Baseball | 3/14/2024 3:36:00 PM
Emporia State Hornets (12-12, 3-7 MIAA)
vs. Rogers State Hillcats (13-8, 5-5 MIAA)
Friday, March 13 • 3:00 p.m. • Emporia, Kan. • Glennen Field
Saturday March 14 • 2:00 p.m. • Emporia, Kan. • Glennen Field
Sunday, March 15 • 12:00 p.m. • Emporia, Kan. • Glennen Field
Series Record: RSU leads 6-3 • Last Meeting: RSU 12, ESU 3 (4/2/23)
Live Stats: esuhornets.com • Video: The MIAA Network
Up Next: Northwestern Oklahoma • March 19 • Emporia, Kan.
HORNETS TAKE ON THE HILLCATS
Emporia State set for three-game series against Rogers State at Trusler Sports Complex.
LAST TIME OUT
Emporia State fell 12-10 against Pittsburg State after nearly climbing out of an 8-0 deficit.
THE COACHES
Brad Hill is 12-12 in his first season as the Hornets head coach and has a career record of 898-494-3.
Chris Klimas is 234-198 in his tenth season at Rogers State.
ABOUT THE HORNETS
Emporia State is in their first season under head coach Brad Hill and the Hornets are 12-12 on the season and 3-7 in the MIAA. Five pitchers have made six or more appearances with Cade Barton and Ian Lanik each having six starts and over 30 innings pitched. Lanik has 31 strikeouts while Barton has 29 of his own. At the plate, Kadyn Williams has a team-high .402 average with 35 hits, 16 extra-base hits, and 31 RBI with four steals. Patryk Hernandez and Logan Myers are hitting .333 and .313 respectively while Myers leads the Hornets with 19 walks. Williams has a team-high seven home runs, including three in the last game against Pittsburg State.
SCOUTING THE HILLCATS
Rogers State is 13-8 on the season and 5-5 in the MIAA, including series wins over Newman and Fort Hays State. The Hillcats are led offensively by AJ Folds with a .361 batting average. Folds has a .460 OBP with six doubles and 14 RBI. Ryan Tiger and Joel Escalante are batting .302 and .300 respectively while Escalante has a team-high three home runs and 16 RBI. On the mound, Colton Anderson and Blake Johnson each have six starts and 30.2 and 29.0 innings pitched respectively. Johnson has a team-leading 27 strikeouts. In the bullpen, Landon Riley has ten appearances and a 0.60 ERA in 15.0 innings pitched.
SERIES HISTORY
Rogers State is leading the all-time series 6-3 dating back to the 2021 season and the Hornets are looking for their first series win against the Hillcats.
LAST TIME VS. ROGERS STATE
The Hornets and Hillcats split the first two games of the series before Rogers State took game three 12-3. In the game two win, Kadyn Williams, TJ Racherbaumer, Mason Sturdy, and Patryk Hernandez each had two RBI.
UP NEXT
Emporia State takes on Northwestern Oklahoma at Trusler on March 19.
TOP OF THE HILL
Brad Hill is in his first season at the helm of the Hornet Baseball program and has a 12-12 record. Hill has a career record of 898-494-3 in 24 seasons leading Kansas State and Central Missouri. In his career, Hill has taken 13 teams to the NCAA Tournament, nine trips with the Mules and four with the Wildcats. At Central Missouri, Hill made nine NCAA Tournament trips in nine seasons with seven Division II World Series appearances, including the 2003 National Championship.
He moved from Warrensburg to Manhattan following the 2003 national championship and would lead K-State to four NCAA Regional Tournaments and the Wildcats first ever Super Regional berth in 2013. He was named the ABCA Midwest Region Coach of the Year in 2009 as the Bat Cats advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history.
A proven producer of talent, Hill has coached 64 players that were selected in the MLB Draft with 46 at Kansas State and 18 in nine years at Division II Central Missouri.
Hill was a three-time All-American in 1982-84 for the Hornets and is the career record holder in games played (244), home runs (47), and RBI (264), while also ranking second in career doubles, at-bats and base hits in Hornet baseball history.
NEARING 900
Brad Hill currently has 898 wins in his 25th season as a head coach at the Division I and II levels. Hill is the winningest coach at both Central Missouri and Kansas State with 418 and 468 wins at each program. His 418 wins during his time at Central Missouri in addition to his 12 wins this season with the Hornets puts him at eighth-most on the MIAA career coaching wins list with 430.
IN THE FIELD
Infielder Kadyn Williams (Jr./Emporia, Kan.) has started all 20 games for the Hornets and has a team-high .402 batting average with a .514 on-base percentage, 19 walks and a 1.284 OPS. Williams has 35 hits, seven doubles, two triples, seven home runs, 31 RBI and 23 runs scored.Â
Infielder Logan Myers (Fr./Pittsburg, Kan.) has played in 20 games for the Hornets with 18 starts and is batting .313 with a .477 on-base percentage. In his first season, Myers has four home runs, four doubles, 20 RBI and 19 runs scored.Â
First Basemen Patryk Hernandez (Sr./Leawood, Kan.) has played all 24 games at first base for Emporia State and has a .333 batting average with five home runs, four doubles, 31 hits, 19 runs scored and 20 RBI.
