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Dominican University Athletics

THE OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE OF THE DOMINICAN UNIVERSITY STARS OFFICIAL ATHLETICS SITE OF DOMINICAN UNIVERSITY
BASE Preview vs. Benedictine (2026)

Baseball Gears Up for Benedictine on Wednesday

4/7/2026 9:31:00 AM

Lisle, Ill.— Dominican University Baseball travels to Lisle for a doubleheader series against Benedictine on Wednesday.
 
Series History vs. Benedictine:
All-Time Record / Streak: 10-28 / L3
-Dominican and Benedictine first played on 3/30/2008 in a doubleheader in Lisle, Ill. The Stars dropped both games (4-2, 1-0).
-The Stars fell in their doubleheader against the Eagles last season on the road on 4/10/2025 (18-8, 18-0).
-DU is 3-15 at home against BenU
-Dominican averages 3.66 runs per game against Benedictine.

DU in Review:
-The Stars hold a record of 9-13 (3-7 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 15th 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 Lakeland on Saturday.
-In Game 1, the Stars jumped out to a 4-0 lead after three innings and never looked back, ultimately prevailing 5-3.
-Sophomore Alex Voegele earned Star of the Game, going 7.0 innings while picking up 6 strikeouts.
-Sophomore Christian Pogorzelski led the way offensively for the Stars, going 2-4 with 2 RBIs.
-Senior Zach Helein went 2-3 with 2 walks, a double, and 2 runs scored.
-Junior Alex Garcia finished 202 with an RBI and 2 walks.
-The Stars fell in Game 2 by a final score of 5-0.
-Senior Zach Helein went 3-4.

Shining Stars:
-Senior Zach Helein has led the Stars in the hit category with 32 on the year. The Las Vegas native has posted 41 total bases along with 12 RBIs and a team-high .372 average at the plate.
-Senior Matthew Earley is bringing the power for DU. The senior has posted 2 home runs, 11 RBIs, and 17 runs on 20 total hits. Earley has amassed a .263 batting average and a .865 OPS.
-Senior Ricky Powell has been an instrumental addition to the Dominican lineup, as Powell leads the Stars in RBIs with 18 on his 22 hits. Powell is .289 at the plate and has an OPS of .872.
-Senior Niko Krecu rounds out DU's lineup with a .254 batting average, 17 hits, a homer, and 14 RBIs.
-Freshman Austin Long has cemented himself as a strong two-way player. At the plate, Long is hitting .299 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 6 games with a 2-1 record this season while registering a 4.41 ERA and 30 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:
-Benedictine is 10-13 overall and 4-6 inside the NACC.
-The Eagles have lost three out of their last four, dropping both games of a doubleheader to Concordia Chicago and splitting with Edgewood.
-BenU is 2-4 at home this season.
-Benedictine hits .270 as a team and average 9.09 hits and 5.70 runs per game. The Eagles hold a 4.43 team ERA and a fielding percentage of .947.
 
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