EMPORIA STATE BASEBALL OPENS NCAA TOURNEY AT SOUTHERN ARKANSAS

NCAA Division II Baseball Central Regional
Emporia State Hornets (32-22, 20-16 MIAA)
at #14 Southern Arkansas (36-17, 22-11 GAC)
Thursday, May 17 • 1:30 p.m. • Walker Stadium • Magnolia, Ark.
Series Record: SAU leads 2-1 Last Meeting: SAU 6, ESU 1 (Feb. 1, 2018)
Radio: KFFX (104.9FM) Internet Audio: kvoe.com
Live Video • Live Stats • Complete Notes in pdf
Up Next: Pittsburg State or Augustana • May 18, 2018
Walker Stadium • Magnolia, Ark.

MAY MATTERS
Emporia State received the at large bid to the NCAA DII Central Regional Tournament. Playing as the eight seed the Hornets will face off against the top seed and host team of Southern Arkansas on Thursday, May 17. This is their second meeting with the Muleriders in NCAA Tournament play.

LAST AT BAT
Emporia State fell 2-1 to Central Missouri in the MIAA Championship game.
In a game that saw just 12 hits both teams were scoreless through the first five innings. The Hornets got on the board first when Bryce Fischer walked and advanced to third on a failed pick-off attempt. Fischer later scored on a wild pitch to give the Hornets the 1-0 lead. Two innings later the Mules tied the game with one run in the bottom of the seventh. The Mules took the 2-1 win with a walk off single in the bottom of the ninth.

THE COACHES
Bob Fornelli is 598-264 in his 15th season at Emporia State and is 904-377 overall in his 22nd year as a four year head coach. He has led Emporia State to two Division II World Series appearances in ten NCAA Tournaments. Fornelli is 0-2 against the Muleriders.
Justin Pettigrew is 75-33 in his second year as head coach for Southern Arkansas.

ABOUT THE HORNETS
The Hornets have a team batting average of .289 while allowing opponents an average of .293. Hornet pitchers have combined for 411 K's and only 149 walks this season.
Bryce Fischer leads the Hornets with a .404 batting average, 82 hits and 61 runs. Mack Gowing is hitting .326 with 56 runs. Seth Holman is 8-3 with 117 K's and a 3.39 ERA in 109.0 innings. Taylor Thompson has 24 appearances, 55.0 innings, 33 K's and a 4.42 ERA.

SCOUTING THE MULERIDERS
The Muleriders are 36-17, 22-11 in the GAC and ranked #14 in the nation. Austin Baker leads the Muleriders with a .358 batting average, 76 hits and 59 runs. Jacob Richardson follows Baker with 74 hits, 51 runs and a .357 batting average. Richardson leads the Muleriders with a .614 slugging percentage.

LAST AT BAT WITH THE MULERIDERS
The Hornets fell 6-1 to the #35 Muleriders in the 2018 season opener at the Air Hogs DII Classic. Bryce Fischer led off the season with a solo home run while Mack Gowing and Kaden Shaffer each picked up singles in the game.

ON DECK
The Hornets will take on either Pittsburg State or Augustana on Friday.  The winners will  meet at 5:00 p.m. with the losers playing at 10:00 a.m.

HE'S A WINNER
Emporia State head baseball coach Bob Fornelli has 904 career wins and is 598-264 (.693) in his 15th season at Emporia State. Fornelli is the winningest coach at Emporia State after passing Dave Bingham who was 557-226 (.714) in 14 years from 1974-87. The Hornets have made 12 trips to the NCAA Tournament in his 14 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 18 of his 22 years as a collegiate 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 fourth winningest active coach in NCAA Division II and ranks 15th in career victories with a 904-377 (.705) record in his 22nd season.
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-Central States Intercollegiate Conference 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.

AROUND THE HORN
Catcher Mason Brown (Sr./Littleton, Colo.) was a third-team All-MIAA pick and Cold Glove winner at catcher. He hit .298 with four home runs, 16 doubles, 43 RBI and 43 runs scored. He has thrown out 15 base runners this season.  Last year he had a team high .365 batting average, a .536 slugging percentage and a .437 on base percentage. He was named second team MIAA and was awarded the MIAA gold glove as a catcher.
First baseman Kaden Shaffer (Sr./Ottawa, Kan.) was an honorable mention All-MIAA pick and earned the league's Gold Glove at first. In 53 starts he hit .324 with two home runs, 12 doubles and 47 RBI on the season. Last year he had a .323 batting average with 63 hits that included ten doubles, three home runs, 48 RBI and 53 runs scored. Shaffer was named to the All-Jayhawk conference as a sophomore at Fort Scott CC.
Second baseman Brian Grove (Sr./River Falls, Wis.) was an honorable mention All-MIAA pick. He hit .319 with four homers, 33 RBI, 58 runs scored and is ten for ten on stolen bases in 52 starts. He transferred to Emporia State from Iowa Western CC where he hit .306 with an on-base percentage of .425 and a slugging percentage of .417 last season.
Shortstop Brandon Bachar (Jr./Russell, Kan.) hit .241 on the year with a home run and 12 RBI in 39 starts. He transferred to Emporia State from Western Nebraska CC  where he had a .255 batting average with an on base percentage of .358. He had ten doubles, five home runs, 20 RBI, and 24 runs.
Third baseman Tate Kastens (Sr./Denver, Colo.) hit .220 on the year with four home runs and 27 RBI in 42 starts. He hit .357 in 2017 with a team high .661 slugging percentage and a .383 on base percentage. He had 20 hits that included three doubles, a triple and four home runs. Kastens scored 15 runs and brought in 20 RBI. He hit .455 with runners in scoring position.

