Emporia State Hornets baseball

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Emporia State Hornets
Emporia State Athletics logo.svg
Founded 1949 (1949)
University Emporia State University
Conference MIAA
Location Emporia, KS
Head coach Bob Fornelli (12th year)
Home stadium Glennen Field at Trusler Sports Complex
(Capacity: 500)
Nickname Hornets
Colors Black and Gold[1]
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National Championships
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
1978
College World Series Runner-up
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
1987
National Collegiate Athletic Association
2009
College World Series appearances
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
1969, 1970, 1976, 1978, 1984, 1986, 1987
National Collegiate Athletic Association
2006, 2009
NCAA Tournament appearances
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989
National Collegiate Athletic Association
1993, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2015
Conference tournament champions
Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association
1993, 2007, 2014
Conference champions
Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association
2006, 2008, 2009, 2011

The Emporia State Hornets baseball team represents Emporia State University in NCAA Division II college baseball. The team participates in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association.[2] The teams plays its home games on Glennen Field at Trusler Sports Complex, located just north of the Emporia State campus, and are currently coached by Bob Fornelli.[3]

History

Emporia State Coaching History
Tenure Coach Won Lost Tie Pct.
1949–1950 Bob Ives 19 9 0 .679
1951 John Buckley 11 5 0 .545
1952 Joe Pease 8 5 0 .615
No team from 1953 to 1955
1956 Chuck Sisson 4 4 0 .500
1957 Noel McGregor 4 5 0 .444
1958–1962 Bill Kerr 58 55 0 .513
1963 Richard Niclai 13 10 0 .579
1964–1965 Larry Ensminger 37 27 0 .556
1966 Guy Owen 15 12 0 .556
1967–1969 Larry Cochell 72 44 0 .621
1970–1973 Jack Smitheran 123 61 0 .668
1974–1987 Dave Bingham 557 270 2 .685
1988–2003 Brian Embery 458 320 1 .589
2004–present Bob Fornelli 485 210 0 .698
TOTAL: 66 years 14 Coaches 1,864–1,037–3 .642
Sources: [4][5][6]

The most successful era for ESU baseball was from 1974 to 1987, when the program was coached by former player Dave Bingham, who posted an overall record of 557–270–2 (.685), and won eight conference championships. From 1988 through the 2015 season, ESU's winning percentage increased to .640 (943–530–1), and both Brian Embery and Bob Fornelli have a winning record with each having more than 450 wins. During the 2009 season, the Hornets were the national runners-up, competing in the NCAA Division II College World Series for the second time since joining the NCAA in 1991.[7]

Early history (1949–57)

The Kansas State Teachers College (KSTC), now Emporia State University, fielded its first baseball team in 1949, which was led by Robert (Bob) Ives. Ives served two seasons as head coach, compiling a record of 19–9. For the next two seasons, KSTC had two coaches with a record of 19–10, and from 1953 to 1955, KSTC discontinued the program.

In 1956, KSTC had re-started the program with Chuck Sisson serving one season as head coach. After Sisson's season of going 4–4, Joe Pease, KSTC professor and later the athletic director for KSTC, became head coach for one season.

Five coaches in 10 years

From 1958 to 1968, Emporia State had five coaches, two of which were interim coaches. Bill Kerr served as the head coach from 1958 to 1962, and finished with a record of 58–55.[8] After the 1962 season, Kerr left Emporia and took a head coaching job in Kentucky.[9] In February 1963, Richard Niclai succeeded Kerr as head coach.[10] For the one season that Niclai was head coach, his record was 11–8, and following his departure was Larry Ensminger, who led the team for two winning seasons. After the 1965 season, Ensminger left to become the head coach at the University of Texas–Pan American.[11] In 1966, the last year in the Hornets played in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, Guy Owen served as the interim head coach, finishing the season with a 15–12 record. In 1967, Larry Cochell, an assistant coach at Utah State, took the reign as head coach as the Hornets began competing in their new conference, the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.[12] Cochell's first year was a losing season going 16–17, but quickly turn things around in 1968 and 1969, eventually leading the team to their first NAIA World Series appearance in 1969. Cochell left to become the head coach at Creighton in Nebraska after the 1969 season with a combined record of 72–44.[12]

