MIAA TOURNAMENT TURNPIKE TUSSLE FOR EMPORIA STATE SOFTBALL

Softball | 5/3/2022 6:56:00 PM

Emporia State Hornets (24-26, 13-11 MIAA)
vs.  Washburn Ichabods (40-11, 22-2 MIAA)
MIAA Tournament Opening Round
Thursday, May 5 • 11:00 a.m. • Edmond, Okla.
Series Record: ESU leads 96-64 • Last Meeting: WU 13, at ESU 3 (4/25/2021)
Video: The MIAA Network Live Stats: esuhornets.com
Ticket Info • Complete Notes in pdf
Up Next: MIAA Second Round
Friday, May 6 • Loser at 11:00 a.m./Winner at 4:00 p.m. • Edmond, Okla.

TURNPIKE TUSSLE IN THE TOURNEY
Emporia State and Washburn meet in the opening round of the MIAA Tournament for the sixth time as the Turnpike Tussle continues south on I-35 in Edmond, Okla. Due to the threat of weather the tournament will now run Thursday through Sunday.

LAST AT BAT
Emporia State finished out the regular season with a pair of losses to Washburn on Saturday at Trusler.  The Hornets lost game one 5-1 and fell 13-3 in the second game.

THE COACHES
April Rosales is 174-176 in her seventh year as the head coach at Emporia State. She has taken the Hornets to two MIAA Championship games and the 2018 NCAA Central Sub-Regional Championship game. She was as an assistant coach for ESU for seven seasons and a member of the Hornets national runner-up teams in 2006 and 2008. She is 9-11 against Washburn.
Brenda Holaday is 175-112 in her sixth year as head coach at Washburn. She is 9-7 against Emporia State.

ABOUT THE HORNETS
The Hornets are 24-28, 13-13 in the MIAA. They lead the MIAA and are ranked 11th nationally in total stolen bases. Lexi Williams leads the league and is ranked 16th in the nation with 34 steals while Abbey Ward's 27 steals rank second in the MIAA. Brittanie Shepherd is third in the MIAA and 12th in the nation with 18 doubles. Sydney Righi is 8-11 with a 3.01 ERA while Gracie Rabe is 4-6 with a 2.95 ERA. Six Hornets have started a game in the circle this year.
ABOUT THE ICHABODS
Washburn State is 42-11, 24-2 in the MIAA, are ranked #23 in this week's NFCA National Poll and seventh in the NCAA Central Regional Poll. As a team they are second in the nation having been hit by pitch a total of 58 times. Marrit Mead leads the nation with 22 doubles and is fourth in the nation with 79 hits. Jaycee Ginter has a nation's best 28 wins this season and ranks eighth nationally with 256 strikeouts.

SERIES HISTORY
The Hornets lead the all-time series 96-64. This will be their 13th meeting in the MIAA Tournament with Emporia State holding a 10-2 lead.  The two have met five times in the opening round with the Hornets winning four of those meetings. The most recent tournament opening win was in 2018 when eighth seeded Emporia State knocked off top seeded Washburn 3-0 in Oklahoma City.

LAST MEETING
In an MIAA Tournament edition of Turnpike Tussle Emporia State dropped a pitcher's duel to Washburn 2-1 in Edmond, Okla.
Washburn scored first when Samantha Stallbaumer ledoff with a triple and came home on a squeeze bunt by Savannah Moore. The Hornets tied the score in the top of the fourth when Hannah Steeby hit a shot over the wall in straight away center field. The Ichabods broke the tie in the bottom of the inning when Winter Henry reached on a throwing error. With two outs Sieana Hall singled to score Henry and give Washburn a 2-1 lead. Montana Mesler scattered five hits and allowed two runs, only one earned, in 6.0 innings for the Hornets.  

IN THE DUGOUT
April Rosales is 174-177 in her seventh season as the Emporia State head coach and has led the Hornets to an MIAA Tournament Championship, two MIAA Tournament title game appearances, and an appearance in the NCAA Central Sub-Regional Championship. She is 11-5 in the MIAA Tournament. Rosales was a member of Emporia State softball during her playing days which included an run to the NCAA Division II National Championship game in 2008.

