Softball | 3/7/2026 9:00:00 AM

Games 18-19
Emporia State Hornets (11-6, 0-0 MIAA)
vs. Augustana Vikings (3-8, 0-0 MIAA)
Sunday, March 8 • 1:00 p.m. • Trusler Sports Complex • Emporia, Kan.
Series History: ESU leads 13-11 • Last Meeting: #5 AU 9, ESU 1 (3/2/25)
Complete Notes in pdf • The MIAA Network • Live Stats

QUICK HITS

• Emporia State is 11-6 through nonconference play to begin the season, with four of their six losses by just one run.
• The Hornet pitching staff has an ERA of 2.17 this season, which ranks third in the MIAA. Hannah Butterbaugh has a team-high of 50.1 innings in 13 appearances with a 0.97 ERA. She was also named the MIAA Pitcher of the Week following the Washburn Invitational.
• All five pitchers for the Hornets have pitched double-digit innings, and with Chloe Wilson and Izzy Sloan join Butterbaugh with more than 20 innings this season.
• At the plate, the Hornets are hitting .298 with a team on-base percentage of .377.
• Brooke Flewelling has led the Hornet offense with her power so far, launching nine home runs and driving in 21 runs on her way to a 1.364 OPS. Her nine homers rank second in the MIAA while her OPS is the fourth-best mark this season.

HOME SWEET HOME
After opening their 2026 season over a month ago in the Lone Star State, the Hornets are finally set for opening day at Trusler as they host Augustana.

LAST TIME OUT
The Hornets traveled to Shawnee for the Top Gun Midwest Classic and was originally scheduled for four games, but weather won out over their last two matchups. In the two games Emporia State played, the Hornets beat Maryville 6-0 with Hannah Butterbaugh and Izzy Sloan combining for a shutout in the circle. Emporia State fell in their second game against former MIAA foe Southwest Baptist 7-4. Brooke Flewelling stood out in their two games, homering twice to push her season total to nine.

ABOUT THE HORNETS
Emporia State is 11-6 to begin the 2026 season, which includes four one-run losses over their four nonconference. The Hornets have a 2.17 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 50.1 innings and has a 0.97 ERA in 13 appearances. She also has a team-high 34 strikeouts while allowing opponents to hit just .208 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 .404 with nine home runs and 21 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 .308 on the season and Burkhardt is 15-15 on steal attempts.

SCOUTING THE VIKINGS
Augustana is 3-8 early in the season with three losses by one run and another by two runs. The Vikings have been solid at the plate this season, hitting .310 as a unit. Kierra Lubovich and Andrea Cain are hitting .500 and .410 respectively with both holding an OPS above 1.200. Claire Wynja has a team-high 13 RBI. In the circle, the Vikings have struggled to start 2026, posting a 7.40 ERA. 

SERIES HISTORY
Emporia State leads the series with the Vikings 13-11 with Augustana winning five of the last seven against the Hornets dating back to 2016.

IN THE DUGOUT
Megan Hill is in her first season as the head coach for Emporia State and has started 11-6 this season. Hill has been with the Hornets since 2024, and after the opening weekend of her first season, she took over for April Rosales who was on leave due to doctor's orders regarding her pregnancy and went 30-15 over the remainder of the season.
Gretta Melsted is 785-291 in her 20th season at the helm of the Vikings program, and has over 850 wins in her career.

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).