Eastern Michigan University Men's Baseball

Eric Roof enters his second season at the helm of the Eastern Michigan University baseball program after being officially named the Head Coach of the EMU baseball team on June 4, 2018, after spending the 2018 campaign as the squads interim head coach. In 2019, Roofs squad finished with an 11-43-1 record, including a 6-21 finish in Mid-American Conference play. Although the team did not qualify for the MAC tournament (only the top-six regular season teams go), Roofs unit earned two conference sweeps over MAC West Division foes Bowling Green State University, and the University of Toledo, while also racking up numerous individual awards. In the classroom, the team finished with a conference-best 3.515 cumulative GPA. Additionally, 12 different Eagles earned Academic All-MAC honors, the most in Roofs tenure, and the second most in the league, just one behind Western Michigans 13 nods. The team GPA was the best across all mens sports at EMU, and ranked fourth-best among every mens team in the MAC in 2019. Individually, Zachary Owings was named a CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree for the consecutive year under Roof. Roofs team also earned MAC Scholar Athlete of the Week honors on three different occasions during the 2019 campaign. Individually, Roofs guidance led to a slew of awards and accolades for his Eagles following the 2019 season. Most notably, Roof coaches Zachary Owings to his most successful season as an Eagles, where he led the team in batting (.345), slugging (.527), on-base percentage (.395), stolen bases (14), runs (38), doubles (18), as well as hits (76), and RBIs (34). Following the season, Owings was selected by the Miami Marlins in the 33rd round of the 2019 MLB Draft. With the selection, Roof has now led a student-athlete to the professional ranks in consecutive seasons, first helping Max Schuemann (drafted by the Oakland As), and now Owings, reach their pro potential. In 2018, Roof guided the Eagles to a 22-34 overall mark, including a 14-13 Mid-American Conference record and a sixth place finish in the conference standings. With the sixth place finish, EMU reached its third straight MAC Tournament, the first time they have gone to three consecutive since 2011-13. The non-conference schedule was highlighted by a 2-1 weekend series win over Oklahoma State, who, later on in the season, would become nationally ranked and receive an at-large selection to the NCAA Tournament. As a team, EMU had its best team batting average since Roof's arrival in 2015, batting .262, six points higher than the previous best mark of .257 in 2015. They also had the second most hits, runs, doubles, RBIs, on-base percentage points, and walks since 2015 as well. On the base paths, EMU once again finished in the top 20 in the country in stolen bases, ranking 20th in the nation and first in the MAC with 92 swipes. On the pitching side, Roof's hire of pitching coach A.J. Achter proved fruitful, as EMU had the second-best conference only ERA with a 3.69 mark, 36 points better then the next best team. DeVenney finished with a 2.49 ERA, which was third in the MAC and 70th in the nation, while his 1.93 conference-only ERA was second. The 2.49 ERA was also the lowest for an EMU starter since 2007. Roof completed his fourth year in Ypsilanti after spending the first three as an assistant coach working with the Eagles' hitters, outfielders and catchers. In 2015, the squad posted a record of 20-35 (9-18 MAC) before a MAC Tournament Semifinals appearance in 2016 when the Eagles went 23-36 (10-14 MAC). Last season, the Green and White posted a record of 27-35 (14-10 MAC) and a strong postseason run for its first MAC Tournament Championship game appearance since 2008.      Last season, the Eagles had five players drive in more than 25 runs led by Second Team All-MAC honoree John Montgomery. The left-handed slugger led Eastern in games (61), average (.289), hits (68), home runs (12), RBIs (49), total bases (117), and slugging (.498). He was one of the top home run hitting threats in the MAC, finishing tied for third. Additionally, outfielder Jordan Peterson had one of the best performances in EMU history against Northern Illinois, May 14, when he had four hits, including three home runs and nine RBIs. His efforts earned him not only MAC Player of the Week status, but also Collegiate Baseball News National Player of the Week accolades. In 2016, the Eagle offense collected 19 more hits and scored 43 more runs in 2016 than in 2015.  The team saw a power surge, slugging 35 points better this season, including clubbing 47 home runs, 28 better than 2015 and the most since 2010.  The home run total ranked third in the MAC and 51st in the country. In his first season coaching the catchers in 2015, Roof helped Tony DiLeo throw out 43 percent of base stealers, which led the Mid-American Conference.  As a team, the Eagles threw out the second most would-be base stealers in the Conference. Before arriving at Eastern Michigan in 2015, Roof spent two years as a volunteer assistant baseball coach at Michigan State University. At MSU with Roof coaching the catchers, the Spartan mask men threw out 39 baserunners on attempted steals throughout the 2014 campaign, leading the Big Ten Conference. Roof coached Joel Fisher, the Danny Litwhiler Defensive Player of the Year and Third Team All-Big Ten honoree, who was the conference leader in gunning down baserunners with 30. Following the season, Fisher was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 23rd round of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. Returning to East Lansing as a coach in 2013, the MSU battery caught 27 stealing on the base path while Spartan sluggers hit at a .281 clip to rank fourth in the conference. Roof played three seasons in the minor leagues (2009-11) for the Tigers organization. He began his professional career in 2009 with the Oneonta Tigers in the Class A New York-Penn League before playing in the New York-Penn League for the Connecticut Tigers in 2010 as well as the West Michigan Whitecaps in the Class A Midwest League. Wrapping up his playing career in 2011, Roof appeared in 40 games with the Lakeland Flying Tigers of the Class A Advanced Florida State League. As a student-athlete at Michigan State from 2007-09, Roof was a three-year letterwinner and served as a captain his senior season. He compiled a .314 batting average in 136 career games, including 115 starts, to go along with 10 homers and 83 RBIs. Prior to arriving in East Lansing, the Paducah, Ky. native played his freshman season at St. Catherine (Ky.) College. Roof batted .308 as a junior in 2008 and was rewarded by being selected in the 46th round of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft by the Detroit Tigers; however, he elected to return to MSU for his senior year. The decision paid off as the team captain started all 54 games and led the Spartans in batting average (.345), hits (69), doubles (14), RBIs (41), slugging percentage (.525) and on-base percentage (.440). For his strong season, Roof was named Michigan States Most Valuable Player and Offensive Player of the Year and jumped 28 rounds in the 2009 MLB Draft as the Tigers picked him up in the 18th round.

