#11 Emporia State Hornets (35-9, 24-6 MIAA)
vs. Northwest Missouri Bearcats (27-16, 16-14 MIAA)
Friday, April 28, 2017 at 2:00 p.m. DH • Glennen Field/Trusler Sports Complex • Emporia, Kan.
Saturday, April 29, 2017 at 1:00 p.m. • Glennen Field/Trusler Sports Complex • Emporia, Kan.
Series Record: ESU leads 60-33 Last Meeting: ESU 7, at NWMSU 2 (4/29/16)
Radio: KFFX 104.9FM (Games 2&3)
Internet Desk Top Audio: kvoe.com (Games 2&3)
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Live Stats Complete Notes in pdf
Up Next: at Southwest Baptist • May 5, 2017 at 3:00 p.m.
Dodson Field • Bolivar, Mo.
SENIOR WEEKEND
The #11 Hornets play host to Northwest Missouri in the final regular season series at the Trusler Sports Complex. It is the final regular season series for 11 seniors - Levi Ashmore, Ryan McBroom, Zach Shaw, Jordan Plank, Alex White, Wade Hanna, Nathan Whitcomb, Daniel LaMunyon, BJ Dean, Matt Slauter and Tyler Buss.
LAST AT BAT
The #11 Hornets came from two runs down in the ninth to force extra innings before winning 13-7 in ten innings at Washburn on Tuesday. Down to their final strike, Mason Brown singled in the tying run in the ninth and Levi Ashmore tripled in two runs to give Emporia State the lead in the tenth. Nathan Whitcomb worked a season high 3.0 innings for the win. The win was Bob Fornelli's 558th career win at Emporia State as he passed Dave Bingham to become the winningest coach in Hornet baseball history.
THE COACHES
Bob Fornelli is 558-238 in his 14th season at Emporia State and is 864-351 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. He has more wins than any other Emporia State coach and 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 39-12 against the Bearcats.
Darin Loe is 436-437 in his 17th year as head coach at Northwest Missouri and 592-572 in 23 years as a head coach. He is 22-46 against the Hornets.
ABOUT THE HORNETS
Emporia State is 35-9 on the season, 24-6 in the MIAA, and are ranked #1 in the Central Region and 11th in the nation. Although no individual is ranked in the top 20 nationally, the Hornets are sixth in the nation in scoring, and ninth in total runs scored. Levi Ashmore leads the MIAA in runs scored and is fourth in stolen bases. Mason Brown is fifth in the league in batting average and 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 leads the MIAA in wins and is seventh in strikeouts. Nathan Whitcomb is second in ERA and is third in the MIAA and 15th in the nation in saves. Emporia State is ranked seventh in the nation in double plays and fielding percentage.
SCOUTING THE BEARCATS
Northwest Missouri is 27-16 on the season, 16-14 in the MIAA and ranked ninth in the Central Region. The Bearcats are hitting .275 as a team. They lead the MIAA with a 3.81 ERA and opponents are batting just .246 against them. Anthony Caenepeel has an MIAA leading 94 strike outs.
THE SERIES
Emporia State leads the all-time series 60-33 and has won 12 of the last 13 meetings.
LAST TIME AGAINST NORTHWEST
It was lucky seven's for Emporia State as they scored seven runs in each game of a double header sweep of Northwest Missouri. The Hornets took game one 7-1 and then got a 7-2 victory in game two.
ON DECK
The #11 Hornets go to Southwest Baptist to end the regular season.
HE'S A WINNER
Emporia State head baseball coach Bob Fornelli has 864 career wins and is 558-238 (.701) in his 14th season at Emporia State. He just passed Dave Bingham, who was 557-270-2 (.685) in 14 years from 1974-87, for the most wins at Emporia State. 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 864-351 (.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 fifth in the MIAA with a .402 batting average and a .475 on base percentage, is ranked sixth with 68 hits, seventh with 15 doubles and tenth with 45 RBI. He has six home runs on the year. He is batting .442 over the last ten games. He has thrown out ten runners trying to steal this year.
