Graham

Having pitched in the Division II National Championship game a season ago, senior pitcher Ben Graham has nearly seen it all. The recreation major and Holden, Mo., native came from Hutchinson Community College to Emporia State ready to make an immediate impact – it showed in the championship game, although the team eventually fell to Lynn University, 2-1.

For Graham, the situation was intense.

“It was pretty crazy,” Graham said. “Just knowing you’re on national television, having a bunch of people you know back home watching you and getting to compete for a national championship – I really don’t know how to explain it.”

Now in his senior year at ESU, Graham still has the same expectations as last season.

“I think, this year, we have more talent than we did last year,” Graham said. “It’s just finding a way to put it all together. We’re still struggling a little bit, but my expectations are still to win a national championship.”

Graham is definitely doing his part. He’s currently third in the MIAA with a 2.02 earned run average.

Even out of Hutch, expectations for Graham were high.

“When Ben came here, we knew he was a pretty good pitcher,” said John Martin, Graham’s pitching coach. “He’s always had good stuff. I think his velocity has increased since last year. He’s always had good movement, and he’s also increased his command of all three of his pitches.”

According to senior catcher David Albritton, Graham is the perfect pitcher to catch for.

“It’s awesome,” Albritton said. “He throws strikes and he’s quick. It’s a lot of fun catching him. You don’t have to do too much work because he’s going to split your body and he’s going to throw strikes.”

Graham said the differences between Emporia State and HCC are vast, in a good way.

“It’s a lot more laid back here,” Graham said. “It’s more professional, I would say. JUCO is really working to fine-tune your skills, like developing you into a good baseball player. Everyone that’s here is coming from JUCO, so it’s just like coming together as a team more and playing good baseball.”

As a source of inspiration, Graham thinks about his grandfather. Apparently, baseball runs in the family.

“My grandpa was a really good pitcher back when he was younger,” Graham said. “He was getting scouted by the Major Leagues, and he always talked to me about pitching and stuff. I think about him everyday.”

Even in his spare time, Graham and his teammates can’t seem to escape baseball.

“I pretty much just hang out with the guys,” Graham said. “We always go over to one guy’s house and hang out and play video games and watch baseball. It’s baseball on the field, and when we get off the field, we’re watching baseball. It’s baseball all day long.”

Perhaps the 24/7 baseball schedule gives Graham the edge he needs to excel. Martin believes Graham is a key to the Hornets’ success.

“He consistently goes out there and gives us a chance to win,” Martin said.

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The Emporia State baseball team punished Sterling College for last Tuesday evening, 24-4. The win marked Coach Bob Fornelli’s 600th of his career.

“It’s a neat deal,” Fornelli said. “It means I’m getting old, and I’ve been around for awhile. It’s because we’ve had good players, and they’ve done the right things to allow our programs to do good in the past.”

Senior outfielder Tyler Herrig was proud to be apart of the milestone.

“We played real well,” Herrig said. “And that (600 wins) is an amazing feat for Coach Fornelli…he deserves it, though. He’s a great coach, knows what he’s doing. He’s one of the best ones I’ve ever played for.”

According to junior infielder Kevin Wempe, the 600-plus wins just come with the territory for Fornelli.

“That is a big number,” Wempe said. “It’s just a testament to what he demands of his players. He’s just got a passion for winning. He’s allergic to losing.”

The bats came alive for the Hornets in epic fashion versus the Warriors of Sterling – Emporia State outhit SC 19-9 and had five home runs on the evening.

According to Fornelli, the game was in hand before it even started.

“You could tell before this game that it was going to be a good day,” Fornelli said. “Guys were loose, and they were having fun before the game even started. (They) were a little tight after the first inning, striking out two out of three of the first hitters, but we had some guys step up and have good swings and got on a roll and good things happened.”

Wempe went 2-5 with two home runs on the outing, a step up from pervious attempts from several weeks before.

