Baseball | 4/25/2022 9:12:00 PM
Emporia State Hornets (20-26, 12-18 MIAA)
vs. Oklahoma Baptist Bison (22-20, 15-15 GAC)
Tuesday, Apr. 26 • 4:00 p.m. • Glennen Field • Emporia, Kan.
Series Record: OBU leads 10-2
Last Meeting: OBU 9, ESU 0 (2/8/22)
Video:
The MIAA Network Live Stats:
esuhornets.com
Complete Notes in pdf
Up Next: at Central Oklahoma • Apr. 29-May 1, 2022
Edmond, Okla. • Wendell Simmons Field
GLENNEN FIELD FINALE
Emporia State will return home for their final home game of the season from Glennen Field in a midweek matchup against Oklahoma Baptist.
LAST AT BAT
Emporia State traveled to St. Joseph, Missouri for an important three-game series against Missouri Western. The Hornets used strong hitting in game one and five scoreless bullpen innings in game two to clinch the series. Emporia State would rally late in the finale but fell 6-5.
THE COACHES
Seth Wheeler is 78-80 in his fourth season as the Hornets head coach. He is 0-1 against Oklahoma Baptist.
Chris Cox is 64-41 in his third season at Oklahoma Baptist. He is 1-0 against the Emporia State.
ABOUT THE HORNETS
The Hornets are 20-26, 12-18 in the MIAA.
TJ Racherbaumer has team-high .352 average while also leading with 15 doubles, eight home runs and 37 RBI.
Sam Chaput is close behind with .346 and has 14 doubles, six home runs and 24 RBI. Chaput also has a team-high 99 total bases.
Noah Geekie is batting .318 with three doubles, two triples, one home run and 13 RBI. He also is 6-2 with a 4.78 ERA on the mound. Seven Hornets have made at least one start on the mound this year.
Jared Kengott is 3-1 with a team best 3.36 ERA in 13 appearances and 10 starts.
Jarrett Seaton is 3-4 with 47 strike outs in 12 appearances and 10 starts.
Aaron Bechtel is 1-7 in nine starts with 8.2 innings in relief with one run allowed.
SCOUTING THE BISON
Oklahoma Baptist is 22-20, 15-15 in the GAC. The Bison lead the GAC in multiple offensive categories including batting average, slugging percentage, home runs and total bases. Individually, the Bison have four hitters with double-digit home runs with Alex Schroeder leading the way with 20 while also having a team-high 59 RBI. Schroeder ranks second in the nation in both home runs and total bases. Kade Self leads the team with a .400 average and has at team-high 15 doubles. On the mound, the Bison are led by Bo Dallas who posts a team-best 3.62 ERA in 74.2 innings. Dallas is tied for a team-high 11 starts with Brek Galbreath who is 5-3 with a 5.06 ERA in 64.0 innings and a team-high 69 strikeouts. Out of the bullpen, the Bison have six pitchers that have made at least five appearances.
SERIES HISTORY
Oklahoma Baptist leads the all-time series 10-2 with the last Emporia State win in 1966.
LAST TIME AGAINST OBU
At the Edmond First Pitch Tournament, the Hornets took on the Bison for the first time and were unable to jump start the offense as Emporia State fell 9-0 against Oklahoma Baptist.
UP NEXT
Emporia State will finish the regular season with a three-game series on the road against Central Oklahoma April 29-May 1.
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 78-80. 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 46 games this season and reached base in 44 of them. He is batting .346 with 14 doubles, six home runs, 24 RBI and 14 stolen bases. He also has a team-high 99 total bases.
Outfielder
Noah Geekie (Jr./Strathclair, Manitoba) is batting .318 in 30 games with 26 starts in the field. He is hitting .357 with runners in scoring position and has a .327 average with runners on base. He is the one of the toughest players to strikeout in the MIAA with one strikeout every 10 at-bats. He is also a pitcher and is 6-2 record with a 4.78 ERA in 49.0 innings. Â
Outfielder
Blake Carroll (Sr./Wichita, KS) is batting .313 with a .365 on base percentage, nine doubles, five triples, five home runs and 31 RBI while starting all 46 games. He was named Second-Team All-MIAA as a utility player last year. He ranks third all-time at Emporia State with 14 triples.
