Baseball | 3/12/2026 2:06:00 PM

Games 20-22
(RV) Emporia State Hornets (14-5, 5-4 MIAA)
at Central Oklahoma Bronchos (11-9, 2-4 MIAA)
Friday, March 13 • 4:00 p.m. • Wendell Simmons Field • Edmond, Okla.
Saturday, March 14 • 2:00 p.m. • Wendell Simmons Field • Edmond, Okla.
Sunday, March 15 • 12:00 p.m. • Wendell Simmons Field • Edmond, Okla.
Complete Notes in pdf • The MIAA Network • Live Stats

SERIES HISTORY
All-Time: ESU leads 150-77 • Last Meeting: UCO 11, ESU 3 (3/3/25)
Last ESU Series Win: 2019 (2-1) • Last ESU Sweep: 2018
Last UCO Series win: 2025 (3-0)
John Martin against UCO: First Meeting

RANKINGS
Emporia State: ABCA - RV; NCBWA RV/5; D2 Baseball - RV
Central Oklahoma: NR

QUICK HITS

• The Hornets along with head coach John Martin travel to Edmond to take on the Bronchos, where Martin was the head coach for the previous ten seasons.
• Both Emporia State and Central Oklahoma have lost each of their previous two three-game sets leading into this matchup.
• The Hornets rank top three in the MIAA in batting average, OBP, SLG, total bases and home runs.
• Emporia State is looking for their first win over the Bronchos since the series finale in 2023 and have won just three of the last 15 meetings since 2021.

FAMILIAR FACES
Emporia State travels to Edmond for the second time this season, this time for a three-game MIAA series against Central Oklahoma.

ABOUT THE HORNETS
Emporia State is 14-5 overall and 5-4 in the MIAA and are looking to bounce back from falling 2-1 in their last two series' against Northwest Missouri and Pittsburg State. The Hornets are receiving votes in the latest edition of all three polls and are slotted fifth in the central region by the NCBWA. Emporia State is .312 as a team, the third best mark in the MIAA so far this season.
The offensive catalysts for Emporia State have been Logan Myers and Noah Steele who are hitting .408 and .386 respectively to open the year with OBP's of .580 and .552 respectively. Myers has nine doubles, 14 RBI and 22 walks. Steele is also no stranger to the free pass, drawing 18 walks of his own along with eight hit by pitches, and has supplemented that with five home runs and 24 RBI for a team-high 1.238 OPS. Myers and Steele are just two of eight players with double-digit RBI this season, with freshman Evan Abbott leading the way with 27 of his own which included 15 in the first five games of his Hornet career.
On the mound, Colby Deaver has made his case as one of the best pitchers in the nation, as he has posted a 0.49 ERA through 36.2 innings in his five starts, while striking out 41 batters and allowing just five walks. Seth Stover has made the first start for the Hornets each weekend and Quinton Chindamo has made the last three Sunday starts, striking out eight and allowing one earned run over 10.0 innings the last two weekends. Stover put together his best outing of the season in his last start against #3 Pittsburg State, allowing just two runs with six strikeouts in 6.0 innings. In the bullpen, six pitchers have made six or more relief appearances, highlighted by Grant Huffman who has a 1.15 ERA to go along with a win and two saves this season.

SCOUTING THE BRONCHOS
Central Oklahoma is 11-9 with a 2-4 record in the MIAA under the direction of first-year head coach Robbie Rea. The Bronchos have been up and down in the early stages of the season, which has included 16 of their 20 games being played at home. Central Oklahoma took two of three in their final non-conference season against #17 Drury, but have since dropped two of three against both Missouri Western and Washburn to open their MIAA slate. Offensively, the Bronchos are hitting .281 as a team, and are being led by Drake Lee who holds a team-high in average (.409), OPS (1.077) and RBI (14), while his four doubles and three home runs are tied for the team lead. 
On the mound, their team ERA of 6.54 ranks eighth in the association, with Braxton Jones being a standout in his sophomore season with the Bronchos. Jones has 2-0 record across four starts, while striking out 32 batters in 21.0 innings. 

ABOUT THE COACHES
John Martin is 14-5 in his first year with the Hornets. He is in his 11th season at the NCAA level after spending the previous ten at Central Oklahoma and has a 332-186-1 career record. 
Robbie Rea is 11-9 in his first season at the helm of the Bronchos baseball program after spending three years as an assistant coach with UCO under John Martin.

