EDMOND, Okla. – Fort Hays State fell twice at the hands of Central Oklahoma on Saturday (Mar. 10) in an MIAA doubleheader. The Tigers dropped all four games over the weekend to start conference play. FHSU is now 4-18 overall, 0-4 in the MIAA, while Central Oklahoma improved to 17-7 overall, 7-1 in the MIAA.

Central Oklahoma 2, Fort Hays State 0

Two runs in the second inning for Central Oklahoma accounted for all of the scoring in the first game of the doubleheader. A two-out RBI single by Lexy Dobson and a bases loaded walk by Carrie Abrams was all the Bronchos needed as the Tigers went scoreless for a third consecutive game to open MIAA play.

The Tigers scratched out six hits against UCO starter Jayden Chestnut, who threw a complete game with two strikeouts. She did not allow a walk. The Tigers had runners reach second base in four innings, but never found a timely hit to drive in a run. Bailey Boxberger and Veronica Knittig each went 2-for-3 at the plate in the game.

Hailey Chapman took another tough loss in the pitching circle, allowing only five hits while walking two and striking out one.

Central Oklahoma 10, Fort Hays State 5

Central Oklahoma jumped out to an 8-0 lead through two innings, but the Tigers were able to avoid the run rule by plating four runs in the fifth to cut the lead in half. Another run by the Tigers in the sixth cut the lead to three, but the Bronchos tacked on two more in the bottom half of the inning and won the second game 10-5.

Tiger starting pitcher Sierra Rodriguez lasted only 1.1 innings before turning the ball over to Hailey Chapman, who relieved the remainder of the game. Rodriguez allowed seven runs on six hits and two walks with one strikeout. Chapman allowed one run to the Bronchos in her first inning of relief, but then held them at bay until the two runs in the sixth. Chapman allowed eight hits and a walk, while striking out one.

An error by UCO helped trigger the four-run fifth inning for the Tigers. A ball put in play by Terran Caldwell was mishandled and a run scored from second on the play. Candace Bollig drove in a run with a sacrifice fly and later Bailey Kennedy knocked in two with a double. In the sixth, Bollig drove in another run with a single, but a double play ended any further threat from the Tigers.

Central Oklahoma starting pitcher Lauren Gibson went 5.0 innings in her winning effort, allowing five runs (three earned) on 10 hits with a walk and two strikeouts. JoBi Heath pitched the final 2.0 innings for a save, allowing two hits to go with a strikeout.

The Tigers are back at home next Friday (Mar. 16) when they host Lincoln University at 2 pm.

PITTSBURG, Kan. – Four Tigers were sent to the Division II National Championships, and four Tigers are coming back with All-American honors. Dean Cronin, Brett Meyer, Sam Dreiling and Jake Morrow all earned the honors after finishing in the top-12 at the championships. The 2018 National Championships were hosted at Pittsburg State University this past weekend.

Meyer kicked off the All-American finishes by coming in second place in the men’s mile with a 4:13.60 mark in the event. This improved Meyer’s 2017 finish which he placed fifth in the event. Cronin also captured a second place finish with his time of 1:48.89 in the 800-meter run. This was Cronin’s first indoor All-American status. Cronin both achieved a personal record and broke the FHSU school record with this time.

On field events, both pole vaulters Morrow and Dreiling finished in the top-12. Morrow finished in sixth place with a mark of 16 feet, 10 ¾ inches. Morrow’s mark ties the school record. Dreiling finished close behind in eighth place with his height of 16 feet, 6 ¾ inches.

As a team, the Tigers earned 20 team points to finish in a three-way tie for 11th place.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – The Fort Hays State wrestling team completed their trip to the NCAA DII Championships on Saturday (Mar. 4) as No. 4 Efe Osaghae claimed All-America status after an eighth-place finish at nationals.

Osaghae advanced through the 149-pound weight class to the second day of competition. Osaghae was defeated by Isaiah Kemper of McKendree in the third round of the consolation side in overtime via a 6-4 sudden victory defeat in his first bout this morning. Osaghae then faced Natrelle Demison of Adams State in the seventh-place match, before falling to him via 3-2 decision.

Osaghae finished his redshirt-freshman campaign with a 31-14 overall record. Throughout the season, Osaghae defeated the No. 1 ranked wrestler three times after dropping down a weight class from 157 pounds. Osaghae recorded two pins, five technical falls and five major decisions during the course of the year. He ranked second on the squad in wins and technical falls.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – The Fort Hays State wrestling team competed at the NCAA Division II Championships on Friday (Mar. 9). No. 4 Efe Osaghae advanced to the second day of nationals and earned All-America status by becoming one of the final eight wrestlers still alive in the 149-pound weight class.

