Baseball | 4/23/2026 5:00:00 PM

Games 45-47
(RV) Emporia State Hornets (31-13, 18-12 MIAA)
at Washburn Ichabods (18-26, 14-16 MIAA)
Friday, April 24 • 5:00 p.m. • Steve Anson Stadium • Topeka, Kan.
Saturday, April 25 • 2:00 p.m. • Steve Anson Stadium • Topeka, Kan.
Sunday, April 26 • 1:00 p.m. • Steve Anson Stadium • Topeka, Kan.
Complete Notes in pdf • The MIAA Network • Live Stats

SERIES NOTES
All-Time: ESU leads 181-89-1 • Last Meeting: WU 12, ESU 6 (4/13/25)
Last ESU series win: 2019 (2-1) • Last ESU series sweep: 2017 (3-0)
Last WU series win: 2025 (2-1) • Last 10 games: WU leads 7-3

RANKINGS
Emporia State: ABCA - RV; NCBWA NR/8; D2 Baseball - RV
Washburn: NR

QUICK HITS

• Emporia State heads to Steve Anson Stadium for the second time this season, after winning all three games at the Steve Anson Classic in February.
• The Hornets are coming off a midweek win over Fort Hays State in which they scored 25 runs, the most in a game since 2017.
• Noah Steele homered twice against the Tigers on Tuesday, moving to fifth all-time in program history with 31 over the past two seasons.
• Logan Myers now ranks top ten in program history in at-bats, hits, runs scored, walks and doubles.

TIME TO TUSSLE IN TOPEKA
Emporia State travels up the Turnpike for a three-game series against Washburn, as the Hornets are looking for their first series win over the Ichabods since 2019.

ABOUT THE HORNETS
Emporia State is 31-13 overall and 17-12 in the MIAA, with their 31 wins being the most since the 2018 season. At the plate, the Hornets are in the top four of the MIAA in several categories, including OBP, slugging percentage, doubles, home runs and runs scored.
The offensive catalysts for Emporia State have been Logan Myers and Noah Steele who are hitting .421 and .387, with OBP's of .559 and .545 respectively. Myers has 20 doubles, 32 RBI and 39 walks from the leadoff spot. Steele is also no stranger to the free pass, drawing a team-high 42 walks of his own along with 12 hit by pitches, and has supplemented that with a career-high 16 home runs and 60 RBI for an OPS of 1.313. In addition to Myers and Steele, Frankie Santiago has been one of the best power bats in the MIAA so far this season with 13 home runs of his own.
On the mound, Colby Deaver has made his case as one of the best pitchers in the nation, as he has posted a 1.33 ERA through 74.2 innings in his 12 starts, while striking out 76 batters and allowing just nine walks. Seth Stover and Quinton Chindamo round out the weekend rotation. Jake Khasaempanth started all six midweek MIAA matchups. In the bullpen, six pitchers have made 13 or more relief appearances, with Grant Huffman anchoring the back end with a 0.95 ERA in 28.1 innings while having two wins and seven saves, with four saves being 2.0 or more innings pitched. Huffman's seven saves lead the MIAA and are tied for the seventh-most in the nation.

SCOUTING THE ICHABODS
Washburn is 18-26 this season with a 14-16 MIAA record as they battle for a top eight seed in the MIAA tournament. The Ichabods have won six of their last nine which includes a win over #7 Rogers State last weekend. Five players are hitting north of .300 this season, with Ian Luce highlighting the Ichabod offense with a .426 average which includes 18 doubles, five triples and seven home runs for an OPS just north of 1.200. Levi Risenhoover is batting .309 with 11 home runs and a team-high 54 RBI and has an MIAA Hitter of the Week honor under his belt from earlier this month.
On the mound, Kai Bennett and Maclane Finley each have 11 starts while Caleb Lunnon has nine this season. Bennett has a 5.30 ERA with 54 strikeouts in 52.2 innings while him and Finley are both allowing a .277 opponent batting average.

LAST TIME VS WASHBURN
Last season, the Hornets hosted the Ichabods at Trusler in a three-game series that saw 67 runs scored between the two teams. Emporia State took game one 14-8, which included a four RBI game by Logan Myers. Game two proved to be a shootout aided by the long ball, as the two teams tallied ten home runs. Washburn scored four in the top of the ninth to take a 14-8 lead, and the Hornets nearly completed a comeback as they scored five before falling 14-13. In the finale, the score went back in forth before Washburn scored eight over the final three innings to take the series with a 12-6 win.

ABOUT THE COACHES
John Martin is 31-13 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 349-194-1 career record. 
Harley Douglas is 302-268 in his 12th season leading his alma mater. 

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 .291 in 38 games played and is tied for fourth on the Hornets with 32 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 ten runners this season.

AROUND THE DIAMOND
Logan Myers (Jr./Pittsburg, Kan.) has played in 136 career games for the Hornets in his career and started all 44 this season. In his 136  career games, Myers has a .347 batting average and ranks top ten in several career offensive categories for Emporia State. Myers is hitting .421 this season, the second-best mark in the MIAA while also totaling 20 doubles, 32 RBI, 39 walks and 60 runs scored. Myers has tallied 22 multi-hit games, including three with four hits. 

Noah Steele (Jr/Prairie Village, Kan.) has started all 44 games this season and has picked up where left off in the 2025 campaign. Steele is batting .387 with a .545 OBP, which is nearly 90 points higher than last season. He has nine doubles, 16 home runs, 42 walks, and 60 RBI this season. Steele was the team leader in 2025 with 64 hits, 53 RBI and a 1.144 OPS, on his way to Second Team All-MIAA honors in the outfield, and is looking to surpass all three marks this season. He has tallied 31 home runs over the past two seasons, which is for fifth most in program history. Steele delivered the walk-off homer in the series finale against #16 Central Missouri, marking the first series win over the Mules since 2017, while also notching his third multi-homer game of the season in the last outing against Fort Hays State.

