Hornets win Game 1

Maryville, Mo. - Emporia State defeated Northwest Missouri State on Thursday, April 28, 2016, to win Game 1 of the series by the score 4-2 in Maryville. The game took 2 hours and 10 minutes to complete in front of 74 fans. It was a cloudy day with the high in the mid-50s during the contest. Emporia took advantage of a strong wind and belted three 1-run home runs in the game. The Hornets hit a home run in the 4th inning, 6th inning, and 7th inning. Northwest had chances especially late in the game but could not capitalize those chances into more runs. Emporia's defense was outstanding in this game with the relay defense nailing Bearcat runners attempting to take the extra base in multiple occasions and the infield turning 2 double-plays in the game. Northwest defense was also up to the task and played a solid game to limit the Emporia scoring chances.

Offense - Three Bearcats shared the MVP honors for Northwest in Game 1. First, Jay Hrdlicka went 2 for 3 (including a double) and was hit by a pitch as the Bearcat DH. Second, Jake Lewis went 2 for 4 (including a double) with 1 run scored while playing catcher. Third, Garrett Fort went 2 for 3 (including a double) with 1 RBI while playing center field. James Holler went 1 for 3 with 1 walk while playing third base. Kevin Handzlik went 1 for 4 (a double) and played first base. Aaron Barratt picked-up 1 RBI, 1 run scored, and 1 stolen base in the game. Finally, Kolby Greenslade went 1 for 2 with 1 walk and played left field. In total, Northwest scored 2 runs off of 9 hits, 2 RBIs, 2 walks, 3 strike-outs, and left 5 runners on base.

Defense - Northwest was not charged with an error in the game.

Pitching - Anthony Caenepeel earned the start in Game 1 and worked a complete game. Anthony picked-up the loss and his 2016 record fell to 5-8. Anthony was a workhorse and did an outstanding job keeping the Bearcats in the game. In total, Anthony worked 9.0 innings, allowed 5 hits, 4 runs (all earned), 1 walk, 7 strike-outs, 1 wild pitch, 0 balks, and he did not hit a batter. Anthony threw 133 pitches in the game.

NWMSU Athletics Department story link - http://www.bearcatsports.com/news/2016/4/28/baseball-vs-emporia-state-april-28.aspx

Next - Northwest will play Games 2 & 3 against Emporia State on Friday, April 29, 2016, in a double-header commencing at Noon on the campus of Northwest Missouri State University.

Go Cats!!
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Opposition Research - Emporia State

Opposition Research - Emporia State

Maryville, Mo. - Your Northwest Missouri State University Bearcat baseball team returns to Maryville to play the final home weekend series in 2016. The Bearcats will take on the Emporia State Hornets in a 3-game series. All games will be played on the campus of Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville. Game 1 will occur Thursday, April 28, 2016, at 3pm. Games 2 & 3 will occur on Friday, April 29, 2016, with Game 2's start at Noon and Game 3's starts at 3pm.

Northwest enters the Emporia State series with a record of 24-19, 19-14 MIAA. The Bearcats are in 5th place in the MIAA Conference standings. Emporia State enters the series with a 2016 record of 30-14, 22-11 MIAA. The Hornets are in 4th place and have clinched a play-off spot in the MIAA post-season tournament.

Emporia State University Hornets - ESU was predicted to finish in 2nd place according to the baseball coaches of the MIAA institution members. The Hornets entered the 2016 season with a return of 5 position players, 3 starting pitchers, and 4 relievers, that finished the 2015 NCAA regular season with a 39-16, 23-12 MIAA Conference standings. The 2015 Hornets made the NCAA Central Regional for the 2nd straight year. The 2016 Hornets return MIAA Player of the Year candidate 1B Evan Koehler. Koehler hit .368 with 14 home runs & 68 RBIs in 2015. Hornets return OF Dalton Wheat who hit .317, 2 home runs, 16 RBIs, and 33 runs scored in 2015. OF Wade Hanna hit .284 with 7 home runs, 36 RBIs, and 36 runs scored in the game. Finally, OF Jonny Hodges hit .358 with 2 home runs, 17 RBIs in 35 games as a freshman.

