Softball | 5/2/2019 12:24:00 AM
Emporia State Hornets (25-27, 14-12 MIAA)
vs.
Pittsburg State Gorillas (26-26, 14-12 MIAA)
Thursday, May 2, 2019 • 1:30 p.m. • Broncho Softball Stadium • Edmond, Okla.
Series Record: ESU leads 77-54 •
Last Meeting: at ESU 5, PSU 1 (March 31, 2019)
Radio: None
Internet Audio: None
Video: themiaanetwork.com/esuhornets
Live Stats •
Complete Notes in pdf
Next Up: winner vs Central Oklahoma or Central Missouri
Friday, May 3 at 1:30 p.m.
Broncho Softball Stadium • Edmond, Okla.
CHAMPIONSHIP TIME
Sixth seeded Emporia State takes on seventh seeded Pittsburg State in an elimination game of the MIAA Tournament.
LAST AT BAT
In an MIAA Tournament edition of Turnpike Tussle Emporia State dropped a pitcher's duel to Washburn 2-1 on Wednesday afternoon. Washburn scored first on a squeeze bunt in the first. The Hornets tied the score in the top of the fourth when Hannah Steeby hit a solo homer. The Ichabods broke the tie in the bottom of the inning on a Sieana Hall RBI single. Montana Mesler went the distance in the circle scattering five hits and allowed two runs, only one earned, in 6.0 innings with four strikeouts. Steeby, Beem and Shepherd had the three hits for the Hornets in the game.
THE COACHES
April Huddleston-Rosales is 110-116 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. She is 8-4 in the MIAA Tournament. She is 5-4 against Pittsburg State with a 1-0 record in MIAA Tournament play.
Ashley Balazs is 48-59 in her second year at Pittsburg State and 64-87 in her third year as a head coach. She is 1-3 against Emporia State and 0-1 in the MIAA Tournament.
ABOUT THE HORNETS
Emporia State is 25-27 overall and finished 14-12 in the MIAA. They are the sixth seed in the MIAA Tournament. As a team the Hornets are batting .283 with a 3.77 team ERA. Hannah Steeby is the only player in the top five of the MIAA with 11 home runs and 22 stolen bases. In the circle Montana Mesler is second in the MIAA with 136 strikeouts.
SCOUTING THE GORILLAS
Pittsburg State is 26-26 and finished 14-12 in the MIAA. They are the seven seed in the MIAA Tournament. As a team the Gorillas are hitting .278 and have a 3.83 team ERA. Katie Kukowski leads the MIAA with 13 home runs while Halle Brin is third in the MIAA in strikeouts with 134 and a .245 opponents batting average.
SERIES HISTORY
The Hornets lead the all-time series 77-54 and the two are tied at 3-3 in MIAA play .
LAST AT BAT WITH PITT STATE
The Hornets completed the sweep of the Gorillas with a 5-1 win. Sydney Righi went the distance in the circle to pick up her first win. She allowed one run on six hits with five strikeouts and no walks.
ON DECK
The winner will take on either Central Oklahoma or Central Missouri in an elimination game at 1:30 p.m. on Friday.
HORNETS AT THE BAT
Left fielder Kenzie Garvin (Sr./Lawrence, Kan.) is ninth in the MIAA in stolen bases. She is batting .367 with 30 runs and 14 stolen bases. She is hitting .382 and has six stolen bases over her last ten games. She has hit safely in 14 of 18 games since missing five games with a knee injury. She had an 11 game hitting streak wrapped around the time she missed. 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.
Designated player/outfielder Gabby Biondo (So./Belton, Mo.) is third in the MIAA in stolen bases with 23 and eighth with four triples. She is batting .357 with 31 runs and 25 RBI. She is hitting .375 with nine runs scored and six RBI with five stolen bases in her last ten games. She has played in 45 games with 40 starts. In 2018, she appeared in 28 games last year.
First base Rachel Kauss (So./Overland Park, Kan.) is hitting .280 on the year with five doubles and 17 RBI. She has played and started in 51 games this year. She played in 13 games last year. In 16 at bats she had five hits and scored two runs with a .313 batting average.
Shortstop Hannah Steeby (Jr./St. Joseph, Mo.) is fourth in the MIAA in runs scored and stolen bases, fifth in home runs, sixth in triples, eighth in RBI, and is tenth in slugging percentage. She has a .356 batting average with a team high 44 runs, 11 home runs and 42 RBI. She is batting .464 with a double, a triple, three homers, 13 RBI and 11 runs over the last ten games. She transferred to Emporia State from Central Methodist where she earned first-team NFCA and NAIA All-American honors in 2018.
