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University of Central Oklahoma Athletics

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Ryan Lemoine

Baseball Chris Brannick

UCO Visits Emporia State

EMPORIA, Kan. – The University of Central Oklahoma baseball team is back on the road again, continuing an eight-game road trip with three at Emporia State this weekend. UCO will play Sunday at 3 p.m. and twice Monday beginning at noon.
 
The Bronchos head north on Interstate-35 with a 28-11 overall record and a first-place worthy 20-5 mark in league play.
 
"We've got a tough stretch of games in front of us," UCO head baseball coach John Martin said. "Emporia State is always a good team and it's very hard to beat them at their place. And then we have to go to Missouri Southern right after that, so four games in three days. That's a tough stretch, but I think our guys are up for the challenge and ready to prove themselves."
 
Central will also play Missouri Southern Tuesday at 5 p.m. in Joplin, Mo.
 
Emporia State is 19-16 overall and 10-12 in league play. The Hornets are on a two-game slide, but do own a 12-7 record playing on their home field.
 
Most of what Emporia State does starts with Bryce Fischer. The senior right fielder, an Oklahoma State transfer, leads the team in nearly every offensive category. Fischer has a team-high .421 batting average this season in 35 games played. He also leads ESU in at bats (140), hits (59), doubles (11), and home runs (10).
 
Emporia State as a team bats .294. The Hornets rank fifth in the league in hitting and also average 7.2 runs per game.
 
Pitching for the Hornets is led by Seth Holman, who in 10 starts has a 4.29 earned run average and has a team-high 73 strikeouts in 65 innings pitched. Tanner Cairns has also started 10 games and has a 5.47 ERA and 42 Ks in 54 1/3 innings.
 
UCO is coming off its best offensive output of the season, and best of Martin's three-year tenure as the Broncho head coach. Central Wednesday scored 24 runs on 25 hits against Northeastern State, both are the most since Martin took over ahead of the 2016 season.
 
UCO is near the top of the MIAA in numerous offensive categories. The Bronchos have the second-most runs (324), doubles (89), and home runs (58), while ranking third in hits (423), triples (12), and runs batted in (280).
 
The Broncho offense is led by a trio of players hitting better than .350 this season – Kyle Miskovsky (.363), Jake Dyer (359), and Paul Kropf (.352). All three have more than 50 hits and have combined for 115 runs scored and 87 runs batted in. Kropf leads the team too with 14 home runs.
 
Central Oklahoma beat Emporia State twice last season in a three-game series in Edmond. The Bronchos also ended the Hornets' season in the NCAA Central Regional tournament in Emporia. Following UCO's trip to Joplin on Tuesday, the Bronchos are home for the remainder of the 2018 regular season. UCO finishes with seven straight at Wendell Simmons Field beginning with three against Missouri Western next weekend.
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Players Mentioned

Jake Dyer

#4 Jake Dyer

IF/OF
6' 1"
Senior
R/R
Kyle Miskovsky

#5 Kyle Miskovsky

2B
5' 9"
Senior
R/R
Paul Kropf

#25 Paul Kropf

1B
6' 0"
Junior
R/R

Players Mentioned

Jake Dyer

#4 Jake Dyer

6' 1"
Senior
R/R
IF/OF
Kyle Miskovsky

#5 Kyle Miskovsky

5' 9"
Senior
R/R
2B
Paul Kropf

#25 Paul Kropf

6' 0"
Junior
R/R
1B
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