Osaghae defeated No. 11 Logan Grass of Mercyhurst with a 9-4 decision in the first round of the 149-pound weight class. He then suffered a 3-1 decision defeat to No. 1 James Pleski of St. Cloud State, making it his first loss against the top-ranked wrestler this season (3-1). Osaghae bounced back with a victory over Reis Humphrey in the second round of the consolation side with a 2-1 decision over the New Mexico Highlands wrestler.

Osaghae will now face Isaiah Kemper of McKendree beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday (Mar. 10) to begin the second day of competition at the NCAA Championships.

No. 12 Rakim Dean earned a first round victory over Matthew Rudy of Limestone with a 14-8 decision in the 197-pound weight class. He was then defeated by No. 3 Vince Dietz of St. Cloud State by major decision (13-1) in the quarterfinals. Dean ended his season on an 18-4 major decision loss to James Lehman of UW-Parkside in the second round of the consolation side.

No. 12 Brandon Ball will not repeat as an all-american after suffering back to back losses in the 141-pound weight class. Ball was defeated by No. 2 Nick Crume of Indianapolis by a 10-3 decision before falling to No. 10 Tyler Warner of Wheeling Jesuit by decision (6-3) in the first round of the consolation side.

Ryne Cokeley was defeated by No. 4 Ryan Stope of McKendree by decision (7-4) in the first round of the 157-pound weight class before falling to Eric Milks of UNC-Pembroke is a 7-2 decision in the first round of the consolation side.

HAYS, Kan. – Three home runs were not enough for the Fort Hays State baseball team against No. 7 Central Missouri, with the Mules taking game one of a three-game series Friday evening (March 9), 13-8. The Tigers dip to 9-9 on the year and 1-6 in MIAA play, while UCM is now 14-3 overall and 6-1 in league action.

Fort Hays State outhit the Mules, 13-11, but nine walks and three errors came back to doom the Tigers. The offensive outburst lasted all evening for both teams, as UCM scored in every inning but the eighth while the Tigers pushed across runs in five different frames. Fort Hays State had baserunners in all nine innings, while UCM was set down in order once.

The Tigers were playing from behind all afternoon thanks to an early home run from the Mules’ clean-up hitter, Collin Nevil. FHSU answered right back by manufacturing a run in the home half of the first, closing within 3-1. Addison Kaasch singled to lead things off and promptly swiped second before coming around to score after a pair of groundouts.

Fort Hays State closed within one in the bottom of the second inning with the help of two home runs. Ryan Grasser deposited a ball over the fence in center to lead things off before Cody Starkel crushed a line-drive home run to left two batters later, making the score 4-3.

Starkel picked up another extra-base knock in the fourth, leading off with a double into the gap in right center. Jason Nicholson immediately drove him in after he tripled to right past the diving Mule outfielder. The catcher came in to score on a throwing error later in the frame, helping the Tigers close within 7-5.

Fort Hays State put together a two-out rally to keep things interesting in the bottom of the sixth. Kaasch reached on an infield single after the third baseman couldn’t handle a wild hop before Clayton Basgall and Alex Weiss followed with singles to load the bases. Dayton Pomeroy came through with a big base knock, dropping in a double just inside the foul line in the left field corner to narrow the gap to three, 10-7.

Grasser collected another long ball in the ninth inning, sending a 2-1 pitch to deep center once again as the leadoff hitter in the frame.

Ben Ramberg (2-3) took the loss after allowing five runs on four hits and four walks in two-plus innings of work. Alex Ruxlow came on to strike out three in 2.2 innings of work, while Roger Kruse was the lone pitcher to retire the side in order all evening (top of the eighth).

Eight different Tigers collected a hit in the loss, including five players with two base knocks. Pomeroy and Grasser both drove in two runs, while Kaasch, Grasser and Starkel all crossed the plate twice.

The Tigers will look to even out the series on Saturday (March 10) when the teams go at it in game two. First pitch is set for 2 p.m. from Larks Park.

EDMOND, Okla. – The Fort Hays State women’s tennis team took to the road to open up their 2018 MIAA schedule. The first match of the weekend resulted in a 9-0 loss at Central Oklahoma. With the loss, the Tigers drop to 5-3 overall with a 0-1 early mark in the conference.

In doubles play, the Bronchos went 3-0 over the Tigers with two 8-1 wins alongside an 8-2 win. Macy Moyers and Lauren Lindell dropped an 8-1 match to Ali Hodges and Paola Landin, while an 8-1 loss from Nicole Lubbers and Laura Jimenez-Lendinez to Sara Van Eeckhoudt and her partner Aliz Williams to fall behind 0-2. An 8-2 loss by Natalie Lubbers and Ellea Ediger to Kirtana Baht and Laetitia Charbonnet sealed the doubles for the Bronchos. In singles play, the Tigers continued to struggle as they were unable to close out the matches as the Bronchos earned wins in all six contests against Fort Hays State.

