FHSU grabbed an early 4-0 lead and then held on late to defeat Wayne State 5-3 in Hays on Saturday evening. The win improved FHSU to 24-19 on the season, while Wayne State dropped to 26-15. The teams will play one more game on Sunday at 1 pm.

Coaches Interview:
Coaches Interview

Game Highlights:
FHSU Baseball Highlights 4-28

FHSU jumped on top 2-0 in the second inning with a sacrifice fly RBI by Luke Kordsmeier and an RBI single by Jay Sanders with two outs.

The lead grew to 4-0 in the third with RBI singles from Ryan Busbbom and Brandon Hoefler, but couldn’t push any more across with the bases loaded as the inning ended with a double play.

Starter Shawn Lewick struggled with his control early, but managed to allow just two runs in the fourth after having the bases loaded with no outs. He went 5.0 innings in the start, allowing four hits and two walks with three strikeouts. Lewick moved to 6-3 on the season with the win.

Alex Ellison relieved Lewick and went 3.0 innings, allowing just one run on three hits with one strikeout. The run he allowed came in the seventh on a double that narrowed the FHSU lead to 4-3.

With two outs in the bottom of the eighth, Jay Sanders delivered a solo home run to give FHSU its two-run cushion back. FHSU went to Brett Macari in the ninth and he worked a 1-2-3 inning for his seventh save of the season.

Eric Schwieger took the loss for Wayne State, now at 3-2 on the season. He allowed the first four runs to the Tigers, lasting 6 2/3 innings.

– FHSU Sports Information –

Coaches Interview:
Coaches Interview

Game Highlights:
FHSU Baseball Highlights 4-28

The annual Fort Hays State football spring game took place on Saturday morning (Apr. 28) at Lewis Field Stadium in Hays, Kan. The team was split into two squads, Black and Gold, with Black winning on a touchdown at the end of the scrimmage 21-20. The teams played three 15-minute periods.

The Gold team took the early advantage on a 42-yard field goal by Tyler Kimbrough, capping a nine-play, 50-yard drive. It was the only points put on the board by either team in the first period.

The Black took its first advantage of the game on a 25-yard touchdown pass from Anthony Sheppard to tight end Eli Cordon, which capped a seven-play, 64-yard drive.

Gold took the lead back though, going up 10-7 on a 17-yard touchdown run by Ed Smith, which capped a four-play 30 yard drive after a blocked punt by Treyvius Alexander. Smith went on to rush for 82 yards on 16 carries, averaging 5.1 yards per carry.

The Black took the lead back late in the second period as Treveon Albert hauled in a 33-yard pass from Sheppard up the sideline, pinning the ball against the defender to make the grab. That put Black back in front 14-10. However, the Gold put together a quick drive to get Kimbrough set up for a 29-yard field goal to make the score 14-13 at the end of the second.

The teams were scoreless for nearly the entire third period until the Gold took the lead back as time expired on the clock on a Sheppard 34-yard touchdown pass to Cornelius Gallon up the right sideline. Gallon finished the game with 59 yards on three catches. It looked as though Gold had won the scrimmage 20-14, but Coach Brown wanted to see Treveon Albert run 10 plays at quarterback after playing wide receiver all game.

So, in an untimed drive, Albert would show his ability by taking the Black team down the field and on the 10th-play found Treyvius Alexander for a 22-yard touchdown pass. A Kimbrough extra-point put the Black back on top 21-20 to conclude the action. Alexander caught four passes for 52 yards for the Black.

Sheppard had a solid afternoon throwing the ball, going 12-of-21 passing for 166 yards and three touchdowns. Shaun Ohlde was a workhorse running the ball, carrying 15 times for the Black and seven times for the Gold, accumulating 86 yards on the ground

Caleb Crocker posted a solid outing on defense, recording nine tackles for the Gold squad. Basil Bandy recorded two sacks, Layton Hickel had a forced fumble, and Austin Hubert recorded the only interception of the day.

Fort Hays State will return to action in August in preparation for the 2012 season, which starts on August 30 at Emporia State University. For season ticket information on the five home games this coming year, call (785) 628-4050. Home opponents for FHSU this year include Washburn, Missouri Western, Lindenwood, Lincoln, and Central Missouri.

