Baseball | 1/30/2019 2:57:00 PM
Emporia State Hornets (0-0, 0-0 MIAA)
vs Lubbock Christian (0-0, 0-0 HC)
Friday, Feb. 1 • 4:00 p.m. • Wendell Simmons Field • Edmond, Okla.
Series Record: Tied 1-1 Last Meeting: ESU 17, LCU 16 (1987)
vs Southeastern Oklahoma State (0-0, 0-0 GAC)
Saturday, Feb. 2 • 10:00 p.m. • Wendell Simmons Field • Edmond, Okla.
Series Record: SEOSU Leads 15-13 Last Meeting: SEOSU 7, ESU 2 (Feb. 4, 2018)
vs Southwestern Oklahoma State (0-0, 0-0 GAC)
Sunday, Feb. 3 • 1:00 p.m. • Wendell Simmons Field • Edmond, Okla.
Series Record: ESU leads 19-16 Last Meeting: ESU 19, SWOSU 9 (Feb. 10, 2018)
Up Next: vs. Metro St. - Denver • Feb. 8-10, 2019 Trusler Sports Complex • Emporia, Kan
Live Stats
LET THE FUN BEGIN
Emporia State baseball returns to the field on Feb. 1 to open the 2019 season. The Hornets travel to Edmond, Okla. to compete in the Edmond 1st Pitch Invitational.
LAST AT BAT
After taking second place in the MIAA Tournament, the Hornets season came to an end with a 4-1 loss to Central Oklahoma in the NCAA Tournament. The Bronchos took the lead in the third inning scoring all four of their runs with a grand slam from Trae Smith. The Hornets got on the board in the top of the fourth with one run that would wrap up scoring for the game as both bullpens combined for 10.1 shut out innings to end the game.
THE COACHES
Seth Wheeler begins his first season as the Hornets head coach after spending the previous three seasons as an assistant coach at Emporia State.
Nathan Blackwood is 623-252 beginning his 16th season at Lubbock Christian.
Zach Crabtree is 22-23 beginning his second season at Southeastern Okla. St.
Zack Saunders is 178-154 beginning his eighth season at Southwestern Okla. St.
ABOUT THE HORNETS
The Hornets come off a 34-24 season, 20-16 in the MIAA. The Hornets are picked fifth in the MIAA this season with 13 seniors on the roster including All-MIAA third team pitcher, Tanner Cairns. Cairns pitched a record of 9-1 last season with 15 starts and an ERA of 4.40. Brian Grove also returns after starting 55 of 56 games with a .301 batting avg.
SCOUTING THE CHAPS
Lubbock Christian comes off of a 34-20 season, 17-11 in the Heartland Conference. The Chaps return five players who started 49 games last season that each batted at least .280. Andrew Pratt led the team with a .381 avg scoring 34 runs on 72 hits with 12 homeruns.
This will be the third meeting between Emporia State and Lubbuck Christian with the series tied at 1-1.
SCOUTING THE SAVAGE STORM
Southwestern Oklahoma State comes off of a 22-23 season, 17-15 in the Great American Conference (GAC). The Savage Storm are picked to finish eighth in the GAC. They return their top hitter from the 2018 season in Austin Ferguson who finished the season with a .380 batting avg with 62 hits, 37 runs scored and three home runs.
This will be the 29th meeting between Emporia State and Southeastern Okla. State with the Savage Storm holding a 15-13 series lead.
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
Southwestern Oklahoma State comes off of a 24-24 season, 17-14 in the GAC. The Bulldogs are picked sixth in the GAC coaches poll for 2019 with 13 returning letterwinners. The Bulldogs returners are led by Alex Pimentel who finished 2018 with a .411 batting avg with 78 hits, 44 runs scored and nine homeruns.
This will be the 36th meeting between Emporia State and Southwestern Oklahoma with the Hornets holding a 19-16 series lead.
ON DECK
The Hornets host Metro State-Denver in a four game series on Feb. 8-10 to open a 12
Wheels on the bus
On Friday, June 22, the Emporia State Hornets announced the hiring of Seth Wheeler to become the 15th head coach in Hornet baseball history. Wheeler spent the previous three seasons as the pitching coach at Emporia State and has worked with the catchers as well. The Hornets have the second best ERA in the conference at 4.60 over his three seasons after ranking sixth in the league in 2014. Emporia State has gone 110-52 with three trips to the NCAA Tournament and an MIAA regular season championship with Wheeler in the dugout.