OUT IN THE FIELD
Outfielder Bryce Fischer (Sr./Wichita, Kan.) was a first-team All-MIAA pick and Gold Glove winner. He is tenth in the nation in walks, 13th in on base percentage and 18th in RBI. He is leading the MIAA in RBI, on base percentage, and walks, ranks second in the league in runs scored, batting average, and slugging percentage, and is fifth in home runs. He has started all 55 games and is batting .404 with 13 home runs, 65 RBI, 61 runs scored, 17 doubles, 11 stolen bases, a .690 slugging percentage and a .517 on base percentage. He has not committed an error in the outfield in 107 chances with five outfield assists.  He transferred from Oklahoma State. Fischer spent his freshman and sophomore seasons at Cowley CC where he hit .327 with two home runs, four doubles, 30 RBIs and eight stolen bases. He helped Cowley advance to the JUCO World Series.
Outfielder Mack Gowing (Sr./Wichita, Kan.) was an honorable mention All-MIAA selection. He is hitting .326 with a .442 on base percentage and 56 runs scored in 55 starts this season. He has been hit by pitch a team high 14 times this season. Last year he hit .348 with an on base percentage of .424. Gowing had 69 hits including 40 RBI's and runs. He started 49 games on the year and was a second-team All-MIAA selection. He is a transfer from Hutchinson CC.
Outfielder Trevor Turner (Sr./Hutchinson, Kan.) is batting .258 with ten doubles, three home runs, 24 RBI and 34 runs in 52 starts.  Last year he had a .259 batting average, a .296 slugging percentage and a .333 on base percentage. He is a transfer from Barton CC.

ON THE MOUND
Right-handed pitcher Seth Holman (Jr./Wichita, Kan.) was the MIAA Pitcher of the Year and a first-team All-MIAA selection. He is ranked second in the nation in starts, eighth in strikeout to walk ratio, tenth in total strikeouts and 13th in walks allowed per nine innings. He leads the MIAA in starts, strikeouts, and strikeout to walk ratio. He is 8-3 on the year with a 3.39 ERA and 117 strike outs in 109.0 innings with just 14 base on balls. Last year he started 15 games and threw 98.1 total innings. He was 11-3 with a 4.03 ERA, 81 strikeouts and 22 walks. He was a second-team All-MIAA pick. He transferred to Emporia State from Southern Mississippi. His next start will tie Gabe Medina for the most starts in a single season at Emporia State with 17 and he is ranked fourth in single season strikeouts and innings pitched.
Right-handed pitcher Tanner Cairns (Jr./Wichita, Kan.) was a third-team All-MIAA pick. He is 8-1 with a 4.78 ERA in 14 starts this season. He has struck out 58 while allowing 28 walks. He pitched 86.2 innings in 16 appearances with 13 starts in 2017. He was 8-1 with one save on the season with a 3.43 ERA and a .258 opponent batting average. He was third-team All-MIAA.
Right handed pitcher Max Simpson (Sr./Tulsa, Okla.) is 4-5 with a 4.92 ERA and 55 strikeouts in 64.0 innings.  He is a transfer from Oklahoma State who started his collegiate career at Hutchinson CC where he appeared in 17 games with four starts and had a 7-2 record with a save and 2.37 ERA in 2015. He had 85 strikeouts in 60.2 innings and was the Jayhawk West Pitcher of the Year.
Right handed pitcher Taylor Thompson (Sr./Cuba, Mo.) is 5-2 with a 4.42 ERA in 24 appearances with five starts this year.  In 2017, he logged 34.0 innings in 27 appearances. He was 3-1 on the year with a 3.93 ERA. Thompson had 24 strikeouts to just five walks. As a sophomore in 2016 at Jefferson College, Thompson had 19 appearances with a 2-3 record. He had a 1.57 ERA with three saves, 19 strikeouts and allowing only 24 hits in 34.1 innings pitched.
Right handed pitcher Trey Taylor (Jr./Paola, Kan.) is 1-1 with a 2.93 ERA in 15.1 innings pitched with four saves. As a redshirt sophomore in 2017, Taylor tossed 15.1 innings in 18 appearances for the Hornets. He finished 2-0 on the year with a 2.93 ERA. As a redshirt freshman in 2016, Taylor threw out of the bullpen, racking up a 2-0 record through 15.0 innings with 13 strikeouts.
Left handed pitcher Nathan Geiber (Sr./Concordia, Kan.) is 1-3 with a 4.37 ERA and four saves in 25 appearances this season. He has 29 strike outs in 45.1 innings pitched. In the 2017 season, he threw 45.2 innings and had eight starts with a 2-0 record on the season. He had 33 strikeouts to just nine walks. In 2016 he started two games, with a 3.27 ERA and a 2-0 record before getting a injury leading to a medical redshirt. He began his career at Cowley CC and as sophomore he appeared in 14 games, starting nine, with a 4-1 record.  

HISTORY
This is Emporia State's 14th trip all-time to the NCAA Tournament, the fifth straight year, and the 13th time in the last 15 years.  They are 23-26 in their previous 13 NCAA Tournament appearances and 22-24 under Bob Fornelli.  The Hornets have made two trips to the NCAA Division II National Championship Finals and were the 2009 National Runners-up.  They won the NAIA National Championship in 1978, finished second in 1987 and were third in 1976. Under Coach Fornelli, Emporia State won the MIAA Tournament in 2014 and 2007 and claimed the regular season title in 2017, 2011, 2009, 2008 and 2006.