Softball | 5/8/2013 3:40:00 PM
TOURNEY TIME
Emporia State begins play in their tenth straight NCAA Tournament with a rematch of the MIAA Championship game against Ft. Hays State.
THE?COACH
Julie LeMaire is 80-29 in her second season at Emporia State. She was named MIAA Coach of the Year after going 20-0 in the MIAA last season, winning the regular season and tournament championships. She is 172-106 in her fifth season as a head coach. She came to ESU after three years at Ft. Hays State and took the Tigers to the MIAA Tournament Championship game in 2011. She is 20-10 in the postseason with a 12-4 record at Emporia State. She is 6-2 in elimination games with the Hornets.
ABOUT THE HORNETS
Emporia State is 38-17 and went 18-10 in the MIAA. Karley Schmelzer leads the nation with an Emporia State record 31 wins on the year. She is 31-9 with a 1.72 ERA and 246 strike outs. The Hornets are hitting .305 as a team with an MIAA high 98 doubles. Amanda Self was named the MIAA Defensive Player of the Year and first-team All-MIAA catcher. Taylor Zordel earned first-team honors at short stop while Tricia Vogel was named first-team All-MIAA as a utility player. Cacy Williams earned second-team All-MIAA and was named the MIAA Freshman of the Year. Stephanie Goodwin earned second-team All-MIAA honors after being last year's Freshman of the Year.
ABOUT THE TIGERS
Ft. Hays State is 45-10 overall and went 21-5 in the MIAA. Maddie Holub was the Pitcher and Player of the Year in the MIAA and is 27-2 on the year with a 0.77 ERA and 328 strike outs. She is batting .436 with 18 home runs, 52 RBI and 59 runs. The Tigers are batting .302 as a team with 298 runs scored.
SERIES HISTORY WITH FHSU
Emporia State leads Ft. Hays State 38-25 all-time but have gone just 7-9 against the Tigers over the last three years with 12 of the 16 games played outside Emporia. The Tigers and Hornets have met in each of the last three MIAA Tournaments. The Julie LeMaire led Tigers defeated the Hornets twice in the 2011 Tournament to break a string of eight straight title game appearances for Emporia State. The Hornets have won two of three MIAA Tournament match-ups between LeMaire and her former team with a win in last year's winner bracket championship game and a split in this year's tourney championship. This will be the first meeting in NCAA Tournament play.
LAST TIME VS. FT. HAYS STATE
Emporia State scored the first two runs and the last two runs, but Ft. Hays State collected seven in between as they won their first MIAA Softball Championship with a 7-4 victory. Tricia Vogel gave Emporia State an early 2-0 lead with a two run homer in top of the first inning. The Tigers cut the lead in half with an unearned run in the third before exploding for five runs in the fifth inning. FHSU added another unearned run in the bottom of the sixth to lead 7-2. Taylor Zordel would hit a two run home run with two outs to pull the Hornets within 7-4 in the top of the seventh. Vogel and Zordel both had two RBI off their home runs for Emporia State. Karley Schmelzer went the distance scattering nine hits with eight strike outs.
UP NEXT
The Hornets will play either Central Oklahoma or Minot State in the second round. The winners of Friday's games will face off at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday with the losers set to follow at 3:30 p.m. The second elimination game is set for 6:00 p.m. on Saturday with the Championship game set for 1:00 p.m. on Sunday with an if needed game to follow.
HOW DO THEY RANK
Emporia State is ranked 13th in the nation in doubles per game and is in the top 50 nationally in slugging percentage, ERA and fielding percentage. Karley Schmelzer is leading the nation in wins with 31 victories and has 11 shutouts to rank sixth in the nation. She is 13th in the nation in total strike outs and ranked 38th in strikeouts per seven innings. Taylor Zordel is 34th in the nation in runs per game and Cacy Williams is 34th in the nation in doubles per game. Emporia State leads the MIAA in doubles, hits, RBI and batters hit by pitch. Five Hornets are ranked at the top of the MIAA in doubles with Cacy Williams leading the way with 18 followed by Amanda Self, Taylor Zordel, Andrea Piezuch and Tricia Vogel. Zordel leads the MIAA in total hits and is ranked second in stolen bases and runs scored.
