Emporia State Hornets (39-14, 23-12 MIAA)
vs. #25 Southern Arkansas Muleriders (39-16, 20-10 GAC)
NCAA Central Regional Tournament
May 14, 2015 • 11:00 a.m. • Joe Faber Field • St. Cloud, Minn.
Series Record: ESU leads 1-0 Last Meeting: ESU 14, SAU 7 (1987 NAIA World Series)
Radio: KFFX 104.9FM Internet Audio:
kvoe.comLive Stats •
Live Video •
Complete Notes in pdfUp Next: Winner vs MSSU/MSU winner; Loser vs SCSU/HSU winner
May 15, 2015 • winner at 7:00 p.m.; loser at 3:00 p.m.
MAY MADNESS
Emporia State begins play in their 11th NCAA Tournament and tenth in 12 years under Bob Fornelli when they take on #25 Southern Arkansas in the Central Regional Tournament.
LAST AT BAT
Dean Long hit a three run walk-off home run to give Emporia State a 10-9 come from behind victory over #17 Missouri Southern in the first championship game of the MIAA Tournament Championship. The second game was not played due to rain.
Price Jacobs and Evan Koehler both went three for five with a home run as Jacobs finished with two RBI. Long was one for six with two runs scored and three RBI. Grant Bachura worked the final 1.1 innings, giving up a run on two hits for the win. Jake Eikleberry worked the first 7.0 innings allowing four runs on 12 hits.
THE COACHES
Bob Fornelli is 484-208 in his 12th season at Emporia State and is 790-321 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 15 times, and was the national runner-up in 2009 with Emporia State and in 2000 while at Ft. Hays State. He is 18-18 in the NCAA Tournament at Emporia State and 29-28 in 14 total trips in his career.
Steve Browning is 193-85 in his fifth season at Southern Arkansas. He is 4-8 in NCAA Tournament play.
ABOUT THE HORNETS
Emporia State is 39-14 on the season, 23-12 in the MIAA and the third seed in the Central Regional Tournament. They finished second in the MIAA regular season and were technically the runner-up in the MIAA Tournament despite winning the only championship game played. In the latest NCAA statistics the Hornets are ranked third in the nation in home runs, fourth in slugging percentage, seventh in runs scored, eighth in hits, ninth in doubles and tenth in stolen bases. Dean Long was the MIAA Player of the Year and is batting .363 with an MIAA record 23 home runs and 80 RBI. Travis Hendry is 9-1 with a 3.97 ERA and 51 strikeouts in 70.1 innings pitched.
SCOUTING THE MULERIDERS
Southern Arkansas is 39-16 overall and went 20-10 in the Great American Conference. They defeated Henderson State in the GAC Tournament Championship game to earn the conference's automatic bid. They are batting .302 as a team with 46 home runs and a 3.61 staff ERA. Billy Germaine is batting .333 with 11 home runs and 62 RBI. Landon Simpson is 9-4 with a 2.69 ERA and 72 strikeouts in 107.0 innings pitched.
THE SERIES
Emporia State won the only previous meeting with Southern Arkansas, 14-7 in the semifinals of the 1987 NAIA World Series.
HE'S A WINNER
Emporia State head baseball coach Bob Fornelli has 790 career wins and is 484-208 (.699) in his 12th season at Emporia State. Fornelli is the second winningest coach at Emporia State behind Dave Bingham who was 557-223 (.714) in 14 years from 1974-87. This is the Hornets tenth trip to the NCAA Tournament in his 12 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 15 of his 19 years as a collegiate coach and is 31-30 in NCAA Tournament play.
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 five 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.
A native of Lenexa, Kan., he was an honorable mention All-Central States Intercollegiate Conference catcher for the Hornets as a senior after transferring from Butler County CC. He is married to the former Jill Harris of Madison, Kan. The couple has three daughters - Emma, Rylie and Addison.
COMEBACK KIDS
The Hornets have 24 come from behind wins this season including 13 games when trailing in the fourth inning or later. In the last two years Emporia State has played in 11 post season elimination games with ten wins. Dean Long hit a walk off three-run homer with two outs in Emporia State's 10-9 win over Missouri Southern in the first MIAA Tournament Championship game. The Hornets were being no hit and trailing 2-0 going into the bottom of the fifth inning of last year's first MIAA Championship game before rallying for a 3-2 victory to prolong their season.
REGIONALLY SPEAKING
Emporia State is ranked third in the NCAA Central Region and are one of two MIAA teams in the regional tournament. The automatic qualifiers from the MIAA, NSIC and GAC along with the next three highest ranked regional teams make up the NCAA Central Regional Tournament. As a conference the MIAA was 74-65 against non-league opponents this year.
POWER AND LIGHT DISTRICT
Emporia State is ranked in the top 15 nationally in seven offensive categories. The Hornets are ranked third in the nation in home runs, fourth in slugging percentage, seventh in runs, eighth in hits, ninth in doubles, tenth in stolen bases, and 14th in scoring. Emporia State and Seton Hill are the only two teams in the nation to be ranked in the top ten in doubles, home runs and stolen bases.
