Schaumburg, Ill.— Dominican University Baseball hosts Lakeland for a doubleheader at Wintrust Field on Saturday.
 
Series History vs. Lakeland:
All-Time Record / Streak: 21-11 / W1
-Dominican and Lakeland first played on 4/14/2008 in a doubleheader in Sheboygan, Wis. The Stars split the series with the Muskies (W, 6-5; L, 6-3).
-The Stars split the doubleheader at Lakeland last season on 4/1/2025 (L, 8-4; W, 15-2).
-DU is 9-9 at home against the Muskies.
-Dominican averages 7.44 runs per game against Lakeland.

DU in Review:
-The Stars hold a record of 8-12 (2-6 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 home against Rockford on Tuesday.
-Explosive offense between the fifth and seventh innings led DU past Rockford in Game 1 by a final score of 14-12.
-Senior Tyler Johnson had a remarkable performance, setting career-highs in hits (3), doubles (2), runs scored (2), and RBIs (6).
-Junior Alex Garcia finished 2-5 with a two-run homer, his 3^rd home run in five games.
-Freshman Austin Long and Sophomore Christian Pogorzelski combined for 6 hits on 9 at-bats, 3 runs scored, and an RBI. Long recorded a stolen base, while Pogorzelski hit a triple.
-Senior Ricky Powell was 1-3 with 3 RBIs, a double, and 3 runs scored.
-The Stars fell in Game 2 by a final score of 19-0.
-Senior Zach Helein drew two walks.
-Senior Ricky Powell had two walks.  

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 .342 average at the plate.
-Senior Matthew Earley is bringing the power for DU. The senior has posted 2 home runs, 11 RBIs, and 16 runs on 19 total hits. Earley has amassed a .279 batting average and a .924 OPS.
-Senior Ricky Powell has been an instrumental addition to the Dominican lineup, as Powell leads the Stars in RBIs with 18 on his 19 hits. Powell is .284 at the plate and has an OPS of .882.
-Senior Niko Krecu rounds out DU's lineup with a .254 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 .324 with 5 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 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 5 starts with a 5.14 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:
-Lakeland is 8-14 overall and 2-6 inside the NACC.
-The Muskies most recent doubleheader series was spilt between them and MSOE on Monday (L, 6-4; W, 9-5).
-Lakeland is 2-6 away from home this season.
-Lakeland hits .272 as a team and average 9 hits and 7.14 runs per game. The Muskies hold a 7.35 team ERA and a fielding percentage of .930.