EMPORIA STATE SOFTBALL HEADS EAST TO PLAY IN THE PEORIA SLUGGER DOME

Softball | 2/27/2019 12:31:00 PM

Emporia State Hornets (2-9, 0-0 MIAA)
vs. Quincy (0-4, 0-0 GLVC)
Thursday, Feb. 28, 2019 • 11:00 a.m. • Peoria Slugger Dome • Peoria, Ill.
Series: ESU Leads 7-4 Last: ESU 6, QU 2 (Feb. 16, 2014)
vs. Lewis (1-3, 0-0 GLVC) • Live Stats
Thursday, Feb. 28, 2019 • 3:00 p.m. • Peoria Slugger Dome • Peoria, Ill.
Series: Tied 0-0 Last: First Meeting
vs. Illinois Springfield (6-6, 0-0 GLVC)
Friday, March 1, 2019 • 11:00 a.m. • Peoria Slugger Dome • Peoria, Ill.
Series: Tied 0-0 Last: First Meeting
vs. Purdue Northwest (3-1, 0-0 GLIAC)
Friday, March 1, 2019 • 3:00 p.m. • Peoria Slugger Dome • Peoria, Ill.
Series: Tied 0-0 Last: First Meeting
Next Up: at Lindenwood • St. Charles, Mo. • Lou Brock Sports Complex • March 8-9

Slugger Dome Video Coverage (Pay per view with no score information)

IN THE DOME
The Hornets travel to Peoria, Ill. to play four games in the Peoria Slugger Dome at the Springfield Invitational Feb. 28-March 1.

LAST AT BAT
Emporia State was swept 3-4, 2-7 in double header action at Harding on Feb. 18. The Hornets trailed early in game one as Harding got on the board in the top of the second inning and extended the lead to 4-0 with three runs in the third. The Hornets closed the gap with one run in the fourth and two in the fifth before falling 4-3. After trailing 2-0 after four in game two, the Hornets tied the game with two runs in the fifth. Harding answered with five runs in the bottom of the fifth to take the 7-2 win.   
 
THE COACHES
April Huddleston-Rosales is 87-98 in her fourth 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.
Carla Passini is 55-87 in her fourth year as head coach for the Hawks.
Becky Pearl is 105-109 in her fifth year as head coach for the Flyers.
Shannon Guthrie is 133-96 in her fifth year as head coach for the Prairie Stars.
Niki Stansell is 29-27 in her second year as head coach of the Pride.

ABOUT THE HORNETS
Emporia State is 2-9 on the season. Kenzie Garvin leads the Hornets with a .368 batting average and 14 hits. Cassidy Beem has seven runs and four rbi on ten hits. Montana Mesler has pitched four complete games and 30 K's in 31.2 innings.

SCOUTING QUINCY
The Hawks are 0-4 to start the season. Kylie Powers leads the team with a .455 batting avg. and five hits. Alex DeVaney has a 2.21 era with ten K's in 12.2 innings.

SCOUTING LEWIS
The Flyers are 3-1 on the season. The Flyers are led by Morgan Weber with a .444 avg., four hits and two runs. Taylor Boelte has a 2.33 era through 6.0 innings.

SCOUTING ILLINOIS-SPRINGFIELD
The Prairie Stars are 6-6 on the season. Lakyn Wagoner leads the team with a .486 avg, 18 hits and nine rbi. Jaycee Craver has a 2.55 era with 23 K's in 35.2 innings.

SCOUTING PURDUE NORTHWEST
The Pride are 3-1 on the season. Tessa Steffens leads the Pride with four hits and two runs. Mia Stevens has thrown two complete games with a 2.57 era.
 
UP NEXT
The Hornets travel to St. Charles, Mo. to open MIAA play on March. 8-9.  

HORNETS AT THE BAT
Left fielder, Kenzie Garvin has a .368 batting avg with 14 hits and three runs this season. She played in 61 games, starting in 60 for the Hornets in 2018. She finished the season with a .301 batting average on 58 hits with 44 runs.
Second base, Destiny Ojigoh has a batting avg of .219 with three runs on seven hits and five rbi. She played and started in 55 games for the Hornets in 2018. She held a .272 batting average with 18 runs on 40 hits. She tacked on three home runs with 34 rbi.
Catcher, Cassidy Beem has seven runs on ten hits with four rbi and a batting avg of .313 this season. She started in 56 of the 57 games she played in last season. She finished the season with 14 runs and 13 rbi on 20 hits.
Short-stop, Hannah Steeby has a .286 batting avg with six runs on eight hits including three home runs and eight rbi. She transferred from Central Methodist University. In 2018, she earned first-team All-American honors from the NFCA and NAIA and was the Heart of America Conference Player of the Year.
Designated player/pitcher, Kelsey Phillips has scored four runs and has four rbi for the Hornets this season. She played in 31 games, starting in 25 for the Hornets in 2018. She finished the season with a .394 with 16 runs on 26 hits.
Center fielder, Brittanie Shepherd has a .267 batting avg with four runs on eight hits and three rbi this season. She is in her freshman season with the Hornets. She was a first-team all-conference and all-district selection in 2018 for Staley HS in Kansas City, Mo.
Right fielder, Valerie Kinney is batting .286 with four hits and one rbi. She has started four of the seven games she has played this season. In 2018, she appeared in 25 games for the Hornets with a batting average of .293 in 58 at-bats.
First base, Rachel Kauss has one run and three rbi on seven hits with a batting avg on .250. She played in 13 games for the Hornets in 2018. In 16 at bats she had five hits and scored two runs with a .313 batting average.
Second base, Grace Moore has three runs on three hits this season. She has started in six of the eight games she's played in her freshman season.

EMPORIA STATE PITCHING
Montana Mesler is 2-4 with four complete games. She has thrown 31.2 innings with a 5.40 era and 30 K's. She finished the 2018 season with a 15-13 record in 37 appearances with 31 starts. She threw 20 complete games with a 4.58 era and 124 K's in 198.1 innings.
Sydney Righi is 0-3 in four starts for the Hornets. She has an era of 6.11 through 17.2 innings with seven K's. She was 11-5 with a 2.91 era at Blue Springs South HS in her senior season.
Kelsey Phillips is 0-1 with three appearances and one start. She has thrown 7.1 innings with a 4.91 era and five K's. She finished the 2018 season with a 10-11 record in 30 appearances with 18 starts. She threw nine complete games with a 4.95 era and 54 K's in 125.1 innings.

THE HORNETS WITH ROSALES
Rosales is in her fourth season as head coach at Emporia State. She holds an 87-98 overall record, 38-40 in the MIAA after taking over in November of 2015 with no seniors on the roster.
In 2018, Rosales led the Hornets to the MIAA Tournament championship and her first trip to the NCAA Central Regional Tournament as head coach. The Hornets finished the regular season on a nine game winning streak and extended that to a 12 game streak in the MIAA Tournament. Emporia State advanced to the Central Regional championship game against Minnesota-Duluth.  
In 2017, 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.
In 2016, Rosales led the Hornets to a 21-32 record, 9-17 in the MIAA in her first season as head coach. Prior to the season, she was selected as the tenth head coach for the Hornets and took over the role in November of 2015.
Before accepting the head coaching role, she had served as an assistant coach for the Hornets the previous seven seasons under both coach Kristi Bredbenner and Julie LeMaire after her all-conference playing career at Emporia State.