Outfielder/designated player Valerie Kinney (Sr./Bennington, Neb.) is batting .297 in 33 games this year with a .333 average in the 13 games she has come off the bench. She is hitting .363 in her last ten games with three doubles and four RBI. She is the only four year player on the roster and has played in 90 games with 55 starts in her career.
Catcher Cassidy Beem (So./Lamar, Mo.) is eighth in the MIAA with nine home runs on the season. She is batting .252 with six doubles, a triple, 28 runs scored and 31 RBI in 51 starts. She had three home runs in the double header at Northeastern State. She started in 56 of the 57 games she played in last season and finished the season with 14 runs and 13 RBI.
Second base Destiny Ojigoh (So./Kansas City, Mo.) is batting .247 with 20 runs, five doubles, two home runs and 18 RBI. She has started all 50 games she has played in this season. 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.
Third base Kailee Odegard (Fr./Blue Springs, Mo.) has a .235 batting average with 19 runs, eight doubles and two triples. She has started in 45 of the 47 games she has played this season.
Center fielder Brittanie Shepherd (Fr./Kansas City, Mo.) is batting .263 and has scored 21 runs with seven doubles, a triple and a home run. She is batting .375 with three doubles, five runs and four RBI over her last nine games.
Right fielder Maddy Broxterman (So/Meriden, Kan.) is batting .176 in 26 games with 23 starts. She has nine runs, a double, a triple, a home run and four RBI on the season.
Designated player/pitcher, Kelsey Phillips (Jr./Winfield, Kan.) has scored 15 runs and has four homers and 20 RBI at the plate for the Hornets this season. She had two home runs in game two against Missouri Southern. 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.
EMPORIA STATE PITCHING
Right-handed pitcher Montana Mesler (So./Topeka, Kan.) is second in the MIAA with 136 strike outs on the season and ninth with 141.1 innings pitched. She is 10-13 with a 3.81 ERA and 12 complete games. She tossed a two-hit shutout with a career high 11 strike outs against Rogers State. It is the most strike outs by a Hornets since 2013. 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.
Right-handed pitcher Kelsey Phillips (Jr./Winfield, Kan.) ranks third in the MIAA in saves and eighth with a .264 opponents batting average. She is 5-4 with three saves, a 3.33 ERA and eight starts in 19 games. She has a 1.80 ERA in 11 relief appearances with a 2-0 record and three saves out of the bullpen. 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.
Right-handed pitcher Sydney Righi (Fr./Blue Springs, Mo.) is 7-7 in 17 starts with a 4.08 ERA. She tossed a four hit shutout of Missouri Southern. She was 11-5 with a 2.91 ERA at Blue Springs South HS in her senior season.
Right-handed pitcher Brylie Bassett (Fr./Oskaloosa, Kan.) has a 3.65 ERA in 30.2 innings pitched over 13 appearances with one start.
Right-handed pitcher Mackenzie Thornton (Jr./Grandfield, Okla.) is 1-2 with 3.65 ERA in seven games this season. She was 1-1 with a 7.36 ERA in 13 games last year, including two starts.
THE HORNETS WITH ROSALES
Rosales is in her fourth season as head coach at Emporia State. She holds an 110-116 overall record, 51-49 in the MIAA. She is 8-4 in the MIAA Tournament as a head coach. She led the Hornets to the 2018 MIAA Tournament championship and her first trip to the NCAA Central Regional Tournament as head coach. Emporia State then advanced to the Central Regional championship game before falling to Minnesota-Duluth.
In 2017, Rosales made her first appearance in the MIAA Tournament as head coach, 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.
Before accepting the head coaching role, she had served as an assistant coach for the Hornets the previous seven seasons after her all-conference playing career at Emporia State.
HORNET HISTORY
Emporia State has finished as the NCAA Division II National Runners-up twice, in 2006 and 2008. The Hornets have qualified for NCAA Regional play in 12 of the last 15 years and 13 times in the last 23 seasons. The Hornets won the NAIA National Championship in 1983 and 1984 and won the AIAW National Championship in 1980.
The Hornets were MIAA regular season champions four straight years from 2005-08 and MIAA Tournament champions seven straight years running from 2004-10. In the 21st Century, Emporia State has claimed the regular season title eight times (2005-08, 2010-12, 2014) and the tournament title nine times (2004-10, 2012, 2018).
