SOONER STATE ROAD TRIP FOR EMPORIA STATE BASEBALL

Baseball | 3/31/2022 6:47:00 PM

Emporia State Hornets (11-19, 5-12 MIAA)
at Rogers State Hillcats (15-15, 9-8 MIAA)
Friday, Apr. 1 • 3:00 p.m. • Diamond Sports Complex • Claremore, Okla.
Saturday, Apr. 2 • 2:00 p.m. • Diamond Sports Complex • Claremore, Okla.
Sunday, Apr. 3 • 1:00 p.m. • Diamond Sports Complex • Claremore, Okla.
Series Record: RSU leads 2-1 Last Meeting: RSU 11, ESU 1 (3/27/21)
Video: The MIAA Network Live Stats: esuhornets.com
Complete Notes in pdf
Up Next: Northwestern Oklahoma • Apr. 4, 2022
Myers Stadium • Alva, Okla.

SOONER STATE TRIP
Emporia State travels south for a three-game series against Rogers State in Claremore, Okla.

LAST AT BAT
Emporia State traveled east to take on Pittsburg State in a midweek matchup that saw the Hornets fall 11-2. A two-run home run from Sam Chaput highlighted the Hornet offense.

THE COACHES
Seth Wheeler is 69-73 in his fourth season as the Hornets head coach. He is 1-2 against Rogers State.
Chris Klimas is 184-158 in his eighth season as the head coach at Rogers State. He is 2-1 against Emporia State.

ABOUT THE HORNETS
The Hornets are 11-19, 5-12 on the season. Noah Geekie has a team best .361 batting average. Sam Chaput is batting .359 with a team high 26 runs and nine steals and is tied for the team lead with five home runs. TJ Racherbaumer joins Chaput with five home runs while leading Emporia State with 20 RBI while batting .329 on the year. Noah Geekie is batting .361 on the season and is one of seven Hornets have made at least one start on the mound this year. He is 3-1 with a 5.79 EAR in nine appearances with one start. Jared Kengott is 1-1 with a 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.

SCOUTING THE HILLCATS
Rogers State is 15-15, 9-8 on the season. The Hillcats are led offensively by Jesse Holguin and Marco Barrera who each rank in the top ten in the MIAA for batting average. Holguin is a sophomore infielder who has a team-high 44 hits and 31 RBI while posting a .376 average. Barrera is a freshman outfielder who is batting .369 and has a team-high 13 doubles. On the mound, the Hillcats are highlighted by redshirt senior Jordan Ewig who has leads the team with 50.2 innings pitched and 42 strikeouts in eight appearances and six starts. Three of his six starts have resulted in complete games. Out of the bullpen, Octavio Sanchez and Jerry Davis have combined for 25 relief appearances for the Hillcats.

SERIES HISTORY
Emporia State leads the all-time series 2-1 after meeting for the first time last season.

LAST TIME AGAINST RSU
Last season, the Hornets and Hillcats met for the first time. In the first game of the series, Rogers State outscored Emporia State 18-15 in a shoot-out. The Hornets would take the second game 10-0 before falling in the rubber match 11-1.

UP NEXT
Emporia State will stay in the Sooner State for a midweek matchup against Northwestern Oklahoma on April 4 before returning to Emporia for a weekend series against Newman April 8-10.

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 69-73. 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 30 games this season and reached base in 29 of them. He is batting .359 with seven doubles, five home runs, 13 RBI and nine stolen bases. He also has a team-high 26 runs scored and 64 total bases.
Outfielder Noah Geekie (Jr./Strathclair, Manitoba) is batting .361 in 20 games with 18 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 19 games for the Hornets while making 15 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 26 of 30 games for the Hornets. He is batting .175 with an on-base percentage of .275 with one home run and 10 RBI. He has also crossed the plate for 10 runs this season.
Second Basemen Blake Carroll (Sr./Wichita, KS) has been a staple in the top of the order, batting .268 with a .341 on base percentage, six doubles, four home runs and 18 RBI while starting all 30 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 21 games for the Hornets this season and is batting .203 with seven extra-base hits including two home runs with six RBI.
Third Basemen Kadyn Williams (Fr./Emporia, KS) has started 29 of 30 games this season 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 .329 on the year in 26 games with an on-base percentage of .448 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 .244 in 26 games with nine 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 five starts among his 10 appearances.  He is 1-4 with a 5.68 ERA.
Right-handed pitcher Carl Aikman (So./Topeka, KS) has a team high four saves in 12 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.