TRUSLER TURNPIKE TUSSLE FOR EMPORIA STATE BASEBALL THIS WEEK

Baseball | 4/13/2022 6:56:00 PM

Emporia State Hornets (15-23, 9-15 MIAA)
vs. Washburn Ichabods (24-13, 14-9 MIAA)
Thursday, Apr. 14 • 6:00 p.m. • Glennen Field • Emporia, Kan.
Friday, Apr. 15 • 6:00 p.m. • Glennen Field • Emporia, Kan.
Saturday, Apr. 16 • 1:00 p.m. • Glennen Field • Emporia, Kan.
Series Record: ESU leads 177-80-1 Last Meeting: WU 12, ESU 2 (3/1/22)
Video: The MIAA Network Live Stats: esuhornets.com
Radio: KFFX 104.9 FM (Thursday only) Internet Audio: kvoe.com (Thursday only)
Complete Game Notes in pdf
Up Next: Northwestern Oklahoma • Apr. 18, 2022
Glennen Field • Emporia, Kan.

TURNPIKE TUSSLE AT TRUSLER
Emporia State takes on Washburn in the Turnpike Tussle in their final home series of the season. Ten Hornet seniors will be honored prior to Saturday game.

LAST AT BAT
Trailing 10-7 in the bottom of the ninth Dylan Werries sent an 0-2 pitch over the wall in center field for a grand slam that gave Emporia State an 11-10 walk-off victory over Pittsburg State on Tuesday at Trusler.

THE COACHES
Seth Wheeler is 73-77 in his fourth season as the Hornets head coach. He is 3-4 against Washburn.
Harley Douglas is 185-165 in his eighth season at Washburn. He is 10-14 against the Hornets.

ABOUT THE HORNETS
The Hornets are 15-23, 9-15 on the season. Sam Chaput has a team best .353 batting average and a team-high 13 doubles with six home runs and 23 RBI. Noah Geekie is just behind Chaput with a .347 average. TJ Racherbaumer leads the Hornets with eight home runs and 32 RBI while batting .333 on the year. Seven Hornets have made at least one start on the mound this year. Jared Kengott is 1-1 with a 4.20 ERA in 11 appearances and eight starts. Jarrett Seaton is 3-3 with a 6.14 ERA and 45 strike outs in ten appearances and nine starts. Aaron Bechtel is 1-7 in eight starts with 6.0 innings in relief with one run allowed.

SCOUTING THE ICHABODS
Washburn is 24-13, 14-9 in the MIAA. The Ichabods are currently fourth in the MIAA and rank top four in team batting average and second in doubles. The Ichabod offense is led by a trio of hitters with averages above .300. Senior Brett Ingram leads the team with a .353 with 12 doubles, nine home runs, 37 RBI and a team-high 95 total bases. On the mound, sophomore Casey Steward has made 10 starts  and has a team-high 48.0 innings pitched with a 4-0 record with 53 strikeouts to just 19 walks.The Ichabods are led in the bullpen by senior Dalton Huggins who has 17 appearances with 16 in relief for 42.1 total innings and a team-high 58 strikeouts.

SERIES HISTORY
Emporia State leads the all-time series 177-80-1 and have won nine of the last 15 meetings.

LAST TIME AGAINST WASHBURN
Emporia State committed four errors in a 12-2 non-conference loss to the Ichabods in Topeka earlier this season.  The Hornets stranded eight base runners in the seven inning contest.

UP NEXT
Emporia State will stay home as they take on Northwestern Oklahoma in a single game on Monday, April 18 followed by another non-conference single game against Rockhurst on Tuesday, April 19 at the Trusler Sports Complex and Glennen Field.

