Baseball | 3/19/2026 2:45:00 PM

Games 24-27
(RV) Emporia State Hornets (17-6, 8-5 MIAA)
vs. New Mexico Highlands (5-17, 0-8 RMAC)
Friday, March 20 • 3:00 p.m. • Turnbull Field • Emporia, Kan.
Saturday, March 21 • 1:00 p.m. (DH) • Turnbull Field • Emporia, Kan.
Sunday, March 22 • 12:00 p.m. • Turnbull Field • Emporia, Kan.
Complete Notes in pdf • The MIAA Network • Live Stats

RANKINGS
Emporia State: ABCA - RV; NCBWA NR/5; D2 Baseball - RV
NM Highlands: NR
 

SERIES HISTORY
All-Time: ESU leads 1-0 • Last Meeting: ESU 15, NMHU 5
John Martin (at ESU): First Meeting • John Martin (career): 2-0

QUICK HITS

• The Hornets and Cowboys meet for just the second time, with the first meeting coming in 2024 on opening weekend at the Edmond First Pitch Classic.
• Emporia State ranks fourth in average and leads the MIAA in doubles and home runs and Frankie Santiago currently leads the association with ten home runs this season.
• Colby Deaver has a 1.05 ERA over 42.2 innings with a 6-1 record. Deaver ranks second in innings pitched, first in ERA, and is tied for the most wins in the MIAA .
• Frankie Santiago, Evan Abbott and Noah Steele rank fifth through seventh in the  MIAA in RBI, while Logan Myers in fifth in average.

SPRING BREAK AT TRUSLER
Emporia State is set to wrap up spring break with a four-game series against New Mexico Highlands from Turnbull Field. The Hornets and Cowboys are meeting for just the second time.

ABOUT THE HORNETS
Emporia State is 17-6 overall and 8-5 in the MIAA after taking two of three on the road against Central Oklahoma and then winning their first midweek matchup against Missouri Western on Wednesday. The Hornets are receiving votes in the latest edition of both the ABCA and D2 Baseball polls, while ranking seventh in the Central Region by the NCBWA.
The offensive catalysts for Emporia State have been Logan Myers and Noah Steele who are hitting .422 and .364 to open the year with OBP's of .566 and .521 respectively. Myers has 12 doubles, 17 RBI and 24 walks. Steele is also no stranger to the free pass, drawing 21 walks of his own along with eight hit by pitches, and has supplemented that with seven home runs and 29 RBI for a team-high 1.191 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 0.95 ERA in 16.2 innings while having a win and four saves, with three saves being 2.0 or more innings pitched.

SCOUTING THE COWBOYS
New Mexico Highlands is 5-17 this season and have started 0-8 in the RMAC with their first four conference games coming on the road against #5 Colorado Mesa. The offense has been strong for the Cowboys this season, as they are hitting .318 as a team. Truett Ross and Vladimire Castro are hitting .449 and .414 respectively, with Ross tied to the team lead with RBI, along with Jeremiah D'Arezzo. D'Arezzo has a team-high nine extra-base hits,m while Nico Hilger has three home runs  and three doubles.
On the mound, the Cowboys have struggled on the mound so far this season, holding an 8.56 team ERA, with Anthony Reyes, Aidan Joyce and Ramon Brion all posting more than 23 innings pitched this season. Brion has struck out 27 batters and allowed just seven walks over a team-high 27.2 innings pitched.

ABOUT THE COACHES
John Martin is 17-6 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 335-187-1 career record.
Steve Jones is in his first season of his second career stint with the Cowboys and has 555-412 record in 18 total season at NM Highlands. In between stints with the Cowboys, Jones was the head coach at TAMU-Texarkana for nine seasons, winning 256 games and was also an assistant last season at LSU-Shreveport for their 59-0 season in NAIA.

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 .351 in 22 games played and is fourth on the Hornets with 22 RBI this season. He has tallied eight 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 115 career games for the Hornets in his career and started all 23 this season. In his 115 career games, Myers has a .336 batting average and has moved into tenth all-time in program history with 84 career walks. He is also approaching career top ten in multiple categories. Myers is hitting .422 this season, the fifth-best mark in the MIAA while also totaling 12 doubles, 17 RBI, 24 walks and 33 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 31 runs scored and has 29 RBI of his own. Also, Steele has a .521 OBP as he has drawn 21 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 60 games in his Hornet career, with 53 at shortstop while adding seven 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 .274 and has a .421 OBP through the first 23 games on his way to scoring 27 runs of his own.

Nathon Cruz (Jr./Oranjestad, Aruba) is in his first season with the Hornets and has made 2` starts at the hot corner while posting a .284 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 ten games for the Hornets in his first season, including starting the final two games of the Steven Anson Classic and the last five. Coffin is 9-28 with three walks and seven RBI. His seven RBI have happened over the past five games, including two games with three runs driven in.

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 22 games and played in all 23 this season in his first year with the Hornets. The Puerto Rican native has 23 hits and 23 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 11 multi-hit games through the first 23 while driving in 33 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 .324 with eight 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 17 starts at both designated hitter and in left field, and is hitting .258 with 17 runs, six doubles, eight walks and three homers. His first 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 in 6.0 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 19.0 innings across nine relief appearances, racking up three multi-inning saves and four total, along with a win so far this season. Huffman has 17 strikeouts while allowing just nine hits and three walks and holds a 0.95 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 four 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 and started the last game against Missouri Western. Khasaempanth has nine strikeouts in 14.0 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 ten appearances in the first 23 games for his hometown team and has a 3.86 ERA in 9.1 relief innings. Ruge has allowed just five hits so far this season and is allowing just a .156 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 12 appearances with 21 strikeouts in 15.2 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 nine appearances in the early stages of the 2026 season. Rios has pitched 8.1 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 both the ABCA and D2 Baseball, and are currently ranked seventh in the latest NCBWA Central Region poll. The Hornets are 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.