Emporia State Hornets (25-19, 10-6 MIAA) Â
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Washburn Ichabods (21-24, 8-8 MIAA)
Tuesday, April 11 • 2:00 p.m. (DH) • Washburn Softball Complex • Topeka, Kan.
Series: ESU leads 90-56-1 Last Meeting: WU 3, at ESU 0 (4/1/2017)
Live Stats Complete Notes in pdf
Up Next: at Southwest Baptist (DH) • Friday, April 14
1:00 p.m. • Bolivar, Mo.
TURNPIKE TUSSLE TUESDAY
Emporia State begins their final ten game road swing to end the regular season with a Tuesday Turnpike Tussle in Topeka against Washburn. This is the MIAA double header that was rained out earlier this season.
LAST AT BAT
Emporia State softball team split games with Nebraska-Kearney on Senior Day.
The Lopers took an early 1-0 lead but Emporia State answered with three runs on four hits in the second inning. Annie Rockley's RBIÂ double in the fourth inning extended the lead 4-1. Emporia State sealed the win with two runs in the sixth thanks to a Katie Yoakum two RBI single. Eryn Stockman pitched her 19th complete game of the season. She allowed two runs on eight hits and had four strikeouts with just one walk. Sarah Glass was three for four with two RBI.
Emporia State was scoreless until plating two runs on a Jacie Stephens double in the bottom of the seventh inning in game two, losing 4-2 against Nebraska-Kearney. Holly Hinkel allowed four runs on eight hits and had six strikeouts with no walks.
THE COACHES
April Huddleston is 46-51 in her second year as the head coach at Emporia State. She is the tenth head coach of the Hornet softball program. She is head coach after having served as an assistant with the Hornets for seven seasons. Huddleston was a member of both the Hornets national runner-up teams in 2006 and 2008, and was named First Team All-MIAA at shortstop her senior year. She is 3-3 against Washburn.
Brenda Holaday is 21-24 in her first year at Washburn, but was 351-93 in 19 seasons at Washburn Rural HS. She is 1-1 against Emporia State.
ABOUT THE HORNETS
Emporia State is 25-19 on the season and 10-6 in MIAA play. The Hornets lead the MIAA in stolen bases and doubles. McKenna Davis is third in the MIAA in stolen bases while Caitlin VanVleck and Cassidy Berry are tied for seventh. Sarah Glass is fourth in the league in doubles and seventh in runs scored. Eryn Stockman is ranked second in the MIAA and fourth in the nation with eight shut outs. She is second in the MIAA in wins, is fourth in ERA and opponents batting average and is eighth in strikeouts.
ABOUT WASHBURN
The Ichabods are 21-24 on the season and 8-8 in the MIAA. They are batting .256 as a team with a 3.44 team ERA. Former Hornet Erica Harper is batting .365 with nine home runs and 25 RBI to lead the Ichabod offense. Another former Hornet Kelsee Henry is 9-11 with a 3.22 ERA in the circle for Washburn
THE SERIES
The Hornets lead the all-time series 90-56-1, but the two teams have split thier last six games. Emporia State has won the first game in the last three doubleheaders between the two with Washburn taking the second game. The Hornets had won 38 straight in the series before a loss in the second game of last year's four game series.
LAST AT BAT VS. THE ICHABODS
Emporia State split a non-conference double header with Washburn in the first Turnpike Tussle of the year. The Hornets took game one 7-1 and dropped the second game 3-0.
UP NEXT
Emporia State starts Easter Weekend at Southwest Baptist on Friday. First pitch is set for 1:00 p.m. in Bolivar, Mo.
HORNET HITTING
The Hornets lead the MIAA with 77 stolen bases and 71 doubles. As a team the Hornets are batting .293 on the season with a .361 on base percentage and .407 slugging percentage.
Shortstop Sarah Glass (Sr./Wichita, Kan.) is fourth in the MIAA with 13 doubles. She is ranked seventh in the MIAA with 31 runs and 11th in the league with ten stolen bases. She is hitting .352 with four home runs, two triples and 25 RBI.
Outfielder Caitlin VanVleck (Jr./Liberty, Mo.) sits seventh in the MIAA with 13 stolen bases. She is batting .372 on the season with five doubles, a triple and a home run.