“I got some good pitches to hit today,” Wempe said. “It felt comfortable and (I) was able to put some good swings on it.”

Fornelli said that it was a small break that gave Wempe the tools to put it together.

“I think the time off made him (Wempe) relax a little bit and just watch the game a little bit,” Fornelli said. “I thought he played really well Sunday and came out and did a good job again today.”

Wempe agreed that the time off did him some good.

“Personally I made a couple adjustments and had to sit there and watch for a little while,” Wempe said. “Hopefully me, and also as a team, we get things rolling and play nothing but solid baseball from here on out.”

Senior infielder Kenny Burkhead went 1-3 with three RBI and a home run, while junior outfielder Travis Whipple went 2-4 with four RBI and a homer. Acting as a pinch hitter, Herrig went a perfect 2-2 with five RBI and a home run.

The Hornets next take the mound on April 16 at home against MIAA opponent Missouri Southern. The first of a four-game series is set to start at 6 p.m.

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Emporia State's first baseman Kenny Burkhead eye's in a throw from the pitcher to get the second out of the inning against Wayne State Tuesday. The Hornets fell to Wildcats 3-7. Kenny Thompson/The Bulletin

A rough outing on the mound for the Emporia State baseball team led to a 7-3 loss to the Wildcats of Wayne State last Tuesday. The loss marks the Hornets’ second of the season.

Coach Bob Fornelli said he was unhappy with his team’s lack of competitiveness on the field.

“We didn’t throw strikes, we didn’t compete at the plate, we had one miscue defensively that really cost us,” Fornelli said. “Again, we’ve got to play every day, the right way, and that’s to compete and play hard. We’ve played nine games now…and I don’t know if we’ve done all that stuff. It’s my job to figure out how to get them to compete, and I promise you before it’s all said and done we are going to compete.”

Junior pitcher Spencer Blades got the start for the Hornets on the mound. Blades had a fairly productive day, pitching four innings while allowing no runs, two hits and striking out four batters.

While Blades had a productive outing, several other Hornets pitchers did not take part in similar success. Junior pitcher Keith Spreckles followed Blades’ performance with three earned runs and no strikeouts in two thirds of an inning.

Senior pitcher Brett Mize relieved Spreckles of his duties but did not fare much better. Mize allowed three runs to score with no strikeouts in one third of an inning.

Blades believed that walks might have been the major problem in the outing.

“We had a lot of walks today,” Blades said. “I think that was the biggest part to them scoring all of their runs”

The Hornets also struggled mightily at the plate. Junior infielder Kevin Wempe scored twice for ESU on a 1-3 day, while senior outfielder Jeremy Francis scored once on a 0-4 performance.

In fact, only two Hornets connected with multiple fair balls the entire game. One of whom, junior outfielder Travis Whipple, was frustrated with his team’s inability to play to their own strengths.

“I think we underachieved a lot today,” Whipple said. “We have to come out early and put pressure on guys. Everybody’s coming out to give us their best, for sure, because of our ranking. Right now we’re not playing up to our capabilities.”

The most evident point of the game which showed how much the Hornets were truly struggling came in the top of the fifth inning. A fly ball was hit directly above Wempe near third base, and while junior infielder Andy Cotton came to Wempe’s aid, neither of the players caught the ball as it hit the ground untouched. The play resulted in an easy on-base for the Wayne State batter.

“I think Wempe lost control maybe a little bit, and Cotton gave up because he thought Wempe was going to catch it,” Fornelli said. “We’ve made too many miscues in the infield. No excuses – we’ve got to get better.”

The Hornets will next face Ft. Hays State on the road. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. on March 5 in Hays.

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Tennis: Season closer

The Emporia State men’s and women’s tennis seasons came to a close last Saturday, falling to Truman at the Plaza Tennis Center in Kansas City, Mo. in the MIAA Tournament. The men lost 5-3 in their second straight appearance in the NCAA tournament and the women fell 5-1 in their fourth straight appearance.