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 73-77. 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 38 games this season and reached base in 37 of them. He is batting .353 with 13 doubles, six home runs, 23 RBI and 10 stolen bases. He also has a team-high 88 total bases.
Outfielder Noah Geekie (Jr./Strathclair, Manitoba) is batting .347 in 33 games with 27 starts. He is hitting .323 with two outs and has a .455 average with runners on base. He is the one of the toughest players to strikeout in the MIAA with one strikeout every 11.2 at bats. He is also a pitcher and is 5-1 record with a 5.20 ERA in 36.1 innings.  
Outfielder Blake Carroll (Sr./Wichita, KS) is batting .302 with a .361 on base percentage, eight doubles, five home runs and 25 RBI while starting all 38 games. He was named Second-Team All-MIAA as a utility player last year. He ranks fifth all-time at Emporia State with 12 triples.
Outfielder Quinn Cherry (Sr./Pawley's Island, SC) has started 13 games for Emporia State and has made 22 appearances overall. He leads the Hornets with nine pinch hit at bats and two pinch hit home runs. He has three homers on the season.
Outfielder/DH Javier Pena (Sr./Kansas City, KS) returned to the line up against Rogers State after missing two weeks with an injury. He is batting .246 with 18 runs, 11 RBI and eight stolen bases in 22 games.

AROUND THE HORN
First Baseman Chandler Bloomer (Jr./Ottawa, KS) has played in 34 of 38 games for the Hornets. He is batting .212 with an on-base percentage of .364 with one home run and 19 RBI. He has also crossed the plate for 21 runs this season.
Second Basemen Mason Sturdy (Fr./Wamego, KS) recently had his redshirt pulled before the road series against Rogers State. He has since started all eight games at second base for the Hornets and has six RBI and five runs scored. He was a home run away from the cycle in the series finale against Newman.
Shortstop Dylan Werries (Jr./McPherson, KS) has played in 28 games for the Hornets this season and is batting .282 with two home runs including a walk-off grand slam against Pittsburg State on Tuesday. Werries also has 10 doubles and 16 RBI. He has reached base safely in the last 14 games he has played in.
Third Basemen Kadyn Williams (Fr./Emporia, KS) has started 37 games this season for the Hornets. He is batting .250 with a .322 on-base percentage. Williams has four doubles, four home runs and 22 RBI on the season while recording 18 runs.

BEHIND THE PLATE
Catcher TJ Racherbaumer (Fr./Hermann, MO) is batting .333 on the year in 34 games with an on-base percentage of .441 to lead the Hornets. He has eight home runs and 32 RBI with 10 doubles. He had two home runs and eight RBI in Saturday's game against Newman, the most RBI by a Hornet in a single game since Keith Hernandez did it against Washburn on May 2, 2008. He has thrown out 14 would be base stealers to rank third in the MIAA.

ON THE MOUND
Left-handed pitcher Jarrett Seaton (Sr./Omaha, NE) has appeared in 10 games for the Hornets with nine starts. He is 3-3 with a 6.14 ERA in 44.0 innings with 45 strikeouts on the season.
Right-handed pitcher Jared Kengott (Sr./Addison, TX) has made 11 appearances with three out of the bullpen. He has a 4.20 ERA in 45.0 innings. He has 33 strikeouts.
Right-handed pitcher Noah Geekie (Jr./Strathclair, Manitoba) is 5-1 record with a 5.20 ERA. He has thrown 36.1 innings in 11 appearances with three starts with 43 strikeouts and just 12 walks.
Right-handed pitcher Aaron Bechtel (Gr./Wichita, KS) has started eight games for the Hornets and has made his first three relief appearances over the past two weeks. In his relief appearances, Bechtel has recorded 10 strikeouts in 6.0 innings with no walks. Overall Bechtel has 48 strikeouts on the season while only allowing eight walks in 44.0 innings. His strikeout to walk ratio of 6.00 is third in the MIAA and 30th in the nation. The Hornets were shut out in four of his eighth starts.
Left-handed pitcher Peyton Carson (Jr./Topeka, KS) has five starts among his 14 appearances.  He is 1-5 with a 6.44 ERA in 29.1 innings.
Right-handed pitcher Chandler Ashby (So./Kansas City, MO) is tied for the most appearances on the season for Emporia State with 15 including one start.
Right-handed pitcher Carl Aikman (So./Topeka, KS) has a team high four saves and is tied with Ashby with a team-high 15 appearances.
Right-handed pitcher Cade Barton (Fr./Omaha, NE) has pitched in 26.2 innings during 12 appearances with four starts including against Pittsburg State on Tuesday.

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.