Road Trip Continues For Hornet Baseball With Series Against Missouri Southern

Baseball | 3/27/2025 1:39:00 PM

Games 26-28
Emporia State Hornets (14-11, 7-7 MIAA)
at Missouri Southern Lions (16-12, 9-9 MIAA)
Friday, March 28 • 3:00 p.m. • Joplin, Mo. • Warren Turner Field
Saturday, March 29 • 1:00 p.m. • Joplin, Mo. • Warren Turner Field
Sunday, March 30 • 1:00 p.m. • Joplin, Mo. • Warren Turner Field
Series History: ESU leads 71-56 • Last Meeting: MSSU 11, ESU 8 (3/10/24)
The MIAA Network • Live Stats • Complete Notes in PDF
Up Next: at Missouri Western • Tuesday, April 1 • St. Joseph, Mo. • Griffon Baseball Field

QUICK HITS

• The Hornets have won nine of their last 11 games, and have scored eight or more runs in each of 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.
• Emporia State will be looking for their first series win over Missouri Southern since the COVID-shortened season in 2020 where the Hornets swept the Lions at the Trusler Sports Complex.

WEEKEND SLATE AGAINST MISSOURI SOUTHERN
Emporia State travels to Joplin, Mo. this weekend for a three-game set against the Lions.

LAST TIME OUT
Emporia State traveled west to begin their second of two MIAA midweek series' of the season, taking on #24 Fort Hays State. The Tigers took a 4-0 lead through three frames, before a trio of home runs from Noah Steele, Cooper Schwindt and Jovanni Toledo brought the Hornets back level. Fort Hays State tallied two grand slams in the sixth and seventh innings, which helped the hosts secure a 15-5 win over Emporia State.

A LOOK AT THE HORNETS
Emporia State is 14-11 this season and 7-7 in the MIAA, as the Hornets have won nine of the last 11 games, while also scoring eight or more runs in all nine wins since the stretch began. At the plate, Emporia State is batting .288 on the season, and .354 over the last 11 games. Noah Steele leads the way with a .365 average and 24 RBI, while being one of five Hornets with five or more home runs. Peyton Lewis is batting .346 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 six home runs from freshman Brady Unrein, as well as five homers from Logan Myers, Cooper Schwindt and Lewis. Senior TJ Racherbaumer is batting .310 and has four home runs and a team-high 14 walks drawn. 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. Both Barton and Stover both rank in the top 11 in the MIAA in ERA, walks allowed, strikeouts and batting average against. 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 LIONS
Missouri Southern is 16-12 this season with a 9-9 record in the MIAA with series sweeps of Northwest Missouri and Arkansas-Fort Smith, but have dropped series' against Fort Hays State, Central Oklahoma and Washburn. The Lions are hitting .301 as a team and have four players hitting above .350 on the season. Brayden Luikart is hitting a team-high .411 and has five home runs, six doubles, three triples and 37 RBI, which ranks fifth in the MIAA. Ethan Clark and Jacob Filip are both batting .360 and Clark has five home runs, nine doubles and 34 RBI which is eighth-best in the conference. On the mound, Cole Gayman, Keaton Anderson and Casey Stalzer have all pitched over 30.0 innings this season, with Gayman posting a team-high 39.2 innings pitched. Gayman has 53 strikeouts on the season and is coming off a 2024 season where he was named a First Team All-American by both the NCBWA and ABCA.

UP NEXT
Emporia State continues their roadtrip next Tuesday with the second midweek matchup against Missouri Western. The Hornets took game one 10-9 at Trusler Sports Complex and will look to clinch the series win on Tuesday, April 1 in St. Joseph, Mo.

CLIMB THE HILL
In 2024, Emporia State baseball not only improved their win total by three games from 2023 in the first season under head coach Brad Hill, but improved in a multitude of categories, both offensively and on the mound. The Hornets saw notable jumps in batting average, OPS, OBP and walks while dropping the number of strikeouts. On the mound, the Hornets put together a team ERA nearly 80 below the 2023 mark and dropped the opponent batting average against from .316 to .303.

BACK-TO-BACK
Emporia State's series win over Newman last weekend was the second consecutive series win for the Hornets after previously beating #23 Rogers State in two of three games to begin their spring break. For the Hornets, the back-to-back series wins mark the first time since the 2021 season that Emporia State has won back-to-back series' over MIAA opponents.

STINGER SWEEP
In addition to winning the series against Newman, the 10-5 win in the series finale last weekend clinched the sweep for the Hornets. The sweep for Emporia State marked the first time since 2021 against Fort Hays State (4/30-5/2) in the final home series of the season.

RANKED MATCHUPS
Emporia State's ranked win over #23 Rogers State at the Trusler Sports Complex was the first series win over a ranked opponent for the Hornets since 2019 when Emporia State took two of three games from #18 Central Oklahoma on the road in Edmond. Following the midweek matchup against #24 Fort Hays State, the Hornets have played four ranked games, the most since the 2023 season.

POWER SURGE
On the season, the Hornets have a team total of 40 home runs, which currently ranks fourth in the MIAA this season. Five Hornets have hit five or more home runs through the first 25 games, including freshman shortstop Brady Unrein and junior outfielder Noah Steele who are tied with a team-high six. As a team, Emporia State has homered three or more times in a game seven times this season, with a season-high six in an 18-11 win over Maryville (3/7).

