Baseball | ESU Bulletin

Hornets kicked by Mules

Despite taking an early two-run lead in the first inning, the Hornet baseball team fell to the Central Missouri Mules last Monday

After two quick runs – a single from Eric Dawson to run home Blake Sturgeon and Ashton McCoy hitting in Aaron Rea – the Hornets went scoreless the rest of the game, giving up single runs in the second, third, fourth, sixth and seventh innings to lose to Central Missouri, 5-2. The loss dropped Emporia State two places, where they now sit as the fifth seed in the MIAA Tournament.

The Hornets were set to start their open round series today in Edmond, Okla., but it has been pushed back to tomorrow and Saturday, due to bad weather conditions. Play will continue Sunday if needed.

If the Hornets defeat the University of Central Oklahoma this weekend, they will play in the MIAA Championship Tournament May 11-12 at the Community America Ballpark in Kansas City.

Hornets’ heavy bats keep them abuzz

Junior outfielder David Richards’ bat greets a Northwest Missouri pitch at Trusler Sports Complex April 14. The Hornets took the game with 10 runs.
Will Austin/The Bulletin

With the series knotted up at 1-1, the Emporia State Hornets baseball team faced their toughest obstacle yet over the weekend. Not only were they playing to win the series and maintain their number three seed in the league – they were also without head baseball coach Bob Fornelli in a series-deciding game against Northwest Missouri.

“The emotion they get from their head coach (is) unbelievable,” said assistant coach David Albritton, who got his managerial debut. “(They used) it to finish the second game.”

The team was without Fornelli after a dispute with the umpires in the second game. The Hornets headed into the series riding an eight-game streak, but it was broken in the opener by the Bearcats, 5-1. Still, with the win in the second game, 6-5, the Hornets won 18 of the last 22 games.

The men continued their stellar play, racking up 18 hits and 12 extra base hits, thrashing the Bearcats, 10-6, to take the series.

“We carried that big win in game two into this game,” said Blake Sturgeon, junior second baseman and accounting major. “Jordan (Slade) had a big day, and that really got us going.”

Right from the start, Slade, senior center fielder, pinged one out to center field and found his reservations on third. He was batted in the next at bat by Sturgeon, and the Hornets were up 1-0.

“I tell myself, ‘Look for a pitch I can drive,’” Slade, a criminal justice major, said. “I try to every time to get it going so that I can be productive and carry it on to the next hitter.”

After giving up two runs in the top of the second, the Hornets regained the lead with another Sturgeon-Slade combo in the third, which was sparked by Slade’s fence-hitting triple. The lead never left the Hornets’ hands.

The Hornets beefed up the score in the fourth when Slade hit a deep double to bring in a runner. Sturgeon put Slade back home with another RBI double, and Aaron Rea hit one over the fence to conclude the five-run inning.

Rea hit Todd Schultz in the sixth and Eric Dawson brought Sturgeon home in the eighth to conclude the 10-6 win for the Hornets to move to 24-15 on the season.

The Hornets take on Bethany College at 6 p.m. April 21 at Trusler Sports Complex.

Hornets overcome schedule change

The Hornet baseball team won the three-gram series against Lindenwood in Pryor, Okla. March 3-4 with a 12-inning, 6-5 win in game two, and a 16-hit, 11-0 win in game three.

Dakota McKaskle pitched a complete sixth inning performance in the first game with five strikeouts. But the Hornets gave up three runs in the final inning and lost.

After a short seventh inning game in the double header, the Hornets needed 12 innings before they won game two. After three unearned runs, they brought Brenton Higgins in during the top of the third for relief, and he shut the Lions out.

The Hornets brought everything they had in the final game with 11 run shutout performances.

Shawna Talkington got the start and struck out the Lions to start the game. Blake Sturgeon secured a leadoff homerun for a 1-0 lead.

Eric Dawson had five for five hits at the bat with four RBIs, a homerun and a double. Sturgeon went four for five with two RBIs, while Aaron Rea hit a homer on 2-3 with three RBI performances.