Garrett Brummett was the Hornets anchor on the weekend rotation in 2015 returned for 2016. Brummett went 5-3 in the w-l record, with a 5.63 ERA,  Brummett went to the bullpen for the 2015 post-season and earned 2-0 recrd, with an ERA of 1.26. 

ESU Head Coach Bob Fornelli - Fornelli enters his 13th season as the Head Coach of ESU this season. Fornelli has won nearly 800 games entering his 20th season of coaching baseball. During his tenure at Emporia State University, ESU has made 10 trips to the NCAA Regional and 2 world series appearances. 

2016 statistics - 

Player	avg	gp-gs	ab	r	h	2b	3b	hr	rbi	tb	slg%	bb	hbp	so	gdp	ob%	sf	sh	sb-att	po	a	e	fld%
Wheat,Dalton	.395	43-42	162	39	64	14	4	4	47	98	.605	21	7	26	1	.479	2	3	16-19	56	3	2	.967
Francis,Derek	.394	36-26	99	21	39	10	1	6	35	69	.697	7	2	13	3	.429	4	0	3-3	2	3	3	.625
Perkins,Tucker	.377	30-13	61	20	23	2	0	2	12	31	.508	9	2	7	0	.472	0	1	4-4	11	10	0	1.000
LaMunyon,Daniel	.347	40-38	147	48	51	12	1	5	27	80	.544	13	7	25	1	.420	2	1	12-16	17	62	5	.940
Koehler,Evan	.342	43-43	161	51	55	12	0	19	60	124	.770	28	5	37	2	.449	2	2	7-8	321	35	3	.992
Hodges,Jonny	.338	31-13	68	17	23	3	0	1	12	29	.426	7	0	9	1	.395	1	1	2-5	28	1	2	.935
Hanna,Wade	.333	42-42	162	48	54	10	5	4	27	86	.531	17	4	37	0	.405	2	2	10-11	93	1	4	.959
Dean,BJ	.331	41-36	148	36	49	12	2	9	35	92	.622	12	4	28	3	.389	3	0	5-5	45	4	0	1.000
White,Alex	.320	37-28	97	10	31	5	1	0	19	38	.392	9	3	15	2	.391	1	3	1-2	29	52	5	.942
Ashmore,Levi	.315	44-44	184	47	58	13	0	6	30	89	.484	16	5	14	7	.385	0	3	8-9	50	119	7	.960
McBroom,Ryan	.315	39-23	92	27	29	10	1	4	23	53	.576	8	0	22	3	.366	1	1	3-3	48	44	1	.989
Byfield,Braxon	.314	21-12	51	7	16	2	0	0	9	18	.353	7	2	13	1	.417	0	1	0-0	119	5	2	.984
Steen,Taylor	.270	33-32	100	17	27	3	0	0	17	30	.300	12	3	8	2	.365	0	2	1-1	249	19	2	.993
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Shaw,Zac	.800	1-1	5	2	4	0	1	0	4	6	1.200	1	0	1	0	.833	0	0	0-0	1	3	0	1.000
Palmore,Tyler	.333	4-0	3	2	1	0	0	1	3	4	1.333	1	0	0	0	.500	0	0	0-0	0	3	1	.750
Doyle,Denver	.250	5-0	4	2	1	0	0	0	2	1	.250	0	0	2	0	.250	0	0	0-0	2	0	0	1.000
Gile,Aaron	.227	14-3	22	5	5	1	1	0	2	8	.364	2	1	7	1	.320	0	0	0-0	8	0	0	1.000
Cairns,Tanner	.000	3-0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	0	0	0	0	.000	0	0	0-0	0	2	0	1.000
Harjo,Jagger	.000	1-0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	0	0	1	0	.000	0	0	0-0	0	0	0	.000
Sjolander,Connor	.000	2-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	1	0	0	0	1.000	0	0	0-0	0	0	0	.000
Davies,Shane	.000	1-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	0	0	0	0	.000	0	0	0-0	0	3	0	1.000
Plank,Jordan	.000	2-0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	0	0	0	0	.000	0	0	0-0	5	9	0	1.000
Tetuan,Jacob	.000	1-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	0	0	0	0	.000	0	0	0-0	2	5	0	1.000
Totals	.338	44-44	1568	400	530	109	17	61	364	856	.546	171	45	265	27	.414	18	20	72-86	1107	422	40	.975
Opponents	.281	44-44	1461	210	410	61	8	46	199	625	.428	142	46	363	18	.361	9	22	52-61	1089	465	72	.956

