HAYS, Kan. – Tatyana Legette paid tribute to fellow senior Carly Heim who is out for the season with a knee injury by wearing her No. 13 jersey. Legette then tied her career-high with 25 points along with 11 rebounds and six assists to lead the third-ranked Tigers to a 67-62 win over Pittsburg State in front of 3,017 Saturday afternoon at Gross Coliseum.

Tony Hobson Postgame Interview

Game Highlights

After exchanging a couple of baskets to start the game, the Tigers (27-1, 18-1 MIAA) used runs of 8-0 and 9-0 to go up 14 after the first quarter.

Legette’s 3-pointer with 6:08 to play in the second quarter pushed the lead to 16 but the Gorillas (21-7, 13-6 MIAA) closed the quarter on a 13-4 run to pull within seven. They outscored the Tigers 8-5 to start the third quarter to pull within three at 41-38 with 6:21 to play in the third. It was still a three-point game at the 5:44 mark when FHSU went on an 8-2 run to build a nine-point lead at the end of the quarter.

Hailey Walker’s second 3-pointer of the game early in the fourth quarter pushed the lead to 12. Pitt State would close within four with 1:37 to play but Walker and Whitney Randall went 4-for-6 at the line over the final 40 seconds to secure the victory.

Lanie Page added 11 points. Kasey Kennett added nine points and Walker added eight off the bench.

The Tigers will be the No. 1 seed at next week’s MIAA Tournament and play at 6 pm Friday.

BOLIVAR, Mo. – The Fort Hays State baseball team earned their first victory on Saturday (Mar. 2), defeating Southwest Baptist 10-7. The Tigers (1-13, 1-5 MIAA) ended a 29-game losing skid with the victory, while the Bearcats dipped to 8-7 on the year and 3-3 in conference action.

The Bearcats plated the first run of the afternoon in the first inning on an RBI single to left field from Carl Schwettmann. Fort Hays State immediately fired back in the home half with a 3-spot as two-hole hitter Garrett Francis reached base with a walk before advancing to second on a wild pitch and then crossed home when Ryan Stoecklein lifted a ball to centerfield, grabbing his first of three runs batted in on the day. The Tigers continued the two-out rally as Taylan Mullins-Ohm ripped a double down the left field line and Landon Erway fired a 2-RBI single to center, giving the Tigers the 3-1 edge after one frame.

In the second frame, SBU plated another run before the Tigers pushed across a pair in the home half. Jake Taylor and Cody Starkel lead off the inning with back-to-back singles before Ryan Grasser placed a single into right field, scoring Starkel and Francis.

FHSU took momentum back in the fourth with a four-run frame. Tyler Olson produced a lead-off single before Francis delivered an infield single to third base. Grasser patiently earned a walk, loading the bases. Stoecklein added two more in the run column after placing a double into left field. A few batters later, Jared Maneth plated Erway and Stoecklein with a single of his own. FHSU tacked on another run in the fifth when Grasser doubled to the gap in left center, scoring Francis from first and giving the Tigers a 10-2 advantage after five innings of action.

SBU came storming back with a four-run sixth, chasing starter Cody Rottinghaus. Cole Zimmerman pitched the rest of the way shutting down the Bearcats and limiting them to only one more run in the ninth.

Rottinghaus (1-2) earned the victory on the hill, pitching 5.2 innings allowing five earned runs on five hits and punching out one strikeout. Zimmerman earned his first collegiate save by holding off the Bearcat offense in his 3.1 innings of work, allowing one run on three hits and striking out two batters.

Garrett Francis produced a season-high four runs in the contest scoring a run each time on base (one hit, two walks, one fielder’s choice). Both Grasser and Stoecklein picked up three-RBI days, while five Tigers earned two hits on the afternoon.

FHSU will gear up for Emporia State next weekend (Mar. 8-10). The Tigers and Hornets are scheduled to face off on Friday at 3 p.m. in Larks Park.

PITTSBURG, Kan. – Fort Hays State won a pair of non-conference games against Pittsburg State on Friday (Mar. 1), moving to 7-4 overall on the season. The Tigers won by scores of 5-4 and 6-0, led by a 5-for-7, two home run, five RBI day from Bailey Boxberger and a complete-game shutout from Hailey Chapman. Pittsburg State dropped to 7-8 overall.

