Emporia State Hornets (15-27, 6-12 MIAA)
vs. Newman Jets (8-33, 3-19 Heartland)
Tuesday, April 10, 2018 • 4:00 p.m. [DH] • Trusler Sports Complex • Emporia, Kan.
Series: ESU leads 14-2 Last: ESU 4, NU 0 (March 17, 2017)
Up Next: vs. Southwest Baptist • April 13, 2018 • 3:00 p.m. [DH] • Emporia, Kan.
Live Stats
HOME, SWEET, HOME
Emporia State begins their six-game home stand with a non-conference doubleheader against Newman on Tuesday, April 10. Game one has a scheduled first pitch of 4:00 p.m. on Turnbull Field.
LAST AT BAT
Emporia State split their doubleheader against Neb.-Kearney on Thursday. The Hornets scored seven runs in the opener on their way to a 7-5 win, before falling 2-0 in the second game against the Lopers. In game one, the Hornets would break a 4-4 tie in the sixth as Katy Rae Nordman hit a two-run double to right field and would come home to score on an RBI groundout from Davis. Kelsey Phillips was three for four at the plate with two RBI and a triple and picked up the win in the circle. In the nightcap, the Hornets fell 2-0. Emporia State would strand runners in five of the seven innings. Annie Rockley and Kelsey Phillips both went one for three with a double. Montana Mesler started the game in the circle, pitching six innings and giving up two runs.
THE COACHES
April Huddleston-Rosales is 70-85 in her third year as the head coach at Emporia State. She served as an assistant for seven seasons. She 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 1-1 against Newman as a head coach.
Janice Esses is 43-103 in her third year as head coach for the Jets. She is 1-1 against Emporia State.
ABOUT THE HORNETS
Emporia State is 15-27 overall and 6-12 in the MIAA. The Hornets are hitting .297 as a team with a 4.88 ERA. They lead the MIAA and rank 34th nationally with 77 stolen bases in 42 games. The Hornets are third in the MIAA with 59 doubles this season. Danielle Sprinkle is second in the MIAA and is tied for seventh nationally with 15 doubles and is fifth in the conference with 33 RBI. Annie Rockley is eighth in the MIAA with 30 runs scored and has 38 hits on the season. Montana Mesler is sixth in the conference with 85 strikeouts and has pitched 126.1 innings this season.
SCOUTING NEWMAN
The Jets are 8-33 on the season and 3-19 in the Heartland conference. They are hitting .233 as a team and have a team ERA of 4.16 on the season. In the circle, Nique Payne has started 17 games, posting a 4.08 ERA and 58 strikeouts.
SERIES HISTORY
Emporia State leads the all-time series 14-2 against Newman.
LAST AT BAT AGAINST NEWMAN
After giving up three runs in the bottom of the seventh in game one, Emporia State came back with a shutout in the second game to earn a split at Newman. The Hornets fell 9-8 in the opener and won 4-0 in the nightcap.
UP NEXT
Emporia State continues their home stand with a doubleheader against Southwest Baptist on Friday, April 13. First pitch from Trusler is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.
HORNET HITTING
The Hornets have a .297 team batting average on the season. Emporia State has scored 208 runs on 347 hits with 59 doubles, six triples, and 14 home runs for a .393 team slugging percentage.
Danielle Sprinkle was named the MIAA Softball Hitter of the Week on Feb. 13 after hitting .571 with a 1.214 slugging percentage with seven RBI in four games as Emporia State went 3-1 at the Ark.-Monticello D2 Challenge. She is second in the MIAA with 15 doubles on the season, while batting .341 and slugging .585 with 33 RBI.
Caitlin VanVleck has 38 hits on the year for a .309 batting average. She has scored 25 runs on the season, including the game-winning run against #10 Southern Arkansas.
Annie Rockley is eighth in the MIAA with 30 runs scored while hitting .328 with three doubles, three triples, and three home runs. She is 15 for 18 on stolen base attempts.
Hailey Cope ranks third in the MIAA and 14th nationally with 14 doubles on the season. She has scored 27 runs on 36 hits with 24 RBI, and a home run.
Kenzie Garvin is fourth in the conference with 18 stolen bases on the season, while hitting .333 with 28 runs scored.
EMPORIA STATE PITCHING
Emporia State has a 4.88 team ERA with 150 strikeouts, 19 complete games, and a .323 opponent batting average.
Montana Mesler is 7-11 with a 4.10 ERA and 85 strikeouts in 126.1 innings pitched. She is tied for fourth in the MIAA with 12 complete games pitched this year.
Kelsey Phillips has a 3-9 record in 78.2 innings with 43 strikeouts, four complete games pitched, and a save.
Destiny Ojigoh is 4-6 with a 5.82 ERA and an opponent batting average of .363 in 55.1 innings pitched.
TOURNAMENTS WITH HUDDLESTON-ROSALES
Huddleston-Rosales is 31-31 in tournament play as head coach at Emporia State. The Hornets went 4-1 at the St. Cloud Indoor Tournament and 2-2 at the Ark.-Monticello Tournament in 2016. In the 2017 season, Huddleston-Rosales 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. The Hornets went 2-3 at the Lubbock Sports Classic to open the 2018 season, followed by a 3-1 outing at the Ark.-Monticello D-II Challenge in Bentonville, Ark. The Hornets finished 1-3 at the 2018 ESU 6-State Classic and picked up their second win against a ranked opponent with a walk-off win against #10 Southern Arkansas. At the ESU St. Patrick's Classic, the Hornets finished 1-4 and scored 28 runs in the tournament.
In 2017, Huddleston-Rosales made her first appearance in the MIAA Tournament as head coach, going 4-2 and finishing second, losing to #1 seed Central Oklahoma in the championship game. She led the Hornets to their first MIAA Tournament championship appearance since 2013.
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 11 of the last 15 MIAA Tournament championship games with eight titles. Since 2001 the Hornets are 53-18 (.746) in MIAA Tournament play with a 52-14 (.788) record over the last 14 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 14 years and 12 times in the last 22 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.
