HORNETS AND MULES TO MEET IN THREE GAME SERIES IN WARRENSBURG

Baseball | 3/12/2022 8:58:00 AM

Emporia State Hornets (8-11, 2-5 MIAA)
at
#11 Central Missouri Mules (12-3, 6-0 MIAA)
Sunday, March 13 (DH) • 1:00 p.m. • Warrensburg, Mo.
Monday, March 14 • 1:00 p.m. • Warrensburg, Mo.
Series Record: UCM leads 133-65 Last Meeting: UCM 7, ESU 3 (5/14/21)
Live Stats • Complete Notes in pdf
Up Next: Pittsburg State • Mar. 16, 2022
Emporia, Kan.

MIAA TOURNAMENT REMATCH
Emporia State travels to Warrensburg, Mo. for a three game series against Central Missouri in a rematch of last year's MIAA Tournament opening series.

LAST AT BAT
The Hornets traveled to Enid, Oklahoma for a midweek matchup against Southwestern Oklahoma. After taking a 3-0 lead, Emporia State fell behind 4-3 in the middle innings. The Hornets responded by scoring nine unanswered runs highlighted by 5 different hitters recording multiple RBI in a 12-4 victory over the Bulldogs.

THE COACHES
Seth Wheeler is in his fourth season as the Hornets head coach and enters with a 66-65 record through three-plus seasons at the helm. He is 1-7 against Central Missouri.
Kyle Crookes is 268-102  in his eighth season as the head coach at Central Missouri. He is 15-8 against Emporia State.

ABOUT THE HORNETS
The Hornets are 8-11 on the season and have won their three previous games heading into the series. The Hornet offense is led by seniors Sam Chaput and Blake Carroll. Chaput is batting .347 with a .430 on-base percentage. Carroll is close behind with a .333 batting average and an on-base percentage of .407. The recent push from freshman TJ Racherbaumer has helped the lineup as he is batting .378 with a team-high seven doubles.

SCOUTING THE MULES
Central Missouri is 12-3 on the season and is currently ranked #11in the College Baseball News national poll and #13 in the NCBWA Division II Poll. The Mules have four qualified hitters who all post averages above .300. The offense is led by senior Harrison Schnurbusch who is batting .345 on the season. The pitching staff is led by senior Collin Jones who has recorded 20.0 innings in four starts and posts a 2.25 ERA. In the bullpen Tyler Kotsis has 8 appearances and 11.0 innings and has a 0.00 ERA.

SERIES HISTORY
Central Missouri leads the all-time series 133-65.

LAST TIME AGAINST UCM
Last season, Emporia State faced Central Missouri in the opening series of the MIAA Tournament. The Hornets dropped the first game 3-2 and then lost game two 7-3 after allowing the Mules to score five runs in the first inning to conclude the 2021 season for Emporia State.

UP NEXT
Emporia State will stay home during spring break for a midweek matchup against Pittsburg State on Wednesday, March 16 before a home series over the weekend against Northwest Missouri March 18-20.

Wheels on the bus
Seth Wheeler is in his fourth season at the helm of the Hornet Baseball program. Wheeler has a career record of 66-65. Before taking over as the head coach of Emporia State, Wheeler spent the previous three seasons as the pitching coach at Emporia State. During this time, the Hornet pitching staff held the second lowest ERA in the MIAA. The success has continued since taking over as ESU has ranked top-five in two of his first three seasons in ERA. While the 2020 season was cut short, Emporia State has reached the MIAA tournament in both of Wheeler's full seasons at the helm.
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 Chandler Bloomer (Jr./Ottawa, KS) has played in 17 of 19 games for the Hornets so far this season. He is batting .200 with an on-base percentage of .332 with 1 HR and 10 RBI. He has also crossed the plate for 9 runs this season.
Second Basemen Kase Johnson (So./Iowa Park, TX) transferred from Seward County Community College where he played two seasons. He has played in 11 games for the Hornets this season and is batting .176 with a trio of extra-base hits including a clutch two-run home run against MSU Denver.
Shortstop Dylan Werries (Jr./McPherson, KS) has started 17 games and has 18 total apperances for the Hornets this season. Werries has recorded 6 doubles and 7 RBI. He has also posted a .349 on-base percentage through the first 19 games.
Third Basemen Kadyn Williams (Fr./Emporia, KS) is in his first season with the Hornets. He has started all 19 games this far for the Hornets. He is batting .261 with an on-base percentage of .350. Williams has 3 doubles and 9 RBI on the season while recording 9 runs.

OUT IN THE FIELD
Outfielder Javier Pena (Sr./Kansas City/KS) has started in 11 games for Emporia State and has made 12 appearances overall. He has recorded a .391 on-base percentage while recording 9 RBI. He also has scored 11 runs and is tied for the team lead with 6 stolen bases.
Outfielder Blake Carroll (Sr./Wichita, KS) has played multiple positons for the Hornets since arriving in Emporia including both middle infield spots and centerfield. In 2021, he was named 2nd Team All-Miaa as a utility player. This season, Carroll has been a staple in the top of the order, batting .333 with 5 doubles, 4 home runs and 14 RBI while starting all 19 games for Emporia State.
Outfielder Sam Chaput (Sr./Boisbriand, Quebec) has started all 19 games this season for the Hornets, primarily in right field and at the top of the lineup. Chaput is batting .347 with 4 doubles, 3 home runs, 7 RBI and 6 stolen bases. He is second on the team with 20 runs scored and 39 total bases.

ON THE MOUND
Right-handed pitcher Aaron Bechtel (Gr./Wichita, KS) spent the previous two seasons at Wichita State. So far this season Bechtel has started 5 games for the Hornets with a 4.18 ERA in 28.0 innings of work. He has 30 strikeouts while only allowing 3 walks this season.
Right-handed pitcher Jared Kengott (Sr./Addison, TX) has made 6 appearances so far this season including 3 out of the bullpen. He has a 3.93 ERA in 18.1 innings. He has 16 strikeouts and is only allowing a .210 batting average against.
Left-handed pitcher Jarrett Seaton (Sr./Omaha, NE) has appeared in 5 games for the Hornets with 4 being as a starting pitcher. Seaton has recorded 23.1 innings with 34 strikeouts and allowing only 9 walks with an ERA of 3.86

HISTORY
Emporia State has advanced to the NCAA Tournament 14 times in the program's history. The Hornets have captured the regular season MIAA championship on six different occasions and have won MIAA Tournament title twice. The most recent regular season championship came in 2017 when they finished the season with a 42-19 record after hosting the Central Regional.