#15 EMPORIA STATE BASEBALL TO HOST NEWMAN

#15 Emporia State Hornets (15-4, 5-1 MIAA) vs
Newman University Jets (6-12, 0-3 Heartland)
Wednesday, March 15 • 5:00 p.m. • Glennen Field/Trusler Sports Complex • Emporia, Kan.
Series Record: ESU leads 48-18 Last Meeting: ESU 8, at NU 6 (March 1, 2017) 
Live Stats • Complete Game Notes
Up Next: at Fort Hays • March 17-19, 2017
Schumacher-Nelson Field/Larks Park • Hays, Kan.

CROSS-CONFERENCE CHALLENGE
The #15 Hornets host Newman on Wednesday, March 15 for a non-conference match-up. First pitch will be at 5:00 p.m. on Glennen field at Trusler Sports Complex.
 
LAST AT BAT
The #13 Hornets won two games of the series against Mo. Southern (2-0, 4-3, 8-9) to improve to 15-4 on the season and 5-1 in the MIAA. Emporia State's two runs in game one were scored in the bottom of the eighth for the win. Kaden Shaffer hit a walk-off home run in the ninth after the Hornets had trailed 3-1 at the completion of five innings. Emporia State fell 9-8 in game three in 11 innings.
Mack Gowing hit .500 over the weekend with six hits, also scoring three runs. BJ Dean had four stolen bases through the three games while Mason Brown had a .308 batting average. The team had ten stolen bases to the Lions' two. Seth Holman improved to 4-1, pitching 8.0 innings with six strikeouts and allowing no runs on two hits and two walks. Layne Downing claimed a win in game two and picked up his first loss in game three, pitching a total of 2.0 innings.
 
THE COACHES
Bob Fornelli is 538-233 in his 14th season at Emporia State and is 844-346 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 13-4 against the Jets.
Zane Ehling has a 167-165 record in his eighth season as the head coach of Newman University. He is 2-9 against the Hornets.

ABOUT THE HORNETS
Emporia State is 15-4 on the season, 5-1 in MIAA play and are ranked 15th in the nation. The Hornets are fifth in Division II averaging 10.7 runs per game. Emporia State is sixth with 48 stolen bases and a .976 fielding percentage and eighth with a .445 on base percentage, a .357 batting average and a .576 slugging percentage. They also come in ninth with 32 home runs. The Hornets lead the MIAA in batting average, runs, hits, RBI, slugging percentage, on base percentage, stolen bases and fielding percentage.
Holman was named MIAA Pitcher of the Week after taking a no-hitter into the eighth inning against Missouri Southern, throwing six strikeouts with just two hits and two walks. Nathan Whitcomb has a 0.75 ERA with four saves. Jordan Plank is eighth with 28 strikeouts. Alex White leads the MIAA with a .531 batting average and a .634 on base percentage. Shaffer is third with 27 RBI while Brown is MIAA top ten in batting average, slugging percentage, on base percentage, hits and home runs.
 
SCOUTING THE JETS
Newman is 6-12 on the season and lead the Heartland with a .972 fielding percentage. Nick Griffin is sixth in the Heartland with 22 runs joined by Paul Rupnik in the top ten with a .486 on base percentage. Wade Winter is ninth with a .250 opponent batting average.
Emporia State leads the all-time series 48-18 over Newman.
The #13 Hornets defeated the Jets 8-6 earlier this month to improve to 11-2. White hit three for three with four RBI followed by Mack Gowing going three for four with three RBI. Jacob Tetuan pitched 1.2 innings allowing no runs on two hits for his first win.
 
ON DECK
The #15 Hornets resume MIAA action on the road against Fort Hays on March 17-19. First pitch will be at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, March 17.

HE'S A WINNER
Emporia State head baseball coach Bob Fornelli has 844 career wins and is 538-233 (.698) 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 and 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.
 
BEHIND THE PLATE
Catcher Mason Brown (Jr./Littleton, Colo.) is fifth in the MIAA with both a .441 batting average and a .536 on base percentage. He sits sixth with a .735 slugging percentage, is seventh with 30 hits and five home runs.
 
AROUND THE HORN
First baseman Kaden Shaffer (Jr./Ottawa, Kan.) comes in third in the MIAA with 27 RBI and is seventh with five home runs. He has a .355 batting average with 27 hits.
Second baseman Ryan McBroom (Sr./Wichita, Kan.) is fifth in the MIAA with a .737 slugging percentage and has six doubles, four home runs and a triple.
Shortstop Levi Ashmore (Sr./Iola, Kan.) sits sixth in the MIAA with eight stolen bases, yet to be caught stealing. He has just two errors on the year with 20 hits and 21 runs.
Third baseman Tate Kastens (Jr./Denver, Colo.) is batting .364 on the season with 16 RBI and 16 hits that include three doubles, three home runs and a triple.
 
