Don’t be fooled by the Emporia State softball team’s No. 2 seed in this year’s North Central Regional.
One thing’s for sure: Last year’s National runner-up isn’t ready to commit itself to an underdog role in this weekend’s eight-team Regional in Mankato, Minn.
“We won’t be satisfied,” ESU shortstop April Huddleston said, “with anything less than making it to the World Series.”
To make its second consecutive appearance in the Division-II World Series — this year held in Akron, Ohio — ESU will most likely have to go through top-seeded Minnesota-Mankato. Not only that, the Hornets will have to do it at the Mavericks’ home park in Mankato.
Last year, ESU played host to the North Central Regional Tournament.
Still, the Hornets don’t see the road trip as an obstacle.
“Like (ESU) coach (Kristi Bredbenner) said, it’s easier to get away,” Huddleston said. “We’ve got nothing to worry about but playing ball.”
“I think definitely the pressure’s on them,” ESU senior Megan Davison said. “I thought that we deserved the No. 1 spot, but we just need to play the game we play and show who we are.”
First things first, though, as ESU will face MIAA foe Central Missouri in the first round at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday.
The two teams previously met on April 21 when they were tied for first place in the conference. In that doubleheader, the Hornets swept the Jennies, 9-0 and 10-2, in run-rule shortened games.
“We can’t take them lightly,” Huddleston said. “Anything can happen. We have to take care of ourselves and our own business.”
UCM (30-21) won six of its last nine games after the losses to ESU.
“I think those first two games against us will probably be in the back of their minds, but what’s in the past is in the past,” Davison said. “This is the postseason — it’s a new season.”
If ESU wins, it would face the winner of the Minnesota-Duluth/Southwest Minnesota State game at 3 p.m. on Friday. If the Hornets lose, they will play at 10 a.m. Friday against the loser of the UMD/SMSU matchup.
ESU (46-10) comes into the tournament as confident as it has been this season. The Hornets played their most consistent softball of the year in last weekend’s MIAA Tournament, sweeping four victories for their fourth consecutive conference tournament championship.
The Hornets allowed just two runs in the four games.
“Everybody’s meshing,” Huddleston said. “We need to roll with that and let it takes us wherever it takes us.”
The softball players left for Mankato on Tuesday, which was a relief for many of the players who frantically finished up tests.
It is Finals Week for students at ESU.
“I have no homework and no assignments to do on the bus,” Davison said with a smile. “It’s going to be a fun time up there.”
Three athletes earn
MIAA weekly honors
Two Emporia State softball players and one trackster earned MIAA athlete of the week honors, the conference announced Tuesday.
ESU senior Megan Davison was the hitter of the week after going 6-for-14 (.429) last week and reaching in 13 of her 22 plate appearances.
Her biggest accomplishment came Saturday, though, as she hit career home run No. 51, which tied the MIAA record held by Truman’s Elizabeth Economon. Davison also is one hit away from tying the conference record, which also was set by Economon.
Samantha Sheeley earned pitcher of the week after tossing two shutouts in the MIAA Tournament last weekend. The junior pitched a five-inning no-hitter against Washburn on Friday, then followed that with a two-hit performance in the championship game against Missouri Western on Saturday.
Jonel Rossbach won the women’s track athlete of the week after taking the women’s high-point honors at the MIAA Championships last weekend in Hays.
Rossbach scored 36 points — 43 percent of her team’s total — after taking first in the 3,000 meter run and 5,000 meter run and second in the 800 and 1,500.
This is the fourth time in eight weeks that Rossbach has taken the MIAA women’s track athlete of the week award.