WATCH OUT
First baseman Dean Long and centerfieler Justin Harris were two of 25 semifinalists for the Tino Martinez Award as the top player in NCAA Division II. Both were unanimous first-team All-MIAA performers with Long earning Player of the Year honors. Long tied the MIAA single season record for home run at 23 with his walk off homer against Missouri Southern on Saturday. Harris was named on the the top ten seniors in Division II by Baseball the Magazine. They were joined on the first-team All-MIAA squad by relief pitcher Shawn Talkington and first baseman Evan Koehler.
HORNETS IN THE POSTSEASON
Emporia State is making their 11th trip to the NCAA Tournament and tenth in the last 12 years. The Hornets have advanced to the NCAA Division II World Series twice, in 2006 and 2009. In 2009 they made it to the national championship game before falling 2-1 to Lynn. They have been to three regional championship games including last year's 6-3 loss to Minnesota State. Emporia State made five trips to the NAIA World Series before joining the NCAA in 1992. They were the NAIA National Champions in 1978, runners up in 1987 and finished third in 1976.
HIT IT LONG
Third baseman Dean Long (Sr./Lebanon, Mo.) was the Player of the Year in the MIAA and a unanimous First-Team All-MIAA selection. He gave the Hornets the win in the first MIAA Championship game against Missouri Southern with a three-run walk-off home run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. It was his 23rd honer and tied the MIAA single season record for home runs. He is ranked third in the nation in RBI, seventh in home runs, ninth in getting hit by pitch and total bases, 11th in slugging percentage, 14th in runs, and 36th in doubles. He is batting .363 with 23 home runs, 80 RBI, 19 doubles, 63 runs and 12 stolen bases. His 23 home runs this year and 35 home runs over the last two years are both second on the Hornets single season and career list. His 80 RBI this season rank eighth on the Emporia State single season list and his 144 career RBI rank ninth for the Hornets. He is ranked fifth among active NCAA Division II players with 35 home runs and a .711 career slugging percentage. He is seventh in career home runs among all active NCAA players regardless of division and ninth in slugging percentage. He is one of 25 semifinalists for the Tino Martinez Award as the top player in NCAA Division II.
AROUND THE HORN
First baseman Evan Koehler (Jr./Wichita, Kan.) was a First-Team All-MIAA selection. He is ranked second in the MIAA and 21st in the nation in RBI and is 27th in the nation in home runs. He is batting .369 with 14 home runs, 62 RBI and 13 doubles on the year.
Second baseman Levi Parker (Sr./El Dorado, Kan.) is ranked 21st in the nation in sac bunts and 35th in walks this season. He is batting .316 with 52 runs scored, four home runs, ten stolen bases, 33 walks and 11 sacrifices.
Shortstop Cody Bobbitt (Sr./Palatine, Ill.) is batting .314 with five homers, 35 RBI and 13 stolen bases. He has started 51 of the Hornets 53 games at shortstop.
IF I HAD A MILLION DOLLARS
Center fielder Justin Harris (Sr./Tulsa, Okla.) was a unanimous First-Team All-MIAA pick in the outfield. He is ranked third in the nation in doubles and hits, eighth in runs, 14th in stolen bases, 17th in total bases, 23rd in triples and 25th in batting average and leads the MIAA in all of those categories except total bases and triples where he is ranked second. He is batting .426 with four home runs, 39 RBI, 25 doubles, five triples, 69 runs and 27 stolen bases. His 25 doubles rank fourth, his 92 hits are eighth, and his .426 batting average is ninth on the Emporia State single season list while his 44 stolen bases last year ranks fourth. He is ranked eighth on the career list for the Hornets with 36 doubles, 169 career hits and nine triples and is currently tenth with a career .375 batting average. He had a 29 game hitting streak, the longest by a Hornet since Dillon Hazlett had a 32 game streak in 2011, snapped in the third game against Pittsburg State. He is one of the top ten seniors in Division II according to Baseball the Magazine and one of 25 semifinalists for the Tino Martinez Award as the top player in NCAA Division II.
OUT IN THE FIELD
Outfielder Dalton Wheat (Jr./Augusta, Kan.) is batting .313 with 32 runs and 13 stolen bases in 32 games. He has 25 starts in right field this season.
Outfielder Price Jacobs (Sr./Baytown, Texas) is batting .330 with eight home runs, 12 doubles and 39 RBI. He has 38 starts in the outfield this year and 11 starts at designated hitter.
Outfielder Wade Hanna (So./Shawnee, Kan.) is batting .289 with seven homers, 11 doubles and 36 RBI on the year. He has 28 starts in right and 16 in left field with five outfield assists on the season.