LOB - Team (335), Opp (363). DPs turned - Team (26), Opp (35). CI - Team (0), Opp (2). IBB - Team (0), Opp (4). Picked off - Ashmore,L. 2, Wheat,D. 1, Byfield,B. 1, White,A. 1, LaMunyon,D. 1.

Go Cats!!
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NO-NO NIKKO NO-NOs MOWO

NO-NO NIKKO NO-NOs MOWO

St. Joseph, Missouri - Your Northwest Missouri State Bearcat baseball team played one for the ages as Nikko Pablo threw a 9.0-inning complete game no hitter to defeat Missouri Western by the score 6-0. With the win, Northwest's 2016 record climbed to 24-19, 19-14 MIAA, good for 5th place in the Conference standings. The game took 2 hours and 40 minutes to complete. 63 fans were in attendance. The game was moved to the campus of Missouri Western due to wet playing conditions in Maryville. In a game that Northwest had to have for its play-off goal, Nikko Pablo put the team on his back to deliver the conference victory. Nikko's no hitter came on the road to the 23rd ranked team in NCAA Division 2 baseball. Sprinkle in an offense where nearly every batter had at least 1 hit in the game, with solid defense (only 1 error), and you have a game that will go down in Bearcat baseball lore. Oh, and it was at the expense of rival Missouri Western Griffons. The B2R is safe to say that upon graduation, Nikko will never need to pay for his own drink at the NWMSU Hit'em & Hold'em Baseball Alumni Golf Tournament, ever.

Offense - The MVP of Game 3 was Nikko Pablo without an official plate appearance. Eight Bearcats earned at least one hit in Game 3. Nick Gotta went 2 for 3 (including a double) with 1 run scored and was hit by a pitch in the game. Ozzie Adams went 2 for 4 with 1 RBI and 1 run scored in the game. James Holler went 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored in the game. Kevin Handzlik went 1 for 4 (including a double) with 1 run scored in the game. Jake Lewis went 2 for 3 (including a double) with 2 RBIs, 1 sacrifice, and 1 run scored in the game. Aaron Barratt went 1 for 3 with 1 RBI and 1 walk in the game. Garrett Fort went 1 for 3 (including a double) with 2 RBIs in the game. Kolby Greenslade went 1 for 3 in the game. 

Defense - Northwest was charged with 1 error in the game.

Pitching - Nikko Pablo threw a no hitter against the #23 team in NCAA Division 2 baseball in Game 3. Nikko's 2016 record climbed to 3-2 with the complete 9.0 inning shut-out no hitter victory. Worth noting in Nikko's exemplary performance, lightning strike delayed the game in the bottom of the 8th inning for 49 minutes. Nikko had to stay hot to finish the job. In a story fit for Hollywood, Nikko came out in the 9th inning to strike-out the side in a performance for the ages. In total, Nikko worked 9.0 innings, allowed 0 hits, 0 runs, 1 walk, 6 strike-outs, 0 wild pitches, 0 balks, and he hit 1 batter in the game.

Last No Hitter for NWMSU - The B2R has sent its research department to see when was the last no hitter was in school history. I will update ASAP.

NWMSU's Athletics' Department story link - http://www.bearcatsports.com/news/2016/4/26/baseball-vs-missouri-western-april-26.aspx

MIAA Pitcher of the Week - On April 26, 2016, Nikko Pablo was named the MIAA Pitcher of the Week for his exemplary performance the previous week. In total last week, Nikko made two appearances, 1-0 record, worked 8.1 innings and had a 1.08 ERA. Nikko becomes the third NWMSU player this season to earn a MIAA player of the week recognition joining Anthony Caenepeel & James Holler. Here is the link to the story - http://www.bearcatsports.com/news/2016/4/26/baseball-pablo-named-miaa-athlete-of-the-week.aspx

Next for NWMSU - Northwest plays Emporia State this weekend in Maryville for the Bearcats final home series in 2016 NCAA regular season. This weekend will include Senior Day recognition as Northwest will say goodbye to five Bearcats including Nick Gotta, Zach Douglas, Derek Meyer, John Osborne, and Carson Smith.

