ESU Baseball Looks to Repeat at Regionals

Emporia State junior catcher David Albritton

By David Boyce

When the Emporia State baseball team took the field at CommunityAmerica Ballpark Sunday afternoon in the championship game of the MIAA Tournament, the Hornets already had a spot locked up in the South Central Regional.

In fact, the Hornets knew regardless of the outcome against Central Missouri that they would still have to travel to Warrensburg, Mo. for regionals.

Still, Emporia State wanted to claim the tournament title, especially since it had already beaten the Mules earlier in the tournament and needed one more win against its conference rival to walk away the championship trophy.

It didn't come. Emporia State lost 22-12 and then fell 8-4.

“It was incredibly disappointing,” said junior catcher David Albritton. “We let it slip away from us. You never want to go out there and not win a game no matter what the stage is. We are competing to win.”

The attitude the Hornets have after an unwanted outcome makes them a dangerous team in the South Central Regional.

Emporia State, 42-14, enters the six-team tournament as the No. 3 seed and will face Incarnate Word, 40-16, at 7 p.m. Thursday at Crane Stadium.

The Hornets are the ninth-ranked team in NCAA Division II and have had a very good season so far, just a shade below their rivals, Central Missouri.

But the players are far from satisfied even though they are in a spot many Division II teams can only dream about reaching.

“We've done all right,” junior leftfielder Travis Whipple said. “As far as our potential goes, we can play a lot better. Throughout the season we've had spurts of playing pretty good. Sometimes we play OK and get by with a win. We have a lot more talent than we showed. Our record, though it is good, we could play better.”

It takes that kind of mentality to accomplish what Emporia State has done over the last few years.

A year ago, the Hornets won the South Central Regional at Central Missouri and went on to the Division II Worlds Series and finished runner-up.

Emporia State recognizes it has to be on top of its game because they are going to the home field of a team that has been to the Division II World Series seven of the last 10 years.

“It's a lot of fun because two years ago when the regional was at Emporia, Central Missouri did the dog pile on our field,” senior pitcher Ben Graham said. “Last year we did the dog pile on their field so it kind of added fuel to the fire. We may play them again, maybe in the championship game. Hopefully, we can come out on top again.”

Obviously, there are four other teams vying for the same thing Emporia State and Central Missouri are after.

No. 6 seed Nebraska-Omaha, which reached the Division II World Series in 2007, wants to rebound from a disappointing MIAA Tournament. The Mavericks lost both games in the conference tournament.

With MIAA pitcher of the year Joe Holtmeyer, Nebraska-Omaha has the potential to win a game or two at regionals.

Emporia State believes it has the all-around team to win it all.

“We just have to focus on the positive,” Whipple said. “In the pressure games we have played really well with pitching and defense. We knew that tournament wasn't for anything. Regionals is where it starts. We have to make sure we don't have any more games like (Sunday).

“It's definitely a big drive and determination. We got there last year and got a little taste of what it could feel like to win a championship.”

No matter what happens, it's an enjoyable time of the season for the Hornets.

“It's definitely fun,” Whipple said. “The season is so long. Getting through those long weekend series makes it worth it when you can make it to regionals. Every game is so much more intense. Every game could be your last.”