Baseball | 3/18/2019 5:06:00 PM
Emporia State Hornets (11-8, 8-4 MIAA)
at Oklahoma Christian (14-5, 0-0 Heartland)
Tuesday, March 19 • 2:00, 5:00 p.m. • Dobson Field • Oklahoma City, Okla.
Series History: ESU Leads 2-1 • Last Meeting: OCU 4, ESU 3 (Feb. 2, 2018)
Up Next: at Southwest Baptist • March 22-24 • Dodson Field • Bolivar, Mo.
Live Stats
BACK TO THE SOONER STATE
The Hornets travel to Oklahoma City, Okla. to take on Oklahoma Christian on March 19 in a double header.
LAST AT BAT
Emporia State completed a 2-1 series win over #18 Central Oklahoma with a 4-3 win in Edmond, Okla. Lou Penner got Emporia State on the board with a solo home run in the fourth inning. That would be the only scoring until the seventh inning. Tyrus Barclay reached on a one out single and was replaced by pinch runner Brett Huelsmann. With two outs, Brian Grove and Paul Claassen were both hit by pitch to load the bases. Cooper Minnick delivered a two out double to give the Hornets a 3-1 lead. The Bronchos got on the board in the bottom of the seventh with one run on three singles. Emporia State answered with an insurance run in the top of the eighth when Arron Dees doubled with one out and Tanner Arst followed with an RBI single up the middle. TK McWhertor led off the bottom of the ninth with a double for UCO and would score one out later on Brock Ruminer's home run to pull the Bronchos within a run. Cooper Minnick led the Hornets two hits including a double and two rbi.
THE COACHES
Seth Wheeler is 11-8 overall, 8-4 in the MIAA in his first season as the Hornets head coach. Over the past three years as a pitching coach at Emporia State, Wheeler has led the Hornets to the second best ERA in the MIAA at 4.60 improving from sixth in 2014. Â
Lonnie Cobble is 171-113 in his fourth season as head coach for the Eagles. Â
ABOUT THE HORNETS
Emporia State is 11-8 on the season, 8-4 in the MIAA. The Hornets have 115 runs on 153 hits with 16 home runs. Hornet pitchers have 152 K's and an opponent batting average of .258.
At the Bat
Paul Claassen leads the Hornets with a .297 batting avg. and has 13 runs on 22 hits with three doubles. Cooper Minnick leads the Hornets with 15 runs on 20 hits and adds 12 rbi.
On the Mound
Jake Barton is fourth in the MIAA with a 1.78 era in six starts. He has pitched 35.1 innings with 25 K's. Tanner Cairns is tenth in the MIAA with 41 K's in six starts with a 2.91 era through 43.1 innings. Out of the bullpen, Drew Scrimsher has nine appearances with a 2-0 record, one save and a 2.70 era in 16.2 innings.
SCOUTING THE EAGLES
Oklahoma Christian is 14-5 on the season. Errett Edwards leads the Eagles with a .407 batting average with 13 runs on 24 hits. Hunter Markwardt leads the team with 22 runs on 28 hits including 10 doubles. Gabe Rodery is 4-0 in six starts with a 1.42 era. He has pitched three complete games with 46 K's through 38.0 innings.
LAST TIME AGAINST OKLA. CHRISTIAN
Emporia State fell 8-3 to Oklahoma Christian at the Air Hogs DII Classic on February 2, 2018. The Eagles took the lead early with two runs in the top of the first inning. The Hornets answered with one run of their one in the bottom of the first to cut the Eagles lead to 2-1. After two scoreless innings, the Eagles scored two runs in the top of the fourth to extend their lead to 4-1 and would follow up with one run in the top of the fifth. In the seventh inning, the Eagles got one run before the Hornets brought in two runs to cut the Eagles lead to 6-3 before the Eagles capped scoring with one run in the eighth and one run in the ninth for the 8-3 win.
UP NEXT
The Hornets travel to Bolivar, Mo. to take on Southwest Baptist in a three game series March 22-24.