The Hornets will play in familiar territory when they welcome Fort Hays at 1 p.m. March 9 in a double header at home.

Hornets drop home opening series

Taking off after a hit, junior infielder Luke Slagle leaves home plate open for a teammate coming from third base. The home opener against Missouri Western State University Feb. 16, ended in a 5-8 loss for the Hornets.
Will Austin/The Bulletin

The Hornets baseball team, who were ranked third in the pre-season, didn’t look anywhere close to their MIAA rival, the Missouri Western Griffons, as they dropped all three games – 8-5, 7-6 and 12-2 – Feb. 16.

“We are thinking the game instead of playing the game,” said Bob Fornelli, head coach. “We need someone to step up and make a play – until that happens, we are going to struggle.”

Most players also wore long sleeves to fight the February chill, but some admitted that it wasn’t an issue in their doubleheader.

“I have played in it all my life, and we have been practicing in it since we got back from break, so I don’t think weather was a factor at all,” said Todd Schultz, junior catcher and business administration major.

In the first game, the Griffons jumped out early on the Hornets with three quick runs scored on Dakota McKaskle, starting pitcher. The Hornets hung on and cut the gap to one when Aaron Rea tripled to bring two in and was let in himself on an error.

But the Griffons put up a couple of solo shots over the fence to end the first of the doubleheader with an 8-5 win.

In the second game, Garrett Bane, junior pitcher, got the start on the mound and brought everything he had against the Griffons’ heavy bat attack. He pitched six innings, had five strikeouts and even had three shutout innings in the first, fifth and sixth innings.

“I kept my composure, and threw strikes, got guys out, just things didn’t seem to go our way,” Bane, a recreation major, said.

Things looked to be going the Hornets’ way in the bottom of the seventh. Schultz hit a three RBI triple on a play that looked like the ball was going to be a foul, but then the wind carried it in to give the Hornets a 6-3 lead.

“The ump told me it was a 10 feet foul when it was up in the air,” Schultz said. “I guess that’s just my luck today, and, hopefully, some of that keeps with us.”

The Hornets were not so lucky as the Griffons scored four runs off of four hits in the top of the eighth and secured a tightly contested 7-6 win.

The third game of the series took place Feb. 17, when Shawn Talkington, sophomore pitcher, got the start on the mound for the Hornets.

From the start of the game, it seemed like a defensive battle, as neither team scored in the first three innings. In the top of the fifth with two outs, Talkington gave up a two-run bomber, as the Griffons took control with a 6-0 lead.

“I just lost control of my changeup and from then I couldn’t find the strike zone,” Talkington, a biology major, said.

The Hornets take on Lincoln University of Missouri at 1 p.m. Saturday in Jefferson City, Mo., weather permitting.

Griffins take away wins from ESU

Senior infielder/right-handed pitcher Joe Kornbrust slides into second base during their first game against Missouri Western Monday afternoon. The Hornets lost both games on Monday’s double-header, losing to the Griffons 5-4 and 6-2. Yo Han Kim/The Bulletin

Emporia Uses Big Inning to Sweep the Lopers

Ben Kacks throws pitch to a Loper hitter. ESU defeated Nebraska-Kearney,12-5, on Friday at Trusler Sport Complex. Yo Han Kim/The bulletin

Hazlett ‘great offensive player’ for baseball team

Emporia State senior Dillon Hazlett gets a hit against Nebraska-Omaha April 2 at Glennen Field. Kellen Jenkins/ The Bulletin

Every successful team has to have their player that can make good things come out of tight situations and bring out the

best in the ball club.

For the Emporia State baseball team, that player is Senior Centerfielder Dillon Hazlett. Hazlett is a native Kansan but went to North Carolina University for his first years of collegiate baseball before transferring to ESU.

“Baseball is a mental game, and he brings that to the table each and every day,” said Head Coach Bob Fornelli. “He can run, and he is a great offensive player. He does a lot of little things that make our team good.”

