Baseball | 1/29/2026 11:00:00 AM

Games 1-4
vs Adams State Grizzlies (0-0, 0-0 RMAC)
Fri. Jan. 30 • 2:30 p.m. (MT) • Tucson, Ariz. • Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium
Sat. Jan. 31 • 6:00 p.m. (MT) • Tucson, Ariz. • Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium

vs. Minot State Beavers (0-0, 0-0 NSIC)
Sat. Jan. 31 • 11:00 a.m (MT) • Tucson, Ariz. • Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium
Sunday, Feb. 1 • 10:00 a.m. (MT) • Tucson, Ariz. • Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium
Live Stats • Complete Notes in pdf

ABOUT THE HORNETS
Emporia State went 23-25 last season, with a 16-20 record in the MIAA as they finished ninth in the conference. The Hornets made their first trip back to the MIAA Tournament since 2022 before falling 7-3 against Missouri Southern. Noah Steele and Logan Myers headline the returners for Emporia State in 2026, with Steele notably being named a Preseason Second Team All-American by D2 Baseball earlier this week. Steele hit .368 with 15 home runs, 53 RBI and a 1.144 OPS last season and earned Second Team All-MIAA honors in the outfield. Logan Myers enters year three with the Hornets after playing in 92 games through his first two seasons. Myers hit .326 last season, which included a .347 mark in conference play. He ranked second behind Steele with 105 total bases and had 26 extra-base hits, the highest mark on the team. On the mound, a handful of notable returners with look to take the mound in 2026, including Seth Stover, Graeme Rios and Nick Woodcock. Stover pitched a team-high 72.0 innings last season, as he pitched 4.2 or more innings in all 11 MIAA outings. Rios ranked third in innings pitched with 48.1, as he pitched in six games as a starter with another nine games out of the bullpen. Nick Woodcock pitched just 22.1 innings last season, but posted a 15.48 strikeouts per nine ratio with 38 strikeouts on the season. He had two outings with eight strikeouts, including eight in just 3.0 innings against Maryville.

SCOUTING THE GRIZZLIES
Adams State went 19-35 last season, with a 13-19 mark in the RMAC. Key returners for the Grizzlies include Christian Altamirano and Ayden Tauscher who hit .356 and .348 last season. Altamirano was third on the team with 37 RBI while Tauscher had 13 stolen bases, the ninth-best mark in the RMAC in 2025. Joseph Marek and Logan Martin lead the returners on the pitching staff, as they totaled 45.0 and 29.0 innings last season.

SCOUTING THE BEAVERS
Minot State went 17-32 last season with an 11-29 record in the NSIC. The Beavers return key lineup pieces in Michael Williamson and Oscar Pegg, who both hit over .300 during the 2025 campaign. Pegg showcased the most power for Minot State last season, as he posted a .972 OPS with a team-high 13 home runs and 43 RBI. On the mound, Ayden Sauerbrei had the second-most relief appearances last season, and posted a 3.86 ERA with 30 strikeouts in 23.1 innings pitched.  

ABOUT THE COACHES
John Martin is in his first year with the Hornets. In his ten seasons at the NCAA level, all of which came at Central Oklahoma, he has a 318-181-1 record.
Bruce DelTondo is entering his sixth season as the head coach at Adams State and he has a 71-166 record with the Grizzlies.
Sam Boisner is entering his fourth year at Minot State and has 61-85 record with the Beavers.

SIXTH SINCE '73
John Martin was named the head coach of Emporia State Baseball on August 25th, 2025 and is the sixth head coach of the Hornets since the 1973 season. Martin spent the previous ten seasons at MIAA foe Central Oklahoma, where the Bronchos won two MIAA championships and advanced to the NCAA Tournament on five occasions. The Emporia State alum went 318-181-1 in his tenure in Edmond, Okla. A native of Shawnee, Kan., Martin played one year at Hutchinson CC before coming to ESU for his three-year career as the starting catcher. During his senior season he hit .303 with 30 RBI and from his catcher position threw out 17 would be base stealers was the 2006 Roger Newell Award Winner. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 24th round of the draft. 

