Emporia State Hornets (23-17, 8-4 MIAA) vs.
Fort Hays Tigers (9-31, 2-1 MIAA2)
Friday, April 7 • 4:00 p.m. (DH) • Turnbull Field/Trusler • Emporia, Kan.
Series: ESU leads 42-28 Last Meeting: at FHSU 7, ESU 4 (4/8/2016)
Nebraska-Kearney Lopers (6-36, 3-13 MIAA)
Saturday, April 8 • 12:00 p.m. (DH) • Turnbull Field/Trusler • Emporia, Kan.
Series: ESU leads 19-14 Last Meeting: at UNK 3, ESU 2 (4/9/2016)
Live Stats • Complete Game Notes
Up Next: at Washburn (DH) • Friday, April 11 • 2:00 p.m. • Topeka, Kan.
SENIOR SATURDAY Emporia State wraps up their home season on Friday, April 7 at 4:00 p.m. against Fort Hays State and 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 8 against Neb.-Kearney. Four Hornet seniors will be recognized on Saturday in between games.
LAST AT BAT
Emporia State split a non-conference double header (7-1, 0-3) with Washburn at the Trusler Sports Complex in the first Turnpike Tussle of the season. In game one, the Hornets scored four runs on three hits in the third inning to propel them to their 23rd win on the year. Annie Rockley and Hailey Cope both hit two for four, with Rockley collecting three RBI. Katie Yoakum scored two runs with two RBI on just one hit. Eryn Stockman pitched her 17th complete game of the season to improve to 15-7. She allowed just one run on four hits with four strikeouts and no walks.
Emporia State could connect on just three hits in game two for a 3-0 shut out loss. Holly Hinkel took the loss, allowing three runs on six hits in 4.2 innings.
THE COACHES
April Huddleston is 44-49 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 0-2 against Fort Hays and 0-2 against Neb.-Kearney.
Adrian Pilkington is 56-86 in her third year at Ft. Hays State. She is 2-2 against Emporia State.
Holly Carnes is 304-362 in her 16th year at Neb.-Kearney. She is 3-6 against Emporia State.
ABOUT THE HORNETS
Emporia State is 23-17 on the season and 8-4 in MIAA play. The Hornets lead the MIAA in stolen bases while ranking second in doubles. McKenna Davis is third in the MIAA with 17 stolen bases, joined in the top ten by Cassidy Berry, Caitlin VanVleck and Sarah Glass. Glass is eighth with 30 runs and fifth with 13 doubles. Eryn Stockman is MIAA top ten in ERA, opponent batting average and strikeouts. Stockman is fifth in Division II with seven shutouts. She is second in the MIAA and 18th in the nation with 15 wins.
ABOUT FORT HAYS STATE
The Tigers are 9-31 on the season and 2-12 in the MIAA. They are batting .264 on the season with a 6.30 team ERA. Tess Gray leads the Tigers with a .321 batting average. Hailey Chapman is second in the MIAA with 34 batters struck out looking and sixth with 82 strikeouts.
The Hornets lead the all-time series 42-28 over the Tigers.
The Hornets were swept by the Tigers (0-3, 4-7) last season to fall to 19-24 on the year. Emporia State stranded 16 runners in the double header.
ABOUT NEBRASKA-KEARNEY
The Lopers are 6-36 on the season and 3-13 in the MIAA. They are batting .253 as a team with a 6.48 ERA. Nicole Spykstra has 14 doubles and is batting .350 on the year. Meg Housholder has 56 strikeouts for the Lopers.
The Hornets lead the all-time series 19-14 over the Lopers.
Emporia State was swept last season (3-11, 2-3) at Neb.-Kearney to fall to 19-26 on the year.
UP NEXT
Emporia State travels to Topeka, Kan. for a Turnpike Tussle double header on Tuesday, April 11 at 2:00 p.m.
HORNET HITTING
The Hornets lead the MIAA 75 stolen bases. Emporia State is second with 65 doubles. As a team the Hornets are batting .290 on the season with a .357 on base percentage and .410 slugging percentage.
Outfielder McKenna Davis (Jr./Olathe, Kan.) is ranked third in the MIAA with 17 stolen bases. She is batting .262 on the season and has a .352 on base percentage.
Shortstop Sarah Glass (Sr./Wichita, Kan.) is fifth in the MIAA with 13 doubles. She is ranked eighth in the MIAA with 30 runs and tenth in the league with ten stolen bases. She is hitting .348 with four home runs and 21 RBI.
Outfielder Caitlin VanVleck (Jr./Liberty, Mo.) sits seventh in the MIAA with 13 stolen bases. VanVleck is batting .368 on the season with 42 hits that include five doubles.
Catcher Jacie Stephens (Sr./Goldsby, Okla.) has a .353 batting average and a .529 slugging percentage. Stephens has 36 hits that include nine double and three home runs. She has 19 RBI and 19 runs.
First baseman Danielle Sprinkle (Jr./Salina, Kan.) is ranked fourth in the MIAA with 19 walks. She is batting .313 on the year with three home runs.
Outfielder Cassidy Berry i(Jr./Shawnee, Kan.) is tied for fifth in the MIAA with 14 stolen bases. Berry is batting .289 with 24 hits that include four doubles.
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 .328 with two homers and 16 RBI. Cope is batting .234 with nine doubles and 16 RBI.
Outfielder Annelise Rockley (Jr./Independence, Mo.) is batting .327 on the year with ten runs scored, 11 RBI and four doubles.
Second baseman Katie Yoakum (Jr./Shawnee, Kan.) is hitting .213 with 16 runs scored on the year. Yoakum has 19 hits that include six doubles.
Catcher Valerie Kinney (So./Bennington, Neb.) replaced Stephens behind the plate against Lincoln. She is ranked tenth in the MIAA with nine doubles.
EMPORIA STATE PITCHING
Emporia State pitching is third in the MIAA with ten shut outs. The staff has a 3.06 combined ERA that ranks fifth in the MIAA.
Eryn Stockman (Sr./Lindsborg, Kan.) is fifth in the nation and leads the MIAA with seven shutouts. She is ranked second in the league with 15 wins and 148.1 innings pitched, is fifth with a 1.75 ERA and a .219 opponent batting average, seventh with 76 strikeouts and eighth with 22 batters struck out looking.
Holly Hinkel (Jr./North Liberty, Iowa) is 6-9 with a 4.79 ERA in 20 appearances this year.
TRENDS
The Hornets are 18-0 when they hold opponents to two runs or less.
When Emporia State leads after four innings, they are 17-2.
The Hornets are out-scoring opponents 38-12 in the fourth inning.
With runners on third and two outs, the Hornets are batting .531 in 96 at-bats.
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.
