#38 EMPORIA STATE BASEBALL OPENS SEASON WITH #31 CSU-PUEBLO

#38 Emporia State Hornets (0-0, 0-0 MIAA)
vs. #31 Colorado State - Pueblo (0-0, 0-0 RMAC)
Friday, Feb. 5 • 1:00 p.m. • Glennen Field • Emporia, Kan.
Saturday, Feb. 6 • 1:00 p.m. • Glennen Field • Emporia, Kan.
Sunday, Feb. 7 • 12:00 p.m. • Glennen Field • Emporia, Kan.
Series Record: Series tied 1-1  Last Meeting: Prior to 1978  
Radio: None Internet Audio: None
Live Stats  Complete Notes in pdf
Up Next: at Metro St. • Feb 12-14 • Denver, Colo.
 
LET'S GET IT STARTED
The #38 Hornets open the 2016 season at home against #31 Colo. State-Pueblo. Emporia State has won seven of their last eight 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
The Hornets went 39-16, 23-12 in the MIAA and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year and tenth time in the last 12 seasons. 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. The Hornets were ranked third in the nation in home runs, seventh in slugging percentage, ninth in runs scored, tenth in stolen bases, 11th in doubles, and 12th in hits last season. Dean Long was the MIAA Player of the Year after batting .364 with an MIAA record 23 home runs and 81 RBI.   
 
THE COACHES
Bob Fornelli is 484-210 in his 13th season at Emporia State and is 790-323 overall in his 20th 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.
Stan Sanchez is 756-482-1 in his 23rd season at Colo. State-Pueblo. He has taken the ThunderWolves to nine NCAA Regionals and finished fifth at the 1996 World Series.

ABOUT THE HORNETS
Emporia State was ranked second with a first place vote in the MIAA Preseason poll. The Hornets return five position players, three starting pitchers and four relievers from last year's team that went 39-16 overall, 23-12 in the MIAA and advanced to the NCAA Central Regional.
First-team All-MIAA first baseman Evan Koehler hit .368 with 14 home runs and 62 RBI last year.  Dalton Wheat hit .317 with two homers, 16 RBI and 33 runs scored in an injury plagued season. Wade Hanna hit .284 with seven home runs, 36 RBI and 36 runs scored.
Garrett Brummett was 5-3 last year with a 5.63 ERA and team high 68 strikeouts. He moved to the bullpen in the postseason and was 2-0 with a 1.26 ERA in 14.1 innings of relief. Jake Eikleberry was 2-0 last season with a 5.04 ERA in 13 games with six starts.  Jagger Harjo was 3-0 in 15 games with five starts.  Shane Davies had a 3.33 ERA in 15 games with a win and  a save. Grant Bachura was 2-0 with a 3.98 ERA in 15 relief appearances last season. Tyler Stubblefield transfered to Emporia State from Texas A&M where he had 55 strikeouts and just 11 walks in 53.2 innings.
 
SCOUTING THE THUNDERWOLVES
Colo. State-Pueblo went 41-16 last season. Dominick Bregar led the Pack with 51 RBIs in 2015, and Jordan Godman was the RMAC's leader in stolen bases with 31.
 
THE SERIES
According to Emporia State records the seires is tied at 1-1.
 
ON DECK
The Hornets will travel to Denver, Colo. next weekend to take on Metro State.  The three game series is set to begin on Friday, Feb. 12.
 
HE'S A WINNER
Emporia State head baseball coach Bob Fornelli has 790 career wins and is 484-210 (.699) in his 13th 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. The Hornets have made ten trips to the NCAA Tournament in his first 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.
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.
He is the fourth winningest active coach in NCAA Division II and ranks 15th in career victories with a 790-323 record as he begins his 20th season.
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 had 24 come from behind wins last season including 13 games when trailing in the fourth inning or later.  In the last two years Emporia State has played in 12 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 last season. The Hornets were being no hit and trailing 2-0 going into the bottom of the fifth inning of the first MIAA Championship game in 2014 before rallying for a 3-2 victory to prolong their season.
 
REGIONALLY SPEAKING
Emporia State was ranked third in the NCAA Central Region last year and was 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 74-67 against non-league opponents last year.
 
POWER AND LIGHT DISTRICT
Emporia State was ranked in the top 15 nationally in seven offensive categories last year. The Hornets were ranked third in the nation in home runs, seventh in slugging percentage, ninth in runs scored, tenth in stolen bases, 11th in doubles, and 12th in hits. Emporia State and Seton Hill were the only two teams in the nation to be ranked in the top 11 in doubles, home runs and stolen bases.
 
HORNETS IN THE POSTSEASON
Last season Emporia State made their 11th trip to the NCAA Tournament and tenth in 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 a 6-3 loss to Minnesota State in 2014.  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.