DH/catcher Taylor Sanagorski (Jr./Wichita, Kan.) is batting .255 with seven home runs, four doubles, a triple and 32 RBI. He is batting .405 with runners in scoring position on the year. He has thrown out seven would be base stealers.
AROUND THE HORN
First baseman Kaden Shaffer (Jr./Ottawa, Kan.) is eighth in the MIAA with 26 walks and tenth with a .453 on base percentage. He is batting .344 with seven home runs, seven doubles, three triples and 40 RBI.
Second baseman Ryan McBroom (Sr./Wichita, Kan.) is sixth in the conference with four triples and ranks ninth with a .617 slugging percentage. He is batting .349 on the year with seven home runs and 11 doubles with 43 RBI. He is hitting .397 with two outs.
Shortstop Levi Ashmore (Sr./Iola, Kan.) leads the MIAA with 56 runs scored, is fourth with 19 stolen bases, and seventh with 28 walks. He is batting .341 with three home runs, 23 RBI and 14 doubles on the year. He has a .519 on base percentage when leading off an inning.
Third baseman Alex White (Sr./Colorado Springs, Colo.) is sixth in the MIAA with a .472 on base percentage and eighth with a .376 batting average. He has six doubles, 35 RBI and 36 runs scored. He had a 19 game hitting streak snapped at Northeastern State, but has reached base safely in 27 straight games.
OUT IN THE FIELD
Outfielder Mack Gowing (Jr./Wichita, Kan.) is hitting .361 with seven doubles, a triple, a home run and 30 RBI. He has six stolen bases and 34 runs scored. He has two outfield assists this year.
Outfielder Wade Hanna (Sr./Shawnee, Kan.) is sixth in the MIAA with four triples. He is batting .295 with ten doubles, a home run, 25 RBI and 36 runs scored. He has three outfield assists this season.
Outfielder BJ Dean (Sr./Pratt, Kan.) is ninth in the MIAA with ten home runs. He is batting .269 with six doubles, 32 RBI and 37 runs scored. He has five outfield assists.
IN A PINCH
Infielder Tucker Perkins (So./Belton, Mo.) is batting .294 in 17 pinch hit at bats. He is batting .297 on the season in 25 games with four starts. He is hitting .370 with runners on base and .412 with runners in scoring position.
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 .229 on the season with a .341 on base percentage in 27 games with eight 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 three for six with three RBI as a pinch hitter. He is batting .300 in 24 games with one start.
TIMELY HITTING
Infielder/DH Daniel LaMunyon (Sr./Leawood, Kan.) has two late inning, game winning home runs on the season. He is seventh in the MIAA with 14 stolen bases. He is batting .256 on the year with 20 RBI, 22 runs and five home runs. He has played in 31 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.
ON THE MOUND
Right-handed pitcher Seth Holman (Jr./Wichita, Kan.) leads the MIAA with eight wins, is third in the league with 1.88 walks per nine innings, fourth in the league with a 3.87 strikeout to walk ratio, is sixth with 71.2 innings, and ranks seventh with 58 strikeouts. He is 8-2 with a 3.64 ERA and 58 strikeouts with just 15 walks on the season. He has pitched into the sixth in nine of his 11 starts with one complete game shutout and two combined shutouts.
Right-handed pitcher Tanner Cairns (So./Wichita, Kan.) is eighth in the MIAA with a 3.31 ERA. He is 5-1 with 39 strikeouts in 12 appearances with nine starts. He has gone at least 5.0 innings in all nine of his starts with a complete game, three-hit shut out against Neb.-Kearney. He took a no-hitter into the sixth inning against Lindenwood.
Left-handed pitcher Jordan Plank (Sr./Wichita, Kan.) is 5-1 on the year with a 6.24 ERA and 41 strikeouts on the year.