Game 1: Fort Hays State 5, Pittsburg State 4
A solo home run by Bailey Boxberger in the seventh inning proved to be the game winner for Fort Hays State in the first contest of the afternoon. Boxberger finished the game 4-of-4 at the plate with 2 RBIs.

The Tigers took an early 1-0 lead on Boxberger’s first RBI of the game, a single up the middle that plated Grace Philop in the first inning. Pittsburg State countered with a pair of runs on a two-out, two-RBI single by Makenzie Goswick in the bottom half of the inning. That produced the only lead of the day by the Gorillas, a 2-1 advantage after an inning.

Philop instantly pushed the Tigers back in front in the second inning with a bases-clearing, two-out double to left center field. Jeni Mohr, Lily Sale, and Katie Adler all came in to score on the play.

Philop’s double in the second stood as the game’s decisive hit until the sixth when Pittsburg State rallied for a pair of runs to tie the game at 4-4. Michaelanne Nelson settled into the circle during the second through fifth innings, but ran into trouble in the sixth when the Gorillas opened the inning with a single, RBI double, and a walk. Hailey Chapman took over in the circle and hit the first batter she saw, which loaded the bases with no outs. Chapman got a strikeout before a grounder to second base tied the game. Chapman escaped further damage by getting another strikeout to end the threat.

Already 3-for-3 at the plate, Boxberger blasted her solo homer to left field in the seventh to push the Tigers back in front and then Chapman mowed through the heart of the Gorilla order in the bottom half of the inning with a strikeout, flyout, and another strikeout. Chapman picked up the win for FHSU in relief, moving to 3-2, with her only runner allowed being the batter she hit in the sixth. It was just the start of a dominating day for Chapman in the circle. Nelson went 5.0 innings in her start, allowing four runs on six hits and four walks, while striking out four.

Shelby Smith took the loss for PSU, moving to 3-3 on the season. She allowed 11 hits and three walks with three strikeouts in her complete game effort.

Game 2: Fort Hays State 6, Pittsburg State 0
Already warmed up from getting the final six outs of game one, Hailey Chapman continued to navigate through the Gorilla lineup by hurling a four-hit complete game shutout in game two. She struck out five and did not allow any walks.

Chapman locked in a pitcher’s duel with Sierra Thompson for the first three innings as the teams went into the fourth inning scoreless. The Tigers finally solved Thompson in the fourth when they strung together four consecutive singles by Megan Feiner, Jeni Mohr, Lily Sale, and then Terran Caldwell. Caldwell’s bases-loaded, two-RBI single up the middle with two outs broke the scoreless tie and put the Tigers up 2-0.

A Grace Philop single and Sara Breckbill walk to open the fifth inning put an end to Thompson’s day in the circle handing the ball to game-one starter Shelby Smith. Her first challenge in relief was the person she could not get out in game one, Bailey Boxberger. The trend continued as Boxberger launched a ball over the right field wall for a three-run home run, pushing the Tiger lead to 5-0. Boxberger finished the day 5-for-5 against Smith, reaching base all six times against her in the doubleheader with two home runs, three singles, and a walk.

Breckbill tacked on an insurance run in the sixth with an RBI double, but it was plenty for Chapman in her march toward a complete-game win. Chapman retired the side in order in three of the seven innings. Chapman moved to 4-2 on the season by picking up the win in both games.

Tiger Notes
-Bailey Boxberger went 5-for-7 at the plate with 2 home runs and 5 RBIs. She was 5-for-5 against Shelby Smith in the doubleheader and reached base in all six plate appearances against her.
-Hailey Chapman averaged a strikeout per inning, fanning nine over nine innings of work for the day with no runs allowed. She has 31 strikeouts through 28.2 innings of work this season. She had a WHIP of 0.56 for the day.
-Fort Hays State outhit Pittsburg State 23-10 in the doubleheader.
-Seven of Fort Hays State’s 11 runs on the day came with two outs. The two home runs on the day by Boxberger that produced the other four runs came with less than two outs.

