Baseball | 12/5/2025 10:26:00 AM
December 5, 2025 – The Kansas Baseball Hall of Fame elected their 2026 class earlier this week, which included Emporia State alum and longtime head coach Bob Fornelli.
Fornelli is one of seven honorees in the 2026 class following his retirement from coaching after the 2025 season at Pittsburg State. He coached at Emporia State from 2004-2018 and won 599 games with the Hornets, the most in program history. In his 15 seasons, Fornelli won 40 or more games nine times and advanced to the NCAA Regional in 13 of the 15 seasons with the Hornets.
The Hornets won the MIAA Regular Season four times and the MIAA Tournament in 2007 and 2014. Fornelli also led Emporia State to the D-II College World Series twice, including a National Runner-Up finish in 2009.
In his career, Fornelli coached at three programs in the state of Kansas, as he accumulated over 1,000 career wins at Fort Hays State, Emporia State and Pittsburg State. He was also national runner-up with the Tigers in 2000 and has a career record of 1,120-495.
Fornelli, a Lenexa, Kan. native was also an Honorable Mention All-CSIC catcher for the Hornets as a senior in 1991 when the Hornets went 41-17.