– FHSU Sports Information –

The Fort Hays State softball team battled on Friday (April 27) at the MIAA Centennial Softball Championship in Overland Park, Kan., but they fell to the top two teams in the conference and were eliminated from the tournament. FHSU was downed 2-0 by top seed and No. 16 Emporia State before dropping a run-rule 14-5 game in five innings to the second seed, No. 21 Missouri Western. Fort Hays State goes 2-2 in the tournament and ends their season with a 31-19 mark.

(1) #16 Emporia State 2, (3) Fort Hays State 0
Fort Hays State struggled to get going offensively in the first game of the day, notching just two hits and being shutout for the first time in 13 games. The Tigers sent Maddie Holub to the circle against the MIAA’s regular season champion and she responded with another strong outing, allowing two runs on six hits in a complete game.

Emporia State took the lead in the bottom of the second with an RBI single and they tacked on their second run in the fourth on a leadoff solo home run. Fort Hays State had their best chance to strike in the top of the fourth inning after Callie Wright singled and Holub walked to give FHSU two runners with just one out. Adriana Wortley laid down a sacrifice bunt to get both runners in scoring position, but that’s where they would be stranded after Amanda Vaupel grounded out to second base.

Holub pitched six innings and allowed only six hits, but she took the loss to drop her record to 19-9. She also added three strikeouts to give her 306 for the year, far and away a new Fort Hays State single-season record.

(2) #21 Missouri Western 14, (3) Fort Hays State 5 (5 innings)
Missouri Western jumped on top of the Tigers early, leading off the game with a home run and adding two more long balls in the first inning for a 6-0 lead that they would not look back from. The Griffons lead reached 8-0 after three innings, but Fort Hays State would pull it to 8-2 in the bottom of the fourth after back-to-back solo home runs from Holub and Wortley.

Wortley added her second homer of the game, and eighth of the season in the bottom of the fifth inning, but the Griffons had done enough damage with a six-run fifth inning to put the game out of reach. Fort Hays State fell by a final of 14-5 and saw their season end with a 31-19 record.

Kaitlyn Shattleroe started for the Tigers, but did not record an out and gave up three earned runs. Freshman Abby Morrison pitched five innings in relief, but was shelled for 13 hits and 11 runs. Shattleroe took the loss and ends the year with an 8-5 record.

Fort Hays State ended the season one game shy of reaching the conference’s championship series for the second consecutive year. The Tigers end the year 31-19, for a winning percentage of .620, which is the second best in school history

Highlights:
fhsuhighlights4-27

– FHSU Sports Information –

Fort Hays State had six players named to the All-MIAA softball team, announced on Thursday evening prior to the beginning of the conference’s softball tournament. Pitcher Maddie Holub and second baseman Taylor Nelson were named to the first team while catcher Callie Wright and first baseman Adriana Wortley were second team selections. Wortley was also chosen as the MIAA’s Defensive Player of the Year. Third baseman Chelsey Rottinghaus and outfielder Amanda Vaupel were honorable mention selections.

Holub just completed one of the most decorated regular seasons in Fort Hays State history. She led the MIAA and ranked in the top five in NCAA Division II in strikeouts (279) and saves (4) and set an FHSU single-season record in both categories. Holub is currently 17-8 on the year with a 1.64 ERA in 175.0 innings pitched. She was a three-time MIAA Player of the Week, twice as a pitcher and once as a hitter, and was just named the Louisville Slugger Division II Pitcher of the Week by the NFCA on Wednesday. Holub, a junior from Hays, is also one of the Tigers top offensive threats, leading the team in batting average (.347), hits (51) and home runs (7) and ranking in the top three in almost every other offensive category. This is the third All-MIAA selection for Holub, who was a second team choice in 2010 and an honorable mention selection last season, both as a utility player.

