Battle With The Bronchos Up Next For Hornet Baseball

Baseball | 3/27/2024 2:52:00 PM

Emporia State Hornets (15-17, 6-11 MIAA)
at Central Oklahoma Bronchos (24-7, 11-6 MIAA)
Thursday, March 28 • 6:00 p.m. • Edmond, Okla. • Wendell Simmons Field
Friday, March 29 • 3:00 p.m. • Edmond, Okla. • Wendell Simmons Field
Saturday, March 30 • 1:00 p.m. • Edmond, Okla. • Wendell Simmons Field
Series Record: ESU leads 150-71 • Last Meeting: ESU 7, UCO 6 (4/30/23)
Live Stats: esuhornets.com • Video: The MIAA Network
Up Next: at Upper Iowa • April 2 • Omaha, Neb.

EASTER WEEKEND IN EDMOND
Emporia State travels south on I-35 for an early weekend series in Edmond against Central Oklahoma.

THE COACHES
Brad Hill is 15-17 in his first season as the Hornets head coach and has a career record of 901-499-3.
John Martin is 269-155-1 in his ninth year at Central Oklahoma.

ABOUT THE HORNETS
Emporia State is in their first season under head coach Brad Hill and the Hornets are 15-17 on the season and 6-11 in the MIAA. As a team, the Hornets rank fifth in home runs, third in walks, and seventh in runs scored. Eight pitchers have made seven or more appearances with Cade Barton and Ian Lanik each having eight starts and 41 or more innings pitched. They have 41 and 38 strikeouts respectively. At the plate, Kadyn Williams has a team-high .374 average with 43 hits, 17 extra-base hits, and 38 RBI with six steals. Logan Myers and Patryk Hernandez are hitting .320 and .309 while Mason Sturdy is batting .328. Myers leads the Hornets with 25 walks. Williams has a team-high seven home runs, including three in the first meeting against Pittsburg State while also ranking in the top ten in the MIAA in batting average, slugging percentage and RBI. 

SCOUTING THE BRONCHOS
Central Oklahoma is 24-7 on the season and 11-6 in the MIAA, as they are currently fourth in the standings. As a team, the Bronchos lead the MIAA in ERA, saves and batting average against while also ranking top five in walks and home runs allowed. The offense is led by Carson Carpenter who is batting .333 with a 1.171 OPS and ten home runs and 35 RBI. On the mound, Caleb Burchfield has a team-high 24.2 innings pitched and 18 strikeouts. Brady Gilmore has pitched 20.1 innings with 20 strikeouts and just seven walks while posting a 1.77 ERA and a 2-0 record.

SERIES HISTORY
Emporia State leads the all-time series 150-71 against the Bronchos.

LAST TIME VS. CENTRAL OKLAHOMA
The Hornets and Bronchos met in the final series of the 2023 regular season at Trusler Sports Complex and Emporia State took the final game of the series 7-6 in a game that included three RBI from TJ Racherbaumer and two RBI from Kadyn Williams.

UP NEXT
Emporia State travels north for a midweek matchup against Upper Iowa on Tuesday, April 2.

TOP OF THE HILL
Brad Hill is in his first season at the helm of the Hornet Baseball program and has a 15-17 record. Hill has a career record of 901-499-3 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 901 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 15 wins this season with the Hornets puts him at eighth-most on the MIAA career coaching wins list with 433.

IN THE FIELD
Infielder Kadyn Williams (Jr./Emporia, Kan.) is in his third season with the Hornets and has started all 31 games. Williams is batting .374 with a OBP just south of .500 at .483. Williams has a team-high 38 RBI, which is also the sixth-highest total in the MIAA. On the season, Williams has five games with four or more RBI, including a three home run, eight RBI performance against Pittsburg State earlier this season. He has also reached base in 30 of 32 games this season.
Infielder Logan Myers (Fr./Pittsburg, Kan.) has played in 28 games for the Hornets in his first season with the program. Myers has also excelled at reaching base, holding an OBP of .468. He also has seven multi-hit games and six games with multiple RBI, inlcuding a 4-5, two home run and five RBI game against CSU-Pueblo (2/17). 
First Basemen Patryk Hernandez (Sr./Leawood, Kan.) has started all 32 games at first base for the Hornets this season and is fourth on the team with a .309 batting average. Hernandez has five doubles, five home runs and 24 RBI with a .394 OBP. Through the first 32 games, Hernandez has set new career-highs in most offensive categories, including hits, doubles, walks and runs scored.
Utility Mason Sturdy (Jr./Wamego, Kan.) has played in 20 or more games in each of his first three seasons with Emporia State and has played in 23 this season. Sturdy has a .420 OBP with six doubles, 15 RBI and 17 runs scored. This season, Sturdy has four games with multiple RBI, including two games with two RBI in the series against Rogers State. 
Shortstop Andrew Rantz (So./Topeka, Kan.) has played in 30 games this season after playing in 47 during his freshman season in 2023. This season,  Rantz has a .321 OBP with six doubles, two home runs, seven RBI, and three stolen bases. 
Outfielder Konner Hatfield (Jr./Hollister, Mo.) is in his first season at Emporia State and has 19 starts and 27 games played for the Hornets. Hatfield has a .373 OBP with four doubles, two home runs, 14 RBI, and 15 walks. On opening weekend, Hatfield went 4-6 against NM Highlands with a career-high six RBI. 
Designated Hitter Austin Hamm (Sr./Olathe, Kan.) has been with the Hornets since 2020 and has played in a career-high 22 games this season while setting career marks in several offensive categories. Hamm has a .259 average and .348 OBP this season with five home runs, five doubles, 15 RBI, 20 runs scored and nine walks. He has six multi-hit games this season, including a three-hit game against NM Highlands and a four RBI game against Washburn. 
Outfielder Drew Jennings (Jr./Overland Park, Kan.) has played in 23 games this season and has a .390 OBP with 16 hits, nine RBI and 15 runs scored. Jennings has five multi-hit games this season and three games with two RBI, including two in the last game against Northwestern Oklahoma.
Outfielder Dom Oliverio (Fr./Noblesville, In.) is in his first season at Emporia State and played in 23 games for the Hornets. Oliverio is batting .291 with a .371 OBP, three home runs, three doubles, two triples, 11 RBI, and 14 runs scored. He has four multi-hit games, including a 5-5 game in the series finale against #10 Missouri Southern.
Outfielder Joe Daneff (Sr./Kansas City, Mo.) is batting .228 with a .380 OBP and has three home runs, seven extra-base hits, 17 RBI, and 12 runs scored. Against Upper Iowa (3/5), Daneff went 2-2 and recorded a career-high five RBI in the Hornets 12-0 win.

