#6 HORNET BASEBALL CONTINUES HOME STAND AGAINST BEMIDJI STATE

#6 Emporia State Hornets (3-0, 0-0 MIAA)
vs. Bemidji State Beavers (0-2, 0-0 NSIC)
Feb. 14, 2014 • 1:00 p.m. (DH)  • Glennen Field/Trusler • Emporia, Kan.  
 Series Record: ESU leads 32-0  Last Meeting: at ESU 6, BSU 2 (3/10/2009)   
Radio: none Internet Audio: none
Live Stats  Complete Notes in pdf
Up Next: at Mo. Western • Feb. 20-22
Griffon Spring Sports Complex • St. Joseph, Mo.

KEEP IT UP
The #6 Hornets are back in action at Trusler this weekend when they play host to Bemidji State in a three game series scheduled to be played on Saturday and Sunday. With the weather forecast on Sunday not looking good their is a chance one game might get moved to Monday.

LAST AT BAT
Emporia State hit three more home runs and four Hornet pitchers combined on a shut out in a 9-0 win over Metro State to sweep the season opening series. Travis Hendry pitched 4.0 scoreless innings in the start despite leaving at least one runner on base in each inning.  The Hornets got all the offense they would need when Justin Harris hit a lead off homer in the bottom of the first.  Price Jacobs made it 2-0 with an RBI single later in the inning. Dean Long made it 3-0 with an RBI single in the fourth and Aaron Gile hit a two run homer in the fifth for a 5-0 lead. The Hornets got two runs in the seventh on a homer from Jacobs and an unearned run.  Emporia State wrapped up the scoring with an RBI single from Gile and a fly out from Parker that scored Tory Bell. Garrett Bane pitched a scoreless final three innings to pick up the save.
 
THE COACHES
Bob Fornelli is 448-194 as he starts his 12th season at Emporia State and is 754-307 overall in his 19th year overall. He is the fourth winningest active coach in NCAA Division II and is 15th in total victories. He has led Emporia State to two Division II World Series appearances in nine NCAA Tournaments. Fornelli has taken teams to the NCAA Tournament 14 times, and was the national runner-up in 2009 with Emporia State and in 2000 while at Ft. Hays State.
Tim Belew is 155-276-1 in his tenth season at Bemidji State and 382-533-1 in his 21st season as a head coach.

ABOUT THE HORNETS
Emporia State opened the season with a three game sweep of Metro State. The Hornets hit 14 home runs during the three game set while Emporia State's pitchers struck out 37 and allowed just 12 walks. Price Jacobs was named MIAA AstroTurf Hitter of the Week after batting .733 against the Roadrunners.

SCOUTING THE BEAVERS
Bemidji State is 0-2 after getting swept by Washburn on Friday. They were 21-22 last season with a 15-15 record in the NSIC.

THE SERIES
Emporia State leads the all-time series 32-0 with the last meeting coming during the 2009 season.

LAST AT BAT VS. BEMIDJI ST.
Conner Crumbliss was two for four with two runs scored and an RBI as each of the top six batters for the #13 Hornets scored in a 6-2 win over Bemidji State on March 10, 2009.

HOW TOUGH?
Three of the top nine teams in the ABCA Preseason National Poll are from the Central Region. Emporia State is #6 followed by Minnesota State at #7 and #9 Southern Arkansas. Central Missouri is the only other MIAA team in the top 25 at #23.

ON DECK
The Hornets open MIAA play at Missouri Western in a rematch of last year's MIAA Tournament Championship game. The four game series begins with a single game on Friday, March 20 at  2:00 p.m. at the Griffon Spring Sports Complex in St. Joseph, Mo.

HE'S A WINNER
Emporia State head baseball coach Bob Fornelli has 754 career wins and is 448-194 (.697) at Emporia State. Fornelli is the second winningest coach by percentage at Emporia State behind Dave Bingham (557-223, .714 in 14 years) and the third winningest coach at by victories (445) behind Bingham and Brian Embery (458-320, .589 in 15 years). Last year was the Hornets ninth trip to the NCAA Tournament in 11 years and he has twice led Emporia State to the National Championship game, in 2006 and 2009. He has taken teams to the NCAA Tournament in 14 of his first 18 years as a collegiate coach.
Fornelli, a 1991 graduate of Emporia State, spent seven years at Ft. Hays State where he compiled a 306-113 record and led the Tigers to the NCAA Division II national championship game in 2000 and was in the NCAA regional tournament six times.
Prior to his time in Hays, Fornelli was the pitching coach at Butler County Community College in El Dorado, Kan., from 1991 until 1996. During his tenure the Grizzlies were 195-86 and finished third in the NJCAA World Series in 1994.
Fornelli, a native of Lenexa, Kan., was an honorable mention All-Central States Intercollegiate Conference catcher for the Hornets as a senior after transferring from BCCC. He is married to the former Jill Harris of Madison, Kan. The couple has three daughters - Emma, Rylie and Addison.

POWER AND LIGHT DISTRICT
In the first three games of 2015 the Hornets have hit 14 home runs and have been successful on 11 of 12 stolen base attempts. Last year Emporia State was ranked fifth in the nation in both total home runs with 52 and total stolen bases with 144 and was the only team in the nation with at least 50 homers and 100 stolen bases. Dean Long had 14 home runs to rank seventh in the nation. He is tied for tenth on the Emporia State single season list. He was seventh in the nation in total RBI with 64. Justin Harris had 44 stolen bases in 50 attempts to rank fourth in the nation. He is fifth on the Hornets single season list.

MOUND PRESENCE
Emporia State's starting pitchers had 14 strike outs with just two walks in 13.0 innings over the opening weekend with a 2.08 ERA. Last season the Hornet pitching staff was third in the nation in strikeout to walk ratio with 427 K's and only 132 base on balls. Shawn Talkington was 9-2 with a save, a 2.85 ERA and 76 strike outs and 17 walks in 82.0 innings and moved to the closer role to finish the season due to an injury to first-team All-MIAA and all-region reliever Brenton Higgins.  Jarrod Miller was 7-6 with a 3.63 ERA and 77 strike outs 21 base on balls in 79.1 innings pitched. Travis Hendry was 2-1 with a 3.50 ERA with 44 strike outs and ten walks in 54.0 innings. He threw a career best 102 pitches in the Hornets win against Augustana.