The Tigers continue their Oklahoma and MIAA road trip this Saturday as they travel to Tahlequah, Okla., for an 11 a.m. tilt against Northeastern State.

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – Fort Hays State opened MIAA play on Friday (Mar. 9) at Northeastern State. The RiverHawks shutout the Tigers twice by scores of 3-0 and 8-0. The Tigers are now 4-16 overall, 0-2 in the MIAA, while the RiverHawks improved to 10-8 overall, 2-0 in the MIAA.

Game 1: Northeastern State 3, Fort Hays State 0

The Tigers scratched out just three hits, each in separate innings, in a 3-0 loss to the RiverHawks. Terran Caldwell, Veronica Knittig, and Grace Philop all recorded singles and the Tigers had just one runner reach second base in the game.

The RiverHawks picked up single runs in the second, fifth, and sixth innings. Two of the runs were on RBI singles, while the other was on an RBI double. FHSU starter Hailey Chapman went the distance, allowing seven hits and four walks, while striking out five.

Northeastern State pitcher Gail Young threw a complete game, walking just one to go with the three hits allowed. She struck out three.

Game 2: Northeastern State 8, Fort Hays State 0

Northeastern State scored single runs in the first, second, and third innings, then erupted for five runs in the fourth taking advantage of a Tiger error to invoke the run rule through five innings.

Like the first game, the Tigers scratched out three hits, all in separate innings. Sara Breckbill recorded the only extra base hit on the day for the Tigers, a double in the second inning. She reached third base in that inning with one out, but a pair of groundouts ended the threat. Later in the game, Bailey Boxberger and Tess Gray recorded singles.

The Tigers had runners at second and third with one out in the fourth, but once again could not drive in any runs as the threat ended with a strikeout and groundout.

Sierra Rodriguez took the loss for FHSU, allowing three runs on four hits over 2.1 innings. Carrie Clarke allowed five unearned runs in an inning of relief. Hailey Chapman recorded the last two outs for FHSU.

Sydney Balderrama walked just one to go with the three hits allowed for NSU. She struck out four in the winning effort.

The Tigers head to Central Oklahoma for another conference doubleheader on Saturday (Mar. 10), starting at 12 pm.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Fort Hays State held on late for a thrilling 78-75 win over Southwestern Oklahoma State in the opening round of the NCAA Central Regional Friday (Mar. 9). Up by just one, the Tigers got a defensive stop with just 1.2 seconds remaining before Taylor Rolfs went to the free-throw line and hit a pair. The last-second three-point attempt by the Bulldogs was off the mark and the Tigers survived.

FHSU Postgame Press Conference

Game Highlights

With the win, Fort Hays State moved to 26-6 overall on the season, while Southwestern Oklahoma State saw its tremendous season end at 26-5 overall. The Bulldogs were the regular season champions of the Great American Conference. The No. 6 seed Tigers will take on the winner of No. 2 seed Central Missouri and No. 7 seed Minnesota State-Moorhead on Saturday night (Mar. 10) at 5 pm.

Every time the Tigers looked to be pulling away, the Bulldogs reeled them back in. FHSU led 14-5 early before SWOSU went on a 15-2 run that spanned from the 2:38 mark of the first quarter to the 7:28 mark of the second quarter. The teams locked in a tight battle the rest of the second quarter and FHSU snuck ahead at halftime 32-31 on a Rolfs baseline jumper with 17 seconds remaining.

The Tigers worked their way out to a seven-point lead at the 5:53 mark of the third quarter, but the Bulldogs used a quick 7-0 run to erase the lead and knot the score 46-46 with 4:31 remaining in the quarter. The Tigers ended the quarter on a 5-0 run, capped with a Carly Heim three-pointer from the left wing, to take a 61-56 lead going into the fourth quarter.

Emma Stroyan scored the first four points of the fourth quarter and the Tigers found themselves with a nine-point lead, their largest of the game, with 9:16 remaining in the game. Once again, the Bulldogs went on a furious run, this time an 8-0 stretch, to cut the lead back to one with 8:03 to go. At the 6:55 mark, SWOSU took its first lead since late in the first half. The Bulldogs took their last lead of the game at the 5:18 mark, on a pair of Hayden Priddy free throws, making the score 71-70.

Kacey Kennett had one of her finest games as a Tiger, finishing with 20 points, 14 rebounds, three steals and an assist. At halftime, she already had a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. She found 10 more points in the second half to finish with an even distribution of points it each half. Her three-point field goal with 3:39 remaining in the game broke a 71-71 tie and put the Tigers up by three.

Fort Hays State held on to its lead the rest of the way. The Bulldogs sliced the lead to one two more times, but their shot with six seconds remaining attempting to take the lead fell off the mark. Stroyan pulled down the rebound and then a jump ball went Fort Hays State’s way. Rolfs hit the pair of free throws to get the lead to where SWOSU could only tie on a desperation attempt. The last shot fell off the mark.

