Baseball | 3/17/2026 4:11:00 PM

Game 23
(RV) Emporia State Hornets (16-6, 7-5 MIAA)
at Missouri Western Griffons (9-14, 4-8 MIAA)
Complete Notes in pdf • The MIAA Network • Live Stats

SERIES HISTORY
All-Time: ESU leads 115-56 • Last Meeting: ESU 9, MWSU 2 (4/15/25)
Last ESU series win: 2025 (2-1) • Last ESU series sweep: 2010 (4-0)
Last MWSU series win: 2024 (2-1) • Last 10 Games: MWSU leads 4-6
John Martin (at ESU): First Meeting
John Martin (career): 17-13

QUICK HITS

• The Hornets and Griffons open their MIAA midweek series on Wednesday, the second straight season the two have played in the midweek.
• The Hornets are hitting .311 as a team which is the fourth-best mark in the MIAA this season. Emporia State also leads the league in home runs and doubles while ranking top three in RBI, walks and slugging percentage.
• Frankie Santiago leads the MIAA with ten home runs on the season and is one of seven Hornets with multiple home runs.
• Colby Deaver has a 1.05 ERA through seven starts, while racking up 47 strikeouts with just six walks

MISSOURI MIDWEEK
Emporia State baseball travel to St. Joseph, Mo. to begin their MIAA midweek series against Missouri Western.

ABOUT THE HORNETS
Emporia State is 16-6 overall and 7-5 in the MIAA and after going on the road and taking two of three games over Central Oklahoma in Edmond. 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 .311 as a team, the fourth 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 .424 and .373 to open the year with OBP's of .569 and .532 respectively. Myers has 12 doubles, 17 RBI and 23 walks. Steele is also no stranger to the free pass, drawing 20 walks of his own along with eight hit by pitches, and has supplemented that with six home runs and 25 RBI for a team-high 1.195 OPS. In addition to Myers and Steele, Frankie Santiago has become one of the best power bats in the MIAA so far this season. Santiago has a league-leading ten home runs, with three coming in the final two games of the Central Oklahoma series.

On the mound, Colby Deaver has made his case as one of the best pitchers in the nation, as he has posted a 1.05 ERA through 42.2 innings in his seven starts, while striking out 47 batters and allowing just six walks. Seth Stover has made the first start for the Hornets each weekend and Quinton Chindamo has made the last four Sunday starts. Stover put together his best outing of the season against #3 Pittsburg State, allowing just two runs with six strikeouts in 6.0 innings. In the bullpen, six pitchers have made eight or more relief appearances, with Grant Huffman anchoring the back end with a 1.08 ERA in 16.2 innings while having a win and two saves.

SCOUTING THE GRIFFON
Missouri Western is 9-14 and 4-8 so far in the MIAA, but the Griffons have played possibly the hardest slate of MIAA opponents to date. The Griffons hosted Central Oklahoma at the end of February and have played road sets against both Pittsburg State and Central Oklahoma to this point. As a team, Missouri Western is batting .277 and have six players with double-digit RBI. Issac Huettl has a team-high .345 average while Luke Shanahan has brought the power with his team-leading seven home runs and 21 RBI this season.
On the mound, six different pitchers have seven or more appearances with Ben Ayala and Lawson Minshew sharing the lead with nine relief appearances.

ABOUT THE COACHES
John Martin is 16-6 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 334-187-1 career record.
Michael Keeran is 9-14 in his first season with the Griffons, and previously was the head coach for two seasons at NOC-Tonkawa.

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 .347 in 21 games played and is fourth on the Hornets with 22 RBI this season. He has tallied seven 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 114 career games for the Hornets in his career and started all 22 this season. In his 114 career games, Myers has a .335 batting average and has moved into tenth all-time in program history with 83 career walks. He is also approaching career top ten in multiple categories. Myers is hitting .424 this season, the fifth-best mark in the MIAA while also totaling 12 doubles, 17 RBI, 23 walks and 31 runs scored. Has tallied ten multi-hit games, including three with four hits. 

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 is second on the Hornets with 30 runs scored and has 25 RBI of his own. Also simiilar to Myers, Steele has a .532 OBP as he has drawn 20 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 59 games in his Hornet career, with 53 at shortstop while adding six 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 .272 and has a .412 OBP through the first 22 games on his way to scoring 26 runs of his own.

Nathon Cruz (Jr./Oranjestad, Aruba) is in his first season with the Hornets and has made 20 starts at the hot corner while posting a .289 batting average. Cruz has two doubles, three triples, two home runs, 12 RBI and 20 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 ten starts this season, with at least two at all three positions. He is hitting .267 with three doubles, nine walks and seven RBI through ten games.

Tyler Coffin (Fr./Kansas City, Mo.) has played in nine games for the Hornets in his first season, including starting the final two games of the Steven Anson Classic and the last four. Coffin is 8-25, including a bases clearing three-run double in the series finale against the Gorillas 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 21 games and played in all 22 this season in his first year with the Hornets. The Puerto Rican native has 23 hits and 21 walks this season, while driving in 29 runs behind four doubles, one triple and a team-high ten homers. In the MIAA opening series against Arkansas-Fort Smith, Santiago homered in all three games and he also homered three times in the final two games against Central Oklahoma.

Evan Abbott (Fr./Kansas City, Mo.) has opened his Hornet career with ten multi-hit games through the first 22 while driving in 29 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 .314 with seven doubles, and four home runs. 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 16 starts at both designated hitter and in left field, and is hitting .246 with 16 runs, five doubles, eight 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 ten 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 against #3 Pittsburg State, as he struck out six in6.0 inningsin 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 1.05 ERA through 42.2 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 34.1 innings without an earned run are the most to begin a season in the D2 era for the Hornets, 

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 16.2 innings across eight 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 three relief appearances this season after transferring in from Central Oklahoma. In his six 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 12 relief appearances in his first season with the Hornets. Khasaempanth has eight strikeouts in 12.0 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 nine appearances in the first 22 games for his hometown team and has a 3.00 ERA in 9.0 relief innings. Ruge has allowed just four hits so far this season and is allowing just a .133 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. 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 11 appearances with 18 strikeouts in 14.0 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 eight appearances in the early stages of the 2026 season. Rios has pitched 8.0 innings and picked up his eighth career win and sixth with the Hornets this season.

Quinton Chindamo (Fr./Parkville, Mo.) has made nine appearances in his first season at Emporia State and has 15 strikeouts in 21.2 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 four 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 both ranked in the top eight by the ABCA.

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.