Ranked Midweek Matchup Starts Road Trip for Emporia State Baseball

Baseball | 3/24/2025 2:22:00 PM

Game 25
Emporia State Hornets (14-10, 7-6 MIAA)
at #27 Fort Hays State Tigers (19-6, 14-2 MIAA)
Tuesday, March 25 • 3:00 p.m. • Hays, Kan. • Larks Park
Overall: ESU leads 152-69 • Last Meeting: FHSU 10, ESU 7 (4/21/24)
The MIAA Network • Live Stats • Complete Notes in pdf
Up Next: at Missouri Southern • March 28-30
Joplin, Mo. • Warren Turner Field

QUICK HITS

• The Hornets have won nine of their last ten games and have won five straight, while scoring eight or more runs in their nine wins.
• The series sweep over Newman marked the first sweep over an MIAA opponent, as well as consecutive series wins since the 2021 season.
• Fort Hays State is ranked #27 in the latest ABCA Coaches Poll, marking the second ranked opponent the Hornets have played this season, as they won the series 2-1 against #23 Rogers State, the first ranked series win for ESU since 2019.

RANKED MATCHUP KICKS OFF ROAD TRIP
Emporia State begins an eight-game road trip with an MIAA midweek matchup against #27 Fort Hays State on Tuesday.

LAST TIME OUT
Emporia State hosted Newman over the weekend to cap off their spring break home stand and the Hornets secured a series sweep over the Jets. On Friday, the Hornets trailed 6-3 before a six-run fourth frame propelled Emporia State to a 10-7 win in game one of the series. The Hornets controlled game two from the jump scoring six in the first inning, and getting a 7.0 shutout innings from Seth Stover to clinch the series win 8-0. In the series finale, the Hornets completed the sweep with a 10-5 win. The sweep is the first sweep of an MIAA opponent for Emporia State since the 2021 season.

A LOOK AT THE HORNETS
Emporia State is 14-10 this season and 7-6 in the MIAA, as the Hornets have won five straight and nine of their last ten games. The Hornets have scored eight or more runs in each of their last nine wins. At the plate, Emporia State is batting .289 on the season, and .354 over the last ten games. Noah Steele leads the way with a .366 average and 22 RBI, while being one of six Hornets with four or more home runs. Peyton Lewis is batting .355 and through the first game of the Newman series, recorded multiple hits in six straight games, the first Hornet with more than five straight since Justin Harris had seven in 2015. Emporia State has also gotten a team-high six home runs from freshman Brady Unrein, as well as five homers from Logan Myers and four from both Cooper Schwindt and TJ Racherbaumer. On the mound, Seth Stover and Cade Barton hold 2.48 and 3.54 ERA's on the season across 68.0 combined innings pitched. Gerardo Grijalva got the start last Tuesday against Missouri Western and has a 3.48 ERA in 10.1 innings across his first two career starts. Ian Lanik has a team-high 11 appearances this season, and has picked up six saves, the most by a Hornet since Nathan Whitcomb had a 11 in 2017.

SCOUTING THE TIGERS
Fort Hays State is 19-6, 14-2 in the MIAA and are currently ranked #27 in the latest ABCA Coaches Poll. The Tigers have won all five of their series' against MIAA opponents, including a sweep of #29 Central Oklahoma and wins over Missouri Southern and Pittsburg State while also being 8-1 in one-run games this season. Offensively, they are batting .308 and are led by Trey Degarmo who is batting .370 with nine home runs and 33 RBI on the season, while currently holding a 14-game hit streak. On the mound, the Tigers have a 5.48 ERA, which ranks fourth in the MIAA. Relievers Brandon Chavez and Kaleb Carpenter have 14 and 13 relief appearances respectively with 64 strikeouts combined.

UP NEXT
Emporia State will travel to Joplin, Mo. for a three-game series against Missouri Southern on March 28-30.

TOP OF THE HILL
Brad Hill is in his second season at the helm of the Hornet Baseball program and has a 35-39 record. Hill has a career record of 921-521-3 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.

