#13 EMPORIA STATE BASEBALL TO FACE QUINCY

#13 Emporia State Hornets (11-2, 3-0 MIAA) vs
Quincy University Hawks (5-2, 0-0 GLVC)
Saturday, March 4 (DH) • 12:00 p.m. • QU Stadium • Quincy, Ill.
Sunday, March 5 • 12:00 p.m. • QU Stadium • Quincy, Ill.
Series Record: First Meeting Last Meeting: First Meeting
Live Stats • Complete Game Notes
Up Next: Newman University • March 7, 2017
Glennen Field/Trusler Sports Complex • Emporia, Kan.

WE'RE NOT IN KANSAS ANYMORE
The #13 Hornets continue their streak of non-conference games against Quincy University. The three game series will start with a double header on Saturday, March 4 at 12:00 p.m. at QU Stadium in Quincy, Ill.
 
LAST AT BAT
The #13 Hornets defeated Newman University 8-6 in a non-conference match-up. Emporia State scored two runs in the second inning to take the first lead when the Jets answered with three runs in the bottom of the inning. The Hornets tied the game 3-3 in the top of the third and took a 6-3 lead, a lead they did not give up the rest of the game. Alex White led Emporia State, hitting three for three with four RBI. Mack Gowing went three for four with three RBI. Tucker Perkins was the only other Hornet with a multiple hit game, going two for four and scoring two runs. Taylor Sanagorski also scored two runs for the Hornets. Jacob Tetuan picked up his first win of the season, pitching 1.2 innings and allowing no runs on two hits with a strikeout. Nathan Whitcomb pitched the final inning for his third season save, the second in three days.
 
THE COACHES
Bob Fornelli is 534-231 in his 14th season at Emporia State and is 840-344 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.
Josh Rabe is in his seventh season as the head coach of Quincy University. He guided the Hawks to a 39-18 record last season.

ABOUT THE HORNETS
Emporia State is 11-2 on the season, 3-0 in MIAA play. The Hornets are sixth in the nation with a .373 batting average and a  .627 slugging percentage. Emporia State is also fifth in Division II, averaging 2.09 home runs per game and 12.2 runs per game. The Hornets lead the MIAA in batting average, runs, home runs, slugging percentage and on base percentage. Emporia State also leads the conference with five saves and fourth with 30 batters struck out looking.
Shaffer was named MIAA Hitter of the Week after hitting .364 with two home runs and ten RBI in the sweep over Pitt State. Shaffer is fourth in the conference with 22 RBI.
White leads the MIAA with a .571 batting average in 14 at-bats. White is also second with a .647 on base percentage. Mason Brown in second in the MIAA with a .907 slugging percentage, third with five home runs and fifth with a .571 on base percentage. Ryan McBroom is fifth with a .811 slugging percentage.
Tanner Cairns is fifth in the conference with a 1.59 ERA. Plank is eighth with 18 strikeouts while Holman tenth in the MIAA with a 2.35 ERA.
 
SCOUTING THE HAWKS
Quincy is 5-2 on the season and are second in the GLVC with 13 home runs and a .987 fielding percentage. Jake Walters leads the GLVC with six home runs and is fourth with a 1.038 slugging percentage and 15 RBI. J.C. DeMuri is eighth in the conference with a .840 slugging percentage. Hunter Haynes is third in the conference with a .163 opponent batting average.
This will be the first meeting between Emporia State and Quincy University.
 
ON DECK
The #13 Hornets host Newman in a rematch on Tuesday, March 7 at Glennen Field. First pitch will be at 3:00 p.m.

HE'S A WINNER
Emporia State head baseball coach Bob Fornelli has 840 career wins and is 534-231 (.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 second in the MIAA with a .907 slugging percentage, third with five home runs, fifth with a .571 on base percentage, sixth with 21 RBI and seventh with both a .465 batting average and 18 runs.
 
AROUND THE HORN
First baseman Kaden Shaffer (Jr./Ottawa, Kan.) sits fourth in the MIAA with 22 RBI and four home runs. He is also ninth in the conference with five stolen bases.
Second baseman Ryan McBroom (Sr./Wichita, Kan.) is fifth in the MIAA with an .811 slugging percentage, sixth with a .571 on base percentage and seventh with a .459 batting average.
Shortstop Levi Ashmore (Sr./Iola, Kan.) comes in ninth in the MIAA with five stolen bases. Ashmore has 14 runs and 14 hits that include two doubles, a triple and a home run.
Third baseman Tate Kastens (Jr./Denver, Colo.) sits sixth in the MIAA with an .806 slugging percentage and tenth with 15 RBI. Kastens has a .417 batting average.
 
