#6 EMPORIA STATE BASEBALL OPENS SEASON AGAINST METRO STATE

#6 Emporia State Hornets (0-0, 0-0 MIAA)
vs. Metro State (2-1, 0-0 RMAC)
Feb. 6, 2014 • 2:00 p.m. • Glennen Field/Trusler • Emporia, Kan.  
 Feb. 7, 2014 • 1:00 p.m. • Glennen Field/Trusler • Emporia, Kan.  
 Feb. 8, 2014 • 12:00 p.m. • Glennen Field/Trusler • Emporia, Kan.  
 Series Record: First Meeting  Last Meeting: First Meeting   
Radio: none Internet Audio: none
Live Stats   Complete Notes in pdf
Up Next: Bemidji St. • Feb. 14-15 • 2/12 p.m. • Glennen Field/Trusler • Emporia, Kan.

LET'S GET THINGS STARTED
The #6 Hornets open the 2015 season at home against Metro State of Denver. Emporia State has won six of their last seven season openers, with the one loss coming to current NCAA Division I Incarnate Word in Houston's Minute Maid Park. The Hornets have not lost a season opener at Glennen Field since 2003.

LOOK BACK AT LAST YEAR
Emporia State went 23-5 over their last 30 games of 2014 as the Hornets advanced to the NCAA Central Regional Championship game for the first time since 2009. They came through the loser's bracket to win the MIAA Tournament Championship and again dropped their opener in the regional before coming back to play for the regional title. The Hornets were 7-1 in post season elimination games last year.  
 
THE COACHES
Bob Fornelli is 445-194 as he starts his 12th season at Emporia State and is 751-307 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.
Jerrid Oates is 51-88 in his fourth season at Metro State and 110-217 in his ninth year as a head coach.

THE SERIES
This will be the first meeting between Emporia State and Metro State.

ABOUT THE HORNETS
Emporia State returns seven of eight position players from last season, with the only new position player to open the season coming at short stop.  Four of the seven were named All-MIAA last year with Levi Parker earning first-team honors while Dean Long and Justin Harris were each on the second-team and Price Jacobs was named honorable mention. The Hornets return their top three starters from last year based on ERA.  First-team All-MIAA performer Shawn Talkington went 9-2 with a 2.85 ERA in 13 starts with 76 strike outs and just 17 walks.  Jarrod Miller was 7-6 with a 3.63 ERA in 15 starts and led the MIAA in strike outs with 77 on his way to third-team All-MIAA honors. Travis Hendry was 2-1 with a 3.50 ERA in 16 games with eight starts.

SCOUTING THE ROADRUNNERS
Metro State is 2-1 on the season after taking two of three from MIAA member Neb.-Kearney last weekend in Denver. They were picked to finish third in the Mountain Division of the RMAC after going 14-29 overall and 12-26 in conference play last year. Darryl Baca was a first-team preseason All-South Central Region selection at catcher for the Roadrunners.

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 continue their six game home stand against Bemidji State on Feb. 14.

HE'S A WINNER
Emporia State head baseball coach Bob Fornelli has 751 career wins and is 445-194 (.696) 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
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 last year. 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
The Hornet pitching staff was third in the nation in strikeout to walk ratio with 427 K's and only 132 base on balls last year. 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.