#14 EMPORIA STATE BASEBALL SET FOR TURNPIKE TUSSLE TUESDAY PART TWO

#14 Emporia State Hornets (31-8, 20-5 MIAA)
vs.
Washburn Ichabods (19-20, 11-17 MIAA)
Tuesday, April 18, 2017 at 5:00 p.m. • Glennen Field/Trusler Sports Complex • Emporia, Kan.
Series Record: ESU leads 171-74-1 Last Meeting: ESU 9, at WU 2 (4/11/17)
Radio: KFFX 104.9FM Internet Desk Top Audio: kvoe.com
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Live Stats Complete Notes in pdf
 Up Next: Lindenwood • April 21-23, 2017 • Glennen Field/Trusler • Emporia, Kan.

TUESDAY TURNPIKE TUSSLE II
The #14 Hornets return to the Trusler Sports Complex for a Tuesday Night Turnpike Tussle against Washburn.

LAST AT BAT
The #14 Hornets completed their sweep of Northeastern State with a 7-4 win on Saturday in Tahlequah, Okla. The RiverHawks were 14-2 at home before the Hornets three game sweep. Mason Brown was one for three with three RBI and a run scored while Ryan McBroom went two for two with two runs scored and Taylor Sanagorski hit a two run home run in four at bats.  Jordan Plank scattered eight hits over six innings while giving up four runs to improve to 5-1 on the year.  Layne Downing worked two scoreless innings and Nathan Whitcomb worked a perfect ninth for his seventh save.

THE COACHES
Bob Fornelli is 554-237 in his 14th season at Emporia State and is 860-350 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 41-20 against the Ichabods.
Harley Douglas is 86-60 in his third year as head coach at Washburn. He is 4-8 against the Hornets.

ABOUT THE HORNETS
Emporia State is 31-8 on the season, 20-5 in the MIAA and are ranked 14th in the nation. Although no individual is ranked in the top 20 nationally, the Hornets are sixth in the nation in scoring, seventh in fielding percentage, and tenth in stolen bases and walks. Levi Ashmore is fourth in the MIAA in runs scored and fifth in stolen bases. Ryan McBroom is fifth in the league in slugging percentage, while Alex White is fifth in on base percentage.
Emporia State's seven shutouts are the fifth most in the nation and the Hornets are seventh in Division II in walks allowed per nine innings. Seth Holman is third in the MIAA in wins and ninth in strikeouts. Nathan Whitcomb is third in saves.

SCOUTING THE ICHABODS
Washburn is 19-20 on the season and 11-17 in the MIAA. The Ichabods are hitting .255 as a team and are third in the MIAA with 67 stolen bases.  Riley Krane leading the MIAA with 11 home runs and 47 RBI. Washburn is sixth in the MIAA with a staff ERA of 4.79 with one shutout.

THE SERIES
This is the 247th meeting between the two and Emporia State leads the all-time series 171-74-1 against Washburn.

LAST TIME AGAINST WASHBURN
The #14 Hornets jumped out to a 7-0 lead and never looked back in a 9-2 win at Washburn. Taylor Sanagorski wast two for three with two home runs and four RBI while Ryan McBroom went two for three with a homer and three RBI. Nathan Gieber went 5.0 innings with five strike outs for the win.

ON DECK
The #14 Hornets take on Lindenwood in a three games series this weekend at Trusler.

HE'S A WINNER
Emporia State head baseball coach Bob Fornelli has 860 career wins and is 554-237 (.700) 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 an 860-350 (.711) 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-CSIC 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 AND AT THE PLATE
Catcher/DH Mason Brown (Jr./Littleton, Colo.) is eighth in the MIAA with a .463 on base percentage and ranks ninth with a .375 batting average. He has 11 doubles, six home runs and 36 RBI on the year. He had thrown out eight runners trying to steal this year.
DH/catcher Taylor Sanagorski (Jr./Wichita, Kan.) is batting .256 with six home runs, three doubles, a triple and 27 RBI. He is batting .438 with runners in scoring position. He has thrown out six would be base stealers.