OUT IN THE FIELD
Outfielder Mack Gowing (Jr./Wichita, Kan.) is seventh in the MIAA with 21 hits on the year. Gowing is batting .429 with 14 runs, ten RBI and three doubles.
Outfielder BJ Dean (Sr./Pratt, Kan.) comes in fourth in the MIAA with four home runs and seventh with 18 runs. Dean has 18 hits, 18 runs, 15 RBI and two doubles.
Outfielder Wade Hanna (Sr./Shawnee, Kan.) is one of ten MIAA players with more than one triple. Hanna has 15 runs and 15 hits on a .313 batting average.
 
ON THE MOUND
Left-handed pitcher Jordan Plank (Sr./Wichita, Kan.) is 2-1 on the season, coming in tenth in the MIAA with 21.1 innings pitched. Plank is eighth with 18 strikeouts. He has a 4.22 ERA with four starts.
Left-handed pitcher Nathan Gieber (Jr./Concordia, Kan.) is eighth in the MIAA with six batters struck out looking. He has a 9.69 ERA in 13.0 innings with three starts.
Right-handed pitcher Seth Holman (Jr./Wichita, Kan.) is 3-0 on the year and sits tenth in the MIAA with a 2.35 ERA. Holman is sixth with 23.0 innings pitched and one of five MIAA players with three wins.
 
IN THE BULLPEN
Right-handed pitcher Tanner Cairns (So./Wichita, Kan.) has a 2-0 record and a 1.59 ERA, good enough for fifth in the MIAA, with 13 strikeouts.
Left-handed pitcher Tyler Buss (Sr./Jay, Okla.) is 1-0 with a save and 11 strikeouts.
Right-handed pitcher Nathan Whitcomb (Sr./Humboldt, Kan.) has a 1.50 ERA and is 0-1 on the year. Whitcomb is second in the MIAA with three saves.
 
TRENDS
When Emporia State out-hits opponents they are 8-0.
Emporia State is 6-0 when they score first.
Emporia State is 5-0 when they score in the first inning.
The Hornets outscore their opponents 21-4 in the seventh inning and 27-2 in the third inning.
The Hornets are out-scoring their opponents 150-72 overall.
The Hornets are 2-0 against left-handed starters.
Kaden Shaffer has gotten at least one hit in every game this season. He also has two games with five or more RBI.
 
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 609 at-bats. He is also in the top ten in base hits with 190, which puts him sixth all-time. He will need two more hits to tie both Josh Stratman and Brad Bascue for fourth. Hanna is eighth with 145 runs, needing one more to tie Jon Perry for seventh. He now is seventh in games played with 175, needing to appear in two more to tie Tim Barger. In game three against Missouri S&T, Hanna broke the top ten, hitting his ninth career triple, tying Justin Harris, Dave Mosea and Conner Crubmliss for tenth. Hanna falls two doubles short, with 33 doubles, from tying Keith Hernandez for tenth.
 
COMEBACK KIDS
The Hornets have two 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.
 
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 with 12.2 runs per game and 2.09 home runs per game. The Hornets are sixth in the nation with a .373 batting average, a .627 slugging percentage and 2.73 stolen bases per game. Emporia State is eighth with 23 home runs and ninth with a .462 on base percentage. Mason Brown is 17th in the nation with five home runs.
The Hornets lead the MIAA with a .365 batting average, 150 runs, 23 home runs, a .598 slugging percentage and a .455 on base percentage. Emporia State is second with 176 hits, 132 RBI, seven triples, 75 walks and a .974 fielding percentage.
 
IN THE POLLS
There are several national rankings in NCAA Division II for baseball. Emporia State is ranked #13 in ABCA Collegiate Baseball Newspaper for the February 27th Poll. The Hornets are #18 in the Hero Sports Division II Rankings, #19 in the D2 Baseball News National Rankings, and are receiving votes in the 28th position in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Top 25.