TOP TEN TJ
Catcher TJ Racherbaumer (Sr./Herrmann, Mo.) is in year four with the Hornets and has played in 169 career games, as he passed Greg Rogers for tenth-most in Emporia State history last weekend against Newman. In addition to career games played, Racherbaumer ranks fourth in walks (105), sixth in at-bats (582) and seventh in base hits (173). He also 23 home runs and 34 doubles in his career, which is near the top ten in both categories.

HOLY TOLEDO
First Basemen Jovanni Toledo (So./Tucson, Ariz.) has three home runs, four doubles and 15 RBI this season. Toledo's biggest hit of the season being a pinch-hit home run in the bottom of the ninth of the series finale against Rogers State, as the Hornets rallied to win the finale 9-8 in ten innings, securing the first ranked series win since 2019.

MY OH MYERS
Infielder Logan Myers (So./Pittsburg, Kan.) is hitting .289 this season with five home runs, 17 RBI and 21 runs scored. His first home run of the season came on the road against Pittsburg State in the series finale and was a grand slam, the second of his two-year career at Emporia State. Myers has eight multi-hit games, including three games with three hits.

BRADY BOMBS
Shortstop Brady Unrein (Fr./Wichita, Kan.) has become a consistent starter at shortstop for the Hornets in his first season, and along with strong defense, has brought a power element to the lineup. Unrein is tied for the team-high with six home runs and has five in the last 12, including a walk-off, two-run homer in the tenth inning of the series finale against Rogers State.

FIRST IN A DECADE
Infielder Peyton Lewis (Sr./Kansas City, Mo.) is in year one with the Hornets and has made an immediate impact on the Emporia State lineup. Earlier this season, Lewis went 2-4 against Maryville (3/9), beginning a six-game streak of multi-hit games, becoming the first Hornet since Justin Harris in 2015 (7 games) to record more than five in a row.

KING FELIX
Utility Dominic Felix (Jr./Tucson, Ariz.) has played both corner infield positions this season and has a .333 batting average in 21 starts. Similar to Lewis, Felix had a stretch of consecutive multi-hit games this season, as he rattled off five in a row, including three games with three hits. Felix has also reached base in 19 of his 21 starts this season.

SPEEDING SAMMY
Utility Sammy Padilla (R-Fr./Tucson, Ariz.) has found his way into the lineup in his second year with the Hornets after redshirting in 2024, and has a .300 average and .525 OBP this season. Padilla has played second base and all three outfield positions and has three stolen bases while also being the lone Hornet with multiple triples on the year.

COOP AND A BLAST
Outfielder Cooper Schwindt (Jr./Shawnee, Kan.) has started 24 of 25 games for Emporia State in his first year with the Hornets. Schwindt has five home runs, seven doubles, 19 RBI and a .306 average while also being top three on the team in slugging percentage.

TAKE ME TO THE ER
Outfielder Elijah Reeves (Jr./Casper, Wyo.) has played in 21 games and while he is hitting .333 in 36 at-bats, Reeves has drawn nine walks and been a ball-magnet, being hit by a pitch eight times en route to a team-high .537 OBP. Reeves has also stolen six bases this season.

STEELE TRAP
Outfielder/First Basemen Noah Steele (Jr./Prairie Village, Kan.) is hitting ,365 this season in the heart of the Hornet batting order and is tied for the team-lead with six home runs while also leading Emporia State with 31 hits, 24 RBI and a 1.064 OPS. Steele has also reached base in 21 of 23 starts this season and has eight-multi hit games.

HOT OFF THE STOVE
Pitcher Seth Stover (So./Columbus, Kan.) has made seven starts this season and is up to 18 starts and 20 appearances in his two seasons with the Hornets. Stover is off to a strong start through the first half of the season, posting a 2.48 ERA in 40.0 innings, while striking out 29 with just six walks allowed. He currently ranks inside the top ten in ERA, innings pitched, walks allowed and batting average against. Stover has also pitched 6.0 or more innings in his last four starts, and has gone 7.0 innings in each of his last three.

CONSISTENT CADE
Pitcher Cade Barton (Sr./Omaha, Neb.) is in year four with the Hornets and has 43 appearances and 28 starts in his Emporia State career. Barton is posting a 3.54 ERA in 28.0 innings this season as he has worked back from an injury suffered in the final month of the 2024 season. Barton has gone 6.0 or more innings in each of his last two starts, while recording ten starts over the past two seasons with at least 6.0 innings pitched.

LATE INNING LANIK
Pitcher Ian Lanik (Sr./Eagle, Neb.) is in year three at Emporia State, and after tallying 29 starts over his first two years with the Hornets, has transitioned to the bullpen in 2025, where he has been a consistent arm at the back end of the bullpen. Lanik is six for six in save opportunities this season, and his six saves are the most in a single season by a Hornet pitcher since Nathan Whitcomb recorded 11 saves in 2017.

GUTTY GRAEME
Pitcher Graeme Rios (Jr./Houston, Texas) has seven appearances and three starts in his first year with Emporia State, including starts in each of the last two Friday games. Rios has gone 5.0 innings in each of his last two starts, and has a 4-1 record on the season. His four wins is tied for fifth as the second most in the MIAA this season.

G2 TUESDAY
Pitcher Gerardo Grijalva (Jr./Tucson, Ariz.) is in his first year at Emporia State and has three starts this season, including the nod in each of the two MIAA midweek matchups. Grijalva has 11 strikeouts in 13.1 inning while just a .220 opponent 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.