Baseball | 2/26/2014 10:24:00 AM
Game Notes in PDF
2014 HORNET BASEBALL
Emporia State Hornets (5-3, 2-2 MIAA)
at Pittsburg State (3-4, 2-2 MIAA)
Feb. 27, 2014 • 1:00 p.m. (DH) • Pittsburg, Kan. • Al Ortolani Field
Feb. 28, 2014 • 1:00 p.m. (DH) • Pittsburg, Kan. • Al Ortolani Field
Series Record: ESU leads 69-32 Last Meeting: ESU 9 at PSU 2 (04/16/13)
Up Next: at Missouri Southern • March 7-9. • Joplin, Mo.
HORNETS TRAVEL TO PITTSbURG
Emporia State travels to Pittsburg Kan., to face the Pittsburg State Gorillas in MIAA action. The Hornets and Gorillas will play two double headers, one on Thursday and one Friday.
SLUGFESTS AND SHUTOUTS
Baseball fans at Glennen Field were able to see all kinds of baseball played. In the four-game series against Central Oklahoma there was a game with 33 combined runs and two games were one team didn't score at all.
THE COACH
Bob Fornelli is 409-179 in his 11th season at Emporia State and is 713-288 overall in his 18th year overall. He is the fourth winningest active coach in Division II and is 19th in total victories. He has led Emporia State to two Division II World Series appearances in eight NCAA Tournaments. Fornelli has taken teams to the NCAA Tournament 13 times, and was the national runner-up in 2009 with Emporia State and in 2000 while at Ft. Hays State.
ABOUT THE HORNETS
Emporia State is off to a 5-3 start after splitting four games with Central Oklahoma. The Hornets have already stolen 21 bases as a team led by Justin Harris' total of seven. Second baseman Levi Parker has swiped five bags, while Dean Long has added four stole bases to the Hornet total. David Richards is batting a team-best .462 and four players are tied for the lead in RBI with seven.
SCOUTING THE GORILLAS
The Gorillas are coming off a four-game road split against Fort Hays State. Pittsburg State is 3-4 overall and 2-2 in the MIAA. The Gorillas are coached by Matt Murray who is 32-28 overall in his second season at Pittsburg State.
Kyle Dickens leads PSU in home runs with 4, while Evan Thomas as a team-high nine hits.
SERIES RECORD
The Hornets lead the all-times series 43-18. The Hornets have lead the all-time series against Pittsburg State with 69 wins against 32 losses.
LAST TIME VS. PSU
Despite totaling 14 hits the Hornets fell to Newman 7-7 in extra innings in Wichita last week. The Hornets gave up leads in the 9th and 10th innings of that game. Shawn Talkington earned his fourth win of the 2013 season by throwing 4. 1 scoreless innings in a 9-2 win over the Gorillas on April 16, 2012.
IN THE MIAA
The Hornet offense is among the MIAA's best early in the season. The Hornets currently are second in the MIAA with a .562 slugging percentage and with 132 total bases. ESU is fourth in batting average with a .319 mark and third in on base percentage at a .418 clip.
ON DECK
The Hornets will the travel to Joplin, Mo. to play four games against Missouri Southern who won the MIAA tournament in 2013.