Up Next
Fort Hays State travels to Springfield, Missouri on Saturday to take on Drury University in another doubleheader. Game time is set for 12 pm.

BOLIVAR, Mo. – The Fort Hays State baseball team dropped a pair of games to Southwest Baptist Friday afternoon (March 1) at Dodson Field. The Tigers were one run short in the opener, falling 7-6 before their bats went silent in a 6-0 loss in the nightcap. Because the series was originally scheduled as a home series for the Tigers, Fort Hays State played as the home team in both contests. The Tigers (0-13, 0-5 MIAA) and Bearcats (8-6, 3-2 MIAA) will wrap up the series Saturday (March 2) beginning at 11 a.m.

Game One: Southwest Baptist 7, Fort Hays State 6
The Tigers had chances early and often in game one, with runners reaching base in all but one inning in the opener. Fort Hays State scored the first run of the game after four consecutive walks in the first inning.

The Tigers extended their lead to 3-0 when they tacked on a pair of runs in the home half of the fourth. Marcus McDaniel plated Garrett Francis with an RBI groundout before Tyler Olson came home to score on an error. A walk to Ryan Stoecklein and a single from Taylan Mullins-Ohm once again loaded the bases, but SBU got out of the jam with a flyout.

After managing just three hits over the first four innings against Tiger starter Jake Steinbring, Southwest Baptist got things going in the fifth inning. The Bearcats took the lead after pushing four runs across, two of which were unearned.

Fort Hays State tied things up with a big two-out base hit from Mullins-Ohm in the bottom of the sixth inning. Ryan Grasser worked a walk before swiping second, allowing the senior to come around to score when Mullins-Ohm sent a single back up the middle to center.

SBU took the lead for good with a pair of runs in the top of the seventh inning. Grasser helped the Tigers close within one in the bottom of the eighth when he plated Olson with a ground ball to short.

After the Bearcats went back in front by two in the top of the ninth, 7-5, the home half of the inning opened with Landon Erway being hit by a pitch. A double from Francis and a walk to Jared Maneth loaded the bases yet again for the Tigers with the top of the lineup due up. A pitch hit Olson in the following at bat, closing the gap to one after Erway came in to score. After going to the bullpen, SBU got out of the jam with a popup and a flyout to lock down the win.

Francis collected three of FHSU’s seven hits, finishing 3-for-5 with a run. Mullins-Ohm reached base four times, turning in a 2-for-3 effort with an RBI and two walks.

Steinbring completed 4.2 innings before being removed, allowing four runs (two earned) on six hits while striking out four. Ryan Ruder (0-2) suffered the loss after tossing 4.1 innings and allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits.

Game Two: Southwest Baptist 6, Fort Hays State 0
After leaving 15 runners on base in the opener, the Tigers managed just four baserunners in game two. SBU starter Dalton Morrow controlled the game on the bump, tossing a complete game shutout while striking out 11 and allowing just three hits.

Southwest Baptist clubbed a pair of home runs over the first two innings to provide all the run support Morrow would need.

Garrett Francis, Isaas Soares and Cody Starkel all singled in the loss. Ethan Booe (0-2) was credited with the loss after allowing five runs (four earned) on three hits and three walks over 6.0 innings of work. The freshman struck out three on the day. Ryan Brown struck out two in one inning of relief while Tanner Smith struck out four and did not give up a hit over two innings out of the pen.

HAYS, Kan. – Marcus Cooper and Devin Davis both hit two free throws in the final seven seconds and Fort Hays State scored the final six points to edge No. 25 Missouri Southern State 89-84 Thursday night at Gross Coliseum. The Tigers rallied from a 12-point first half deficit for their fifth straight home win over the Lions and lock up a fourth place finish in the MIAA.

Mark Johnson Postgame Interview

Game Highlights

The Tigers (17-10, 11-7 MIAA) led by four early but a 10-0 Lions run put them eight with 11 minutes to play in the first half. On strength on red-hot 3-point shooting, MSSU (22-6, 13-5 MIAA) extended their lead to 12 at the 5:11 mark. FHSU closed the half on a 12-4 run and pulled within four on Nyjee Wright’s tip in at the horn.