GARDEN OF EDEN
Pitcher Karley Schmelzer (Sr./Garden Plain, Kan.) started all seven games in the MIAA Tournament and had 61 strikeouts in 47.2 innings pitched. She had two shutouts on Sunday to get the Hornets to the second championship game. She tossed a one hitter against Central Oklahoma and had a three hitter against Ft. Hays State. She was an honorable mention selection despite leading the MIAA and nation in wins with and Emporia State single season record 31 victories. She also leads the MIAA in appearances, starts and innings pitched, is second in ERA, strike outs, and shut outs, and is fifth in opponent batting average. She is sixth in the nation in shutouts and 13th in total strike outs. With two no hitters this season she has a total of six in her career. She was second-team All-MIAA as a junior and senior and named second-team Daktronics All-Region as a junior. She has a 1.35 ERA in nine NCAA Tournament game appearances.
TAYLOR MADE
Shortstop Taylor Zordel (So./Topeka, Kan.) was first-team All-MIAA. She hit .407 in the MIAA Tournament with a team best two home runs and six RBI from her lead off position. She leads the MIAA in hits and is ranked second in the league in runs scored and stolen bases, is third in doubles and triples, is fifth in batting average and tenth in on-base percentage. She is 34th in the nation in runs scored and 50th in stolen bases. She has a .554 on base percentage when leading off an inning. She was named MIAA Hitter of the Week on April 2 of this year. She was a second-team All-MIAA performer as a freshman and was named Academic All-District this year. She was an NFCA HS All-American for Washburn Rural HS.
TOP SHELF
Catcher Amanda Self (Sr./Blue Springs, Mo.) was named the MIAA Defensive Player of the Year and was named first-team All-MIAA. She has thrown out 11 of 32 base runners attempting to steal with three pick-offs on the season. At the plate she is second in the MIAA in doubles with 17 and 11th with a .435 on base percentage. She is hitting a team best .545 with the base loaded. She was first-team All-MIAA as a junior after earning third-team All-American honors as a sophomore. She was an honorable mention All-MIAA selection as a freshman.
BIG BIRD
Third baseman Tricia Vogel (Jr./Clearwater, Kan.) was named first-team All-MIAA as a utility player. She spent most of her time at third base, but also played at first base and in the outfield. She is ranked fourth in MIAA in RBI and fifth in doubles. She is 24th in the nation in sac flies. She is batting .303 with runners on base and .373 with runners in scoring position this season. She is just the second Hornet to have at least 50 RBI in back to back seasons and the first since Megan Davison did it in three straight seasons from 2005-07. She was first-team All-MIAA and NFCA All-Region at first base last year. She is a career .368 hitter with six RBI in six career NCAA Tournament games.
GOOD ONE
Right fielder Stephanie Goodwin (So./Overland Park, Kan.) was named second-team All-MIAA this season. She had a team high four doubles during the MIAA Tournament. She is tied for seventh in MIAA with 11 home runs, is eighth in on base percentage and doubles, and tenth in runs scored. She earned second-team NFCA and third-team Daktronics All-American honors as a freshman and was the 2012 MIAA Freshman of the Year. She hit .533 in the NCAA Tournament last season.
CACY AT THE BAT
Designated player Cacy Williams (Fr./Platte City, Mo.) is the MIAA Freshman of the Year and earned second-team All-MIAA honors at designated player. She leads MIAA with 18 doubles, is ranked fourth in slugging percentage, fifth in RBI, seventh in batting average, eighth in hits. She is ranked 34th in the nation in doubles per game. She led Emporia State with a .426 batting average with runners on base that went up to .460 with runners in scoring position. She hit a team high .352 with a team high 21 RBI with two outs on the season. She is the second straight Hornet to earn MIAA Freshman of the Year honors.