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. 

BEHIND THE PLATE
Dylan Brisbois (R-Jr./Omaha, Neb.) is in year four with the Hornets and has broken into the lineup consistently in a big way to begin 2026. Brisbois is batting .373 in 18 games played and is third on the Hornets with 22 RBI this season. He has tallied six multi-hit games, including three in the first four from Tucson to open the season. In addition to his strong start at the plate, Brisbois has thrown out six runners this season, including three in the first two games of the Steve Anson Classic.

AROUND THE DIAMOND
Logan Myers (Jr./Pittsburg, Kan.) has played in 111 career games for the Hornets in his career and has 15 home runs, 30 doubles, 86 RBI and a .330 batting average in his career. Through the first 19 games of 2026, Myers is hitting .408, with a .580 OBP due in large part to his 22 walks. He has scored 28 runs and has 11 extra-base hits from the leadoff position. Myers has also already equaled his career-high from last season with four steals. 

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. 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. Steele has seemingly picked up where he left off last season from a run production standpoint. He leads the Hornets with 29 runs scored and has 24 RBI of his own, the second-best mark on the team. Also simiilar to Myers, Steele has a .552 OBP as he has drawn 18 walks and been hit by eight pitches. Steele was named the MIAA Hitter of the Week after going 6-10 with two homers and ten RBI against Arkansas-Fort Smith (2/20-22).

Brady Unrein (So./Wichita, Kan.) has started 56 games in his Hornet career, with 53 at shortstop while adding three in centerfield this season. Unrein made his presence known as a freshman last season, tallying eight doubles and eight home runs while posting a .993 fielding percentage at shortstop. This season, Unrein is hitting .290 and has a .432 OBP through the first 19 games on his way to scoring 24 runs of his own.

Nathon Cruz (Jr./Oranjestad, Aruba) is in his first season with the Hornets and has made 17 starts at the hot corner while posting a .303 batting average. Cruz has two doubles, three triples, one home run, ten RBI and 17 runs scored so far this season.

Dominic Felix (Sr./Tucson, Ariz.) is in year two at Emporia State and after playing both corner positions throughout the 2025 season, has added catcher to his list of positions this season. Felix has nine starts this season, with at least two at all three positions. He is hitting .267 with three doubles, nine walks and seven RBI through nine games.

Tyler Coffin (Fr./Kansas City, Mo.) has played in six games for the Hornets in his first season, including starting the final two games of the Steven Anson Classic and the series finale against #3 Pittsburg State. Coffin is 4-13, including a bases clearing three-run double against the Gorillas the last time out for the first three RBI of his career.

OUT IN THE FIELD
Sammy Padilla (R-So./Tucson, Ariz.) played a multitude of positions for the Hornets in 2025 after redshirting in the 2024 campaign, but has started 15 games in centerfield this season. Padilla is one of many with double-digit RBI, driving in 14 so far this season, just two shy of his total last season. He is hitting .245 with five doubles and seven walks. 

Frankie Santiago (Jr./Cayey, Puerto Rico) has started 18 games and played in all 19 this season in his first year with the Hornets. The Puerto Rican native has 19 hits and 18 walks this season, while driving in 20 runs behind four doubles, one triple and a team-high seven homers. In the MIAA opening series against Arkansas-Fort Smith, Santiago homered in all three games, and went 3-4 with four RBI in the series finale against the Lions.

Evan Abbott (Fr./Kansas City, Mo.) has opened his Hornet career with eight multi-hit games through the first 19 while driving in 27 runs. The freshman had 16 RBI through the first five games of the season, which passed Eric Shortell (2008) for the most in the first five games of a season in the D2 era for Emporia State. On the season, Abbott is hitting .311 with six doubles, four home runs and 27 RBI, and has five games so far with three or more RBI. In the series finale against Arkansas-Fort Smith, Abbott launched his first career grand slam.

Cooper Schwindt (Sr./Shawnee, Kan.) started 47 of 48 games for the Hornets in 2025 during his first season at Emporia State and has started the last nine after an injury early to open the season. Schwindt has made 13 starts at both designated hitter and in left field, and is hitting .229 with ten runs, three doubles, six walks and two homers. His two homers both came in the 5-0 win in game two of the series against Northwest Missouri (2/28).