Jack Smitheran (1970–73)

In 1970, Jack Smitheran, an assistant coach at Arizona State, was selected to Cochell.[13] In his first season as head coach, he led the Hornets to their second straight NAIA World Series appearance. In 1972, Smitheran was nominated for NAIA Coach of the Year. After the 1973 season, Smitheran moved to Riverside, California to become the head coach at the University of California, Riverside.[14]

Dave Bingham era (1974–87)

Under Bingham's leadership, the Hornets won 11 district titles, five regional crowns and eight conference championships. He led ESU to five NAIA World Series appearances and won the national championship in 1978. Bingham was selected NAIA District X Coach of the Year 10 times, NAIA Area III Coach of the Year six times, and was recognized as the national coach of the year in 1976, 1984 and 1987.[15] As of October 2024, Bingham is the all-time winningest coach at Emporia State.[16]

Brian Embery era (1988–2003)

Brian Embery, an assistant under Bingham at Emporia State, was selected as the next head coach at Emporia State in 1988 after Bingham left for the University of Kansas.[17] In his first year as head coach, and the team's last season in the Central States Intercollegiate Conference, the Hornets advanced to the NAIA Tournament. In 1993 the Hornets captured the school's first-ever MIAA Championship and participated in the NCAA Division II Tournament for the first time, allowing Embery to be the MIAA Coach of the Year.[18] As a member of the NAIA, Embery led the Hornets to four consecutive NAIA District 10 titles from 1988–91. Embery was named District 10 Coach of the Year four times, and 15 players under his leadership earned All-American status. Embery was also a four time MIAA Coach of the Year award recipient.[19]

Bob Fornelli era (2004–present)

After Embery resigned at the end of the 2003 season, Bob Fornelli, former Emporia State player under Embery, was named the head coach.[20] Since 2004, Fornelli has taken the Hornets to the NCAA Tournament 10 times, have made 2 World Series appearances and a national runner-up finish in 2009.[21] The Hornets finished the 2006 season by winning the MIAA Regular Season Championship and NCAA Central Region Championship, as well as advancing to the school's first NCAA World Series appearance.[22]

In 2009 the Hornets advanced to the school's first NCAA national championship game in Cary, North Carolina.[23] In 2014 the Hornets won the MIAA Tournament, and earned another trip to the NCAA Tournament.

Venue and culture

Stadium

Glennen Field at Trusler Sports Complex opened in 1992. The field was named after Emporia State University President, Dr. Robert E. Glennen, who served from 1984 to 1997.[24] In 2009, a new artificial turf was installed to Glennen Field to replace the infield.[25] Glennen Field also received a new scoreboard and an indoor hitting facility during the 2009 season.[25]

School colors

   
Black Gold

Emporia State's official school colors are black and gold.[26] They have been the colors since the school was founded in 1863, and until recently, the gold was Old gold.[27]

Mascots

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Main article: Corky the Hornet
Corky the Hornet at an Emporia State football game.

Corky the Hornet is Emporia State University's mascot.[28] In the 1930s, when Emporia State University was named Kansas State Teachers College, the athletic teams were known as the "Yaps". Many people were not fond of the name, most notably legendary coach, Vic Trusler.[28] Trusler suggested to a local writer, Cecil Carle of the Emporia Gazette, that the university's athletic teams should be called the "Yellow Jackets". However, the name changed to "Hornets" because of the lack of newspaper space.

In 1933, the Kansas State Teachers College had a student contest where students and staff could design a mascot for the college. A sophomore by the name of Paul Edwards, who graduated in 1937, designed Corky for a campus–wide logo contest. Many students sent in their drawings of a mascot, but they chose Edwards' Corky, a "human–like" hornet. Corky was published in The Bulletin, the student newspaper for Emporia State University.[28]

In August 2014, it was announced that Corky will have a nephew.[29] Buz will be a smaller, more "child friendly" hornet that will visit local schools, participate in community events and be present at ESU activities. Buz has been designed by Corky's creator Paul Edwards, who turned 100 years old in January 2015.[30]

Notable alumni

References

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  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  26. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  27. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 28.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  29. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  30. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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