#8 Emporia State Hornets (19-5, 8-2 MIAA)
vs. Neb.-Kearney Lopers (8-15, 1-9 MIAA)
Friday, March 24 • 3:00 p.m. • Glennen Field/Trusler Sports Complex • Emporia, Kan.
Saturday, March 25 • 3:00 p.m. • Glennen Field/Trusler Sports Complex • Emporia, Kan.
Sunday, March 26 • 1:00 p.m. • Glennen Field/Trusler Sports Complex • Emporia, Kan.
Series Record: ESU leads 35-20 Last Meeting: ESU 14, at UNK 6 (3/27/16)
Live Stats Complete Notes in pdf
Up Next: Mo. Western • March 29, 2017 • Griffon Springs Sports Complex • St. Joseph, Mo.
END OF SPRING BREAK
The #8 Hornets wrap up their spring break with a three game set against Neb.-Kearney at Glennen Field in the Trusler Sports Complex. Emporia State will play 11 of their next 12 games on the road and will not return to Trusler until April 4 against Missouri Western.
LAST AT BAT
The #8 Hornets committed a season high three errors and stranded nine runners in a 4-1 loss to Missouri Western on Tuesday afternoon at the Trusler Sports Complex.
Levi Ashmore was two for five for the Hornets while Wade Hanna went one for four with a run scored.
Nathan Gieber started and went 5.0 innings for the Hornets scattering five hits with a walk and two strikeouts. Layne Downing took the loss, allowing two runs on three hits in 2.2 innings.
THE COACHES
Bob Fornelli is 542-234 in his 14th season at Emporia State and is 848-347 overall in his 21st year as a four year head coach. He is the fifth winningest active coach in NCAA Division II and is 14th in total victories. Fornelli is the winningest active MIAA coach. He has led Emporia State to two Division II World Series appearances in 11 trips to the NCAA Tournament. 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 12-6 against the Lopers at ESU.
Damon Day is 360-356 in his 14th year as head coach at Neb.-Kearney. He is 6-12 against Emporia State.
ABOUT THE HORNETS
Emporia State is 19-5 on the season, 8-2 in the MIAA, and are ranked #8 in the nation. Although no individual is ranked in the top ten nationally, offensively the Hornets lead the nation in stolen bases and are ranked third in the nation in scoring per game, fifth in total runs, and eighth in total home runs.
The Hornets five shutouts are the second most in the nation behind three teams with six shutouts. The pitching staff is fourth in the nation in walks allowed per nine innings.
Emporia State ranks third in the nation in fielding percentage.
SCOUTING THE LOPERS
Neb.-Kearney is 8-15 overall and 1-8 in the MIAA with the one win coming against then #4 Central Missouri. Dallas Schramm is hitting .402 with four home runs and 30 RBI. They have given up at least ten runs in seven straight games.
THE SERIES
The first game of the series will be the 56th meeting between the Hornets and Lopers with Emporia State leading the series 35-20.
LAST AT BAT WITH NEB.-KEARNEY
The #15 Hornets pounded out 32 hits and scored 21 runs in a double header sweep of Neb.-Kearney on Easter Sunday in Kearney. Emporia State won game one 14-6 and took the second game 7-6 to complete the three game sweep of the Lopers.
ON DECK
The #8 Hornets travel to St. Joseph, Mo. on March 29 to take on Missouri Western in the second of three midweek games with the Griffons. First pitch is at 4:00 p.m.
HE'S A WINNER
Emporia State head baseball coach Bob Fornelli has 848 career wins and is 542-234 (.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 fifth winningest active coach in NCAA Division II and ranks 14th in career victories with a 848-347 (.710) record in his 21st season as a head coach.
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 seventh in the MIAA with a .500 on base percentage and 26 runs scored, eighth with six homers, ninth with a .402 batting average, and tenth with a .667 slugging percentage.
AROUND THE HORN
First baseman Kaden Shaffer (Jr./Ottawa, Kan.) is sixth in the MIAA with 18 walks. He is batting .330 with five home runs and 27 RBI.
Second baseman Ryan McBroom (Sr./Wichita, Kan.) sits fourth in the MIAA with a .700 slugging percentage. He is batting .371 on the season with five homers, six doubles and 21 RBI.
Shortstop Levi Ashmore (Sr./Iola, Kan.) ranks third in the MIAA with 14 stolen bases and is fourth in the league with 30 runs scored. He is batting .357 on the season.
