1 record with an ERA of 7.15.
-Sophomore Alex Voegele surged out to DU's first option on the mound, as the Naperville native has started in 8 games with a 2-1 record this season while registering a 5.21 ERA and 33 strikeouts.
-Junior Langdon Downing has excelled in the Dominican starting rotation, totaling 7 starts with a 4.45 ERA and has notched 23 strikeouts.
 -Junior Alex Garcia is in form as of late, posing a .284 average, 3 home runs, and 11 RBIs.
-Senior Tyler Johnson has surged into 2^nd in RBIs with 24 and has added 2 home runs and 5 doubles.

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:
-Aurora is 21-11 overall and 14-4 inside the NACC.
-The Spartans are amid a three-game win streak after a sweep of Marian and a split series against Rockford.
-Aurora is 6-4 away from home this season.
-Aurora hits .362 as a team and average 12.28 hits and 9.81 runs per game. The Spartans hold a 5.41 team ERA and a fielding percentage of .968.