Wheels on the bus
On Friday, June 22, the Emporia State Hornets announced the hiring of Seth Wheeler as the 15th head coach in Hornet baseball history. Wheeler spent the previous three seasons as the pitching and catchers coach at Emporia State. The Hornets had the second best ERA in the conference at 4.60 over his three seasons after ranking sixth in the league in 2014. Emporia State was 110-52 with three trips to the NCAA Tournament and an MIAA regular season championship with Wheeler as an assistant in the dugout.
He began his coaching career with the Junction City Brigade, a collegiate wood bat team that competes in the Mid-Plains League, the summer after graduating from Central Missouri. Wheeler served as the hitting coach as the team went 26-10, won the MPL and led the league in runs per game. During the school year he was an assistant coach at Butler CC. He was in charge of catchers and base running for the Grizzlies who led the NJCAA in stolen bases with 157 on the season.
AROUND THE HORN
First baseman Alex Pener (Jr./Overland Park, Kan.) has 13 runs on 16 hits and 13 rbi this season. In 2018, Pener took a medical redshirt at Mississippi State.
Second baseman Brian Grove (Sr./River Falls, Wis.) has 21 hits with 14 runs and eight rbi this season. He started 55 games at second base for the Hornets in 2018 hitting .301 with 59 runs scored. Grove also added 14 doubles, three triples, and four home runs on his way to a .449 slugging percentage and MIAA All-Conference Honorable Mention recognition.
Shortstop Josh Norlin (Jr./Wichita, Kan.) has 14 hits with 13 runs including one home run and six rbi this season. He 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, four home runs, 50 RBI and 55 walks. He was named second team All-League SS.
Third baseman Paul Claassen (Sr./Denver, Colo.) leads the Hornets with a .297 batting avg and has 22 hits with 13 runs including two home runs and three doubles. He 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, two triples, and three home runs with the Cougars.
Catcher Cooper Minnick (JR./Leon, Kan.) has 15 runs on 20 hits including one home run and three doubles. He redshirted for the Hornets in 2018. As a sophomore at Neosho County, he hit .359 in 217 AB's with 21 doubles, two triples, nine home runs, and 69 RBI's. Minnick was named First Team All-Conference, First Team All-Region, third Team All-American, and earned the Gold Glove as a catcher in the Jayhawk Conference.
OUT IN THE FIELD
Outfielder Mitch Sloan (Sr./Paola, Kan.) has 11 runs on nine hits with ten rbi. As a junior, Sloan transferred to Cameron University where he played in 29 games. He hit .338 with 68 hits, 16 doubles and five home runs as a sophomore at Fort Scott CC.
Outfielder Aaron Dees (Sr./Burlington, Kan.) has a .255 batting avg. with 12 runs on 13 hits including three home runs. He transferred to Emporia State from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.
Outfielder Connor Hurst (Jr./Augusta, Kan.) has nine runs on 14 hits with 15 rbi for the Hornets. In 2018, As a Sophomore at Butler Community College, he hit .385 with an OBP of .476 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.
ON THE MOUND
Right-handed pitcher Tanner Cairns (Sr./Wichita, Kan.) has thrown two complete games and has six starts with 43.1 innings with a 2.91 era and 41 K's this season. He 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 Jake Barton (Sr./Omaha, Neb.) has thrown 35.1 innings with 25 K's with a 1.78 era this season. He medically redshirted the past two seasons. In 2016 he logged 72.2 innings in 14 starts at Johnson County Community College. He was 8-1 with six complete games and 83 K's allowing just 30 earned runs with an era of 3.72.
Right-handed pitcher Drew Scrimsher (Sr./Oskaloosa, Kan.) has a 2-0 record out of the bullpen with nine appearances. He has a 2.70 era through 16.2 innings pitched. In 2017, his junior year, Scrimsher appeared in 12 games for the Hornets. In 15.1 innings he struck out 13 batters posting a 5.87 ERA.
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