BEHIND THE PLATE
Catcher TJ Racherbaumer (Jr./Hermann, Mo.) has played in 128 career games for the Hornets in his three seasons at Emporia State. This season, Racherbaumer is batting .268 with a .400 OBP and has three home runs, 18 RBI, 17 walks and 20 runs scored. Racherbaumer has six multi-hit games  this season, including two in the series win against Northwest Missouri. In his freshman season in 2022, he was named the MIAA Freshman of the Year, hitting .362 with 41 RBI, ten home runs and 17 doubles. 
Catcher Dylan Brisbois (So./Omaha, Neb.) is in his second season with the Hornets and has made nine appearances. He has reached base in ten of 30 plate appearances and has six hits, including a 2-4 game against Upper Iowa (3/4) which included his first career home run.

ON THE MOUND
Right-handed pitcher Cade Barton (Jr./Omaha, Neb.) has a 3.06 ERA across a team-high 50.0 innings pitched with 41 strikeouts and just 12 walks allowed. Barton ranks fourth in the MIAA in ERA, seventh in opponent BA, first in innings pitched and eighth in strikeouts.
Left-handed pitcher Graham Brunner (Sr./Sherwood Park, Alberta) is 2-1 this season with 29 strikeouts and ten walks allowed in 26.0 innings pitched. In his last outing against Northeastern State, Brunner threw seven scoreless innings with seven strikeouts while allowing just three baserunners.
Right-handed pitcher Ian Lanik (Jr../Eagle, Neb.) has made eight starts and has a 5.62 ERA across 41.2 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 Tanner Dawe (Jr./London, Ontario) has eight relief appearances in his first season with the Hornets and has a 6.08 ERA across 13.1 innings pitched with a 3-0 record. Against CSU-Pueblo (2/18), Dawe pitched four innings in relief with a career-high five strikeouts. 
Right-handed pitcher Hayden Baumwart (Sr./Emporia, Kan.) has made a team-high ten apperances this season and has 29 appearances in his Hornet career. This season, Baumwart has pitched a career-high 15.0 innings and has six strikeouts while allowing a .255 opponent batting average and has a 2-1 record out of the bullpen.
Right-handed pitcher Trent Warstler (Jr./Celina, Texas) is in his first season with the Hornets is second with nine relief appearances with one start. Warstler has a 1-2 record and a 7.11 ERA across 25.1 innings pitched while striking out 27 batters with just seven walks allowed. In his first career appearance, Warstler went 4.1 innings and struck out a career-high seven against Oklahoma Baptist.
Right-handed pitcher Eli Hernandez (Jr./Ontario, Calif.) is in his first season with the Hornets and has nine relief appearances while totaling 18.1 innings pitched with 17 strikeouts and just five walks allowed. In a four-inning outing in the series finale against Washburn (3/3), Hernandez recorded a career-high seven strikeouts.
Right-handed pitcher Greg Ross (Jr./Sarnia, Ontario) is in his second season at Emporia State and has made 23 career apperances with five starts. This season, Ross three starts and eight appearances and has 19 strikeouts in 20.1 innings pitched. In 2022, Ross made 15 appearances and led Emporia State with 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 at Emporia State and is tied for the second-most appearances on the Hornet pitching staff. This season, Beverman has ten strikeouts in 14.2 innings pitched. In the second matchup against Northwestern Oklahoma, Beverman recorded three strikeouts in two innings.
Right-handed pitcher Seth Stover (Fr./Columbus, Kan.) is in his freshman season with the Hornets and has pitched 18.1 innings through his first five career appearances and has 14 strikeouts and just four walks allowed with a 2-3 record. Against Upper Iowa (3/4), Stover pitched a career-high 6.0 scoreless innings and matched his career-high with four strikeouts. 
Right-handed pitcher Ryan Sauter (Jr./Olathe, Kan.) has made five appearances this season and has totaled 4.2 innings pitched and has recorded eight strikeouts for the Hornets.
Right-handed pitcher Jake Shaults (Jr./Towanda, Kan.) has made six relief appearances in his first season with the Hornets. Shaults has tallied 7.0 innings ptiched with nine strikeouts. Against Northwest Missouri (2/23), Shaults recorded a career-high four strikeouts in two scoreless innings of relief.
Right handed pitcher Matthew Postier (Jr./Wichita, Kan.) made two appearances last week for the Hornets, the first two for Postier at Emporia State. He has tallied 2.2 innings pitched and has allowed three hits, one run and has two strikeouts for an ERA of 3.37.

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.