Fort Hays State Softball starts up its 2018 campaign on Saturday (Feb. 3) at the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs in a three-game weekend series. On Tuesday (Jan. 30), the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association released its preseason poll selected by head coaches of each school. The Tigers are picked 12th, the same place they finished to end the 2017 season.

Fort Hays State missed the MIAA Tournament for the first time in 2017, but had one pitcher and five position players starting regularly last year that were freshmen. With all six of those players returning this year as sophomores with plenty of experience from their first year, alongside three very experienced seniors, the Tigers look to improve on a season that saw several get their first taste of softball at the collegiate level.

A 19-game skid from March 18 through April 7 last year was the biggest contributor to a 17-39 season overall and 7-19 mark in MIAA play. The Tigers jumped out to a 2-0 start in conference play before taking 13 consecutive losses in the midst of the 19-game losing streak. Once out of the slump, the Tigers finished their final 11 conference games 5-6 and 8-7 over their final 15 games overall.

Candace Bollig, senior infielder, and Tess Gray, sophomore catcher, were the only Tigers to receive All-MIAA honors last year. Bollig batted a team-best .304 with 14 extra-base hits (eight doubles, four triples, two home runs) and 28 runs driven in. Gray was second best on the team in batting average at .295 in her first year of collegiate ball, finishing with five doubles, four home runs, and 27 runs batted in. She also caught 23 runners attempting to steal.

Fort Hays State’s starting duo from last year returns to the circle in sophomore Hailey Chapman and senior Carrie Clarke. Chapman finished 2017 with a 4.14 ERA, while Clarke was just a bit higher at 4.26. The two combined for 38 complete games last year, Chapman claiming 10 wins and Clarke claiming seven. Chapman struck out 116 batters in 194.2 innings pitched, while Clarke struck out 43 in 143 innings pitched. Pushing both for time in the circle this year are freshmen Sierra Rodriguez and Megan Jamison, who give the team depth and added options in the pitching circle. As a team, FHSU ranked ninth in the MIAA in strikeouts and 12th in earned runs allowed and opponent batting average among the 14 teams in the conference.

Veronica Knittig is the third Tiger senior besides Bollig and Gray. She started all 56 games last year and finished with a solid .288 batting average and a team-best 15 extra-base hits (11 doubles, four home runs). She drove in 26 walks, and drew a team-high 21 walks. Bailey Kennedy, Lily Sale, Bailey Boxberger, and Jeni Mohr all started at least 50 games in their freshmen campaign last year. The four combined for 69 RBI and 92 runs scored. Boxberger led the team in home runs with five and Kennedy led the team in runs scored with 28. Offensively as a team, FHSU looks to up its production at the plate where it finished 10th in the MIAA in batting average and runs scored and ninth in total bases.

Head coach Adrian Pilkington enters her fourth year guiding the Tigers. She has coached the team to 64 wins over her first three seasons. The team remains youthful this year with the addition of six freshmen, along with one sophomore and one junior that transferred in from community colleges. Thirteen of the 17 players on the squad this year are underclassmen.

Below is the 2018 MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll…

1. Central Oklahoma (13) 169 points
2. Missouri Western 140 points
3. Northwest Missouri (1) 135 points
4. Central Missouri 133 points
5. Southwest Baptist 114 points
T6. Emporia State 101 points
T6. Missouri Southern 101 points
8. Pittsburg State 95 points
9. Northeastern State 73 points
10. Washburn 71 points
11. Lindenwood 53 points
12. Fort Hays State 43 points
13. Nebraska Kearney 30 points
14. Lincoln 16 points