Erik grew up in Door County, WI, and was a graduate of Southern Door High School. As a three-sport athlete, he received multiple All-Conference awards for football, basketball, and baseball, including 3rd Team All-American Pitcher, Gatorade State Player of the Year, and Louisville Slugger State Player of the Year. As a senior, Erik committed to NC State on a full baseball scholarship but decided to forgo college after being drafted in the second round of the 2004 amateur draft, 63rd pick overall, by the Kansas City Royals.

In 2014, Erik made his MLB debut with the San Francisco Giants, where in just one inning, he threw 16 pitches of at least 100 miles per hour. That same year, Erik would travel with the Giants as an alternate during the playoff run, including a trip to the World Series. Erik received a World Series Championship ring after the Giants won the series, beating the Kansas City Royals.

Erik has been a member of the Royals, Braves, Pirates, Giants, Marlins, and Red Sox organizations, and spent a season playing internationally with the Orix Buffaloes of Japan. He has close to one year of MLB service time between the Giants and Marlins organizations.