The men’s team went 8-8 overall, 1-4 in the MIAA, 1-3 in the region and 3-1 at home.

The women’s team went 9-8 overall, 3-5 in the MIAA, 1-4 in the region and 4-1 at home.

Head Coach John Cayton and his current ESU players will host their fourth annual tennis camp presented by Wilson Racket Sports where players ages 8-18 will participate in a five day camp from June 22-26. Players will be staying in the ESU residence halls overnight and full-day campers will dine in the Lakeview Cafeteria.

Baseball on the road

The Emporia State baseball team went one and three on the road against Missouri Southern, winning the first game 5-2 and losing the last two games 11-12 and 7-11.

In game one, ESU was tied with MSSU 2-2 until the top of the eighth inning when catcher Mike Sharp hit a single to right center field to score two runners. Outfielder Caleb Williamson scored one more run with a fly ball out to right field.

In game two, the Hornets were ahead 11-3 in the seven inning game, until the bottom of the sixth inning when the Lions hit nine runs to take the lead.

Pitcher Diego Soto earned the loss in game two and is now 5-2 on the season.

In game three, ESU was down 11-2 until the top of the ninth inning where they made scored five runs but were unable to complete the comeback.

Pitcher Ben Graham lost his third game of the season, throwing 3.2 innings in game three.

The Hornets are now 39-9 overall and 25-6 in the MIAA and are looking to take the league title.

ESU will host their last regular season match up at home against Southwest Baptist.

Game one of the doubleheader will start at 4 p.m. May 1-2 at Trusler Complex.

Provisional Track Qualifiers

The Emporia State track team had five provisionally qualifying marks at the Sooner Invitational in Norman, Okla.

Connie Philips placed second and provisionally qualified with a 140-7 mark in the women’s javelin. Jaclyn Sill ranked fourth in this season’s Division II charts in the women’s 400m with a time of 55.77.

Sam Williams provisionally qualified individually in the 100m with a time of 10.59 and qualified in the 200m with a time of 21.23. William, Derwin Hall, Josh Schuler and Kenton Lonberger are all qualifiers in the 400m relay.

The Hornets competed yesterday and continue competition today in the MIAA Championships in Maryville, Mo. Brooke Kent, Justine Davenport and Kaylea Goff are performing for the women while Tony Granillo and Cole Davis are performing for the men.

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PHOTO BY KELLEN JENKINS

The Emporia State baseball team batted their way to a run rule in the seventh inning against Sterling College Tuesday night, winning the game 15-3.

The Hornets scored nine runs in the first inning to set the pace for the remainder of the game.

“We had a big first inning which helped,” said Head Coach Bob Fornelli. “We played hard, did the right things and will have a couple good practices before the big weekend.”

ESU showed offensive dominance with 18 hits on the night.

Conner Crumbliss went 3-3 at bat with three runners batted in. Jeremy Francis hit 3-4 with two RBI. Kevin Wempe went 3-2 with two RBI and Mike Sharp went 2-2 with two RBI and hit the only home run for the Hornets. Jacob White finished with three runs scored.

“They kept throwing a lot of fast balls over the plate and if you do that to our team we are going to get a lot of hits,” Crumbliss said. “If they throw it over the plate, we are going to hit it.”

The Hornets held their own on defense, with five different pitchers getting 13 strike outs.

On the mound for ESU, Tyler Applehans struck out all six batters in the first and second innings to get his seventh win. Ben Graham, Colby Killian, Cole Moore and Diego Soto all got time on the mound.

“We had not played since last weekend so we wanted to run guys out there we know are going to pitch this weekend,” Fornelli said.

With the win, the Hornets are now 38-6 overall and are 24-3 in the MIAA.

“I think we have it locked already for first place but we need to just keep winning so we can host the regional here,” Francis said.

The Hornets prepare now for a three game series against 19-9 Missouri Southern.