Gus Keller (So./Pittsburg, Kan.) has two starts and has appeared in nine games for the Hornets, with both starts coming in left field while making appearances in centerfield and as a pinch runner and hitter. Keller is 3-11 at the plate with a pair of walks while driving in five runs. He also three stolen bases and five runs scored. 

ON THE MOUND
Seth Stover (Jr./Columbus, Kan.) made 13 appearances in each of his first two seasons, with 24 being starts, while seeing a major improvement in both ERA and innings pitched as a sophomore. Stover has started the first game each weekend so far in 2026. His best outing of the season came in his last, as he struck out six in 6.0 innings against #3 Pittsburg State in the series opener.

Colby Deaver (So./Blue Springs, Mo.) has been one of the best pitchers in the nation this season, as he has a 0.49 ERA through 36.2 innings in his first six starts. He began the season without an earned run allowed over his first 34.1 innings pitched. In his first two outings, he struck out eight batters in 5.0 and 7.0 innings respectively, which earned him MIAA Pitcher of the Week honors after his first outing. Against Sioux Falls at the Steve Anson Classic, Deaver struck out ten in 6.0 scoreless frames. His 23.0 innings without an earned run are the most to begin a season in the D2 era for the Hornets, and his 35 strikeouts in four outings passed Jake Barton (34, 2020) for the most to open a season.

Grant Huffman (R-Sr./Lee's Summit, Mo.) is in his fourth year with the Hornets and is off to his best start yet. The Lee's Summit native has pitched 15.2 innings across seven relief appearances, racking up two multi-inning saves and a win so far this season. Huffman has 13 strikeouts while allowing just nine hits and three walks and holds a 1.15 ERA. At the Steve Anson Classic, Huffman picked up a 2.0 inning save against MSU-Denver, and then followed that with 4.0 scoreless and the win in the 10-9 win over the Roadrunners on Sunday, who were ranked #23 in the NCBWA poll.

Grayson Barnes (R-Fr./Tuttle, Okla.) has made three starts and two relief appearances this season after transferring in from Central Oklahoma. In his four outings, Barnes has five strikeouts, including four in 4.0 innings against Southeastern Oklahoma at the Edmond First Pitch Classic.

Jake Khasaempanth (Jr./Riverside, Calif.) has made a team-high ten relief appearances in his first season with the Hornets. Khasaempanth has eight strikeouts in 10.0 innings. His first Hornet outing came against Minot State in Tucson (1/31), as he entered with no outs and the bases loaded and pick up two strikeouts to help strand all three runners. 

Owen Ruge (Fr./Emporia, Kan.) has made eight appearances in the first 19 games for his hometown team and has a 3.38 ERA in 8.0 relief innings. Ruge has allowed just four hits so far this season and is allowing just a .148 opponent batting average.

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. In 2026, Woodcock has nine appearances with 13 strikeouts in 10.0 innings pitched.

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, and already has six appearances in the early stages of the 2026 season. Rios has pitched 6.0 innings and picked up his eighth career win and sixth with the Hornets.

Quinton Chindamo (Fr./Parkville, Mo.) has made eight appearances in his first season at Emporia State and has 14 strikeouts in 19.1 innings pitched. The freshman from Parkville opened the season with 3.0 scoreless innings in two outings in Tucson on opening weekend. Chindamo has also started the last three Sunday's for Emporia State which included allowing just one earned run over his first 10.0 innings as a starter.

IN THE POLLS
The Hornets are receiving votes in the latest edition of the polls for all three services (ABCA, NCBWA, D2 Baseball). While Emporia State is receiving votes by all three, the Hornets are also ranked fifth in latest central region rankings by the NCBWA, one of five MIAA teams in the top seven.

NATIONAL RECOGNITION
The Central Region, and specifically the MIAA feature in all three polls, including three ranked teams by the ABCA, while both Emporia State and Northwest Missouri are receiving votes. Pittsburg State and Central Missouri are ranked in the top seven by all three outlets, with the Gorillas ranking first in the NCBWA poll.

HORNET HISTORY
Emporia State is playing their 76th season of baseball in 2026 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.