OUT IN THE FIELD
Outfielder Mack Gowing (Jr./Wichita, Kan.) comes in eighth in the MIAA with a .512 on base percentage and is seventh with 14 walks.
Outfielder BJ Dean (Sr./Pratt, Kan.) is fourth in the MIAA with six home runs and fifth with 23 runs. Dean also has 23 RBI and four doubles with 26 hits.
Outfielder Wade Hanna (Sr./Shawnee, Kan.) has 20 hits, 21 runs, five doubles and two triples on the season. Hanna has a 1.000 fielding percentage.
 
ON THE MOUND
Left-handed pitcher Jordan Plank (Sr./Wichita, Kan.) is eighth in the MIAA with 28 strikeouts and is 3-1 on the season. Plank has a 5.52 ERA in 31.0 innings pitched.
Right-handed pitcher Tanner Cairns (So./Wichita, Kan.) sits eighth in the MIAA with a 2.57 ERA. Cairns is 3-0 on the season with three starts and 28.0 innings pitched. He has 15 strikeouts and has allowed just ten runs.
Right-handed pitcher Seth Holman (Jr./Wichita, Kan.) is eighth in the MIAA with 35.2 innings pitched and is one of five pitchers in the conference with four or more wins. Holman has 26 strikeouts with a 3.28 ERA and a .231 opponent batting average.
 
IN THE BULLPEN
Left-handed pitcher Nathan Gieber (Jr./Concordia, Kan.) has a 7.64 ERA in seven appearances and three starts. Gieber has 15 strikeouts in 17.2 innings pitched.
Right-handed pitcher Taylor Thompson (Jr./Cuba, Mo.) is 2-0 with a 6.00 ERA.
Right-handed pitcher Nathan Whitcomb (Sr./Humboldt, Kan.) is one of four MIAA pitchers with at least four saves. Whitcomb has a 0.75 ERA in 12.0 innings pitched with seven strikeouts to no walks.
 
TRENDS
When Emporia State out-hits opponents they are 10-1.
Emporia State is 9-1 when they score first.
Emporia State is 8-1 when they score in the first inning.
The Hornets outscore their opponents 28-6 in the third inning.
The Hornets are out-scoring their opponents 204-101 overall.
With runners on third and two outs, the Hornets are batting .693 in 75 attempts.
Mason Brown is currently on a 17 game reached base streak.
All four of Emporia State's losses were one run losses.
 
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 third all-time with 630 at-bats. He is also in the top ten in base hits with 195, which puts him fourth all-time. He will need eight more hits to tie Jim Wood for third. Hanna is sixth with 151 runs, needing three more to tie Brett Berry for fifth. He now is sixth with 181 games played, needing to appear in 24 more to tie Bob Hines. Hanna is seventh all-time with 37 doubles, needing two more to tie Kevin Wempe for sixth. Hanna hit his ninth career triple this season, tying Justin Harris, Dave Mosea and Conner Crubmliss for tenth. Hanna has 113 career RBI, needing 141 to break the Emporia State top ten.
 
COMEBACK KIDS
The Hornets have three comeback wins this season. Emporia State came back from an 8-4 deficit after the first two innings on Friday, Feb. 17 against Missouri S&T. The next day, the Hornets had a 9-8 walk off win against Missouri S&T after trailing 8-6 through seven innings. In an extended game due to weather delay, Emporia State hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth in game two against Missouri Western after trailing 3-1 headed into the sixth inning.
 
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.
 
POWER AND LIGHT DISTRICT
Emporia State is fifth in Division II scoring 10.7 runs per game and are sixth with 48 stolen bases and a .976 fielding percentage. The Hornets are eighth in the nation with a .576 slugging percentage, 204 runs, a .357 batting average and a .445 on base percentage. They are ninth with 32 home runs.
The Hornets lead the MIAA with a .357 batting average, 204 runs, 250 hits, 182 RBI, a .576 slugging percentage, a .445 on base percentage, 48 stolen bases and a .976 fielding percentage. Emporia State is second with 32 home runs and 105 walks.
 
IN THE POLLS
There are several national rankings in NCAA Division II for baseball. Emporia State is ranked #15 in ABCA Collegiate Baseball Newspaper for the February 27th Poll. The Hornets are #6 in the Hero Sports Division II Rankings, #15 in the D2 Baseball News National Rankings, and are #14 in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Top 25.