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Head Coach
Bob Fornelli

Bob Fornelli begins his fifth year as head coach of the Hornets after going 41-24 in his fourth year at his alma mater. In 11 years of coaching, Fornelli is 472-192, making him the third winningest active coach by percentage in NCAA Division II baseball.

For the fourth straight year, and in all of Fornelli's seasons as head coach, the Hornets advanced to the NCAA Division II Regional Tournament. ESU earned the automatic berth to the regional by capturing their first MIAA Postseason Tournament Championship since 1993. The Hornets defeated tournament host Central Missouri twice on Sunday to win the championship.

The Hornets finish the 2006 campaign by winning the MIAA Regular Season Championship and NCAA Central Region Cahmpionship on their way to Emporia State University's first NCAA Division II World Series appearance.

Fornelli had nine players selected to the All-MIAA teams in 2006 which included 1st Team All-American and NCAA Division II "Pitcher of the Year" Gabe Medina. Medina along with catcher John Martin were selected in the 15th and 24th rounds of the 2006 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft.

Prior to coming to Emporia State, he coached for seven years at Ft. Hays State and averaged 44 wins year during his time with the Tigers. Fornelli, a 1991 graduate of ESU, spent seven years at FHSU where he compiled a 306-113 record. In his last year with the Tigers, they won the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference regular season and postseason tournament titles. They also hosted the NCAA Division II West Region tournament. Ft. Hays ended the season ranked 15th in D-II, the sixth year Fornelli had the Tigers in the final Top 30 poll. He is the winningest coach in FHSU history and led the Tigers to the RMAC championship four times in his seven years. Fornelli led FHSU to the NCAA Division II national championship game in 2000 and was in the NCAA regional tournament six times. Five of Fornelli’s players have been selected in the Major League Baseball draft, including current Florida Marlin relief pitcher Nate Field.

Prior to his time in Hays, Fornelli was the pitching coach at Butler County Community College in El Dorado, Kan., from 1991 until 1996. During his tenure the Grizzlies were 195-86 and finished third in the NJCAA World Series in 1994. While at Butler, he spent five summers as a head coach in the National Baseball Congress Jayhawk League. His 1996 El Dorado Broncos captured the NBC national championship and Fornelli was named coach of the year.

Fornelli, a native of Lenexa, Kan., was an honorable mention all-Central States Intercollegiate Conference catcher for the Hornets as a senior after transferring from BCCC. He is married to the former Jill Harris of Madison, Kan. The couple has three daughters - Emma, Rylie and Addison.