SHAWNEE – Coming off a 3-1 week and GAC series win over Harding, the Oklahoma Baptist baseball team will host Emporia State at Bobby Cox Field at Ford Park on Feb. 28 at 3 p.m.
This is the second matchup this year between the Bison and Hornets. In the season opener for both teams on Feb. 3, Emporia won 17-9, got multiple hits from five different players including two homers by Gibrian Pena.
Since then, though, and especially in the last week, the green and gold have made a significant step forward. On the pitching front, OBU was really good during last week's four games.
The staff produced a 3.38 earned run average, notched 40 strikeouts and limited opponents to a .221 batting average.
Logan Kimbro,
Garrett Kellogg-Clarke and
Brek Galbreath all notched wins for OBU.
On the offensive end,
Trey Furrey and
Rafael Gutierrez were outstanding in the batter's box hitting .462 and .429, respectively. Plus,
Dan Pruitt,
Kade Self,
Jayden Shafer and
Jose Parga all hit above .308. As a team, OBU batted .308 last week, notched nine extra-base hits including five homers and scored 30 runs.
Going into tomorrow's game, here's how OBU ranks in the Great American Conference:
| Batting Average |
Jayden Shafer; 9th; .417 BA |
| Home Runs |
Dan Pruitt; T3rd; 4 HRs |
| Walks |
Pruitt; 3rd; 4 BB |
| At-Bats |
Isiah Lissade; 7th; 55 |
| Opposing BA |
Jake Hamilton; 8th; .200 BA |
| Innings Pitched |
Brek Galbreath; 2nd; 24.0 IP |
| Strikeouts |
Hamilton; 9th; 24 Ks |
| Strikeouts Looking |
Galbreath; 7th; 7 Ks |
| Walks Allowed |
Galbreath; T1st; 4 |
Emporia has lost six of eight and currently possess a 5-10 overall record. Its last game was a 7-4 road win against Northeastern State on Feb. 25.
The Hornets have had a struggle in the batter's box this year. They are 12th, last, in the MIAA with a .217 average. They currently have no player batting over .300. ESU's best batter is Jake Bucovetsky who has a .291 average with 16 hits and three homers. He also tied for the team lead in doubles with four with teammate Andrew Rantz.
Emporia has done a good job on the base paths with 22 stolen bags. That ranks in the top-33 of Division II.
Pitching wise, Greg Ross has been a very effective reliever. He has made six appearances, notched three saves, and posted an ERA of 3.18. Additionally, Noah Geekie has generated a 3.00 ERA while Ian Lanik has made five appearances, three starts, struck out 20 and limited opponents to a .176 average. Both Geekie and Lanik have two wins on the mound as well.
For more info on Emporia State, check out its baseball
home page.
Be sure to follow all things Bison baseball by following the team on
Instagram and
Twitter.
