EMPORIA STATE BASEBALL TAKES ON AUGUSTANA IN NCAA TOURNAMENT

NCAA Division II Baseball Central Regional
Emporia State Hornets (34-22, 20-16 MIAA)
vs. Augustana (45-8, 26-8 NSIC)
Friday, May 18 • 5:00 p.m. • Walker Stadium • Magnolia, Ark.
Series Record: ESU leads 3-0 Last Meeting: ESU 3, Augie 0 (May 17, 2014-NCAA Tourney)
Radio: KFFX (104.9FM) Internet Audio: kvoe.com
Live Video • Live Stats • Complete Notes in pdf
Up Next: TBA • May 19, 2018
Walker Stadium • Magnolia, Ark.

MAY MADNESS
Emporia State have advanced with a win in the NCAA Tournament first round for the third straight year as they take on Augustana in a winner's bracket game at the NCAA Central Regional in Magnolia, Ark.

LAST AT BAT
Emporia State got seven shutout innings from Tanner Cairns and scored eight runs on jut five hits as they upset top seeded Southern Arkansas 8-6 in the first round of the NCAA Division II Central Regional Baseball Tournament in Magnolia, Ark. The Hornets led 8-0 going to the bottom of the ninth before the Muleriders tacked on six runs.
Tanner Cairns threw 7.0 shutout innings, allowing four hits and two walks with four strikeouts.  The Hornet corner infielders of Kaden Shaffer and Tate Kastens combined for five RBI on just two hits as Emporia State took advantage of ten walks in the game. Mason Brown was one for two officially with one run, one RBI and three walks.

THE COACHES
Bob Fornelli is 599-264 in his 15th season at Emporia State and is 905-377 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 3-0 against the Vikings.
Tim Huber is 358-188 in his tenth year as head coach at Augustana. He is 0-1 against the Hornets.

ABOUT THE HORNETS
The Hornets have a .287 team batting average and a 4.78 team ERA. Emporia State batters lead the MIAA and ranks fifth in the nation in walks while Hornet pitchers are first in the league and sixth in the nation in walks allowed per nine innings.
Bryce Fischer leads the Hornets with a .403 batting average, 13 homers, 65 RBI and 63 runs scored. Mack Gowing is hitting .321 with 57 runs. Seth Holman is 8-3 with 117 K's and a 3.39 ERA in 109.0 innings. Taylor Thompson has 25 appearances, 56.0 innings, 34 K's and a 4.34 ERA.

SCOUTING THE VIKINGS
Augustana is 45-8 overall and went 26-8 to finish second in the NSIC regular season. They won the NSIC Tournament. Jacob Blank, Sam Baier and Riley Johnson earned first team All-NSIC accolades while Jordan Barth was the conference Freshman of the Year.

LAST AT BAT WITH THE VIKINGS
The #21 Emporia State found a way to win, scoring three runs in the top of the ninth to defeat #30 Augustana 3-0. The Hornets scored the winning run on a bases loaded walk and then added two more on a wild pitch and error.

ON DECK
The winner advances to a 7 p.m. game against either Central Mo. or St. Cloud St. while the loser plays at 11 a.m. against either Okla. Baptist or Central Okla.

HE'S A WINNER
Emporia State head baseball coach Bob Fornelli has 905 career wins and is 599-264 (.694) 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 905-377 (.706) 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 is hitting .300 with four home runs, 16 doubles, 44 RBI and 44 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 54 starts he is hitting .321 with two home runs, 12 doubles and 50 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 is hitting .313 with four homers, 33 RBI, 59 runs scored and is 11 for 11 on stolen bases in 53 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.) is hitting .236 on the year with a home run and 12 RBI in 40 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.) is hitting .221 on the year with five home runs and 29 RBI in 43 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 56 games and is batting .403 with 13 home runs, 65 RBI, 63 runs scored, 18 doubles, 11 stolen bases, a .689 slugging percentage and a .519 on base percentage. He has not committed an error in the outfield in 110 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 .321 with a .439 on base percentage and 57 runs scored in 56 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 .253 with ten doubles, three home runs, 24 RBI and 34 runs in 53 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 9-1 with a 4.40 ERA in 15 starts this season. He has struck out 62 while allowing 30 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 4.34 ERA in 25 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 5.28 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 24-26 in 14 NCAA Tournament appearances and 23-24 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.