Brady Unrein (So./Wichita, Kan.) has started 79 games in his Hornet career, with 59 at shortstop while adding 17 in the outfield and three at DH 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 .307 and has a .440 OBP through 42 games played on his way to scoring 51 runs. In the series opener against Newman, Unrein went 6-6, matching an MIAA record, and setting a D2 record for Emporia State with six hits in a single game.

Nathon Cruz (Jr./Oranjestad, Aruba) is in his first season with the Hornets and has made 36 starts, while posting a .276 batting average. Cruz has three doubles, four triples, three home runs, 23 RBI and 31 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 19 starts this season, with at least two at all three positions. He is hitting .313 with six doubles, five home runs and 21 RBI. 

Tyler Coffin (Fr./Kansas City, Mo.) has played in 32 games with 28 starts in his first season with the Hornets. Coffin is hitting .284 with a .410 OBP this season and has driven in 22 runs. Coffin hit his first career home run in the series finale against Rogers State (3/29), and homered in the series finale against Fort Hays State (4/21).

OUT IN THE FIELD
Frankie Santiago (Jr./Cayey, Puerto Rico) has started 40 games and played in 41 this season in his first year with the Hornets. The Puerto Rican native has 37 hits and 30 walks this season, while driving in 43 runs behind four doubles, one triple and a team-high 13 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 19 multi-hit games through the first 40 while driving in 47 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 .354 with 15 doubles, and seven 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 36 games this season at both corner outfield positions and designated hitter. Schwindt is hitting .235 with 29 runs, nine doubles, 14 walks and six homers. He has two games this season with two home runs, including two in the eight-run fifth frame in the series finale against Missouri Southern (4/12).

Sammy Padilla (R-So./Tucson, Ariz.) played a multitude of positions for the Hornets in 2025 after redshirting in the 2024 campaign and has started 18 games 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 .255 with five doubles and eight walks. 

Gus Keller (So./Pittsburg, Kan.) has three starts and has appeared in 19 games for the Hornets, with all three starts coming in left field while making appearances in centerfield and as a pinch runner and hitter. Keller is 8-20 at the plate with four walks, two doubles, three steals and 11 runs scored. Both doubles came in the last game against Fort Hays State (4/21). 

ON THE MOUND
Colby Deaver (So./Blue Springs, Mo.) has been one of the best pitchers in the nation this season, as he has a 1.33 ERA through 74.2 innings in his first 12 starts. In the nation, Deaver ranks second in ERA, tied for second in walks per nine innings (1.08), first in WHIP (0.80), and second in K/BB ratio (8.44). 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. 

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 primarily been the series opening starter this season and has 12 starts on the year. Stover holds a 5-3 record with a 4.87 ERA over 57.1 innings. His best outing of the season came against NM Highlands where he pitched a seven-inning shutout with five strikeouts.

Quinton Chindamo (Fr./Parkville, Mo.) has made 13 appearances in his first season at Emporia State and has 28 strikeouts in 37.1 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 six series finales for Emporia State which included an MIAA Pitcher of the Week performance in his last outing against NM Highlands where he struck out nine batters in 6.0 shutout innings. 

Grant Huffman (R-Sr./Lee's Summit, Mo.) is in his fourth year with the Hornets and is putting together the best season of his career. The Lee's Summit native has pitched 28.1 innings across 17 relief appearances, racking up four multi-inning saves and seven total, along with two wins so far this season. Huffman has 22 strikeouts while allowing just 18 hits and six 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.

Jake Khasaempanth (Jr./Riverside, Calif.) has made 14 relief appearances along with making seven starts, including all of the MIAA midweek matchups. Khasaempanth has 15 strikeouts in 30.0 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. 

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. This season, Nick Woodcock has a team-high 18 relief appearances and has pitched 30.1 innings this season while striking out 43 on his way to a 3-2 record. In each of his last two innings, Woodcock has struck out six batters against Missouri Southern and #16 Central Missouri.

Graeme Rios (Sr./Houston, Texas) made 17 appearances in his first season with the Hornets in 2025, making six starts and another ten appearances out of the bullpen, and has matched that with 16 appearances this season. Rios has pitched 17.0 innings and has a trio of wins, giving him ten in his career while holding a 9.00 ERA this season.

Grayson Barnes (R-Fr./Tuttle, Okla.) has made three starts and 13 relief appearances this season after transferring in from Central Oklahoma. In his 16 outings, Barnes has 11 strikeouts, including four in 4.0 innings against Southeastern Oklahoma at the Edmond First Pitch Classic and an inning against NM Highlands where he struck out the side.

Owen Ruge (Fr./Emporia, Kan.) has made 18 appearances in the first 44 games for his hometown team and has a 3.71 ERA in 17.0 relief innings. Ruge has allowed just ten hits so far this season and is allowing just a .175 opponent batting average.

IN THE POLLS
The Hornets are receiving votes in the latest edition of the ABCA Coaches and D2 Baseball polls and are currently ranked seventh in the latest NCBWA Central Region poll. The Hornets are one of six MIAA teams in the top eight. The NCAA also released the first edition of the regional rankings on Wednesday, and the Hornets were one up the six MIAA teams under consideration.

NATIONAL RECOGNITION
The Central Region, and specifically the MIAA feature in each of the Division II 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 ten by the ABCA with Rogers State ranked 15th.

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.