The Eureka College Red Devils baseball team was ranked seven out of nine in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference preseason poll. With the number one seed gathering 64 points in the poll, the Red Devils will be put to the test. Last season the Red Devils ended with a record of 13-25 and 8-10 in conference.
They have a strong core returning from last year including SLIAC Freshman of the Year Connor Fitzpatrick and All-Conference performer Emilio Villanueva, as well as a promising group of transfers and newcomers.
Andrew Zimmerman is a freshman infielder from Eureka, Illinois. Zimmerman said via email that the transition from a high school to the collegiate level has been a lot different, with the biggest difference being the consistency of good pitchers.
Zimmerman is most excited to compete every day, both at practices and games as well as creating relationships with his coaches and teammates. The teams’ goals consist of competing and making the conference tournament while Zimmerman’s individual goals are to help his team in any way he can and continue working to build more power for next season.
Zimmerman currently carries a batting average of .311 and walked it off for the Red Devils with an RBI single on March 10 to split the series with Knox.
Joshua Frenden is one of many veteran players for Eureka. He is a first baseman who carries a strong bat, averaging a .314 last season from New Port Richey, Florida. When asked what he was looking forward to most, Frenden said the growth and hard work the team has put in training and working in the fall, preparing for the spring.
Frenden is a very team-oriented guy, and that’s what makes him such a good leader for the team. “I’ll start with the team because that’s always the priority,” he says when asked his goals for the season. He hopes to finish the top three in the conference.
On a personal level, Frenden hopes to continue to be productive for his team, whether it’s statistically or just in the game through all the sacrifices the game calls for. His biggest priority is to continue to win within his final two years as a Red Devil.
The 2025-26 baseball roster carries 68 players. Frenden said that depth was very important for the program this season and in its future. “Baseball is a streaky game, so having replacements that could do the job just as well as the guys that are doing it now is definitely always a plus.” Frenden shares. The more players, the more guys you have cheering on the team during the games which is something a sports environment always thrives from.
Head Coach Noah Suarez is in his third season here and believes this is the most talented team he has seen yet. He said via email that his hopes consist of winning 20 games, making the conference tournament again, graduate all the seniors, and competing for a SLIAC championship. This can be done due to their strengths of a legit offense and many guys with a ton of collegiate experience.
He says they do not put a ton of stock into where they are seeded in the preseason poll. After all the training and hard work in the fall, they have a lot to offer this upcoming season.
Brandt King is the catchers coach as well as one of several hitting coaches for the Red Devils. King was a senior at Eureka last season and says the transition from player to coach was hard yet rewarding because he learned many new perspectives from coaching and managing roles that he never had as a player.
Along with many others of the team, King shares the goals for the season are to set a school record in wins for the program as well as doing a lot of damage in the SLIAC tournament.
The Red Devils opened their season on Friday, February 27th, falling short to Rockford with scores of 7-2 and 11-1. Since then, they carry a record of 2-10.
