MIDWAY MIDWEEK MATCH-UP
Emporia State takes a trek west to play Colorado School of Mines in Hays, Kan. in a meet in the middle game. The game was added to help make up for the four games canceled in the Central Missouri series and two of the games canceled against Bemidji State earlier in the season.
LAST AT BAT
The Hornets posted a pair of come from behind wins over Central Oklahoma on Sunday in Edmond, Okla as they scored all of their runs on the day in the fourth inning or later. Emporia State won the first game 6-3 and took the second 4-2. The final game of the four game series was rained out.
The Bronchos took a 2-0 lead in the third inning of the matinee before Dean Long tied it with a two run double and then scored two batters later on an error by the UCO catcher to give the Hornets a 3-2 lead in the top of the fifth. After Central Oklahoma tied it at 3-3 in the bottom of the fifth, Emporia State took the lead for good in the top of the sixth. With two outs Price Jacobs doubled and Long was intentionally walked. They both came home on Evan Koehler's double to center for a 5-3 lead. Cody Bobbit drove in Dalton Wheat in the top of the seventh to make it 6-3.
Garrett Bane came on in relief of starter Shawn Talkington to start the sixth. After giving up a walk and a single to the first two batters he faced he got a fielder's choice and retired six in a row to pick up his third save. Long was two for two with two RBI, two runs, a hit by pitch and the intentional walk to reach base all four times.
Central Oklahoma got on top in the second game scring a pair of first inning runs off Emporia State starter Travis Hendry. But that would be the only runs off Hendry as he settled down and threw six shutout innings after the first to keep the Hornets in the game. Long led off the fourth with a walk and came home on Wheat's single to cut the lead in half. Long tied the game in the fifth with a two out solo home run. With one out in the seventh Long was hit by a pitch and after a walk and a fielder's choice Tory Bell hit a pinch hit two RBI single that put the Hornets ahead 4-2. UCO got two runners on in the bottom of the seventh but Hendry struck out the Broncho clean up hitter to end the game.
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THE COACHES
Bob Fornelli is 454-197 in his 12th season at Emporia State and is 760-310 overall in his 19th year as a four year head coach. 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.
Jerod Goodale is 70-83 in his fourth season at Colorado School of Mines. He played for Coach Fornelli at Ft. Hays State. Â
ABOUT THE HORNETS
Emporia State is 9-3 on the season, 4-3 in the MIAA. In the latest NCAA statistics the Hornets are leading the nation in home runs and are leading the MIAA with 19 in 12 games. They are leading the league in stolen bases and are third I batting average. Dean Long is leading the MIAA with seven home runs. Justin Harris is tied for the MIAA lead with nine stolen bases. Garrett Brummett is 3-0 on the bound with a 1.50 ERA and 23 strikeouts with just one walk.
THE SERIES
This will be the eighth meeting between the two clubs with Emporia State winning the first seven games. They have not met since a four game series in Golden, Colo. in 2009.
ABOUT THE OREDIGGERS
Colorado School of Mines is 7-3 on the season after their 16-12 win at Ft. Hays State on Tuesday and are 2-2 in the RMAC. They have a staff ERA of 3.34 and are batting .289 as a team. Connor Lambert is batting .483 with three home runs and ten RBI. Christian Rooney is 3-0 with a 1.89 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 19 innings.
LAST AT BAT VS. COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES
Emporia State completed a four game sweep of the Orediggers with a 19-2 win in Golden on Feb. 22, 2009. Mike Sharp was three for four with three RBI, two runs and two doubles while Kellen Lane had three RBI after coming in as a pinch hitter in the seventh inning. Ryan Anthony pitched 6.0 shutout innings, scattering four hits with three walks and four strikeouts.
ON DECK
The Hornets will play a home and home series this weekend against Washburn. The Turnpike Tussle starts with a single game in Emporia at 4:00 p.m. on Friday before moving to Topeka for a double header starting at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday. The four game series will wrap up on Sunday with a single game at 1:00 p.m. at Trusler.
HE'S A WINNER
Emporia State head baseball coach Bob Fornelli has 760 career wins and is 454-197 (.697) in his 12th season 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 by victories (454) 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 Division II World Series, 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.
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