In preparation for conference tournaments and division championships in the coming weeks, one Hornet athletic team will start its postseason event lineup and two more will finish up the regular season this weekend.
Emporia State Track and Field is at Pittsburg State on Friday, May 1 to participate in the first stretch of the MIAA Track and Field Outdoor Championship. The three-day event will run through Sunday, May 3.
Friday will kick off the decathlon and heptathlon and several track and field events. The decathlon and heptathlon are to conclude on Saturday with track and field events running through Sunday.
Heading into the conference championship, 33 marks by ESU are ranked in the MIAA top ten in 22 events. 17 Hornets hold provisional qualifiers for the NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships, which will be held at Emporia State later this month. This includes freshman sprinter Stella Agbokpah, who added to a record-breaking indoor season with two ESU record breaks in the women’s outdoor 200m and 100m. She currently ranks third in the nation in the 200m and eighth in the 100m.
Hornet baseball will continue a three-game home series against the Northeastern State Riverhawks at 2 p.m. on Friday at Trusler Sports Complex. On Thursday, the Hornets topped the Riverhawks 12-2 and hit four home runs over the 8-inning game.
The Hornet men will head to the MIAA Tournament in Edmond, Oklahoma next Wednesday, May 6.
The Turnpike Tussle is in store for Hornet softball as they welcome the Washburn Ichabods on Saturday for an afternoon doubleheader. Game one is set for 2 p.m. at Trusler Sports Complex with game two to follow at 4 p.m.
The nationally-ranked No. 10 Hornets are 28-15 overall and 14-10 in conference play. In the MIAA conference, they rank fourth. In their last meeting with the Ichabods, who sit at the No. 8 spot in the conference, ESU split an on-the-road doubleheader. The women went scoreless in game one over five innings, but topped game two 4-2 to close out the meet.
Next week, Hornet softball will compete in the MIAA Tournament, which is set to open on Wednesday, May 6. The Hornets have secured a top six spot and will appear on day two of the tourney in the May 7 quarterfinals.
