#19 EMPORIA STATE BASEBALL PLAYS HOST TO WASHBURN

#19 Emporia State Hornets (26-9, 18-6 MIAA)
vs
Washburn Ichabods (21-13, 16-8 MIAA)
April 13 • 5:00 p.m. • Glennen Field/Trusler Sports Complex • Emporia, Kan.
Series Record: ESU leads 168-72-1
Last Meeting: ESU 6, WU 5 (May 9, 2015, MIAA Tourney)  
Live Stats • Complete Notes in pdf
Up Next: vs Northeastern State • April 15-17, 2016
Glennen Field/Trusler Sports Complex • Emporia, Kan.
 
TURNPIKE TUSSLE PART ONE
The #19 Hornets play host to Washburn in the first baseball Turnpike Tussle of the season. Wednesday's game will be Chamber Night Out and Applebee's Autograph Night with a special appearance from the World Series Champion Kansas City Royals mascot Sluggerrr.
 
LAST AT BAT
Then #11 Emporia State dropped a three game series 2-1 at #26 Central Missouri over the weekend. The Hornets took the first game 11-4 but dropped game two 3-2 and game three 5-7.
Wade Hanna hit five for 12 over the weekend with three runs scored and a stolen base. Dalton Wheat had a home run, a stolen base, three runs and four RBI over the three games. Evan Koehler had three runs scored with a home run while Tucker Perkins had a home run and three RBI against the Mules. Derek Francis was three for six with two RBI.
Tyler Stubblefield snagged his eighth win of the season on Friday, allowing only two walks and two runs through 7.0 innings pitched.
 
THE COACHES
Bob Fornelli is 510-219 in his 13th season at Emporia State and is 816-332 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. He is 38-18 against the Ichabods.
Harley Douglas is 54-33 in his second year as head coach at Washburn. He is 2-5 against the Hornets.
 
ABOUT THE HORNETS
Emporia State is 26-9 on the season,18-6 in the MIAA and ranked #19 in the nation. The Hornets are ranked fourth nationally in slugging percentage and doubles per game, eighth in scoring, and 10th in average. Evan Koehler leads the nation with 17 home runs, is 10th in the nation in RBI and 16th in slugging percentage. Emporia State leads the MIAA with 289 total strike outs and is second with a 3.82 ERA. Tyler Stubblefield is third in the nation with eight wins and leads the MIAA with a 1.82 ERA and 69 strike outs. Matt Slauter leads the MIAA with a 6.80 strike out to walk ratio, five walks and just 1.04 walks allowed per nine innings. The Hornets lead the MIAA and are ranked 13th in the nation with a .973 fielding percentage.
 
SCOUTING THE ICHABODS
Washburn is 21-13, 16-8 in the MIAA. The Ichabods are ninth in the nation in stolen bases, Kyle Carnahan leading the way with 26 stolen bases for eighth in the nation. David Gauntt is seventh in the nation with 14 home runs.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Emporia State leads the all-time series 168-72-1 over Washburn, going 5-2 against the Ichabods last season.
 
last time against WASHBURN
Emporia State scored five runs in the first inning and sealed a 6-5 win with a home run in the seventh over Washburn in the MIAA Tourney last season. The win would advance the Hornets to the MIAA Championship game. Garrett Brummett picked up the win with three strike outs in 2.0 innings pitched.
 
ON DECK
The #19 Hornets will host Northeastern State for a three game series on April 15-17.
 
HE'S A WINNER
Emporia State head baseball coach Bob Fornelli has 816 career wins and is 510-219 (.700) 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 816-332 record in 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.
 
PUTTING UP RUNS
The Hornets lead the MIAA in five offensive categories with a .343 batting average, 92 doubles, 428 hits, 322 runs and a .558 slugging percentage. Emporia State is fourth in the nation in slugging percentage and doubles per game, ranked eighth in scoring, tenth in batting average, 11th in runs, 13th in fielding percentage and 14th in home runs. They have scored at least ten runs in 13 games and at least 15 runs in seven games with four games in which they have scored at least 20 runs. The Hornets are 21-0 when scoring at least six runs in a game.
Evan Koehler is leading the nation with 17 home runs. He is also tenth in the nation with 50 RBI, 14th in total bases with 106, and 16th with an .809 slugging percentage. Wade Hanna is third in the MIAA with five triples and is sixth in the conference with 43 runs scored. Levi Ashmore is second in the MIAA with 13 doubles. BJ Dean is eighth in the league with nine home runs. Dalton Wheat is fifth in the league with three triples. Ryan McBroom is tenth in the conference with a .676 slugging percentage.
 
SWING AND MISS STUFF
The Hornets are leading the MIAA with 289 strike outs and just 106 walks for a 2.73 strike out to walk ratio good enough for 20th in the nation. They are second in the conference with a 3.82 ERA and a .266 opponent batting average.
Tyler Stubblefield leads the MIAA and is ranked third in the nation with eight wins, a 1.82 ERA, 69 total strikeouts and 24 batters struckout looking. He is second with a .203 opponent batting average, allowing only 15 runs and only 13 earned runs. Stubblefield is also third in the league in innings pitched and WHIP. Matt Slauter leads the MIAA with a 6.80 strike out to walk ratio, five walks and just 1.04 walks allowed per nine innings. Slauter is also ninth in the conference with a 3.95 ERA. Garrett Brummett is third in the league with five saves on the season. Jordan Plank is eighth in the MIAA with 49 strike outs. Both Slauter and Plank are in the league's top ten with five wins a piece.
 
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.
 
TRENDS
Emporia State is outscoring opponents 62-15 in the fourth inning.
The Hornets are 16-0 when scoring in the first inning.
Emporia State is 22-1 when leading after the sixth inning.
 
RECORD BOOKS
Evan Koehler is ranked 11th among active players in all NCAA Divisions with 31 career home runs and a .713 slugging percentage. He is ranked fourth in career home runs at Emporia State. His 17 homers this year rank seventh on the Hornet's single season list and he needs one to move into a tie for fifth.