A 2014 graduate of Central Missouri, Wheeler was an honorable mention All-MIAA selection at catcher for the Mules. He hit .324 as UCM won the MIAA Regular Season Championship his senior year. He played two years at Butler CC, earning All-Jayhawk Conference honors as a sophomore.
AROUND THE HORN
First baseman Tanner Arst (Sr./Wichita, Kan.) played 3rd for the hornets in 32 games in 2018. He hit .284 for the and had 8 doubles along with 3 home runs, driving in 21 runs.
Second baseman Brian Grove (Sr./River Falls, Wis.) started 55 games at second base for the Hornets in 2018 hitting .301 with 59 runs scored. Grove also added 14 doubles, 3 triples, and 4 home runs on his way to a .449 slugging percentage and MIAA All-Conference Honorable Mention recognition.
Shortstop Josh Norlin (Jr./Wichita, Kan.) attended Dallas Baptist University in the fall of 2018 before he transferred to Emporia State and took a medical redshirt after an injury early in the season. As a Sophomore in 2017, Norlin hit .404 for Neosho County with an on base percentage of .536. Norlin had 18 doubles, 4 home runs, 50 RBI and 55 walks. He was named 2nd team All-League SS.
Third baseman Paul Claassen (Sr./Denver, Colo.) played in 55 games as a sophomore at Barton CC in 2017. He had a batting average of .290, .370 slugging percentage, and a .432 on base percentage. 12 doubles, 2 triples, and 3 home runs with the Cougars.
Catcher Cooper Minnick (JR./Leon, Kan.) redshirted for the Hornets in 2018. As a sophomore at Neosho County, he hit .359 in 217 AB's with 21 doubles, 2 triples, 9 HR's, and 69 RBI's. Minnick was named First Team All-Conference, First Team All-Region, 3rd Team All-American, and earned the Gold Glove as a catcher in the Jayhawk Conference.
OUT IN THE FIELD
Outfielder Christian Roduner (Jr./Rossville, Kan.) transferred from Colby County CC. As a sophomore in 2018 he had a batting average of .275 with a .433 on base percentage in 38 games.
Outfielder Connor Hurst (Sr./Augusta, Kan.) hit .385 with an OBP of .476 as a sophomore at Butler CC and finished the season with 69 hits including 12 doubles, 4 triples, 18 Home runs, 64 RBIs, 57 runs scored, and 20 stolen bases. Was named First Team All-Jayhawk Conference Outfield and Second Team All-Region VI.
Outfielder Aaron Dees (Sr./Burlington, Kan.) transferred from Texas Rio Grande Valley. In 2017, as a sophomore at Neosho County Community College, he ended the season with a .342 batting average with 16 home runs, 13 doubles, one triple, 69 RBI and 56 runs scored in 60 games. Earned First Team All-Region and First Team All-Conference honors.
ON THE MOUND
Right-handed pitcher Tanner Cairns (Sr./Wichita, Kan.) threw a total of 88.0 innings in 15 appearances with all 15 being starts in his junior season. He had a record of 9-1 with an ERA of 4.04 and had an opposing batting average of .279 to earn All-MIAA third team honors
Right-handed pitcher Adam Theis (Sr./Olathe, Kan.) pitched in 14 games and started six with a 2-2 record and one save as a junior at Emporia State. He pitched 35 innings with 26 K's and 12 walks.
Right-handed pitcher Mason LeClair (Jr./Mulvane, Kan.) will take position as the Hornets closer in 2019. As a junior, LeClair transferred From UNC Charlotte to Emporia State, appeared in 9 games before an injury that ended his season and caused him to take a medical redshirt.
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HISTORY
Emporia State advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the fifth straight year in the 2018 season and the 13th time in the last 15 seasons. The Hornets finished seventh in the MIAA regular season after having finished first or second in regular season play for the past four seasons. With Wheeler in the dugout, Emporia State claimed the regular season title in 2017 and advanced to the MIAA tournament title game in 2018.
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