BEHIND THE PLATE
TJ Racherbaumer (Sr./Herrmann, Mo.) is in his fourth season with the Hornets and has played in 169 career games. Racherbaumer has played in all 24 games this season, making 23 starts and 21 behind the plate. He is batting .298 on the season, with four home runs, four doubles and a team-high 14 walks with 20 runs scored. Racherbaumer has drawn 105 career walks, which ranks fourth in Emporia State history. He also ranks sixth in career at-bats and seventh in hits, tenth in games played while nearing the top ten in home runs and doubles.
Dylan Brisbois (R-So./Omaha, Neb.) has started four games, and played in seven games this season. Brisbois is batting .222 and has reached base in six of 19 plate appearances.
Austin Lynn (R-Fr./North Las Vegas, NV) has made four appearances and played in six games after redshirting in 2024 and has reached base four times this season.

AROUND THE HORN
First Basemen/Designated Hitter Jovanni Toledo (So./Tucson, Ariz.) has started 15 games for the Hornets and played in 18 games this season. Toledo has two home runs and 14 RBI, including a game-tying, pinch-hit homer in the ninth inning of the series finale against Rogers State.
Second Basemen Logan Myers (So./Pittsburg, Kan.) is coming off a 2024 season where he was named MIAA Co-Freshman of the Year after hitting .301 with a .431 OBP last season. Myers is batting .302 this season and has five home runs, 17 RBI, ten extra-base hits and 20 runs scored. 
Infielder Peyton Lewis (Sr./Kansas City, Mo.) is in his first season with the Hornets after previously playing at Baker and Bluefield State. Lewis is batting .355 across 21 games played and has a team-high 1.062 OPS and .645 slugging percentage. Through game one against Newman, Lewis tallied six straight multi-hit games, the most since 2015.
Infielder Brady Unrein (Fr./Wichita, Kan.) is in his first season with Emporia State and has made 20 starts at shortstop. Unrein has six home runs, 17 RBI, two doubles and 15 runs scored and delivered the walk-off two-run home run in the series finale against Rogers State.
Utility Andy Pacheco (R-Fr./Tucson, Ariz.) has made nine starts across three positions to start the season and played in 17 games. Pacheco has six hits and seven RBI on the season.
Utility Dominic Felix (Jr./Tucson, Ariz.) is in his first season with the Hornets and has started 20 games and is batting .329 with three home runs, eight RBI, six doubles and 15 runs scored while reaching base at a .384 clip. Felix has also posted a team-high eight multiple hit games and has reached base in 18 of his last 20 games played.
Utility Sammy Padilla (RS-Fr./Tucson, Ariz.) has played in 15 games and made 13 starts, including 12 of the last 13 games. Padilla has started at second base, left field and center field in his 13 starts and is batting .297 while driving in seven runs and scoring 13 of his own.
Outfielder Noah Steele (Jr./Prairie Village, Kan.) has made 22 starts and played in 23 games in his first season with the Hornets and has settled into the heart of the order for Emporia State. Steele has five home runs, 22 RBI, five doubles, 17 runs scored and a team-high 30 hits. Steele has also reached base in 18 of the last 20 games.
Outfielder Elijah Reeves (Jr./Casper, Wyo.) has started 13 games in centerfield in his first season at Emporia State, Reeves is batting .333, and has drawn nine walks and eight HBP as he has a team-high .537 OBP in 53 plate appearances.
Outfielder Cooper Schwindt (Jr./Shawnee, Kan.) has started 23 games in the corner outfield positions in his first season with the Hornets and is batting .305 with seven doubles, four home runs, 18 RBI and a .388 OBP in 95 plate appearances. 