Outfielder
Quinn Cherry (Sr./Pawley's Island, SC) has started 16 games for Emporia State and has made 26 appearances overall. He leads the Hornets in pinch hit at bats with eight with two home runs as a pinch hitter and three 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 .239 with 25 runs, 17 RBI and 13 stolen bases in 30 games.
AROUND THE HORN
First Baseman
Chandler Bloomer (Jr./Ottawa, KS) has played in 42 of 46 games for the Hornets. He is batting .221 with an on-base percentage of .358 while being top ten in the MIAA in walks. Bloomer has two home runs and 23 RBI while crossing the plate for 25 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 16 games at second base for the Hornets and has one home run, nine RBI and seven runs scored. He was a home run away from the cycle in the series finale game against Newman.
Shortstop
Dylan Werries (Jr./McPherson, KS) has played in 36 games for the Hornets this season and is batting .279 with two home runs including a walk-off grand slam in the final midweek matchup against Pittsburg State. Werries also has 12 doubles and 19 RBI. He has reached base safely in 20 of the last 22 games he has played in.
Third Basemen
Kadyn Williams (Fr./Emporia, KS) has started 45 of 46 games this season for the Hornets. He is batting .241 with a .317 on-base percentage. Williams has five doubles, five home runs and 26 RBI on the season while recording 21 runs.
BEHIND THE PLATE
Catcher
TJ Racherbaumer (Fr./Hermann, MO) is batting .352 on the year in 42 games with an on-base percentage of .456 to lead the Hornets. He has eight home runs and 37 RBI with 15 doubles. He had two home runs and eight RBI in one game against Newman, the most RBI by a Hornet in a single game since Keith Hernandez did it against Washburn on May 2, 2008
ON THE MOUND
Left-handed pitcher
Jarrett Seaton (Sr./Omaha, NE) has appeared in 12 games for the Hornets with 10 starts. He is 3-4 with a 6.61 ERA in 49.0 innings with 49 strikeouts on the season.
Right-handed pitcher
Jared Kengott (Sr./Addison, TX) has made 13 appearances with three out of the bullpen. He has a 3.36 ERA in 59.0 innings. He has 43 strikeouts on the season and has two games with seven strikeouts.
Right-handed pitcher
Noah Geekie (Jr./Strathclair, Manitoba) is 6-2 with a 4.78 ERA. He has thrown 49.0 innings in 13 appearances with five starts with 56 strikeouts and just 16 walks.
Right-handed pitcher
Aaron Bechtel (Gr./Wichita, KS) has started nine games for the Hornets and has made six relief appearances. In his relief appearances, Bechtel has recorded 14 strikeouts in 8.2 innings with only one walk. Overall Bechtel has a team-high 57 strikeouts on the season while only allowing nine walks in 46.2 innings. His strikeout to walk ratio of 5.78 is second in the MIAA and 31st in the nation. The Hornets were shut out in four of his eighth starts.
Left-handed pitcher
Peyton Carson (Jr./Topeka, KS) has six starts among his 15 appearances. He is 1-5 with a 6.82 ERA in 31.2 innings.
Right-handed pitcher
Chandler Ashby (So./Kansas City, MO) is tied for the most appearances on the season for Emporia State with 16 including one start.
Right-handed pitcher
Carl Aikman (So./Topeka, KS) has a team high four saves and also has 16 appearances.
Right-handed pitcher
Cade Barton (Fr./Omaha, NE) has pitched in 33.2 innings during 13 appearances with five starts including against a 7.0 inning outing against Rockhurst with one hit allowed and 10 strikeouts.
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.