AROUND THE HORN
First baseman Kaden Shaffer (Jr./Ottawa, Kan.) is seventh in the MIAA a .455 on base percentage and ninth with 37 runs scored. He is batting .360 with seven home runs, seven doubles, two triples and 37 RBI. He is batting .387 over the last ten games for the Hornets.
Second baseman Ryan McBroom (Sr./Wichita, Kan.) is fifth in the conference with .654 slugging percentage, sixth with four triples and tenth with 39 RBI. He is batting .354 on the year with seven home runs and nine doubles. He is hitting .368 with 12 RBI in his last ten games.
Shortstop Levi Ashmore (Sr./Iola, Kan.) ranks fourth in the MIAA with 43 runs scored and is fifth with 15 stolen bases. He is batting .327 with three home runs, 15 RBI and a team best 12 doubles on the year. He has a .511 on base percentage when leading off an inning.
Third baseman Alex White (Sr./Colorado Springs, Colo.) is fifth in the MIAA with a .474 on base percentage. He is batting .358 with five doubles, 26 RBI  and 27 runs scored. He had a 19 game hitting streak snapped in Tahlequah, but has reached base safely in 22 straight games.

OUT IN THE FIELD
Outfielder Mack Gowing (Jr./Wichita, Kan.) is hitting .341 with five doubles, a triple, a home run and 25 RBI. He has six stolen bases and 30 runs scored. He has two outfield assists this year.
Outfielder BJ Dean (Sr./Pratt, Kan.) is seventh in the MIAA with nine home runs. He is batting .286 with six doubles, 30 RBI and 33 runs scored. He has three outfield assists on the season.
Outfielder Wade Hanna (Sr./Shawnee, Kan.) is batting .283 with eight doubles, three triples, a home run, 19 RBI and 27 runs scored. He has two assists from the outfield this season.

TIMELY HITTING
Infielder/DH Daniel LaMunyon (Sr./Leawood, Kan.) has two late inning, game winning home runs on the season. He is sixth in the MIAA with 14 stolen bases. He is batting .259 on the year with 20 RBI, 22 runs and five home runs. He has played in 30 games with 20 starts.
Infielder Tate Kastens (Jr./Denver, Colo.) is batting .480 with runners on base and .450 with runners in scoring position. In 20 games with ten starts he is batting .346 with three home runs and 18 RBI.    

IN A PINCH
Infielder Tucker Perkins (So./Belton, Mo.) has been the Hornets most used pinch hitter. He is batting .333 in 15 pinch hit at bats. He is batting .314 on the season in 23 games with four starts. He is hitting .400 with runners on base and .412 with runners in scoring position. He was named to the All-Central Regional Tournament team last year as a freshman.
Outfielder Jonny Hodges (Jr./DeSoto, Kan.) is the second most used pinch hitter for the Hornets with ten pinch hit at bats. He is batting .242 on the season with a .342 on base percentage in 25 games with seven starts. He has also been used as a pinch runner six times with a stolen base and run scored in that role.
Outfielder David Oropeza (Jr./Nogales, Ariz.) has been used as a pinch runner 12 times this year and has scored half the time he has been used in that role. He has four stolen bases as a pinch runner. He is batting .333 in 22 games with one start.

ON THE MOUND
Right-handed pitcher Seth Holman (Jr./Wichita, Kan.) is ranked third in the MIAA with six wins and 1.85 walks per nine innings, is sixth in the league with a 3.69 strikeout to walk ratio and 63.1 innings, and ranks ninth with 48 strikeouts. He is 6-2 with a 3.84 ERA and 48 strikeouts with just 13 walks on the season. He has pitched into the sixth in eight of his ten starts with one complete game shutout and two combined shutouts.
Right-handed pitcher Tanner Cairns (So./Wichita, Kan.) is  sixth in the MIAA with a 3.02 ERA. He is 5-1 with 37 strikeouts in 11 appearances with eight starts. He has gone at least 5.0 innings in all eight of his starts with a complete game, three-hit shut out against Neb.-Kearney.
Left-handed pitcher Jordan Plank (Sr./Wichita, Kan.) is 5-1 on the year with a 5.51 ERA and 41 strikeouts on the year.
Left-handed pitcher Nathan Gieber (Jr./Concordia, Kan.) is 2-0 in 14 appearances with seven starts. He has a 6.07 ERA and a 4.29 strikeout to walk ratio with 30 strikeouts and only seven walks.
Right-handed pitcher Matt Slauter (Sr./Olathe, Kan.) is 1-0 with a 3.24 ERA with a combined shutout in three starts and ten appearances. He has 16 strikeouts and four walks in 16.2 innings pitched.