B2R Projected Magic Number for MIAA post-season tournament - 2

Go Cats!!
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Potluck BBQ has been postponed due to weather & graduation

Potluck BBQ has been postponed due to weather & graduation

Maryville, Mo. - Dear baseball parents, the potluck BBQ has been postponed due to forecasted weather, changes in game times, and graduation this weekend. The B2R is coordinating with the coaches about feeding the guys next week before they leave for Hays.

Go Cats!!

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CARDIAC CATS ERASE 5-RUN DEFICIT, CARSON GETS 2-INNING SAVE, TO WIN UCO SERIES ON THE ROAD

CARDIAC CATS ERASE 5-RUN DEFICIT, CARSON GETS 2-INNING SAVE, TO WIN UCO SERIES ON THE ROAD

Edmond, OK - The Cardiac Cats got down, but not out, as Northwest defeated UCO in Game 3 to win the series 2-1 in Oklahoma. UCO jumped on Northwest starting pitcher, Brad Roberts, by scoring 6 runs in the first inning. In the 1st, UCO hit a double and two home runs with runners on base to plate 6 runs. After the 1st, Brad settled down and pitched into the 7th inning without allowing another run. During the time, the Cardiac Cats kept clawing their way back into the game to finally take the lead 10-6 in the 6th inning. Then add in the drama of Carson Smith coming into the game for the 2-inning save. With the season hanging in the balance, the Senior gutted out a heckuva performance to pick-up his 7th save in 2016. With the Game 3 win, Northwest is now 23-19, 18-14 MIAA in 2016. Northwest is now 3.0 games ahead of 9th place UNK with Game 3's win.

Offense - Nick Gotta was Northwest's MVP in Game 3. In total, Nick went 4 for 5 (including a double) with 2 runs and 1 stolen base scored in the game. Ozzie Adams went 2 for 4 with 1 RBI, 1 sacrifice, and 1 run scored in the game. Aaron Barratt went 2 for 4 (with a double) with 1 RBI and 2 runs scored in the game. Garrett Fort went 2 for 4 (including a home run) with 3 RBIs and 2 runs scored in the game. Jake Lewis went 1 for 3 with 1 RBI, 1 walk, and 1 run scored in the game. Kolby Greenslade went 1 for 4 (including a triple) with 2 RBIs and 1 run scored in the game. In total, Northwest scored 10 runs off of 12 hits, 9 RBIs, 4 walks, 12 strike-outs, and left 5 runners on base.

Defense - Northwest was not charged with any runs in the game.

Pitching - Brad Roberts earned the start in Game 3. Brad allowed 6 runs in the first but settled down to get into the 7th inning before giving way to the bullpen. With the win, Brad's 2016 record climbed to 4-2. In total, Brad worked 6.2 innings, allowed 9 hits, 7 runs (all earned), 1 walk, 9 strike-outs, 3 wild pitches, 0 balks, and he hit 1 batter. Jacob Wagner came into the game in the 7th inning to get the final out of the inning. In total, Jacob worked 0.1 of an inning, allowed 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 walks, 0 strike-outs, 0 wild pitches, 0 balks, and he did not in a batter in the game. Carson Smith came into the game in the 8th inning and worked the 2.0 inning save without allowing a run. In total, Carson allowed 0 hits, 0 runs, 0 walks, 0 strike-outs, 0 wild pitches, 0 balks, and he did not hit a batter. For his effort, Carson picked-up his 7th save in 2016.

Next - Northwest plays Missouri Western in a mid-week MIAA Conference clash on Wednesday, April 27, 2016, in Maryville. First pitch is 2pm.

Go Cats!!

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