PETS IN THE ZOO
Left fielder Andrea Piezuch (Jr./Lenexa, Kan.) earned honorable mention All-MIAA honors in the outfield. She is ranked fourth in the MIAA with 14 doubles. She is batting .347 with runners in scoring position. This is the second straight year she has earned honorable mention All-MIAA honors for the Hornets.
BREW'S CREW
Center fielder Jessica Brewer (Sr./Kansas City, Mo.) is ranked second in the MIAA in sac bunts this season. She was named second-team All-MIAA as a junior, was first-team All-MIAA in the outfield as a sophomore and named honorable mention All-MIAA as a freshman. She is a career .318 hitter in 12 NCAA Tournament games with eight runs scored.
HUFF AND PUFF AND BLOW THE HOUSE DOWN
First baseman Katie Huffman (Sr./Belton, Mo.) has returned to the starting lineup and has four home runs after coming off the bench last season. She started 49 games as a sophomore and 60 as a freshman for the Hornets.
THE RIGHT CARD
Second baseman Taylor Reichard (Jr./Belton, Mo.) hit .375 in the MIAA Tournament with a team high five runs scored. Her home run against Missouri Western jump started the Hornets comeback against the Griffons in the final game on Saturday night. On the season she is batting .198 with five home runs in 38 games. She earned honorable mention All-MIAA honors at second base last season and was a second-team All-MIAA selection at third base as a freshman.
LITTLE SIS
Second baseman Bradie Schmelzer (So./Garden Plain, Kan.) hit .200 this season with two home runs. She has yet to commit an error in 42 chances in 24 games this year. She is the sister of junior Karley Schmelzer.
SHARPEN UP
Pitcher Lauren Sharp (Sr./Gladstone, Mo.) is 7-9 on the year with a 3.25 ERA on the season. Although ranked ninth in starts in the MIAA this season, she is one of just two conference pitchers to not allow a triple.
IT'S NOT GRAGGING
Third baseman Jessica Gragg (So./Topeka, Kan.) has started 12 games this season after suffering a knee injury in last season's NCAA Tournament. She is hitting .267 on the year with six RBI in 31 games. She has been the primary pinch hitter for the Hornets and is batting .375 with four RBI in 16 at bats in that role this season. She was named second-team All-MIAA at third base last season as she hit .394 with seven home runs and 34 RBI in 38 games with 34 starts.
RIDE LIKE THE WIND
Infielder Allison Wood (Jr./Paola, Kan.) is hitting .300 with four RBI and two runs scored in nine games as a pinch hitter this season. She scored seven times as a pinch runner last season. She is in her third season with the Hornets after playing at Paola HS.
HELLO NEUMANN
Infielder Ashton Neumann (Jr./Pratt, Kan.) is hitting .143 and has scored three runs in eight games this season. She is a transfer from Pratt CC where she hit .367 with 22 doubles.
SUCCESS IN MAY
The Hornets have a 31-21 overall record in NCAA Tournament play. The Hornets are 26-9 in post season elimination games (MIAA and NCAA tournament) over the past ten years.
HORNET HISTORY
Emporia State has finished as the NCAA Division II National Runners-up twice, in 2006 and 2008. ESU has qualified for NCAA Regional play ten straight years and 11 times in the last 18 seasons. The ten straight years in NCAA Tournament play is the fifth longest active streak in the nation. The Hornets won the NAIA National Championship in 1983 and 1984 and won the AIAW National Championship in 1980.
TAKE THE FIFTH
• Emporia State has out-scored their opponents 41-13 in the fifth inning this year.
• The Hornets are 21-2 when scoring at least five runs.
• Emporia State is 21-2 when leading after five innings.
• ESU has ended 11 games in the fifth inning by the run rule - and have won a total of 14 run rule games this year.
