Baseball | 2/27/2023 8:50:00 PM
Emporia State Hornets (5-10, 1-2 MIAA)
at Oklahoma Baptist (6-7, 2-4 GAC)
Tuesday, Feb. 28 • 3:00 p.m. • Shawnee, Okla. • Bobby Cox Field at Ford Park
Series Record: OBU leads 11-3
Last Meeting: ESU 17, OBU 9 (2/3/23)
Live Video:
Youtube Live Stats: esuhornets.com
Up Next: Fort Hays State • Mar. 3-5
Emporia, Kan. • Glennen Field
SOONER STATE REMATCH
Emporia State takes on Oklahoma Baptist in a midweek rematch from the opening game of the Edmond First Pitch Classic.
LAST AT BAT
Emporia State took on Northeastern State in the series finale of the opening MIAA series. The Hornets fell behind early but rallied for a 7-4 win over the Riverhawks for their first MIAA win of the season.
THE COACHES
Seth Wheeler is in his fifth season as the Hornets head coach. He is 84-95 through four-plus seasons at the helm.
Chris Cox is 75-50 in his fourth season at OBU.
ABOUT THE HORNETS
Emporia State is 5-10 this season entering their first MIAA series of the season. At the plate,
Jake Bucovetsky holds a team-high .291 batting average and .927 OPS. Bucovetsky has three home runs, four doubles and six RBI this season. The Hornets have 19 home runs this season with
Andrew Rantz leading the way with four of his own while
Gibrian Pena,
Quinton Carlberg and
Palmer Hutchison in addition to Bucovetsky all have three this season.
TJ Racherbaumer has started all 15 games for the Hornets behind the plate and was MIAA Freshman of the Year last season. On the mound,
Noah Geekie has pitched 21.0 innings and holds a 3.00 ERA with 25 strikeouts and four walks.
Ian Lanik has appeared in five games with three starts and is 2-2 with a 2.25 ERA this season. In the bullpen,
Greg Ross has six appearances and three saves.
SCOUTING THE BISON
Oklahoma Baptist is 6-7 this season and 2-4 in the GAC. The Bison are 3-3 this season against MIAA opponents with one game against Emporia State in the Hornets' season opener that Emporia State won 17-9. The Bison have four hitters batting above .300 with Jayden Shafer leading the way with a .417 average and a team-high 1.088 OPS. Dan Pruitt leads Oklahoma Baptist with four home runs and hitting 24 last season which led the GAC. Pruitt earned All-Central Region and All-American honors following his 2022 campaign. On the mound, seven different players have appeared in four or more games with Brek Galbreath leading the team with 24.0 innings pitched. Galbreath has recorded 17 strikeouts with just four walks allowed.
SERIES HISTORY
Oklahoma Baptist leads the all-time series 11-3 with the Hornets taking the last matchup with a 17-9 win over the Bison in the season opener. Emporia State hit three home runs and scored multiple runs in four separate innings in the win over Oklahoma Baptist.
UP NEXT
Emporia State will return home for their first home series at Glennen Field this season as they take on Fort Hays State in a three-game MIAA series. The series is scheduled for March 3-5.
