TRIP TO SOUTHEAST KANSAS FOR HORNET BASEBALL MIDWEEK MATCH-UP WITH PITT STATE

Baseball | 3/28/2022 6:26:00 PM

Emporia State Hornets (11-18, 5-11 MIAA)
at
Pittsburg State Gorillas (18-9, 13-3 MIAA)
Tuesday, Mar. 29 • 5:00 p.m. • Al Ortolani Field • Pittsburg, Kan.
Series Record: ESU leads 87-43 Last Meeting: PSU 7, ESU 1 (3/16/22)
Video: The MIAA Network Live Stats: esuhornets.com
Up Next: Rogers State • Apr. 1-3, 2022
Diamond Sports Complex • Claremore, Okla.

HIT THE ROAD
Emporia State begins a five game road trip with a mid-week contest at Pittsburg State.

LAST AT BAT
Kadyn Williams two out single in the bottom of the tenth gave Emporia State a 3-2 come from behind win over Missouri Southern to salvage the final game of the series.

THE COACHES
Seth Wheeler is 69-72 in his fourth season as the Hornets head coach. He is 5-6 against Pittsburg State.
Bob Fornelli is 93-54 in his fourth season at Pittsburg State. He is 998-433 in his 26th year as a head coach including a 599-266 record in 15 years at Emporia State.  He is 6-5 against the Hornets at Pittsburg State and was 13-2 against the Hornets while at Ft. Hays State.

ABOUT THE HORNETS
The Hornets are 11-18, 5-11 on the season. Noah Geekie has a team best .382 batting average. Sam Chaput is batting .354 with a team high 25 runs and eight steals. TJ Racherbaumer leads Emporia State with five home runs and 20 RBI while batting .342 on the year. Seven Hornets have made at least one start on the mound this year. Jared Kengott is 1-1 with a team best 3.35 ERA in nine appearances and six starts with 31 strike outs.  Jarrett Seaton is 3-3 with a 5.82 ERA and team high 42 strike outs in eight appearances with one of them out of the bullpen. Aaron Bechtel is 1-7 in eight starts but the Hornets are averaging just 1.71 runs in his last seven starts.
SCOUTING THE GORILLAS
Pittsburg State is 18-9, 13-3 on the season. The Gorillas have a multitude of hitters who post averages above .300 and are led by Garrett McGowan and Jordan Maxson who are batting .443 and .404 respectively. McGowan has a team-high nine doubles, 13 home runs and 49 RBI. As a team, the Gorillas are second in the MIAA in batting average and total bases while leading in home runs, RBI and slugging percentage. On the mound, Peyton Ingalls leads Pittsburg State with eighth starts on the season and has pitched 38.0 innings and struck out 31 batters. In relief the Gorillas have a multitude of pitchers with double-digit appearances out of the bullpen.

SERIES HISTORY
Emporia State leads the all-time series 87-43 and have won four of the last seven meetings.

LAST TIME AGAINST PSU
The Gorillas scored five of their runs via the home run in a 7-1 victory over the Hornets at the Trusler Sports Complex. It is the only time Pitt State has scored fewer than eight runs in the last nine games.

UP NEXT
Emporia State will travel to the Sooner State for a three-game series against Rogers State on April 1-3 in Claremore, Okla. They will then take on Northwestern Oklahoma on April 4 for a Monday match-up in Alva, Okla.

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 69-72. 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.

OUT IN THE FIELD
Outfielder Sam Chaput (Sr./Boisbriand, Quebec) has started all 29 games this season and reached base in 28 of them. He is batting .354 with seven doubles, four home runs, 11 RBI and eighth stolen bases. He also has a team-high 25 runs scored and 59 total bases.
Outfielder Noah Geekie (Jr./Strathclair, Manitoba) is batting .382 in 19 games with 17 starts in the field. He is also a pitcher for the Hornets and has a 3-1 record with 30 strikeouts in 23.1 innings.  
Outfielder Brenden Tauber (Jr./Omaha, NE) has played in 18 games for the Hornets while making 14 starts. He has one home run, four RBI and has scored nine runs.
Outfielder Quinn Cherry (Sr./Pawley's Island, SC) has started 12 games for Emporia State and has made 17 appearances overall. He leads the Hornets in pinch hit at bats with four with a two run homer as a pinch hitter.

AROUND THE HORN
First Baseman Chandler Bloomer (Jr./Ottawa, KS) has played in 25 of 29 games for the Hornets. He is batting .171 with an on-base percentage of .276 with one home run and 10 RBI. He has also crossed the plate for nine runs this season.
Second Basemen Blake Carroll (Sr./Wichita, KS) has been a staple in the top of the order, batting .269 with a .344 on base percentage, six doubles, four home runs and 18 RBI while starting all 29 games. Carroll has played multiple positions for the Hornets since arriving in Emporia including both middle infield spots and center field. In 2021, he was named 2nd Team All-MIAA as a utility player.
Shortstop Kase Johnson (So./Iowa Park, TX) has played in 20 games for the Hornets this season and is batting .213 with seven extra-base hits including two home runs with six RBI.
Third Basemen Kadyn Williams (Fr./Emporia, KS) has started all 29 games this far for the Hornets. He is batting .228 with a .307 on-base percentage. Williams has three doubles, one home run and 12 RBI on the season while recording 11 runs.

BEHIND THE PLATE
Catcher TJ Racherbaumer (Fr./Hermann, MO) is batting .342 on the year in 25 games with an on-base percentage of .457 to lead the Hornets. He has five home runs and 20 RBI with a team high eight doubles.
Catcher/DH Lukas Rich (Jr./Olathe, KS) is hitting .241 in 25 games with eight of them behind the plate.

ON THE MOUND
Left-handed pitcher Jarrett Seaton (Sr./Omaha, NE) has appeared in eight games for the Hornets with seven starts. He is 3-3 with a 5.82 ERA in 34.0 innings with 42 strikeouts and just 19 walks.
Right-handed pitcher Jared Kengott (Sr./Addison, TX) has made nine appearances with three out of the bullpen. He has a 3.35 ERA in 37.2 innings. He has 31 strikeouts.
Right-handed pitcher Aaron Bechtel (Gr./Wichita, KS) has started eight games for the Hornets and has 38 strikeouts while only allowing eight walks in 38.0 innings. The Hornets have been shut out in four of his starts.
Left-handed pitcher Peyton Carson (Jr./Topeka, KS) has four starts among his nine appearances.  He is 1-3 with a 4.98 ERA.
Right-handed pitcher Carl Aikman (So./Topeka, KS) has a team high four saves in 11 appearances out of the bullpen.

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 occasions and have won MIAA Tournament title twice.