Softball | 3/7/2024 6:31:00 PM
Emporia State Hornets (15-6, 0-0 MIAA)
at Newman Jets (7-9, 0-0 MIAA)
Saturday, March 9 • 2:00 p.m. (DH) • Wichita, Kan. • NU Softball Field
Series Record: ESU leads 22-4 • Last Meeting: ESU 5, NU 2 (4/18/23)
at #12 Central Oklahoma Bronchos (12-6, 0-0 MIAA)
Sunday, March 10 • 1:00 p.m. (DH) • Edmond, Okla. • Gerry Pinkston Stadium
Series Record: ESU leads 22-4 • Last Meeting: ESU 5, NU 2 (4/18/23)
Live Stats: esuhornets.com  • Video: The MIAA Network
Up Next: vs. Drury • March 13 • Emporia, Kan.
MIAA ACTION AWAITS
Emporia State travels south on I-35 for matchups against Newman and Central Oklahoma to begin conference play.
THE COACHES
April Rosales is 223-208 in her ninth season at Emporia State. She has taken the Hornets to two MIAA Championship with a win in the 2018 MIAA Championship. Coach Rosales will not be coaching due to orders regarding her pregnancy. Assistant Coach Megan Hill will coach in her absence and is 14-1 as acting head coach this season.
Andrea Gustafson is 57-125 in her fifth season at Newman.
Cody White is 415-152 in his 11th season at Central Oklahoma.
ABOUT THE HORNETS
Emporia State is 15-6 this season and have won 14 straight games, the longest Emporia state streak since 2012 and the third-longest active winning streak in Division II. The Hornet offense is led by Alexis Dial who is batting .515 this season. Dial has a team-high 31 RBI, which ranks first in the MIAA and tied for fourth in the nation. Lexi Williams and Bailey Flewelling are batting over .400 with .438 and .411 averages respectively. Abbey Ward is batting .369 in the leadoff spot and has a team-high 14 stolen bases. In her career, Ward has 116 stolen bases which ranks third in program history and is second among active leaders in Division II. In the circle, five pitchers have appeared in at least five games and pitched 17 or more innings.
SCOUTING THE JETS
Newman is 7-9 this season and are opening MIAA play this weekend. The Jets are led offensively by Hayley Bonython who is batitng .389 on the season with a 1.254 OPS which ranks eighth in the MIAA. She has a team-high six extra-base hits with 14 hits and 11 walks drawn. In the circle, Jackie Gold has pitched a team-high 37.2 innings and is 4-2 on the season.
LAST TIME VS. NEWMAN
Emporia State swept the Jets 8-0 and 5-2 in a midweek doubleheader that featured four RBI from Bailey Flewelling.
SCOUTING THE BRONCHOS
Central Oklahoma is 12-6 this season and ranked #12 in the nation. Offensively, the Bronchos are led by Jacee Minter and Terin Ritz who have 27 and 20 RBI respectively. Minter leads the MIAA with eight home runs and a 1.462 OPS. In the circle, Ritz is pacing the Bronchos pitching staff with a 6-2 record in 47.2 innings pitched while striking out 25 batters and allowing just four walks.Â
LAST TIME VS. CENTRAL OKLAHOMA
The Hornets fell in a pair of games against the Bronchos in their MIAA opening games in the 2023 season.
ON DECK
Emporia State will return home for a doubleheader against Drury on March 13 before taking Northeastern State and Rogers in a pair of MIAA doubleheaders.
IN THE DUGOUT
April Rosales is in her ninth season leading the Emporia State softball program and has a 223-208 record. Since taking over the program in 2016, Rosales 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.
Rosales was also a member of Emporia State softball during her playing days which included an run to the NCAA Division II National Championship in 2008 which resulted in a National Runner-Up finish. During the 2008 season, she hit .324 with 30 RBI while playing nearly every game at shortstop for the Hornets. She was named First Team All-MIAA that season. Assistant Coach Megan Hill is serving as the acting head coach while Coach Rosales is away due to doctor's orders regarding her pregnancy.
BEHIND THE PLATE
Catcher Bailey Flewelling (Sr./Holton, KS) is in her fourth season at Emporia State and has played in 107 career games. This season in 19 games, Flewelling is batting .411 with a 1.155 OPS and has four home runs, 16 RBI, five double and ten runs scored.
IN THE FIELD
Shortstop Abbey Ward (Gr./Olathe, KS) is in her fifth season with the Hornets and is batting .369 this season with 24 hits and 14 stolen bases. In the latest game against Sioux Falls, Ward recoreded her 116th career stolen base, passing Taylor Zordel for third-most in program history. She has scored a team-high 26 runs and her 116 career steals in second among active players in Division II.
Outfielder Alexis Dial (Sr./Topeka, KS) is in her fourth season at Emporia State and has played in 164 career games for the Hornets. This season, Dial is batting .515 with 34 hits, eight doubles, 17 runs scored, 12 stolen bases and an MIAA-leading 31 RBI. Her RBI total is also fourth in the nation.
