FHSU Athletics

Fort Hays State baseball split a pair of conference games at Pittsburg State on Friday in Pittsburg, Kan. The Tigers took the seven-inning contest 11-3 before falling in the nine-inning game 8-6.

The Tigers (12-23, 9-17 MIAA) and Gorillas (12-21, 8-14 MIAA) will play another doubleheader on Saturday, starting at 1 pm.

Game 1: Fort Hays State 11, Pittsburg State 3
Fort Hays State took a 5-1 lead after two innings and never looked back in an eight-run win. FHSU scored twice in the fifth, sixth, and seventh to pull away late.

FHSU went up 3-0 in the top of the first on an RBI single by Kevin Czarnecki and a two-run home run by Cooper Langley. In the second, Nick Hammeke had an RBI double and then he came in to score on an error by the Gorillas.

Gabe Cook turned in a solid effort on the mound to keep the Tigers in front. He threw a complete game by scattering seven hits with three walks, while striking out four. Only one of the three runs he allowed was earned. Cook improved to 1-2 on the year.

FHSU was up 5-2 after three innings before it widened the lead to five in the fifth. Alex King drove in a run with a sacrifice fly and then Andre Vieyra scored on a throwing error.

Extra-base hits would give the Tigers their final four runs of the game. In the sixth, Austin Unrein hit a solo homer and Langley had a RBI double. In the seventh, Connor Ross hit a two-run homer.

Game 2: Pittsburg State 8, Fort Hays State 6
Fort Hays State initially took the lead in the second contest of the day with a run in the third, but Pittsburg State scored two in the fourth to go up 2-1 and led the rest of the game despite the Tigers pulling within one two more times.

Connor Ross got the Tigers on the board in the third with a sacrifice fly RBI. Steven Federau had a solid first three innings on the mound before running into trouble in the fourth. He took the hard luck loss in the game with only two runs surrendered, since the Tigers never caught the Gorillas from there on out, dropping to 0-3 on the year.

Pittsburg State expanded its lead to 6-1 with four runs in the fifth, three coming off reliever Giles Fox who lasted only a third of an inning. Kyle Vogt would go on to pitch the next 3.1 innings, allowing three runs, and Austin Unrein picked up the final out of the eighth.

The Tigers bounced back to put four runs on the board in the sixth, pulling back within one at 6-5. A double, followed by three straight singles led to the four runs. Kevin Czarnecki and Cooper Langley each had RBI singles, then Andre Vieyra and Alex King each had RBI groundouts. However, PSU pushed its lead to 7-5 with a solo homer in the sixth.

Czarnecki got that run back in the seventh with a RBI single, but the Gorillas brought in closer Ryan McKay to get the final out of the inning to stop the Tiger rally. McKay would go on to hold the Tigers scorless over the final two innings to pick up his sixth save of the season. PSU added an insurance run in the eighth.

PSU starter Jake Stevenson picked up the win, going 6.0 innings. He allowed five runs on seven hits and two walks, but struck out four. He moved to 2-4 on the season.

FHSU Athletics

Fort Hays State Softball was swept in Friday’s doubleheader with No. 15 Emporia State, falling 2-1 in the first contest before dropping a 4-1 game in the finale.

FHSU (21-18, 12-9 MIAA) travels to Topeka, Kan., Saturday for an MIAA doubleheader with Washburn.  Game time is set for 1 p.m.

Game 1: No. 15 Emporia State 2, Fort Hays State 1
Despite holding the 15th-ranked Lady Hornets to just two runs in the first game of the day, FHSU was limited to just one score in a 2-1 loss.

Paxton Duran (10-9) was dealt the loss, tossing six innings with two strikeouts while allowing four walks, six hits and two runs.

Tori Beltz was 2-for-3 in the game with a double and a walk, while Erin Elmore finished 1-for-2 with an RBI.

In the first, ESU took a 1-0 lead behind Kaitlyn Caston’s RBI single and held that advantage until the top of the fifth, when an RBI single from Elmore scored Duran from third.  Duran singled to start the fifth, moving around on a sacrifice bunt and a ground out. With two down, Elmore sent a 2-1 pitch in right field for the game-tying hit.

ESU took back the lead (2-1) in its half of the fifth off Caston’s second RBI of the day, this time coming on a squeeze bunt play.

Down to its last chance in the top of the seventh, FHSU put runners on the corners with two outs, but couldn’t force a continuation in the game.

Game 2: ESU 4, FHSU 1
The Tigers could not overcome an early deficit, falling 4-1 to the Lady Hornets in the second game of the doubleheader.

Kelsey Kimminau (10-8) saw her four-game winning streak snapped in the loss.  Kimminau tossed all six innings, giving up four runs (three earned) on seven hits, walking four with two strikeouts.

Beltz drew two walks in the game while Rilee Krier was 1-for-2 with an RBI.  Elmore, Samantha Villarreal, Amanda Vaupel and Mackenzie Villarreal also had hits for the Tigers.

The Tigers again fell behind early, trailing 2-0 after the first and 3-0 headed into the fourth, when FHSU struck back with one.  Beltz led off the inning with a walk, moving to second on a groundout.  From there, Vaupel’s single put runners on the corners with one out and Mackenzie Villarreal reached on an error to lead the bases.  Krier drove in Beltz for the first Tiger run of the game, singling a 1-2 pitch into center field.