BATTERY MATE
Catcher Jordan Hodges (Sr./Las Vegas, Nev.) has been forced into the everyday catcher role due to injuries to Tory Bell, Tyler Beebe and Garrett McKinzie. He also has seven starts at second base and two at shortstop. Hodges is batting .286 with a .423 on base percentage on the season and the Hornets are 11-2 with him starting behind the dish.
AT THE PLATE
Designated hitter/catcher Tory Bell (Sr./Wichita, Kan.) has been hampered by injury much of the season. He is batting .310 with four home runs, eight double and 19 RBI in 29 games.
Designated hitter/outfielder Jonny Hodges (Fr.-RS/DeSoto, Kan.) has 14 starts at designated hitter for the Hornets. He is batting .358 on the season with two home runs and 17 RBI.
Designated hitter/first baseman Aaron Gile (Jr./Lawrence, Kan.) has 13 starts at DH as well and is batting .286 with three homers, 14 RBI and five doubles.
FOR STARTERS
Seven different players have started a game for the Hornets this year.
Left handed pitcher Travis Hendry (Sr./Las Vegas, Nev.) has 15 appearances with 12 starts and is 9-1 on the season with a 3.97 ERA. His nine wins rank 13th in the nation this year. He has 51 strikeouts and just 19 walks. He has pitched into the fifth inning in 11 of his 12 starts and has given up four runs or less in 13 of his 15 appearances.
Right handed pitcher Garrett Bane (Sr./Sedan, Kan.) is 5-4 on the season with a 5.47 ERA in 18 appearances and eight starts. He has two complete games and the only complete game shutout for the Hornets this year.
Left handed pitcher Jarrod Miller (Sr./Olathe, Kan.) is 4-1 with a 5.46 ERA in 14 appearances this year and six starts. He has 24 strike outs in 29.2 innings with just nine walks. He led the MIAA in strike outs with 77 last season.
THE MIXTURE
Right handed pitcher Garrett Brummett (Sr./Concordia, Kan.) is 5-3 with a 6.07 ERA and leads Emporia State with 65 K's and only 14 walks in 56.1 innings. He was used exclusively as a starter over his first ten games but has made relief appearances in five of his last six games. He has allowed just one run on eight hits with 14 strikeouts and one walk in 8.1 innings out of the bullpen.
Left handed pitcher Jake Eikleberry (Jr./Byers, Colo.) is 2-0 on the season with a 5.04 ERA in 13 appearances and six starts. He started and allowed only four runs while scattering 12 hits against Missouri Southern in the MIAA Championship Game. He picked up wins in starts against Southwest Baptist and Newman.
Right handed pitcher Jagger Harjo (Jr./Midwest City, Okla.) is 3-0 with an 8.06 ERA in 15 appearances with five starts. Four of his five starts came in midweek games against the other three teams that made it to Kansas City for the MIAA Tournament. He was 2-0 with a 6.35 ERA as the Hornets won all four of those games.
OUT OF THE PEN
Left handed pitcher Shane Davies (Jr./Kansas city, Mo.) is 1-0 with a team best 3.33 ERA in 15 relief appearances. He has 21 strikeouts and 11 walks in 24.1 innings.
Left handed pitcher Grant Bachura (Jr./Council Grove, Kan.) is 2-0 with a 4.00 ERA in 18.0 innings pitched during 14 bullpen outings.
Right handed pitcher Jacob Tetuan (Fr.-RS/Topeka, Kan.) is 2-1 with a 9.16 ERA in 15 appearances out of the bullpen.
Left handed pitcher Matt Hinkley (Sr./Liberty, Mo.) is 1-0 in 15 relief appearances. He picked up a win against Northeastern State.
THE IRON THRONE
Right handed closer Shawn Talkington (Sr./Cottonwood Falls, Kan.) was a First-Team All-MIAA pick as a reliever after earning first-team honors as a starter last year. He is 5-4 on the season with a 4.47 ERA and 60 strikeouts on the season. He is ranked second in the nation in saves, 18th in appearances, and 31st in WHIP while leading the MIAA in all three of those categories. He is 3-2 with a 3.25 ERA and 12 saves in 20 appearances out of the bullpen. He has 44 strikeouts and just four walks in 36.0 relief innings. His 12 saves this year rank third on the Emporia State single season chart. He has 211 career strikeouts to rank sixth on the Emporia State career list and is one strikeout away from moving into the top five. He ranks third for the Hornets in career appearances with 67, is fifth in career saves with 14 and is ninth with 21 wins and 234.1 innings pitched.
IN THE POLLS
There are several national rankings in NCAA Division II for baseball. Emporia State is receiving votes in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper top 30 and National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Top 25 polls. The Hornets are ranked #16 in the Perfect Game rankings but are completely unranked in the d2baseballnews.com rankings.
ON DECK
The winner will advance to take on the winner of the game between Minnesota State and Missouri Southern on Friday, May 15 at 7:00 p.m. while the loser will advance to play the winner of the game between St. Cloud State and Henderson State at 3:00 p.m. on Friday.