“We have a big weekend against a good Missouri Southern and if we don’t play well we will come home with a broken heart,” Fornelli said. “We need to play hard, play fast and do the little things to be successful.”

ESU will play the first game at 6 p.m. April 24 at Joplin, Mo.

Doug Irby/The Bulletin

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Short Stop Kevin Wempe hits a single Wednesday afternoon against Pittsburg State on Glenne Field. The Hornets won the double header 14-2 and 14-10. PHOTO BY KELLEN JENKINS

The Emporia State baseball team played a doubleheader against the Pittsburg State Gorillas last night, winning the first game in a blowout 14-2 and the second game 14-10.

Junior right handed pitcher Ben Graham went five innings and allowed one run on 5 hits to get the win.

Senior infielder Connor Crumbliss got the leadoff single in the bottom of the first inning but the Hornets failed to drive in a run in the first inning.

Graham and the Hornets’ defense did not allow a run for three innings. After a Gorilla run in the fourth inning, Graham held the Gorillas to one run less in the fifth inning.

Following the fifth inning, the Hornets made a pitching change and brought in senior left hander Brett McBride. McBride pitched one inning and gave up one run on two hits.

The Hornets made another pitching change in the seventh inning to freshman right hander Justin Maxson who did not allow a hit, sealing the victory for the Hornets.

The Hornets scored their 14 runs on 18 hits. The Gorillas scored their two runs on 7 hits.

Both junior outfielder Chris Dobler and sophomore third baseman Kevin Wempe hit a homerun for the Hornets.

“It felt good to contribute to the win,” Wempe said. “I wanted to score some runs.”

The Hornets won the second game 14-10.

“It was two different ball games,” Wempe said. “Both teams got into the bullpen early and from there it was who could outscore who.”

The Gorillas scored 4 runs in the first inning on a grand slam hit off of Brett Mize. Mize struck the first batter but walked the next three and Jason Murphy hit the ball out of the park.

“(Mize) struggled a little bit,” Dobler said. “He is a good pitcher he just struggled and he will bounce back.”

Following the grand slam, the Hornets brought in right handed pitcher Dominic King, who pitched two innings and allowed five runs on five hits.

The Hornets answered with their own grand slam in the bottom of the first. Mitch Cooper walked the first three Hornets and Dobler blasted one out of the park to tie the game.

“It was a pretty good feeling,” Dobler said. “I got down two strikes and I was just trying to put the ball in play and it came off the bat pretty good.”

The Gorillas scored one run in the second inning to take the lead 5-4. The Hornets managed to get two men on base but failed to drive them in.

The Gorillas scored four more runs in the top of the fourth inning on a two run homerun to increase their lead to three runs. Once again, the Hornets answered with four of their own runs.

The Hornets took the lead in the sixth inning on two consecutive doubles that scored two runs, increasing the score to 11-9.

The Hornets shut out the Gorillas in five of the final six innings behind the arm of junior right hander Austin Anderson to complete the sweep of the Gorillas.

“He was the story of this game,” said head coach Bob Fornelli. “He came in and threw up a bunch of zeros and got us back in the game.”

The Hornets are now 30-6 and 19-3 in the MIAA. They will play Truman at 1 p.m. April 10 in Kirksville, Mo.

Matthew Pierce/The Bulletin

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Senior infielder Anthony Dreiling dives back to first base Wednesday night at Glennen Field. The Hornets beat the Bethany Swedes 12-9 and will face Missouri Western at St. Joseph, Mo./PHOTO BY KELLEN JENKINS

The Emporia State baseball team beat Bethany College 12-9 at home last night.

The Hornets have led the series with the Swedes 20-0. The last meeting resulted in a double header sweep by the Hornets.

The Hornets had an 8-0 lead heading into the fourth inning. Bethany College answered with two three-run homers, along with one more run, cutting the Hornets’ lead to one.

The Hornets brought out freshman pitcher Justin Maxson to finish the top of the fourth.