Third baseman Alex White (Sr./Colorado Springs, Colo.) is third in the MIAA with a .451 batting average and .548 on base percentage. He has 19 RBI and has only struck out five times in 51 at bats.
OUT IN THE FIELD
Outfielder Mack Gowing (Jr./Wichita, Kan.) is batting .354 with a .444 on base percentage and .439 slugging percentage. He has four doubles, a home run and a 13 RBI.
Outfielder BJ Dean (Sr./Pratt, Kan.) comes in second in the MIAA with eight home runs and is ranked eighth in the league with a .670 slugging percentage. He is hitting .341 with 27 RBI and 26 runs scored on the year.
Outfielder Wade Hanna (Sr./Shawnee, Kan.) has 22 hits, 24 runs, five doubles and two triples on the season. He has two outfield assists and a 1.000 fielding percentage.
TIMELY HITTING
Infielder/DH Daniel LaMunyon (Sr./Leawood, Kan.) had two late inning, game winning home runs last week. He is fifth in the MIAA with ten stolen bases and is tied for tenth with five home runs.
ON THE MOUND
Right-handed pitcher Seth Holman (Jr./Wichita, Kan.) is tied for the MIAA lead with five wins in six starts. He is second in the MIAA in walks per nine innings, is third with a 1.06 WHIP, ranks fourth in strike out to walk ratio. He has a 3.02 ERA and opponents are batting just .229 against him.
Left-handed pitcher Jordan Plank (Sr./Wichita, Kan.) is seventh in the MIAA in strike out to walk ratio. He is 3-1 with a 5.52 ERA in six starts and has 28 strikeouts.
Right-handed pitcher Tanner Cairns (So./Wichita, Kan.) is 3-0 with a 3.21 ERA in seven appearances and four starts. He has struck out 20 while walking just ten.
Left-handed pitcher Nathan Gieber (Jr./Concordia, Kan.) has five starts in nine outings and has struck out 21 with just five walks. He has yet to get a decision and has an 7.00 ERA.
Right-handed pitcher Matt Slauter (Sr./Olathe, Kan.) is 1-0 with a 2.35 ERA in 7.2 innings pitched with a combined shutout in his only start.
IN THE BULLPEN
Right-handed pitcher Nathan Whitcomb (Sr./Humboldt, Kan.) is ranked 12th in the nation with five saves. He has a 0.63 ERA in 11 relief appearances. He has 11 strike outs and no walks in 14.1 innings.
Right-handed pitcher Taylor Thompson (Jr./Cuba, Mo.) is 3-0 with a 4.72 ERA in 11 appearances.
Right-handed pitcher Layne Downing (Jr./Hays, Kan.) is 2-2 with a 2.65 ERA in ten games.
Left-handed pitcher Tyler Buss (Sr./Jay, Okla.) is 1-0 with a 10.97 ERA in six games with two starts.
Right-handed pitcher Jacob Tetuan (Jr./Topeka, Kan.) is 1-0 with a 2.08 ERA in seven appearances.
TRENDS
When Emporia State out-hits opponents they are 13-1.
Emporia State is 11-1 when they score first.
Emporia State is 9-1 when they score in the first inning.
The Hornets have out-scored their opponents 35-6 in the third inning and 17-4 in the ninth.
The Hornets are out-scoring their opponents 244-116 overall.
Hornet pinch hitters are batting .395 in 38 at bats this season..
Four of Emporia State's five losses were by one run.
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 642 at-bats. He is also in the top ten in base hits with 197, which puts him fourth all-time. He will need six more hits to tie Jim Wood for third. Hanna is tied with Brett Berry fof fifth with 154 runs scored. He now is sixth with 185 games played, needing to appear in 20 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.
WALKING OFF
The Hornets have five comeback wins this season. On February 18 Alex White had an RBI single in the bottom of the ninth of 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, Kaden Shaffer hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth for a 5-4 win in game two against Missouri Southern after trailing 3-1 headed into the sixth inning. Against Newman on March 15, the Hornets trailed 6-2 after five innings before Daniel LaMunyon hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 12th inning for a 7-6 win.
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.
IN THE POLLS
There are several national rankings in NCAA Division II for baseball. Emporia State is ranked #8 in ABCA Collegiate Baseball Newspaper for the March 20 Poll. The Hornets are #14 in the D2 Baseball News National Rankings, and are #5 in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Top 25.