Aaron Hilt, a former standout collegiate baseball player and seven-year assistant coach at Ashland University, has officially taken the reigns of EMU's pitching staff ahead of the 2022 season. In his first season on staff, Hilt helped lead the Eagles pitching staff set a new school record for strikeouts in a season (416). The previous high, set in 2012, was 389. Hilt played a role in helping Eagle hurler Cameron Wagoner get drafted in the 11th round of the 2022 MLB Draft by the Milwaukee Brewers organization. The selection was EMU's fifth MLB draft pick in the last six years. Hilt also guided freshman hurler Adam Falinksi through a great rookie season, as the right-hander led all freshmen in the Mid-American Conference in innings pitched (58.0), strikeouts (61), and complete games (4). Additionally, Falinskis four complete-game efforts ranked third in NCAA DI baseball in 2022. Hilt spent nearly a decade climbing the coaching ranks and adding responsibilities with Ashland. After returning to his alma mater in 2014, he was promoted to Associate Head Coach in 2018. The Eagles reached the NCAA Division II postseason four times in Hilt's seven seasons, and made a run to the  College World Series in 2019. Hilt has been part of two College World Series teams, also reaching the final stage as a player in 2008. Ashland posted a 230-149 (.607) record during Hilt's run with Ashland. The 2019 season was a record-setting year for Ashlands hurlers. Ashland won the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference's regular season and tournament championships, as well as the Midwest Regional Tournament title, advancing to the NCAA College World Series. Eagle pitchers combined for a program-record-tying 48 wins, and set a new program and GLIAC standard for team strikeouts in a season with 537. Hilt was directly responsible for the mentorship of numerous award-winning and now-professional pitchers while at Ashland. A pair of his players, Art Warren and Brandyn Sittinger, were selected in the MLB Draft in 2015 and 2016, respectively. A 2015 All-GLIAC selection, Warren made his MLB debut with the Seattle Mariners in 2019. Sittinger, a former GLIAC Pitcher of the Year, Midwest Region Pitcher of the Year, and First Team All-American while at Ashland, made his MLB debut for the Arizona Diamondbacks this season.  In addition to mentoring now-MLB players, Hilt has also helped his hurlers earn many other awards and finish atop the national leaderboards in multiple categories. Jake Baldwin (2015) earned Second Team All-American honors and finished with Ashland's best career win percentage under Hilt's leadership, while Chris Slavik (2019) and Perry Bewley (2021) both earned All-American status, and led all of Division II baseball in wins, and saves, respectively. Josh Smith (2021) also signed an independent professional contract this spring after studying under Hilt. Before returning to Ashland as a coach, Hilt spent a pair of seasons at Wheeling University as a graduate assistant coach. He also held the title of Interim Head Coach for a brief stint with Wheeling.  During Hilts playing career at Ashland, he won a GLIAC Championship, one Midwest Regional championship, made three straight NCAA Midwest Regional Tournament appearances, and an NCAA Division II World Series appearance. In 2009, Ashland was ranked third in the nation, and received the program's highest national ranking. Hilt received All-GLIAC conference honors, All-Midwest Region honors, and is the only pitcher to throw a complete-game no-hitter since the 1994 season. After playing at Ashland, Hilt continued his athletic career by signing a professional contract with the Normal Cornbelters in the independent Frontier League. He was selected as the fifth overall pick in the first round of the annual Frontier League draft. A native of Richmond, Ohio, Hilt and his wife Kaleigh reside in Ypsilanti.

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