This season alone, Hazlett has earned the MIAA Hitter of the Week twice and has also been named the Regional and National Hitter of the Week by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. Hazlett became the first player from the MIAA to earn either award.

“It is nice to (get the honors),” Hazlett said. “As long as we keep winning is the main thing. I can get all those, but if we don’t win then it’s not so fun.”

Hazlett earned the hitting accolades after a particularly spectacular game against Lincoln University. With the score tied in the fifth, Hazlett singled to get on base then stole second and advanced on a hit to third before stealing home to score the go-ahead run.

“He is the guy (who) when we need a big hit he comes up with it (or) when we need to get somebody on base,” said Third Baseman Kevin Wempe. “He is a complete package as a baseball player and a great teammate as well.”

Known for stealing bases, Hazlett is 36 for 36 in stolen base attempts thus far in the season. Also adding to his offensive power is his .437 batting average and a high on base percentage of .489. This, coupled with his foot speed, makes him a capable player to score once he is on base. His speed also lends itself to his abilities as an outfielder.

“He can really run and has great baseball instincts,” Fornelli said. “He is not afraid to fail. He just competes, makes up his mind and goes.”

As well as being an outstanding baseball player, Hazlett is also a leader by example on the team always having a great attitude and working hard to reach team goals.

“He’s got a great attitude each and every day,” Fornelli said. “A lot of times, when your best player is one of your hardest workers, you’re going to have a good team that year. He definitely brings that everyday, works hard, competes, and on top of that, he is probably our best athlete in our baseball program that Emporia State has ever had.”

Chris Dvorak

ESU fun run: Hornets win by combined 23

The runs came early and often for the Emporia State Hornets on Sunday in their double header against the Blue Tigers of

Emporia State senior Jake Hosey takes an easy out against Lincoln Saturday afternoon at Glennen Field. Kellen Jenkins/ The Bulletin

Lincoln University. ESU defeated Lincoln 14-3 in the first of two games and responded with a 15-3 victory in the second.

The first game for ESU saw six runs in the third inning, opening up a 12-3 lead.

“We knew we had to come out, put up some runs early,” said Centerfielder Dillon Hazlett. “It’s big to get runs early, that way you can just put a team away (in) beating them three games in a row.”

First Baseman Travis Whipple would continue the onslaught for ESU with his lead off home run in the fourth inning. The Hornets added one more run to the score and won handily 14-3.

In the second game of the double header, ESU found ways to score despite being out hit 7-1 through three innings. Aggressiveness in stealing bases kept the game knotted at three runs.

“We want to be aggressive on the bases,” Whipple said. We want to put pressure on them, make them do stuff they’re not comfortable doing. Whenever you can get guys running and movement in the middle you open up gaps, open up holes.”

A lead off home run by Joe Kornbrust followed by a home run by Rudy Weiser sparked what became a five run fourth inning for ESU, a run that cemented their lead for the game.

“People laid back, and we needed a little spark,” said Head Coach Bob Fornelli of the back to back home runs. “At that time, they had seven hits, and we had one hit. Even though the score was three to three, we weren’t producing a whole lot, and I think that got everyone up.”

Hazlett would follow up with a two run home run in the fifth, and Shortstop Andy Cotton’s three-run homerun in the eighth inning would effectively end the game by run rule as ESU held a 15-3 lead.

The Hornets are now 33-4 overall and 29-4 in the MIAA. With the win, they clinch a spot in the upcoming MIAA tournament. ESU is currently ranked first in the conference and prepare for a four game series at second place Central Missouri this weekend.

“We’ve been pretty good on the road so far,” Fornelli said. “But we have our toughest weekend of the year next week. It’s up to us to compete, do the little things. No matter what we do, as long as we compete and play the game the right way, we can go out of there with our heads up.”

Brandon Schneeberger

ESU steals home to seal sweep

Holding their number one MIAA conference ranking, the #4 Emporia State University baseball team swept unranked

Emporia State senior J.D. Herman throws for an out at first base in the first game of a doubleheader against Missouri Western Tuesday afternoon at Glennen Field. Kellen Jenkins/ The Bulletin

Missouri Western State University on Tuesday, winning the double header, 5-2 and 11-7.