MY OH MYERS
Infielder Logan Myers (Jr./Pittsburg, Kan.) has played in 92 career games in his first two seasons with the Hornets and has hit above .300 in each of the past two years. In 2025, Myers hit .326 with a team-high 26 extra-base hits on his way to posting a .962 OPS. He has also hit seven home runs each of the past two seasons.

BRADY BOMBS
Shortstop Brady Unrein (So./Wichita, Kan.) became a consistent starter for the Hornets at the shortstop position as a freshman in 2025, thanks in no small part to the power element he provided to the lineup. Unrein hit eight home runs last season, while adding eight doubles and eight stolen bases while posting a .945 OPS in 40 games played. 

KING FELIX
Utility Dominic Felix (Sr./Tucson, Ariz.) played both corner infield positions in his first season with the Hornets in 2025. In 45 games played, Felix hit .290 with a .385 OBP and ten doubles along with six home runs. Felix also put together a streak five consecutive multi-hit games last season, and reached base in 39 of his 45 starts.

SPEEDING SAMMY
Utility Sammy Padilla (R-So./Tucson, Ariz.) played a multitude of positions for the Hornets in 2025 after redshirting in the 2024 campaign. Padilla played in 37 games which included time at all three outfield positions and second base. The Tucson native hit .308 last season with an OBP of .448. He also had eight extra-base hits, two of which were triples, making him on of four Hornet players last season with multiple triples.

COOP AND A BLAST
Outfielder Cooper Schwindt (Sr./Shawnee, Kan.) started 47 of 48 games for the Hornets in 2025 during his first season at Emporia State. Schwindt tallied seven home runs, 12 doubles, 34 RBI and a .265 average as he finished second in doubles and third in RBI on the Hornets last season.

STEELE TRAP
Outfielder/First Basemen Noah Steele (Jr./Prairie Village, Kan.) hit .368 last season in the heart of the Hornet order and posted a team-high 15 home runs, while also leading the team with 64 hits, 53 RBI and a 1.144 OPS. Steele reached base in 42 of his 46 starts while posting 17 multi-hit games on his way to being named Second Team All-MIAA. Entering the 2026 season, Steele was named a Second Team Preseason All-American by D2 Baseball while also being named to the NCBWA All-Central Region Preseason Team.

HOLY TOLEDO
First Basemen Jovanni Toledo (Jr./Tucson, Ariz.) has played in 57 games through his first two seasons with the Hornets and despite a dip in batting average from 2024, saw his power numbers climb last season. Toledo hit eight home runs and six doubles, while driving in 33 runs on his way to a .512 slugging percentage. Toledo's biggest hit last season came on a pinch-hit walk-off home run against Rogers State, securing the first ranked series win for Emporia State since 2019.

HOT OFF THE STOVE
Pitcher Seth Stover (Jr./Columbus, Kan.) has made 13 appearances in each of his first two seasons, with 24 being starts. In 2025, Stover made big leaps as a key part of the weekend rotation as he posted a 4.25 ERA in 72.2 innings pitched. Stover was been key in the Hornets allowing the second-fewest walks in the MIAA last season, as he allowed just 15 of his own, and has allowed just 22 in 102.2 career innings pitched.

CHOPPING WOOD
Pitcher Nick Woodcock (RS-Jr./Whitby, Ontario) is in year two with the Hornets and came onto the scene for the Hornets in 2025 before suffering an injury later in the season. Woodcock posted eight strikeouts in multiple outings last season, including eight in 3.0 shutout innings against Maryville early in the season. His first start of the year came against Northeastern State, where he pitched a career-high 4.0 innings and struck out another eight batters. The Ontario native struck out three or more batters in seven of his nine appearances last season.

GUTTY GRAEME
Pitcher Graeme Rios (Sr./Houston, Texas) made 15 appearances in his first season with the Hornets in 2025, making six starts and another nine appearances out of the bullpen. In 48.1 innings pitched, Rios struck out 27 batters and posted a 5-2 record on the season.

HORNET HISTORY
Emporia State is playing their 75th 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 26 of 31 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.