Marcus Cooper scored the first two baskets of the second half to tie the game 41-41. A Brady Werth jumper gave the Tigers their biggest lead at 65-60 with just under 10 minutes to play but Southern answered with back-to-back threes to pull within one.

The last nine minutes saw seven ties and seven lead changes with the Tigers taking the lead for good a Trey O’Neil layup with 20 seconds to play.

Marcus Cooper got a key steal in the lane and was intentionally fouled with seven seconds to play. After hitting both free throws. Devin Davis was fouled on the ensuing inbound and hit both of his free throws with six seconds left to seal the win.

Brady Werth led the Tigers with 19 points and nine rebounds before fouling out with a little over two minutes to play. Marcus Cooper added 18 points and seven boards. Jared Vitztum scored 11 and had six rebounds and Kyler Kinnamon scored all 10 of his points in the second half and dished out seven assists with one turnover and four steals.

Cam Martin led the Lions with 29 points and eight boards. Braelon Walker scored all of his 17 points in the second half while Kinzer Lambert added 16.

The Tigers close out the regular season Saturday afternoon against Pittsburg State where they will honor seniors Brady Werth, Kyler Kinnamon, Marcus Cooper, Trey O’Neil and Grant Holmes.

HAYS, Kan. – Belle Barbieri had her third double-double of the season and led four Tigers in double figures as Fort Hays State cruised to a 79-59 win over Missouri Southern State Thursday at Gross Coliseum. Barbieri scored 18 and had 11 rebounds, Kacey Kennett added 17 points, Tatyana Legette scored 14 and Whitney Randall had 10.

Tony Hobson Postgame Interview

Game Highlights

The Tigers (26-1, 17-1 MIAA) raced out to a 9-0 lead and never led by less than six. A 12-0 run pushed their lead to 18 midway through the second quarter and were up as many as 23 on a couple occasions in the second half.

FHSU shot 47-percent from the floor and outscored the Lions (13-15, 5-13 MIAA) 25-14 off of turnovers and 17-8 on second chance points.

MSSU was led by Chelsey Henry’s 12 points. Layne Skiles came off the bench to add 10.

The Tigers, who received their MIAA Championship trophy at halftime of the men’s game,  close out the regular season at home Saturday afternoon against Pittsburg State. It will be Senior Day as the honor Tatyana Legette and Carly Heim.

INDIANAPOLIS – Despite a pair of convincing road victories last week, the third-ranked Fort Hays State women’s basketball team moved to No. 2 in the latest set of NCAA Division II Central Region rankings, released Wednesday afternoon (Feb. 27). It is the second of three announcements of regional rankings that will be released before the NCAA Championship bracket is filled in on March 10.

The 25-1 Tigers dropped behind 25-1 Southwestern Oklahoma State, who also collected a pair of wins last week. Both teams have two regular season games remaining before entering the postseason.

The same 10 teams are listed in this week’s rankings as last week’s initial release, with three teams jumping one spot. Minnesota State-Moorhead climbed to No. 3, passing Central Missouri, while Lindenwood passed Pittsburg State for the No. 8 spot.

Fort Hays State is 5-1 against teams listed in the top 10 in the Central Region this week, with another game against Pittsburg State on tap Saturday. SWOSU is 0-1 against the rest of the Central Region top 10.

The champions of the MIAA, GAC and NSIC tournaments will all earn an automatic bid into the NCAA Championship field, with the next five teams in the region also earning an at-large selection. The top team in the region earns the right to host the regional tournament, which will be held March 15-18.

The Tigers return to Gross Memorial Coliseum to wrap up the regular season with two games this week. Fort Hays State will host Missouri Southern on Thursday (Feb. 28) at 5:30 p.m. before the aforementioned season finale against Pittsburg State Saturday (March 2) at 2 p.m.

The complete NCAA Division II Central Region rankings for February 27, 2019 can be found below.

