Baseball | 4/6/2026 3:15:00 PM

SERIES NOTES
All-Time: ESU leads 153-72 • Last Meeting: ESU 12, FHSU 7 (3/24/26)
Last ESU series win: 2023 (2-1) • Last ESU series sweep: 2021 (3-0)
Last FHSU series win: 2025 (3-0)
Last 10 games: FHSU leads 6-4 • Current Streak: W1
John Martin (career): 22-9

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

QUICK HITS

• Emporia State hits the road for game two of their midweek series against Fort Hays State, and are looking to secure the series win after winning game on 12-7 at the Trusler Sports Complex.
• The Hornets are coming off a three-game sweep against Newman which featured 58 runs scored, the most by Emporia State in a three-game series since scoring 60 against Lincoln in 2016.
• Against the Jets, Brady Unrein went 6-6 in the series opener, which tied the MIAA record for hits in a game, while Noah Steele had a 5-5 day in game two which included a grand slam and a career-high seven RBI.

MIDWEEK OUT WEST
Emporia State travels west for the second game in their midweek series against Fort Hays State on Tuesday afternoon.

ABOUT THE HORNETS
Emporia State is 27-8 overall and 14-7 in the MIAA, with their 27 wins equaling their total from the 2019 season. At the plate, the Hornets are in the top four of the MIAA in several categories, including average, OBP, doubles, home runs and runs scored.
The offensive catalysts for Emporia State have been Logan Myers and Noah Steele who are hitting .427 and .413 to open the year with OBP's of .565 and .557 respectively. Myers has 18 doubles, 29 RBI and 30 walks from the leadoff spot. Steele is also no stranger to the free pass, drawing a team-high 32 walks of his own along with nine hit by pitches, and has supplemented that with 11 home runs and 47 RBI for an OPS of 1.311. In addition to Myers and Steele, Frankie Santiago has become one of the best power bats in the MIAA so far this season. Santiago is second in the MIAA with 13 home runs.
On the mound, Colby Deaver has made his case as one of the best pitchers in the nation, as he has posted a 1.21 ERA through 59.2 innings in his ten starts, while striking out 62 batters and allowing just seven walks. Seth Stover has made the first start for the Hornets each weekend and Quinton Chindamo has made the last seven starts in the series finale. Stover put together his best outing of the season against New Mexico Highlands, pitching seven shutout innings with five strikeouts. In the bullpen, six pitchers have made ten or more relief appearances, with Grant Huffman anchoring the back end with a 0.82 ERA in 22.0 innings while having a win and six saves, with four saves being 2.0 or more innings pitched. Huffman's six saves lead the MIAA and are tied for the third-most in the nation.

SCOUTING THE TIGERS
Fort Hays State is 10-24 this season with a 7-17 MIAA record. The Tigers snapped an 11-game skid in their last time out, as they rallied to win the series finale against Pittsburg State on Saturday. Offensively, Fort Hays State ranks eighth in batting average, tenth in runs scored, eighth in doubles, and seventh in home runs. Antonio Avila, Derek Woolwine, and Erick Ordonez all have five or more home runs, with Woolwine recording a team-high nine and 32 RBI. Avila is hitting .385 and has 15 doubles this season, the third-best mark in the MIAA.
On the mound, Fort Hays State has an 8.88 team ERA and have struck out 233 batters in 284.1 innings pitched. In the last midweek game against the Hornets, the Tigers used five pitchers, with Aaron Boutz posting the longest outing with 3.2 innings while striking out three Hornets. 

LAST TIME VS FORT HAYS STATE
Two weeks ago, the Hornets and Tigers met at Trusler Sports Complex and Emporia State took a 1-0 lead in the first. After Fort Hays State scored two in the top of the second to take a lead, the Hornets responded with two in the bottom half and five in the third to take an 8-2 lead. Emporia State added another big inning in the seventh, scoring four runs on three extra-base hits to help seal the 12-7 win over the Tigers. 

