Midweek Matchup Against Northwestern Oklahoma Up Next For Emporia State Baseball

Baseball | 3/18/2024 5:24:00 PM

Emporia State Hornets (14-13, 5-8 MIAA)
vs. Northwestern Oklahoma Rangers (18-9, 10-5 GAC)
Tuesday, March 19 • 3:00 p.m. • Emporia, Kan. • Glennen Field
Series Record: ESU leads 5-3 • Last Meeting: NWOSU 11, ESU 4 (2/20/23)
Live Stats: esuhornets.com • Video: The MIAA Network
Up Next: Northeastern State • March 22-24 • Emporia, Kan.

RETURN MATCHUP AGAINST THE RANGERS
Emporia State takes on Northwestern Oklahoma from Glennen Field in the second matchup this season between the Hornets and Rangers.

LAST TIME OUT
Emporia State clinched a series win over Rogers State with a 1-0 win on Sunday.

THE COACHES
Brad Hill is 14-13 in his first season as the Hornets head coach and has a career record of 900-495-3.
Ryan Bowen is 146-143 in his seventh season at Northwestern Oklahoma.

ABOUT THE HORNETS
Emporia State is in their first season under head coach Brad Hill and the Hornets are 14-13 on the season and 5-8 in the MIAA. Seven pitchers have made seven or more appearances with Cade Barton and Ian Lanik each having seven starts and 38 or more innings pitched. They have 37 and 36 strikeouts respectively. At the plate, Kadyn Williams has a team-high .384 average with 38 hits, 16 extra-base hits, and 33 RBI with six steals. Patryk Hernandez and Logan Myers are hitting .337 and .312 respectively while Myers leads the Hornets with 20 walks. Williams has a team-high seven home runs, including three last week against Pittsburg State.

SCOUTING THE RANGERS
Northwestern Oklahoma is 18-9 on the season and have a 10-5 record in the GAC. The Rangers are third in the GAC standings and rank within the top six in multiple categories including, runs scored, batting average, home runs and total bases. The offense is led by Carson Wright who is batting .395 with seven home runs and 22 RBI. Hagen Barcello is batitng .305 and has a a team-high 26 RBI on the season. On the mound, nine pitchers have made at least seven appearances with Jacob Shaw having a team-leading 12 with a 1.53 ERA in 17.2 innings pitched. 

SERIES HISTORY
Emporia State leads the all-time series 5-3 with the Hornets and Rangers splitting two matchups in both 2023 and 2022.

LAST TIME VS. NORTHWESTERN
The Hornets and Rangers met in Alva, Okla. earlier this season as Emporia State fell 11-4. Northwestern put together a four-run and a six-run inning to take the first of two meetings this season. Patryk Hernandez and Austin Hamm each had two RBI in the game.

UP NEXT
Emporia State wraps up their eight-game homestand with a weekend series against Northeastern State on March 22-24.

TOP OF THE HILL
Brad Hill is in his first season at the helm of the Hornet Baseball program and has a 14-13 record. Hill has a career record of 900-495-3 in 25 seasons leading UCM, Kansas State and Emporia State. 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.

900 AND COUNTING
Brad Hill currently has 900 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 14 wins this season with the Hornets puts him at eighth-most on the MIAA career coaching wins list with 432.

IN THE FIELD
Infielder Kadyn Williams (Jr./Emporia, Kan.) has started all 27 games for the Hornets and has a team-high .384 batting average with a .488 on-base percentage, 20 walks and a 1.195 OPS. Williams has 38 hits, seven doubles, two triples, seven home runs, 33 RBI and 25 runs scored. 
Infielder Logan Myers (Fr./Pittsburg, Kan.) has played in 23 games for the Hornets with 21 starts and is batting .312 with a .460 on-base percentage. In his first season, Myers has four home runs, five doubles, 21 RBI and 20 runs scored. 
First Basemen Patryk Hernandez (Sr./Leawood, Kan.) has played all 27 games at first base for Emporia State and has a .337 batting average with five home runs, five doubles, 35 hits, 22 runs scored and 21 RBI.
Utility Mason Sturdy (Jr./Wamego, Kan.) has a .397 on-base percentage in 19 games played and has five doubles and 13 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. 
Designated Hitter Austin Hamm (Sr./Olathe, Kan.) has made 20 starts for the Hornets as the designated hitter and has a .266 batting average and .356 on-base percentage. Hamm has 21 hits, five doubles, 15 RBI, 20 runs scored and five home runs.
Shortstop Andrew Rantz (So./Topeka, Kan.) has started 25 games at shortstop and has played in 26 for the Hornets. He has 22 hits with four doubles, two home runs, seven RBI and 19 runs scored in his second season at Emporia State. 
Outfielder Drew Jennings (So./Overland Park, Kan.) has played in 19 games and has a .278 batting average and .437 on-base percentage. Jennings has six RBI, 15 hits, 14 runs scored and has drawn 14 walks.
Outfielder Dom Oliverio (Fr./Noblesville, In.) has a .295 batting average across 18 games played and has three home runs, eight RBI and 13 runs scored in his first season with the Hornets. 

BEHIND THE PLATE
Catcher TJ Racherbaumer (Jr./Hermann, Mo.) has played in 26 games with 24 starts and has a .415 on-base percentage. Racherbaumer has 24 hits, three home runs, 17 RBI, and 19 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 seven starts and has a 4.74 ERA across 38.0 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 3.35 ERA across a team-high 43.0 innings pitched with 37 strikeouts and just 11 walks allowed. In 2023, Barton recorded 31 strikeouts in 35.1 innings pitched. 
Left-handed pitcher Graham Brunner (Sr./Sherwood Park, Alberta) is 1-1 this season with 22 strikeouts and nine walks allowed in 19.0 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 nine appearances and has six strikeouts across 13.2 innings pitched, surpassing his total from last season.
Right-handed pitcher Trent Warstler (Jr./Celina, Texas) has made eight relief appearances and has a 5.48 ERA across 21.1 innings with 21 strikeouts and just six walks allowed.
Right-handed pitcher Greg Ross (Jr./Sarnia, Ontario) has made seven appearances this season and has 17 strikeouts across 19.1 einnings 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.