ESU added another in the fourth off Danielle Sprinkle’s RBI single, making it 4-1, where it stayed for the rest of the night.

FHSU Athletics

Fort Hays State senior center Kate Lehman was named the BennettRank.com NCAA Division II Player of the Year on Friday (Apr. 10). She was also named to the BennettRank.com All-America First Team, her fourth All-America First Team honor this year, as she also received the honor from the WBCA, Daktronics/D2 Conference Commissioner’s Association, and Division II Bulletin.

Joining Lehman on the BennettRank.com All-America First Team are Chontiquah White of West Texas A&M, Mariyah Brawner-Henley of Lewis University, Amy Philamlee of Union (Tenn.), and Shaunteva Ashley of Augustana (S.D.). Shareta Brown of Wayne State (Mich.), the National Player of the Year by the WBCA, Daktronics, and Division II Bulletin was named to the second team by BennettRank.com.

BennettRank claimed that Lehman’s accomplishments are more impressive given that Fort Hays State plays in the toughest Division II women’s basketball conference in the nation, the MIAA (which had three of the top five ranked teams in the nation – FHSU, Emporia State, and Pittsburg State). Brown put up impressive numbers of 22.0 points and 14.7 rebounds per game, while shooting a Division II-best 64.9 percent from the field.

In addition to earning the MIAA Player of the Year honors this season, the MIAA named Lehman the Defensive Player of the Year for the third straight season. Lehman averaged 19.3 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 4.1 blocks per game while recording 55 career double-doubles and three career triple-doubles. Lehman was the first Division II women’s basketball player in history to reach 1,000 career points (1,917), 1,000 career rebounds (1,109) and 500 blocks (515) in a career as she helped the Tigers to the Central Regional Finals of the NCAA Tournament before falling to rival Emporia State.

The methodology to how BennettRank selected its All-America Team can be found at the following link…http://www.bennettrank.com/?p=74152.

Lehman helped FHSU reach new heights in its NCAA Division II history in 2014-15. She helped the Tigers to a record of 30-4 and their first-ever MIAA Regular Season Championship. It was the first-ever 30-win season at the NCAA level for FHSU and it extended a run of four straight seasons in which the program has churned out at least 20 wins, which spanned Lehman’s four years at FHSU. She helped the team to its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 10 years and the program’s first-ever NCAA Tournament wins, reaching the Sweet 16 (Central Regional Final).

Lehman adds this to the list of post-season honors she has received this year. Below are the honors she has already collected…
-Division II Bulletin All-America First Team
-WBCA National Player of the Year Finalist
-WBCA All-America First Team
-Daktronics/Division II Commissioner’s Association All-America First Team
-Daktronics/Division II Commissioner’s Association Central Region Most Outstanding Player
-Daktronics/Division II Commissioner’s Association All-Central Region First Team
-MIAA Player of the Year
-MIAA Defensive Player of the Year (3^rd straight year)
-All-MIAA First Team (3^rd straight year)
-MIAA All-Defensive Team (3^rd straight year)

Lehman finished 2014-15 with 655 points, 337 rebounds, and 141 blocked shots, while shooting 57.8 percent from the field. Her 515 career blocks ranks second most in NCAA Division II history and she is now the FHSU record holder in career rebounds and blocked shots. She finished second all-time in scoring. She finished fourth all-time at any level of NCAA (Division I, II, or III) in blocked shots.

2014-2015 BENNETTRANK.COM DIVISION II WOMEN‘S BASKETBALL ALLAMERICAN TEAM

FIRST TEAM
– Kate Lehman, Fort Hays State: 6’4″ Center, Sr., Newton, Kan.
– Chontiquah White, West Texas A&M: 5’11” Forward/Center, Sr., Dallas, Texas
– Mariyah Brawner Henley, Lewis: 6’0″ Forward, Jr., Skokie, Ill.
– Amy Philamlee, Union (Tenn.): 5’5″ Guard, Sr., Jonesboro, Ark.
– Shaunteva Ashley, Augustana (S.D.): 5’8″ Guard, Sr., Sioux Falls, S.D.

SECOND TEAM
– Shareta Brown, Wayne State (Mich.): 6’1″ Center, Sr., Pontiac, Mich.
– Morgan Pullins, St. Mary’s (Texas): 6’0″ Forward, Sr., Franklin, Mich.
– Emily Caswell, Caldwell: 6’1″ Forward, Sr., Wakefield, R.I.
– Aquillin Hayes, New Haven: 5’8″ Guard, Sr., Harlem, N.Y.
– Michelle Mitchell, Columbus State: 5’9″ Guard, Jr., Eastman, Ga.

THIRD TEAM
– Jada Blackwell, Cal Poly Pomona: 6’1″ Center, Sr., Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.
– Erin Chambers, Simon Fraser: 6’1″ Sr., Forward, Mission, B.C., Canada
– Madison Rowland, Queens (N.Y.): 5’10” Forward, Soph., Albany, N.Y.
– Jamie Johnson, Lewis: 5’8″ Guard, Jr., South Holland, Ill.
– Lindsay Stamp, Indiana (Pa.): 5’10” Guard/Forward, Sr., Erie, Pa.

BENNETTRANK.COM PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Kate Lehman, Fort Hays State
BENNETTRANK.COM COACH OF THE YEAR: Jenna Eckelberry, Shepherd