IN THE BULLPEN
Right-handed pitcher Nathan Whitcomb (Sr./Humboldt, Kan.) is ranked third in the MIAA and 21st in the nation with seven saves on the year. He is 3-1 with a 1.11 ERA, 14 strikeouts and two walks in 24.1 innings pitched.
Right-handed pitcher Layne Downing (Jr./Hays, Kan.) is 3-3 with a 2.61 ERA in 16 appearances. He has 19 strikeouts in 31.0 innings while allowing only eight walks.
Right-handed pitcher Trey Taylor (So./Paola, Kan.) is 1-0 with a 2.00 ERA in nine releif apperances. He has been  part of two combined shutouts this year.
Right-handed pitcher Jacob Tetuan (Jr./Topeka, Kan.) is 1-0 with a 3.77 ERA in 12 appearances. He has seen 14.1 innings this season with 12 strikeouts and only three walks. Opponents are batting just .254 against him this year.
Right-handed pitcher Taylor Thompson (Jr./Cuba, Mo.) is 3-0 with a 5.14 ERA in 20 appearances. He has 18 strikeouts in 21.0 innings pitched with only four walks.
Left-handed pitcher Tyler Buss (Sr./Jay, Okla.) is 1-0 with a 8.56 ERA in nine games with two starts. Buss has 14 strikeouts in 13.2 innings pitched.

TRENDS
The Hornets are 19-1 when they score first and 12-1 when they score in the first.
The Hornets out-score their opponents 58-21 in the second and 24-5 in the ninth.
The Hornets are 12-0 when they hold their opponents to two runs or less.
The Hornets are 11-0 when scoring at least ten runs.
The Hornets are 5-1 when tied after the seventh inning.
The Hornets are ranked seventh in the nation with a .974 fielding percentage
Five of Emporia State's eight losses are by one run.
In runs decided by two runs, Emporia State is 3-0.
The Hornets are batting a collective .323 in 62 pinch hit at bats with nine batters recording at least one pinch hit.
Three Hornets have had a hitting streak of at least 15 games with Alex White having a season high 22 game hitting streak.

WALKING OFF
The Hornets have nine comeback wins this season, with six walk-offs. 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 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. Against Neb.-Kearney on March 26, the Hornets came back from an 8-4 deficit going into the bottom of the seventh to win 9-8 with a walk-off single from Wade Hanna in the ninth inning. On April 7 Emporia State trailed 8-6 going into the bottom of the ninth against Central Missouri and scored three runs on one hit, winning 9-8 when Ryan McBroom scored on a wild pitch. Two days later the Hornets again trailed the Mules 8-6 going to the bottom of the ninth and won on Kaden Shaffer's RBI single with the bases loaded.

HISTORY
Emporia State advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the third straight year in the 2016 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 676 at-bats and 208 hits. He is fourth all-time with 157 career runs scored. He now is sixth with 197 games played, 40 doubles and ten triples at Emporia State. He needs one more double to tie Mike Carlson for fifth and one triple to tie Mike Peterson for fifth on the Hornet career lists. He has 122 career RBI, needing 19 more to break into the Emporia State top ten.
Among active NCAA Division II players he ranks third in games played, 11th in at bats, 14th in runs and 25th in total bases.

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, Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference and Great American Conference along with the next three highest ranked regional teams make up the NCAA Central Regional Tournament. The MIAA is the only conference among the three to have a winning record against non-conference opponents.  The  MIAA is 101-56-1 (.642) against outside competition while the Northern Sun is 52-69 (.430) and the GAC is 39-79-1 (.332) against outside foes. The MIAA is 11-4 (.733) against the Northern Sun and 26-13-1 (.663) against the GAC.

IN THE POLLS
There are several national rankings in NCAA Division II for baseball. Emporia State is ranked #14 in ABCA Collegiate Baseball Newspaper for the April 17 Poll. The Hornets are #13 in the April 11 D2 Baseball News National Rankings and the April 11 National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Top 25. The Hornets are #10 in the latest HeroSports rankings and #12 in the Massey ratings.