Catcher Jacie Stephens (Sr./Goldsby, Okla.) is sixth in the MIAA with 11 doubles. She has a .364 batting average and a .534 slugging percentage. Stephens has 43 hits that include 11 doubles and three home runs. She has 21 RBI and has scored 20 runs.
First baseman Danielle Sprinkle (Jr./Salina, Kan.) is ranked fourth in the MIAA with 21 walks. She is batting .315 on the year with three home runs and a team high 29 RBI.
Outfielder Cassidy Berry i(Jr./Shawnee, Kan.) is tied for seventh in the MIAA with 14 stolen bases. Berry is batting .286 with 24 hits that include five doubles, a triple and a homer.
Katy Rae Nordman (Jr./Augusta, Kan.) and Hailey Cope (Jr./Baldwin, Kan.) have switched back and forth between third base and designated player. Nordman is batting .324 with two homers and 16 RBI. Cope is batting .219 with nine doubles and 17 RBI.
Outfielder Annelise Rockley (Jr./Independence, Mo.) is batting .295 on the year with 12 runs scored, 13 RBI and five doubles.
Second baseman Katie Yoakum (Jr./Shawnee, Kan.) is hitting .250 with 18 runs scored on the year. Yoakum has 25 hits that include six doubles.
Outfielder McKenna Davis (Jr./Olathe, Kan.) is ranked third in the MIAA with 17 stolen bases. She is batting .250 on the season and has a .336 on base percentage.
EMPORIA STATE PITCHING
Emporia State pitching is third in the MIAA with 11 shut outs. The staff has a 2.98 combined ERA that ranks fifth in the MIAA.
Eryn Stockman (Sr./Lindsborg, Kan.) is fourth in the nation and second the MIAA with eight shutouts. She is ranked second in the league with 17 wins and 167.1 innings pitched, is fourth with a 1.67 ERA and a .217 opponent batting average, and is eighth with 83 strikeouts. She is ranked tenth among active NCAA Division II players with 65 complete games and ranks 11th with 17 shutouts in her career.
Holly Hinkel (Jr./North Liberty, Iowa) is 6-10 with a 4.71 ERA in 22 appearances this year.
TRENDS
The Hornets are 20-0 when they hold opponents to two runs or less.
The Hornets are 19-2 when leading after four innings.
The Hornets are out-scoring opponents 39-12 in the fourth inning.
The Hornets have won the first game in their last five double headers.
The Hornets have 56 RBI in 111 chances with a runner on third with less than two outs.
TOURNAMENTS WITH HUDDLESTON
Huddleston is 21-18 in tournament play as head coach at Emporia State. The Hornets went 4-1 at the St. Cloud Indoor Tournament last season and 2-2 at the Ark.-Monticello Tournament in 2016. In the 2017 season, Huddleston went 1-4 at the Southeastern Oklahoma State Tournament, 4-2 at the ASU George McCorkle Challenge, 5-1 at the 8-States Classic and 3-3 at the St. Cloud Indoor Tournament.
SUCCESS IN MAY
Emporia State has played in 12 NCAA Tournaments with a 35-25 (.583) overall record in NCAA Tournament play. The Hornets are 20-13 in NCAA tournament elimination games all-time. Emporia State has played in ten of the last 14 MIAA Tournament championship games with eight titles. Since 2001 the Hornets are 49-16 (.753) in 49-16 (.753) in MIAA Tournament play with a 48-12 (.800) record over the last 13 tournaments.
HORNET HISTORY
Emporia State has finished as the NCAA Division II National Runners-up twice, in 2006 and 2008. The Hornets have qualified for NCAA Regional play in 11 of the last 13 years and 12 times in the last 21 seasons. The Hornets won the NAIA National Championship in 1983 and 1984 and won the AIAW National Championship in 1980.
The Hornets were MIAA regular season champions four straight years from 2005-08 and MIAA Tournament champions seven straight years running from 2004-10. Emporia State has claimed the regular season title (2005-08, 2010-12, 2014) and the tournament title (2004-10, 2012) eight times each in the 21st Century.
