Softball | 2/26/2026 5:00:00 PM

Games 16-19
Emporia State Hornets (10-5, 0-0 MIAA)
vs. Maryville Saints (5-5, 0-0 GLVC)
Saturday, February 28 • 10:00 a.m. • Shawnee, Kan.
Series History: ESU leads 3-1 • Last Meeting: ESU 14, MU 5 (3/1/25)

vs. Southwest Baptist Bearcats (4-8, 0-0 GLVC)
Saturday, February 28 • 12:00 p.m. • Shawnee, Kan.
Series History: ESU leads 47-15 • Last Meeting: ESU 3, SBU (3/6/21)

vs. Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs (9-4, 0-0 NSIC)
Sunday, March 1 • 12:20 p.m. • Shawnee, Kan.
Series History: UMD leads 7-6 • Last Meeting:

vs. Minnesota State Mavericks (3-7, 0-0 NSIC)
Sunday, March 1 • 2:40 p.m. • Shawnee, Kan.
Series History: ESU leads 17-14 • Last Meeting: ESU 4, MSU 1 (2/20/26)
Complete Notes in pdf • Watch ($)

QUICK HITS

• Emporia State is 10-5 to begin the season with four of their five losses coming by just one run.
• The Hornet pitching staff has an ERA of 1.96 this season, which ranks sixth in the MIAA. Hannah Butterbaugh has a team-high of 45.1 innings in 12 appearances with a 1.08 ERA. She was also named the MIAA Pitcher of the Week following the Washburn Invitational.
• Four pitchers have reached double-digit innings through the first 15 games, and in addition to Butterbaugh, Chloe Wilson and Izzy Sloan have combined to throw 39.0 innings.
• At the plate, the Hornets are hitting .297 with a team on-base percentage of .380.
• Brooke Flewelling has led the Hornet offense with her power so far, launching seven home runs and driving in 18 runs on her way to a 1.242 OPS, a top ten mark in the MIAA so far this season.

FOUR FROM SHAWNEE FOR EMPORIA STATE
Hornet softball plays for in the Top Gun Midwest Classic this weekend in Shawnee, Kan. in their final nonconference tournament of the season.

ABOUT THE HORNETS
Emporia State is 10-5 to begin the 2026 season, which includes four one-run losses over the first three tournaments. The Hornets have a 1.96 team ERA, which is the third-best mark in the MIAA, with freshman Hannah Butterbaugh tossing the most innings through the first ten games. Butterbaugh has totaled 45.1 innings and has a 1.08 ERA in 12 appearances. She also has a team-high 33 strikeouts while allowing opponents to hit just .207 against her, and was named the most recent MIAA Pitcher of the Week. At the plate, Brooke Flewelling has been a standout so far, hitting .373 with seven home runs and 18 RBI. Four more Hornets are hitting at least .300 in nine or more games played this season, including Avery Brewer who has four home runs of her own. Sydney Wagner and Taryn Burkhardt are both hitting .326 on the season and Burkhardt is 14-14 on steal attempts.

SCOUTING THE SAINTS
Maryville is 5-5 so far this season, which includes a 1-1 record against MIAA opponents. The Saints have scored 49 runs in their first ten games and as a team are batting .276. Laila Ruiz and Jenna Kosnoff are off to blistering starts this season, hitting .478 and .472 respectively, and have comined to hit 12 home runs, five doubles while driving 29 runs. Similar to the Hornets, the Saints have four pitchers with double-digit innings this season, led by Nora Johnson who has a 2.13 ERA in a team-high 23.0 innings pitched.

SCOUTING THE BEARCATS
Southwest Baptist is 4-8 to open the 2026 season, with three losses by one run and a 1-5 record against MIAA foes. The Bearcats have started slow offensively, hitting .248 with 60 runs scored. Keeley Elsea has stood out through the first 12 games, posting a .514 batting average with six doubles, two home runs and a 1.438 OPS, the fourth-best mark in the GLVC.

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
Minnesota Duluth is off to the best start of all four Hornet opponents on the weekend, as the Bulldogs are 9-4 and have scored 86 runs through their first 13 games. Offensively, three qualified hitters have an average above .400, with Daphne Evans holding a team-high .488. Evans has 12 RBI, six doubles, eight walks and eight steals on her way to 17 runs scored. Emma Sylvia-Cochran and Allyssa Williams have combined for 59.2 innings in the circle, and have struck out 66 batters this season.

SCOUTING THE MAVERICKS
Minnesota State is 3-7 to begin 2026 in the first year under head coach Kristle Walcott, who replaced longtime Maverick head coach Lori Meyer. The Mavericks struggled at the Washburn Invitational, falling in all six games, including 4-1 against the Hornets. The Mavericks are hitting .246 and have plated just 36 runs in their first ten games. Maddie Helin has led the offense early, posting a .344 average with six extra-base hits and eight RBI this season. In the circle, Jorey Fry and Maddie Oetzmann have pitched 75% of the innings for the Mavericks and have combined for 30 strikeouts in 46.2 innings.

HEART STOPPING HORNETS
Emporia State played in 17 one-run games last season, which included nine wins in such games, including two wins in extra innings. They went 4-3 record in extra innings, and in addition to their one-run games, they went 6-1 in two-run games. This season, Emporia State has already played in five one-run games through the first three tournaments. Over the last decade, the Hornets finished .500 or better in one-run games nine times. 

HORNET HISTORY
Emporia State has finished as the NCAA Division II National Runners-up twice, in 2006 and 2008. The Hornets have qualified for NCAA Regional play 13 times. The Hornets won the NAIA National Championship in 1983 and 1984 and won the AIAW National Championship in 1980.
The Hornets were MIAA regular season champions four straight years from 2005-08 and MIAA Tournament champions seven straight years running from 2004-10. In the 21st Century, Emporia State has claimed the regular season title eight times (2005-08, 2010-12, 2014) and the tournament title nine times (2004-10, 2012, 2018).