Travis Whipple | ESU Bulletin

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

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