ABOUT THE COACHES
John Martin is 27-8 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 345-189-1 career record.
Justin Wichert is 87-96 in his fourth season at Fort Hays State and was the 2025 MIAA Coach of the Year after leading the Tigers to a 32-16 record, their first 30-win season since 2010.

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 .310 in 30 games played and is fifth on the Hornets with 28 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 eight runners this season.

AROUND THE DIAMOND
Logan Myers (Jr./Pittsburg, Kan.) has played in 127 career games for the Hornets in his career and started all 35 this season. In his 127 career games, Myers has a .344 batting average and ranks eighth in program history in both walks (90) and doubles (39) and is also approaching career top ten in multiple other categories. Myers is hitting .427 this season, the second-best mark in the MIAA while also totaling 18 doubles, 29 RBI, 30 walks and 52 runs scored. Myers has tallied 17 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 47 runs scored and leads the way with 47 RBI. Also, Steele has a .557 OBP as he has drawn 32 walks and been hit by nine 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 71 games in his Hornet career, with 58 at shortstop while adding 13 in the outfield 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 .294 and has a .419 OBP through 35 games on his way to scoring 41 runs of his own. 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 28 starts, while posting a .286 batting average. Cruz has two doubles, four triples, two home runs, 17 RBI and 26 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 13 starts this season, with at least two at all three positions. He is hitting .283 with five doubles, two home runs and 15 RBI. 

Tyler Coffin (Fr./Kansas City, Mo.) has played in 23 games with 19 starts, including each of the last 17, for the Hornets in his first season. Coffin is hitting .338 with a .446 OBP this season and has driven in 19 runs. Coffin hit his first career home run in the series finale against Rogers State (3/29).

OUT IN THE FIELD
Frankie Santiago (Jr./Cayey, Puerto Rico) has started 32 games and played in 33 this season in his first year with the Hornets. The Puerto Rican native has 35 hits and 28 walks this season, while driving in 42 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 17 multi-hit games through the first 35 while driving in 45 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 .361 with 13 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 the last nine after an injury early to open the season. Schwindt has made 29 starts at both designated hitter and in the corner outfield positions, and is hitting .250 with 26 runs, nine doubles, 13 walks and four homers. His first two homers both came in the 5-0 win in game two of the series against Northwest Missouri (2/28).

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 two starts and has appeared in 17 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 6-16 at the plate with a pair of walks while driving in seven runs. He also three stolen bases and nine 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. Stover holds a 5-1 record with a 4.07 ERA over 48.2 innings. His best outing of the season came against NM Highlands where he pitched a seven-inning shutout with five strikeouts.

Colby Deaver (So./Blue Springs, Mo.) has been one of the best pitchers in the nation this season, as he has a 1.21 ERA through 59.2 innings in his first ten 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 putting together the best season of his career. The Lee's Summit native has pitched 22.0 innings across 11 relief appearances, racking up four multi-inning saves and six total, along with a win so far this season. Huffman has 17 strikeouts while allowing just ten hits and four walks and holds a 0.82 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.

Grayson Barnes (R-Fr./Tuttle, Okla.) has made three starts and eight relief appearances this season after transferring in from Central Oklahoma. In his 11 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.

Jake Khasaempanth (Jr./Riverside, Calif.) has made  12 relief appearances along with making four starts, including each of the three midweek MIAA matchups. Khasaempanth has 11 strikeouts in 20.2 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 13 appearances in the first 35 games for his hometown team and has a 3.09 ERA in 11.2 relief innings. Ruge has allowed just six hits so far this season and is allowing just a .150 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 15 appearances with 28 strikeouts in 21.0 innings pitched, with multiple strikeouts in ten of his outings.

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 is up to 13 appearances this season. Rios has pitched 14.1 innings and has a trio of wins, giving him ten in his career while holding a 3.14 ERA this season.

Quinton Chindamo (Fr./Parkville, Mo.) has made 12 appearances in his first season at Emporia State and has 27 strikeouts in 34.1 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 Sunday's 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.

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 eighth in the latest NCBWA Central Region poll. The Hornets are one of five MIAA teams in the top eight.

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.