Rank School Overall DII Record In-Region Record Last Week
1 Southwestern Oklahoma State 25-1 25-1 2
2 Fort Hays State 22-1 22-1 1
3 Minnesota State-Moorhead 23-5 21-5 4
4 Central Missouri 20-5 18-4 3
5 Minnesota Duluth 19-6 19-6 5
6 Emporia State 18-6 18-6 6
7 Concordia-St. Paul 19-6 19-6 7
8 Lindenwood (Missouri) 19-5 19-5 9
9 Pittsburg State 17-6 16-6 8
10 Washburn 17-8 15-8 10

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The 2019 NCAA DII Indoor Track and Field national qualifiers have been announced, and four Tigers will be heading to compete. The event will be held at Pittsburg State March 8-9.

For the Tigers, three men and one woman will make the trek to compete for their respective national title. Brett Meyer, Kolt Newell and Philip Landrum will represent the men, while Rohey Singhateh makes the lone female appearance for Fort Hays State.

Meyer heads into the mile run at No. 5 on the performance list with his best-time of 4:04.23. The prelim time for that event will be Friday at 3:45 p.m. Last season, Meyer came in second place in the mile run at nationals, bettering his fifth place finish in 2017.

Landrum will look to compete in the 60-meters, an event which he is No. 17 on the performance list. Landrum brings in his best time of 6.83. He will compete at 3:15 p.m. on Friday for the prelims. For Newell, he will compete in the high jump after boasting a provisional mark of 6 feet, 11 inches. Newell ranks at No. 10 on the performance list. The high jump will start at 3:40 on March 8.

Singhateh qualified in the triple jump following her best distance of 39 feet, 9 ¾ inches – good enough to put her at No. 17 on the national performance list. Singhateh will commence with the triple jump at 5:55 on March 9.

The Fort Hays State women’s basketball team will open the final week of the regular season ranked third in the country according to both national polls released Tuesday (Feb. 26). This week’s position in the WBCA Division II Coaches Poll matches the Tigers’ top ranking so far this season, while FHSU is third in the D2SIDA Media Poll for the third week in a row.

The Tigers reached No. 3 in the coaches poll earlier this season (1/15/19) after opening the year 15-0. Fort Hays State is 8-2 all-time as the third-ranked team in the coaches poll, including a 1-1 mark this season.

Central Missouri is the only other MIAA institution listed in either poll, coming in 24th once again in the coaches poll while jumping to 23rd according to the media.

Fort Hays State wraps up the regular season at home this weekend, beginning with a 5:30 p.m. contest Thursday (Feb. 28) against Missouri Southern.

The complete national polls for February 26, 2019 can be found below.

WBCA Coaches Poll – Week 14						D2SIDA Media Poll – Week 14
Rk.	Team (1st)	Rcd.	Pts.	Prev.		Rk.	Team (1st)	Rcd.	Pts.	Prev.
1	Drury (24)	26-0	600	1		1	Drury (15)	26-0	399	1
2	UC San Diego	24-0	573	2		2	UC San Diego  (1)	24-0	385	2
3	Fort Hays State	25-1	542	4		3	Fort Hays State	25-1	364	3
4	University of the Sciences	26-1	518	5		4	USciences	26-1	343	5
5	Northwest Nazarene	25-1	491	7		5	Southwestern Oklahoma	25-1	327	7
6	Alaska Anchorage	25-1	462	9		6	Northwest Nazarene	25-1	308	8
7	Ashland	25-2	416	10		7	Anderson (S.C.)	24-2	278	10
T8	Grand Valley State	25-2	403	11		8	Virginia Union	24-2	271	13
T8	Indiana (Pa.)	22-2	403	3		T9	Lewis	24-2	266	11
10	Southwestern Oklahoma St.	25-1	387	12		T9	Union	25-2	266	6
11	Union (Tenn.)	25-2	333	6		11	Alaska Anchorage	25-1	245	12
12	Virginia Union	24-2	331	13		12	IUP	22-2	234	4
13	Bentley	25-2	318	14		13	West Texas A&M	23-3	218	15
14	Thomas Jefferson Univ.	24-2	286	8		14	Grand Valley	25-2	192	14
15	Lewis	24-2	266	15		15	Bentley	25-2	190	16
16	Anderson (S.C.)	24-2	230	16		16	California	22-3	142	21
17	California (Pa.)	22-3	228	18		T17	Ashland	25-2	120	18
18	West Texas A&M	23-3	197	17		T17	West Florida	23-4	120	19
19	Florida Southern	23-3	164	18		19	Colorado Mesa	22-3	112	25
20	Glenville State	24-2	143	21		20	Glenville State	24-2	87	17
21	Colorado Mesa	22-3	129	22		21	Florida Southern	23-3	85	23
22	Angelo State	20-4	89	23		22	North Georgia	22-4	78	24
23	Azusa Pacific	22-4	52	25		23	Central Missouri	20-5	56	RV
24	Central Missouri	20-5	51	24		24	St. Thomas Aquinas	24-3	39	RV
25	Lubbock Christian	22-5	46	20		25	Angelo State	20-4	34	RV