ON THE MOUND
Seth Stover (So./Columbus, Kan.) is in his second season with the Hornets and has 20 career appearances and 18 starts. Stover has made seven starts this season and has pitched a team-high 40.0 innings in his seven outings, including 27.0 across his last four starts, with just two earned runs allowed while tallying 17 strikeouts. Stover also ranks in the top ten in the MIAA in innings pitched, ERA and walks allowed.
Cade Barton (Sr./Omaha, Neb.) is in year four with the Hornets and has 43 career appearances with six this season. In 2024, Barton earned Honorable Mention All-MIAA despite suffering a late season injury as he posted a 3.18 ERA in 62.1 innings pitched. Barton has pitched 28.0 innings this season as he progresses back from injury, and has pitched 22.0 innings with 17 strikeouts in his last four starts.
Gerardo Grijalva (Jr./Tucson, Ariz.) is in his first season with the Hornets and has made his first two career starts with the Hornets over the last two weeks. In the last game against Missouri Western, Grijalva allowed two runs over 5.0 innings with five strikeouts to pick up his first career win.
Ian Lanik (Sr./Eagle, Neb.) is in year three with the Hornets and has pitched in 40 career games. This season, all 11 of Lanik's appearances have come out of the bullpen as he has picked up six saves on the season, which ranks third in the MIAA. Lanik's six saves are the most by a Hornet pitcher since Nathan Whitcomb had 11 in the 2017 season.
Eli Hernandez (Sr./Ontario, Calif.) is in his second season with the Hornets and made 18 relief appearances in 2024. In his six appearances this season, Hernandez has pitched 23.0 innings and has 24 strikeouts, including a season-high six strikeouts against Hillsdale. 
Graeme Rios (Jr./Houston, Texas) has made seven appearances in his first season with the Hornets, including three starts. Rios' first outing came in the season opener against MSU Denver as he pitched 3.0 scoreless relief innings and he has pitched 24.1 innings on the season with four wins, which is tied for fifth in the MIAA this season.
Trent Warstler (Sr./Celina, Texas) has made five starts this season and has pitched 20.0 innings in his six outings. Warstler has struck out 11 batters this season and has 53 strikeouts across 22 appearances the last two seasons for the Hornets.
Tanner Dawe (Sr./London, Ontario) has 18 career appearances and has made five this season. Dawe has totaled 6.1 innings with eight strikeouts. His first appearance was an eight-out save against East Central on opening weekend.
Grant Huffman (Sr./Lee's Summit, Mo.) is in his third season at Emporia State and has 17 career appearances with four this season. Huffman has pitched 7.2 innings in relief, and allowed a .250 batting average with ten strikeouts and has a 1-0 record.
Ryan Sauter (Jr./Olathe, Kan.) has seven appearances this season and across 10.0 relief innings, he has eight strikeouts. Against Maryville, Sauter pitched a career-high 4.1 innings with four strikeouts.
Brandon Vassalo (Jr./Santa Fe, Texas) has made four relief appearances for Emporia State in his first season with the program. Vassalo has pitched 4.2 innings and has three strikeouts while allowing a .263 batting average.

HORNET HISTORY
Emporia State is playing their 74th season of baseball in 2025 and have won over 2100 games in the program's history. Since 1994, the Hornets have advanced to the MIAA Tournament in 25 of 30 seasons (excluding COVID shortened season in 2020), including 19 straight trips from 2003-2022. 
The Hornets have also won the MIAA Regular Season Title on six occasions with the most recent coming in 2017 and the first happening in 1993. Emporia State has also won the MIAA Tournament twice with wins in 2007 and 2014. The Hornets have also been runners up in the MIAA Tournament on four occasions. 

NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY
In addition to the success in the MIAA, the Hornets have had a presence in the NCAA Tournament throughout their time in Division II. The Hornets have 14 NCAA regional appearances, including two Regional Championships which allowed Emporia State to advance to their two NCAA D-II College World Series Appearances. The first appearance happened in 2006 and the second happened in the 2009 season. In 2009, the Hornets advanced to the College World Series final where they fell 2-1 against Lynn. 

NAIA NATIONAL PRESENCE
Prior to their transition to the Division II level in the early 1990's, Emporia State had sustained success at the NAIA level. From 1969 under Jack Smitheran to 1991 in year four under Brian Embery, the Hornets were NAIA District 10 Champions 20 times, including 15 of 16 from 1975 to 1991. 
The success continued through the NAIA Area Tournament, as Emporia State won seven Area 3 Championships, advancing to the NAIA College World Series seven times. After advancing to the NAIA College World Series semifinals for the first time in 1976, the Hornets returned in 1978 as they won the NAIA College World Series with an 8-6 win against Missouri Southern.