OUT IN THE FIELD
Outfielder Brittanie Shepherd (Sr./Kansas City, MO) has started 166 of 167 games in her Hornet career. She is hitting .356 with a .445 on base percentage. She has a .483 average when leading off an inning. She has team-highs of 41 runs and 18 doubles.  She is ranked third in the MIAA and 12th in the nation in total doubles. She is tied for sixth on the Emporia State single season list.
Outfielder Alexis Dial (So./Topeka, KS) is batting .296 with 30 runs scored, ten doubles and 17 RBI. She has also swiped 22 bases in 29 attempts. She is fifth in the MIAA in stolen bases.
Outfielder Lexi Williams (So./Hutchinson, KS) is leading the MIAA in stolen bases with 34 steals in 38 attempts over 45 games. She is batting .333 with 27 runs and 15 RBI.
Outfielder Emma Furnish (So./Goddard, KS) is batting .310 and has scored 21 runs in 42 games with 31 starts this season. She is batting .378 in conference games and is nine of nine on stolen base attempts in conference play.

AROUND THE DIAMOND
First baseman Harley Sturm (Fr./Tecumseh, OK) is batting .256 with two home runs and 13 RBI in 36 games. She had missed the previous eight games with an injury before returning to the line up against Washburn in the regular season finale. She is also 5-5 with two saves and a 4.53 ERA in 14 appearances in the circle.
Second baseman McKensy Glass (So./Wichita, KS) has scored 12 runs and has 16 RBI in 47 games with 38 starts this season. She is batting .241 on the season with a .321 average in MIAA games. For the season she is hitting .324 with runners in scoring position.
Shortstop Abbey Ward (Jr./Olathe, KS) has started 103 of 105 games in her Emporia State career. She is batting .286 with two home runs, 17 RBI, 32 runs and a team high three triples this year. She is 27 of 27 in stolen bases to rank second in the MIAA.
Third baseman Karly Johnson (So./Lawrence, KS) has 20 RBI and 16 runs scored in 49 games with 45 starts. She has six doubles, a triple and two home runs.
Corner infielder Josie Harrison (Jr./St. Mary's, KS) has a .297 batting average with 17 runs scored and 16 RBI. She is hitting .353 with runners in scoring position. She is also a pitcher and has a 3.73 ERA in 41.1 innings pitched with 36 strikeouts.
Second baseman Roni Raines (Jr./Topeka, KS) has played in 33 games with 30 starts and has scored 18 runs with 19 RBI. She has missed the last 11 games with an injury. She is batting .256 with a .404 on-base percentage. She has been hit by pitch 14 times to lead the MIAA despite missing a total of 19 games.

BEHIND AND AT THE PLATE
Designated player Maddy Broxterman (Sr./Meriden, KS) is batting .341 with a team high 35 RBI while scoring 17 runs scored in 41 games this season. She is batting .360 with an 1.003 OPS in 25 MIAA games.
Catcher Bailey Flewelling (So./Holton, KS) is batting .282 with ten runs, three home runs and 14 RBI in 37 starts this season. She has thrown out two base runners this year.

IN THE CIRCLE
Pitcher Sydney Righi (Jr./Blue Springs, MO) has started 19 games with 23 appearances and is the team leader with 104.2 innings pitched. She has a 3.01 ERA with 57 strikeouts and is 8-11 on the year.
Pitcher Gracie Rabe (Fr./Rossville, KS) is 4-6 with a 2.95 ERA in 85.1 innings this season. She has 13 starts with four complete games, a shutout and a combined shutout in 21 appearances. She is tenth in the MIAA in ERA.
Pitcher Jayda VanAckeren (Fr./Omaha, NE) has pitched in 47.0 innings this season, making eight starts in 18 appearances. She has a 6.40 ERA and has recorded 31 strikeouts. She also hit a game winning walk-off home run against Northeastern State.
Pitcher Brylie Bassett (Sr./Oskaloosa, Kan.) is 2-3 with a 4.60 ERA in 15 appearances with three starts. She has 13 strikeouts in 35.0 innings.

ON DECK
Emporia State will play either Missouri Western or Northeastern State on Friday, May 6 in the second round of the MIAA Tournament.  With a win the Hornets play at 4:00 p.m. and with a loss first pitch will be at 11:00 a.m. at Gerry Pinkston Stadium in Edmond, Okla.