Outfielder Lexi Williams (Sr../Hutchinson, KS) is in her third season at Emporia State and is batting .438 in 20 games with 28 hits, three doubles, ten RBI and 22 runs scored. In her career, Williams has 75 stolen bases across 123 games played.Â
Infielder/Designated Player Haley Garnett (Sr./Olathe, KS) is in her second season with the Hornets and is batting .293 with four home runs, 13 RBI, 12 hits and three stolen bases. Last season, Garnett hit .264 with three doubles, three home runs and 25 RBI.
Outfielder Emma Furnish (Sr./Goddard, KS) is in her fourth season with the Hornets and has 14 hits, ten RBI, two steals and six extra-base hits. In the Alvy Early Classic, Furnish hit her fifth career home run, a three-run home run to clinch a 10-9 comeback win over Harding.Â
Infielder McKensy Glass (Sr./Wichita, KS) is in her fourth season with the Hornets and has played in 129 career games. Glass has a .231 average with nine hits, four RBI, two runs scored and a .323 OBP this season. Last season, she had a .377 OBP with 32 hits, 16 walks and 15 RBI.
Infielder Brooke Flewelling (Fr./Holton, KS) is in her first season with the Hornets and has started ten games for the Hornets. She has a double, triple, six hits, four runs scored and three RBI in her freshman campaign.
Infielder Karli Wehunt (Fr./Shidler, OK) is in her first season with the Hornets has four hits across 14 at-bats with three RBI, two runs scored and three walks.
Outfielder Juliana De Luna (Fr./San Antonio, TX) is in her first season at Emporia State and has played in 11 games for the Hornets. De Luna has three hits, five RBI, two runs scored, two walks and four stolen bases.
Infielder Avery Brewer (Fr./Jenks, OK) is in her first season at Emporia State is batting .368 with seven hits, three doubles, five RBI and two runs scored in her eight games played.
IN THE CIRCLE
Pitcher Gracie Rabe (Jr./Rossville, KS) is in her third season with the Hornets and has pitched 38.1Â innings while posting a team-best 2.01 ERA in her eight appearances. She has struck out 21 batters and allowed just six walks this season.Â
Pitcher Josie Harrison (Gr./St. Mary's, KS) is in her fifth season for the Hornets and has has made six appearances this season and has pitched 19.0 innings. Harrison also has a .318 batting average with 14 hits, ten RBI and ten runs scored at the plate this season.
Pitcher Jayda VanAckeren (Jr./Omaha, NE) is in her third season with the Hornets and has made five appearances this season, and has a 4.10 ERA across 27.1 innings pitched. She earned MIAA Pitcher of the Week honors following her last outing against Wayne State, a complete game shutout where she allowed just three hits. In her career, VanAckeren has pitched 124.2 innings across 44 appearances.
Pitcher Jordan Harrison (Jr./St. Mary's, KS) is in her first season with the Hornets after transferring from Johnson County CC. In eight appearnaces, Harrison has pitched 31.2 innings and has 29 strikeouts with just eight walks allowed.
Pitcher Kelly Hipsher (Sr./Olathe, Kan.) is in her second season with the Hornets and has made strong impact in relief through the first 21 games. Hipsher has ten appearances and has a 2.83 ERA across 17.1 innings with 11 strikeouts. She earned two saves at the Alvy Early Classic and pitched 12 innings across all four games in Bentonville, Ark.
ON A ROLL
Emporia State has won their last 14 games including a 5-0 weekend at the ESU Classic and 6-0 weekend at the Washburn Invitational. For the Hornets, it is the longest winning streak since the 2012 season where they won 15 straight games in a season where the Hornets won 42 games, including the MIAA Tournament Championship. The 14-game winning streak is currently the third longest streak in Division II.
HOME SWEET HOME
After winning their final twelve home games of the 2023 season, Emporia State won all five games at the ESU Classic to extend their home winning streak to 17 games. The Hornets' home streak is currently the fifth-longest active streak in Division II.
OFF AND RUNNING
Through the first 15 games of the season, Emporia State is among the top teams in Division II in stolen bases. After leading the MIAA in steals in seven of the last eight years as well as ranking top ten in the nation in both total steals and steals per game last season, the Hornets are continuing their pursuit as the Hornets rank fifth in total steals and 22nd in steals per game in the nation.
Abbey Ward has been an important part to the success of the Hornets on the bases in her career. Ward led the MIAA last season in stolen bases and ranked second in each of her first two full seasons. She entered the 2024 season with 102 stolen bases, which ranked fifth in program history and has tallied 14 in the first 21 games this season. Ward is currently third in program history with 116 career stolen bases. The program record is held by Morgan Viola (2004-07) with 124 stolen bases.
NATION'S LEADERS
Alexis Dial is having a strong start to the season, posting a .515 batting average and 1.412 OPS with 31 RBI. Dial earned back-to-back MIAA Hitter of the Week following her performacnes at the ESU Classic and Washburn Invitational. Her 31 RBI ranks fourth in Division II this season and is leading the MIAA. Abbey Ward and Lexi Williams along with Dial are pacing the Hornets on the base paths as Ward is tied for 19th in the nation in stolen bases with 14, while Williams and Dial rank 30th with 12 stolen bases on the season.