“They’re doing great. It’s an unbelievable club. I don’t know if we have the most talent in the country, but we’re finding ways to win,” said Head Coach Bob Fornelli. “They always believe they’re going to win games and then they do that.”

Winning game one smoothly, the first Hornet run was from a triple by senior Parker Amos. After that, the Hornets scored three runs in the third inning and one more in the sixth.

The Griffons attempted a comeback scoring one run in the seventh and loading the bases, but left each runner stranded at the end allowing the Hornets were able to come away with the win.

“At times, we may get laid back a little too much,” said Senior Outfielder Dillon Hazlett. “But we always rein it back in and get the job done.”

The second game was a little rockier, with the Griffons threatening from the first inning, making one run. The Hornets had a rough start with starting pitcher Derek Brooks throwing 38 pitches and the Hornets making two errors. The Hornets offense came out, however, and took the lead with two runs in the first.

“Whenever (Brooks) is not down in the zone, he struggles a little bit,” said Senior Catcher David Allbritton. “But when he is down in the zone, no one can hit him.”

Brooks improved his pitching for the next three innings only allowing two hits and shutting down the Griffon offense. ESU then went on a hitting drought for three innings, allowing the Griffons to tie the game.

“We’ve got to come out and do a better job of closing the game,” Allbritton said. “Instead of giving up a few runs… but we got lucky and had built up more runs on them.”

Hazlett opened up the Hornet scoring by hitting a double and stealing third before stealing home on a wild pitch. The Hornets then had a five run eighth inning that giving them a little cushion going into the ninth that the Griffons could not overcome.

“We found a way to battle through it,” Fornelli said. “It’s a big opportunity for us to win two games, and we were able to do it.”

Chris Dvorak

Top MIAA team battles wind, gets win

With the wind playing a huge factor, the Emporia State baseball team finished a four game series against the Mavs of Nebraska-Omaha Sunday, defeating UNO 10-5. After falling behind 0-2 in the series, the Hornets rebounded winning the final two games.

“I think it’s a huge win for us this year,” said Head Coach Bob Fornelli. “Because it’s the first time we’ve lost two in a row. To come out today and compete and give ourselves a chance to win is huge for the rest of the year.”

Neither team wasted time getting on the board as the Mavs opened up with one run in the first inning followed by two Hornet runs off an unearned run by Kevin Wempe and a run by Andy Cotton off of an RBI from Joe Vaskas.

The Mavs responded again in the second inning on a sacrifice fly to tie the game up at two runs apiece before Vaskas struck again with the first homerun of the game giving ESU a 3-2 lead.

“He threw me a breaking ball, and I put a good swing on it,” Vaskas said. “I knew the wind was carrying out well, so anything in the air had a chance to get out for anybody on the team.”

The Hornets added two more runs off a UNO error on what should have been a routine fly ball opportunity. ESU took the three run lead into the fourth and extended their lead to six runs after Dillon Hazlett’s homerun to right field brought Wempe home.

“When I hit it, right off the bat I was like, ‘that’s probably foul,’ and then I looked up and it was blowing back fair and it stayed straight… the wind helped me out on that one a little bit,” Hazlett said.

ESU added two more runs to the lead in the bottom of the sixth. Though the Mavs would respond with three runs in the top of the eighth, the Hornets held them off for the 10-5 victory.

For the series, the Hornets went 2-2 with the Mavs after dropping the first two games. ESU dropped the series opener on Friday 2-8 before splitting Saturday’s double-header. The Hornets lost the first game 2-5 but rebounded with an 8-6 victory in the second.

ESU is now 22-3 on the season and ranked first in the MIAA. They return to Glennen Field this weekend for another four game series against Missouri Southern. First pitch in the series is scheduled for 6 p.m. tomorrow.

Brandon Schneeberger