#30 HORNET BASEBALL PREPARES FOR HOME SERIES OPENER AGAINST METRO STATE-DENVER

#30 Emporia State Hornets (2-1, 0-0 MIAA) vs
Metro State - Denver Roadrunners (2-2, 0-0 RMAC)
Friday, Feb. 10 • 3:00 p.m. • Glennen Field/Trusler Sports Complex • Emporia, Kan.
Saturday, Feb. 11 • 1:00 p.m. • Glennen Field/Trusler Sports Complex • Emporia, Kan.
Sunday, Feb. 12 • 12:00 p.m. • Glennen Field/Trusler Sports Complex • Emporia, Kan.
Series Record: ESU leads 5-1 Last Meeting: at MSU-Denver 6, ESU 5 (Feb. 14, 2016)
Live Stats • Game Notes
Up Next: #35 Missouri S&T • Feb. 17-19, 2017
Glennen Field/Trusler Sports Complex • Emporia, Kan.

OUR HOUSE
The #30 Hornets begin a nine game home stand with a three game series against Metro State-Denver on Friday, Feb. 10. First pitch will be at 3:00 p.m. on Glennen Field.
 
LAST AT BAT
The #30 Hornets won two games at CSU-Pueblo, dropping one, to claim the series last weekend. Over the three games, Mason Brown led with a .727 batting average with eight hits that included two home runs and a double. He had eight runs with six RBI and earned a 1.364 slugging percentage. BJ Dean followed with a .417 batting average with five runs, five hits, two home runs and seven RBI. Mack Gowing has a .400 batting average with four hits and four runs. After a win on Friday night, Seth Holman has a 0.00 ERA in 6.0 innings pitched with four strikeouts and allowing only three hits. Taylor Thompson picked up a win on Saturday in 2.0 innings pitched. Tyler Buss and Tanner Cairns each earned a save over the weekend, Buss pitching 3.0 innings with five strikeouts and Cairns pitching 3.1 innings with only three hits.
 
THE COACHES
Bob Fornelli is 525-230 in his 14th season at Emporia State and is 831-343 overall in his 21st year as a four year head coach. He is the fifth winningest active coach in NCAA Division II and is 15th in total victories. Fornelli is the winningest active MIAA coach. He has led Emporia State to two Division II World Series appearances in nine NCAA Tournaments. Fornelli has taken teams to the NCAA Tournament 16 times, and was the national runner-up in 2009 with Emporia State and in 2000 while at Ft. Hays State. He is 5-1 against the Roadrunners.
Jerrid Oates begins his sixth season with a 96-134 record as head coach at Metro State-Denver. Oates is 1-5 against the Hornets.

ABOUT THE HORNETS
Emporia State is picked to finish second in the MIAA Preseason poll and begin the season ranked 30th in Division II. The Hornets started the season 2-1 after a three game series at CSU-Pueblo.
Mason Brown leads Emporia State with a .727 batting average, hitting eight for 11 with eight runs, two home runs and six RBI. BJ Dean has a .417 batting average with seven RBI in fiv ehits that include two home runs and two doubles. Taylor Sanagorski has two doubles and a triple.
Seth Holman is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in 6.0 innings, allowing only three hits and no runs with four strikeouts and no walks. Tyler Buss picked up a save over the weekend in 3.0 innings with five strikeouts and no walks.
 
SCOUTING THE ROADRUNNERS
Metro State-Denver split a four game series to start their season last weekend against Neb.-Kearney. Beecher Strube also picked up a win in 4.0 innings pitched with eight hits and seven runs. Hunter Donaldson led the Roadrunners going six for 12 with four runs and four RBI.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Emporia State leads the all-time series 5-1 over Metro State-Denver.
 
LAST TIME VS METRO STATE-DENVER
Then #38 Hornets dropped the final game, 6-5, of a three game series at Metro State-Denver on February 14, 2016. BJ Dean went on for four with a two run homer. Jonny Hodges went two for four. Jacob Tetuan pitched 3.0 innings, striking out five of nine batters faced. Jordan Plank gave up two hits and had two strikeouts in 1.2 innings.
 
ON DECK
The #30 Hornets continue their home game stand in a three game series against #35 Missouri S&T from Feb. 17-19 at Glennen Field.

HE'S A WINNER
Emporia State head baseball coach Bob Fornelli has 831 career wins and is 525-230 (.695) in his 14th 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 11 trips to the NCAA Tournament in his first 13 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 16 of his 20 years as a collegiate coach. Fornelli is the winningest active MIAA 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 823-337 (.710) 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.
 
AROUND THE HORN
First baseman Kaden Shaffer (Jr./Ottawa, Kan.) has a .308 batting average after three games. He has four hits and three runs that include one home run and two RBI.
Second baseman Ryan McBroom (Sr./Wichita, Kan.) is hitting .429 after a three game series at CSU-Pueblo. McBroom has three hits, three runs, a stolen base and one RBI.
Shortstop Levi Ashmore (Sr./Iola, Kan.) has a .231 batting average with three hits, three runs, a stolen base and one RBI.
Third baseman Daniel LaMunyon (Sr./Leawood, Kan.) has one hit, one run and five RBI after the three game series at CSU-Pueblo.
 
OUT IN THE FIELD
Outfielder Mack Gowing (Jr./Wichita, Kan.) is hitting .400 after three games with four hits, a stolen base and four runs.
Outfielder BJ Dean (Sr./Pratt, Kan.) has a .417 batting average after the season opening series. He had five hits that included two home runs and two doubles. Dean also has seven RBI and five runs.
Outfielder Wade Hanna (Sr./Shawnee, Kan.) has four runs, a stolen base and four RBI in two hits after the three game series at CSU-Pueblo.
 
ON THE MOUND
Left-handed pitcher Jordan Plank (Sr./Wichita, Kan.) is 0-1 on the season with a 4.15 ERA. Plank has seen 4.1 innings, allowing only four hits and three runs with one strikeout.
Left-handed pitcher Nathan Gieber (Jr./Concordia, Kan.) has a 14.73 ERA after 3.2 innings pitching against CSU-Pueblo. He has four strikeouts and only one walk, allowing eight hits and six runs.
Right-handed pitcher Seth Holman (Jr./Wichita, Kan.) is 1-0 on the season with a 0.00 ERA in 6.0 innings. Holman allowed only three hits with no runs or no walks with four strikeouts at CSU-Pueblo.
 
HISTORY
Emporia State advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the third straight year in the 2015 season and the 11th time in the last 13 seasons. The Hornets have finished second in MIAA regular season play for the past three seasons. Under Coach Fornelli, Emporia State won the MIAA Tournament in 2014 and 2007 and claimed the regular season title in 2011, 2009, 2008 and 2006.
 
RECORD BOOKS
In his fourth and final season with the Hornets, Wade Hanna looks to make an impact on the career batting recordings. Hanna currently sits fifth all-time with 573 at-bats, 19 at-bats short of tying Greg Strecker for fourth. He is also in the top ten in base hits with 177, which puts him sixth all-time. He will need 15 more hits to tie both Josh Stratman and Brad Bascue for fourth. Hanna also sits ninth with 134 runs, needing five more to tie Doug Miller for eighth. Hanna falls short of a few categories that he should break into in his senior season including a game short in games played with 165 games, three doubles shy with 32 doubles and two triples short with seven triples.