Utility Mason Sturdy (Jr./Wamego, Kan.) has a .365 on-base percentage in 16 games played and has four doubles and nine RBI, including all three in the 3-2 walk-off win in game one of the Hornets' series against Colorado School of Mines.
Outfielder Konner Hatfield (Jr./Hollister, Mo.) has 16 starts and has played in 21 games in his first season with the Hornets. Hatfield is posting a .397 on-base percentage with 12 hits, two doubles, two home runs and 12 RBI.Â
Designated Hitter Austin Hamm (Sr./Olathe, Kan.) has made 18 starts for the Hornets as the designated hitter and has a .271 batting average and .370 on-base percentage. Hamm has 19 hits, five doubles, 14 RBI, 19 runs scored and five home runs.
Shortstop Andrew Rantz (So./Topeka, Kan.) has started 22 games at shortstop and has played in 23 for the Hornets. He has 21 hits with four doubles, two home runs, seven RBI and 19 runs scored in his second season at Emporia State.Â
Outfielder Drew Jennings (So./Overland Park, Kan.) has played in 15 games and has a .288 batting average and .424 on-base percentage. Jennings has six RBI, 15 hits, 14 runs scored and has drawn 13 walks.
Outfielder Dom Oliverio (Fr./Noblesville, In.) has a .313 batting average across 15 games played and has three home runs, six RBI and 10 runs scored in his first season with the Hornets.Â
BEHIND THE PLATE
Catcher TJ Racherbaumer (Jr./Hermann, Mo.) has played in 23 games with 21 starts and has a .398 on-base percentage. Racherbaumer has 22 hits, three home runs, 16 RBI, and 16 runs scored. Last season, Racherbaumer posted a .366 on-base percentage while hitting six doubles, five home runs and driving in 28 runs. Racherbaumer hit .362 and was named MIAA Freshman of the Year in the 2022 season.
ON THE MOUND
Right-handed pitcher Ian Lanik (Jr../Eagle, Neb.) has made six starts and has a 5.81 ERA across 31.0 innings pitched. Lanik was named MIAA Co-Pitcher of the Week following a complete game shutout against Colorado School of Mines. Last season, Lanik pitched 67.0 innings pitched across 16 appearances with 43 strikeouts while recording five wins, two complete games and one save as he was named Honorable Mention All-MIAA.
Right-handed pitcher Cade Barton (Jr./Omaha, Neb.) has a 3.50 ERA across a team-high 36.0 innings pitched with 29 strikeouts and just nine walks allowed. In 2023, Barton recorded 31 strikeouts in 35.1 innings pitched.Â
Left-handed pitcher Graham Brunner (Sr./Sherwood Park, Alberta) is 1-1 this season with 21 strikeouts and seven walks allowed in 15.0 innings pitched. In 2023, Brunner made 13 appearances with 12 starts and recorded 43 strikeouts in 55.1 innings pitched.
Right-handed pitcher Tanner Dawe (Jr./London, Ontario) has six relief appearances in his first season with the Hornets and has a 4.09 ERA across 11.0 innings pitched with a 3-0 record.
Right-handed pitcher Hayden Baumwart (Sr./Emporia, Kan.) has made eight appearances and has five strikeouts across 11.1 innings pitched, equaling his total from last season.
Right-handed pitcher Trent Warstler (Jr./Celina, Texas) has made seven relief appearances and has a 6.05 ERA across 19.1 innings with 19 strikeouts and just six walks allowed.
Right-handed pitcher Greg Ross (Jr./Sarnia, Ontario) has made six appearances this season and has 17 strikeouts across 18.2 innings pitched. Ross made 15 appearances in his first season with the Hornets in 2023 while tallying 42 strikeouts in 35.1 innings and recording a team-high five saves.
Right-handed pitcher Will Hann (Sr./Olathe, Kan.) has pitched 2.2 relief innings across three appearances and has two strikeouts. Hann pitched 31.1 innings in the 2023 season, his first with the Hornets. Hann totaled 18 strikeouts and allowed just four walks, posting a 3.45 ERA in 20 relief appearances last season.
Right-handed pitcher Brady Beverman (Jr./Olathe, Kan.) is in his first season with the Hornets and has pitched 11.1 innings with six strikeouts in his first seven appearances.
Right-handed pitcher Seth Stover (Fr./Columbus, Kan.) has pitched 17.1 innings through his first four career appearances and has 13 strikeouts and just four walks allowed with a 2-2 record.
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 the MIAA Tournament title twice.