The softball doubleheader between Fort Hays State and Newman University in Wichita, Kansas on Tuesday (Feb. 26) has been postponed until a later date. The weather conditions and forecast in the Wichita area for Tuesday have worsened, so the teams have rescheduled the doubleheader for Wednesday, April 24 at 3 pm.

HAYS, Kan. – For the second week in a row, winter weather has forced the Fort Hays State baseball team to adjust its scheduled conference series. Instead of playing at home this weekend, the Tigers will travel to play Southwest Baptist in Bolivar, Mo. in their three-game MIAA set. The Tigers will play all three games as the home team.

The teams will target a single game on Thursday, February 28 beginning at 2 p.m. before wrapping things up with a doubleheader on Friday, March 1 beginning at 11 a.m. Live stats and video are scheduled to be available at the links above.

The Tigers are 24-15 all-time against Southwest Baptist, including a 12-12 mark in Bolivar. Fort Hays State took two out of three on the road against the Bearcats last year.

EDMOND, Okla. – The Fort Hays State baseball team wrapped up its first conference series with a pair of losses Monday afternoon against Missouri Western (5-5, 3-0), falling 11-1 in the opener before dropping the nightcap 20-3. The Tigers (0-11, 0-3) are scheduled to return home to play Southwest Baptist next weekend, but field conditions could force another round of schedule changes. Stay tuned to fhsuathletics.com for the latest information.

Game One: Missouri Western 11, Fort Hays State 1 (7 innings)
The Tigers could never quite get started in the opener, collecting four hits while allowing seven Griffon base knocks. MWSU scored one in the first before adding four in the third to go up 5-0 before the Tigers put together their first rally. Jordan Wilkerson led off with a double before Isaac Soares reached on an error. Tyler Olson later singled to load the bases before Dawson Sramek drew a walk, helping FHSU close within 5-1.

FHSU managed just one hit after the fourth inning, giving Missouri Western the chance to pull away with six more runs.

Marcus McDaniel and Sramek also collected singles in the loss. Cole Zimmerman (0-3) was credited with the loss after allowing eight runs (seven earned) on five hits over 3.1 innings of work. He struck out three batters while Cody Rottinghaus struck out four in 3.1 innings of relief, giving up three runs on two hits.

Game Two: Missouri Western 20, Fort Hays State 3 (7 innings)
While Fort Hays State collected just four hits for the second game in a row, Missouri Western turned up the intensity at the plate to the tune of 16 hits and six home runs.

Missouri Western got things rolling in the first inning for the second game in a row, plating two runs in the home half of the first. Fort Hays State looked to have a chance to respond early when two walks and a double loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the second. But three batters later the Griffons were out of the inning unscathed, and the Tigers next came up to the plate trailing 11-0.

Taylan Mullins-Ohm got the Tigers on the board after a two-run double scored Tyler Olson and Marcus Altman in the top of the third, making the score 11-2. Fort Hays State added a run in the seventh when Caleb Egan legged out a pinch-hit, one out triple. Ryan Stoecklein lifted a sacrifice fly to right one batter later, scoring Egan from third.

Mullins-Ohm finished 2-for-2 with a walk and two RBI. Garrett Francis collected the other Tiger hit, doubling to left in his first at bat. Jake Taylor (0-2) took the loss after surrendering nine runs (seven earned) on six hits over 1.2 innings of work.