Left-handed pitcher Nathan Gieber (Jr./Concordia, Kan.) is 2-0 in 16 appearances with eight starts. He has a 7.16 ERA and a 3.67 strikeout to walk ratio with 33 strikeouts and only nine walks.
Right-handed pitcher Matt Slauter (Sr./Olathe, Kan.) is 1-0 with a 5.06 ERA with a combined shutout in four starts and 13 appearances. He has 22 strikeouts and six walks in 21.1 innings pitched.
IN THE BULLPEN
Right-handed pitcher Nathan Whitcomb (Sr./Humboldt, Kan.) is ranked third in the MIAA and 15th in the nation with eight saves. He is second in the MIAA with a 0.98 ERA, which is the lowest among pitchers with at least 10 innings. He is 4-1 with 15 strikeouts and three walks in 27.2 innings pitched.
Right-handed pitcher Layne Downing (Jr./Hays, Kan.) is 3-4 with a 2.86 ERA in 18 appearances. He has 22 strikeouts in 34.2 innings while allowing ten walks. His 2.86 ERA is ninth in the MIAA among pitchers with at least 20.0 innings on the year.
Right-handed pitcher Trey Taylor (So./Paola, Kan.) is 2-0 with a 3.38 ERA in 13 relief appearances. He has been part of two combined shutouts this year.
Right-handed pitcher Jacob Tetuan (Jr./Topeka, Kan.) is 1-0 with a 3.60 ERA in 13 appearances. He has seen 15.0 innings this season with 14 strikeouts and only three walks. Opponents are batting .266 against him this year.
Right-handed pitcher Taylor Thompson (Jr./Cuba, Mo.) is 3-0 with a 4.33 ERA in 24 relief appearances. He has 23 strikeouts in 27.0 innings pitched with only four walks.
Left-handed pitcher Tyler Buss (Sr./Jay, Okla.) is 1-0 with a 8.27 ERA in 11 games with two starts. Buss has 19 strikeouts in 16.1 innings pitched.
TRENDS
The Hornets are 21-1 when they score first & 14-2 when they score in the first inning.
The Hornets out-score their opponents 64-24 in the second inning.
The Hornets are 12-0 when they hold their opponents to two runs or less.
The Hornets are 14-1 when scoring at least ten runs.
The Hornets are 22-0 when leading after eight innings.
The Hornets are 5-2 when tied after seven innings.
The Hornets are 6-4 when trailing after six innings.
The Hornets are ranked seventh in the nation with a .974 fielding percentage
Five of Emporia State's nine losses are by one run.
The Hornets are batting a collective .299 in 67 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 19 game hitting streak.
WALKING OFF
The Hornets have trailed in the fourth inning or later in 11 of their 20 comeback wins this season, with six walk-offs, two of which they trailed going into the bottom of the ninth. 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. It wasn't a walk off but the Hornets trailed 7-5 with two outs in the top of the ninth at Washburn before rallying for a 13-7 win in ten innings.
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 has made an impact on the career batting records. Hanna currently sits third all-time with 718 at-bats and 221 hits. He is fourth all-time with 168 career runs scored. He now is fifth with 43 doubles, 11 triples and 205 games played. He has 131 career RBI, needing ten 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, 13th in runs, 20th in triples and 28th in total bases.
Nathan Whitcomb is eighth on the Emporia State single season saves list with eight while Taylor Thompson is ranked ninth with 24 relief appearances this season.
REGIONALLY SPEAKING
Emporia State are ranked first in the NCAA Central Region and are one of six MIAA teams in the top ten of the first regional poll. 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 #11 in ABCA Collegiate Baseball Newspaper for the April 24 Poll. The Hornets are ranked fourth in the Perfect Game D2 Top 25, #8 in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Top 25, and #10 in the D2 Baseball News National Rankings. In two computer ratings systems, the Hornets are #7 in the Massey ratings and #9 in the HeroSports rankings.