“Coming out of the bullpen, it is kind of hard when the other team is making a run,” Maxson said.  “(We) just got to try to shut them down and do everything we can to stop that momentum.”

Sophomore left outfielder Anthony Markowitz contributed a two-run homer in the bottom of the fourth. “He got an opportunity and took advantage of it,” said Head Coach Bob Fornelli.

The homerun swung the momentum back the Hornets’ way.

“Markowitz’s two run homer was a big help,” Maxson said. “It gave me a lot of confidence to go back out there.”

The following three innings, the Swedes went three and out.

“(We) just got back in the grove,” said senior left fielder Conner Crumbliss. “(We) just kind of got our focus back on the field.”

The Hornets never looked back, matching the two runs by Bethany College to maintain a three point lead. Markowitz said batting was the key point to winning the game.

“I thought we hit the ball pretty well,” Markowitz said.

According to Fornelli, being able to adjust has been a work in progress for the team.

“In the first six innings we scored,” Fornelli said. “We have talked about (it) all year long; finding ways to score.”

Fornelli said the Hornets’ win was a team effort.

“No one had a great night, but everyone found a way to contribute,” he said.

With only four home games left, the Hornets do not seem too worried about playing on the road.

“We have done a pretty good job on the road,” Fornelli said. “We have got some pretty tough tests ahead.”

With more than half their season out of the way, the Hornets have a shot at regional competition.

The Hornets will play at Missouri Western in their next game at 6 p.m. this Friday, April 3.

Matthew Pierce/The Bulletin

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The Emporia State men’s baseball team played their first game of the season Feb. 10 against Southwestern Oklahoma State. The Hornets won 19-9.

The Hornets were at bat 44 times and had a total of 20 hits, 19 of which resulted in a point. Of the Hornets’ 19 points, 15 were runners batted in, or RBI’s.

In his 18 years as a coach, Bob Fornelli has coached for Butler County Community College and Fort Hays State and is now in his sixth season as head coach for the Hornets. Fornelli finished out the last season 50-10 and has an overall record of 522-202.

Two of this year’s seniors, Connor Crumbliss and Anthony Drieling, helped bring the Hornets to victory.

“Connor Crumbliss, Anthony Drieling and Kevin Wempe are pretty much everyday guys and guys that are definitely going to help us,” Fornelli said.

Connor Crumbliss batted five times with a total of four hits and four runs. Crumbliss helped bring in additional points with two RBI’s. Crumbliss currently has a batting average of .800

Anthony Drieling also batted five times with a total of three hits and three runs, one of which was a home run. Drieling had a total of five RBI’s and has a current batting average of .600.

The team had not practiced much outside due to the Trusler Sports Complex being under construction, but they have been training hard toward this year’s season.

“We are not going to use excuses,” Fornelli said. “We are going to go out and compete and hopefully we come out on top.”

The Hornets started practicing as early as last August.

“We practice pretty much year round… but our field is not done yet so we have only had a couple practices on a baseball field,” Fornelli said. “We have pretty much been down in the gym doing batting practice in the batting cages… doing whatever we can to be prepared.”

The Hornets lost several seniors last year, some of which played a key role in last season’s wins, but Fornelli is confident that the team will be successful.

“We lost a lot last year… three all Americans, a bunch of great seniors that helped us win 50 games, but we bring back a good number of guys that were here last year,” Fornelli said.

This season, the younger players have had the opportunity to step up to bat. The Hornets have a total of eight freshman, six sophomores, 16 juniors and 10 seniors this season. With so many younger players, the Hornets look forward to a promising season and many returning athletes.

“I thought we did a lot of things good for the first time out,” Fornelli said. “We had some quality at batting, we need to work on our concentration a little bit. There were a couple of lapses in concentration, probably pitching wise and one lapse defensively but I thought we played pretty well considering we have not practiced a whole bunch.”

Cody Grauberger/The Bulletin

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