Aside from Kennett’s stellar performance, the Tigers were very balanced in their scoring effort with five players finishing in double figures. Tatyana Legette had 15 points, while Stroyan, Rolfs, and Belle Barbieri all had 10. Barbieri nearly posted a double-double in her 17 minutes off the bench, finishing with nine rebounds.

Tyra Aska led SWOSU with 21 points on a 9-of-14 effort from the field, while Hailey Tucker had 19 points and Priddy had 18. The Tigers were able to hold the three-point heavy shooting Bulldogs to just 30 percent beyond the arc (9-of-30). Tucker buried five of the nine good attempts from long distance for the Bulldogs.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Game times and ticket information for the Central Regional in the 2018 NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball Championship were announced Monday (March 5) by Augustana, the host institution for this year’s regional tournament. Sixth-seeded Fort Hays State will kick things off with the first of seven games over four days, facing off with No. 3 Southwestern Oklahoma State at noon on Friday (March 9).

If the Tigers were to advance, their regional semifinal contest would begin at 5 p.m. Saturday (March 10) with the regional championship set to tip at 7 p.m. Monday (March 12).

Tickets are will be available beginning at 10 a.m. on Tuesday (March 6) at the following link. Single session tickets are available at a cost of $12 for adults and $5 for students with a valid school ID. Children five and under will get in free.

Additionally, a full-day pass is available on Friday only for $20. Tickets purchased in advance will not be mailed and will be available at will call. Tickets will also be available at the gate, with ticket offices opening one hour prior to the first game each day.

The full tournament schedule can be found below.

Friday, March 9 – NCAA DII Central Region Quarterfinals
Game 1 – Noon – #6 Fort Hays State vs. #3 Southwestern Oklahoma State
Game 2 – 2:30 p.m. – #7 Minnesota State Moorhead vs. #2 Central Missouri
Game 3 – 5:30 p.m. – #8 Lindenwood vs. #1 Augustana
Game 4 – 8:00 p.m. – #5 Northern State vs. Arkansas Tech

Saturday, March 10 – NCAA DII Central Region Semifinals
Game 5 – 5 p.m. – Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2
Game 6 – 7:30 p.m. – Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4

Monday, March 12 – NCAA DII Central Region Championship
Game 7 – 7 p.m. – Winner of Game 5 vs. Winner of Game 6

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Fort Hays State saw its 2017-18 season come to a close on Saturday (Mar. 3) as it fell in the MIAA Tournament Semifinals to Washburn 77-53. The Tigers finished with a record of 19-12, the 12th time in Mark Johnson’s 17 years as head coach that FHSU finished with at least 19 wins in a season. Washburn, now 22-8, moves on to the finals to play either Northwest Missouri State or Central Oklahoma.

FHSU Postgame Press Conference

Game Highlights

Fort Hays State’s only lead occurred on the first bucket of the game, a Hadley Gillum layup 40 seconds into the action. From that point it was all Washburn. The Ichabods went on a 14-2 run to take a 10-point lead and FHSU pulled the lead back to five twice. However, the lead grew to 21 by halftime, 41-20, when Washburn ended the half on a 22-6 run. The Tigers cut the lead inside 20 just once early in the second half and Washburn’s largest lead was 29 at the 14:27 mark.

Washburn hit 50.9 percent of its field goal attempts and limited the Tigers to just 30.6 percent shooting for the game. The Ichabods controlled the paint, outscoring the Tigers in low 46-10. The tough defense of the Ichabods forced the Tigers to shoot several long-range jump shots and they didn’t convert enough before the game got away quickly. Washburn outrebounded the Tigers 38-26.

Brady Skeens dominated the game in low for the Ichabods, going a perfect 9-of-9 from the field with 24 points and nine rebounds. He was 6-of-10 at the free-throw line. David Salach also played well in low, scoring 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting and a 3-of-3 effort at the charity stripe. Javion Blake added 13 points, while Tyas Martin finished with 12.

In the final game of his career, Gillum finished with 10 points, matching teammate Brady Werth for the team’s high-point honors for the game. Gillum ended his career with 1,079 points and 511 rebounds, the ninth player in program history to record at least 1,000 points and 500 rebounds in a career. He finished 17th on the career scoring list at FHSU. He became the program’s 20th 1,000-point scorer back on February 20 in a game at Nebraska-Kearney.

Besides the 10 points scored by Gillum and Werth, four Tigers finished with six points each. That group included Aaron Nicholson, Kyler Kinnamon, Trey O’Neil, and Jared Vitztum.

Fort Hays State reached the semifinals of the MIAA Tournament for the seventh time in the school’s 12-year membership with the conference (began in 2006-07).