Nelson earns the first All-MIAA nod of her career with FHSU after starting all 46 regular season games at second base and being one of the Tigers most consistent hitters. She leads the team in runs scored (35), doubles (10), triples (3) and RBI (31) and ranks third in batting average (.320). Nelson, a senior from Kansas City, Mo., had one of her best weekends to close out the regular season, hitting .538 in four games last weekend, which included hitting for the cycle in the series against Pittsburg State. She has also been solid in the field for the Tigers, recording 78 putouts and 45 assists and ending the regular season with a .953 fielding percentage.

Wortley becomes the first FHSU player to win the MIAA’s Defensive Player of the Year award and she earns her third consecutive second team selection at first base. She has a .319 batting average for the year and ranks second on the team with seven doubles, six home runs and 22 RBI. Wortley, a senior from Tacoma, Wash., earns the defensive award after recording 273 putouts and 12 assists while committing only four errors for a .986 fielding percentage. She is the first Fort Hays State player to win the award since the Tigers joined the conference for the 2007 season.

Wright earns her first All-MIAA honor after having a strong year behind the dish for the Tigers. Wright, who played in the outfield as a freshman, moved to catcher this year and responded by hitting .252 with six doubles, one triple, three home runs and 21 RBI. She has also been strong defensively, throwing out seven runners stealing and picking off four more. Wright, a sophomore from Topeka, Kan., finished the regular season with a .984 fielding percentage and she had a team-high seven sacrifice hits.

Rottinghaus also picked up her first All-MIAA nod in her first year with the Tigers after transferring from Labette (Kan.) Community College. She is hitting .275 for the year and has hit six doubles, one triple and three home runs while ending the regular season with 15 RBI. She has also become one of the Tigers best threats on the base path, stealing eight bases in nine attempts. Rottinghaus, a junior from Seneca, Kan., recorded 36 putouts and 84 assists to finish the year with a .938 fielding percentage.

Vaupel becomes the first FHSU freshman to earn All-MIAA accolades since Holub in 2010. She emerged as one of the top hitting threats for the Tigers while playing every game this year in center field. Vaupel ranks second on the team in hitting with an average of .333 and she has 47 hits, including five doubles and two home runs. Vaupel, a freshman from Olathe, Kan., also ranks third on the team with 25 RBI and she has been hit by a pitch a team-high five times.

– FHSU Sports Information –

The Fort Hays State softball team earned a pair of wins on the first day of the MIAA Championship Tournament. In game number one the third seeded Tigers matched up with the six seed Pittsburg State Gorillas. FHSU jumped out to a 1-0 lead when Taylor Nelson led off the home half of the 1st inning with a solo homer, her seventh. Fort Hays added to their lead when Maddie Holub scored on a wild pitch and Kellsi Olsen doubled in two giving the Tigers a 4-0 lead after three. Maddie Holub hit her eighth home run of the season in the 4th inning as the Tigers picked up a 7-2 win. Holub also turned in a great performance on the mound to earned the complete game win. For the third time this season and the second time against the Gorillas, Holub struck out 16. The win is the 18th of the season for Holub, that gives her a school record for wins in a season, breaking the record held by Brittany Parker and Kayla Rupa.

In game two the Tigers found themselves in a pitchers duel in game number two with Missouri Western. Once against FHSU jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the home half of the first inning on Maddie Holub’s second home run of the day and her ninth of the season. Neither team was able to plate another run until Missouri Western tied the game with a Keri Lorbert homerun in the 4th inning. In the Tigers’ half of the 4th Callie Wright led of the inning with a walk. Adriana Wortley sacrifice Wright too second and then freshman outfielder Amanda Vaupel singled home the eventual go-ahead run. The Griffons out hit the Tigers, 7-4, but FHSU was able to earn the victory and advance on the face Emporia State with the winner playing in the championship game. Once again it was Holub earning the win, her 19th of the season.

The Tigers and Hornets will play at 3pm on Friday.

Coaches Post Game Comments
coachs interview

Sophomore Jessica Rourke of Lewis and junior Maddie Holub of Fort Hays State have been named as the Louisville Slugger Division II National Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, for games played April 16-22.

Holub was 4-0 in the circle last week, allowing just one earned run and eight hits over 31 complete innings. The junior also fanned 57 batters over six appearances, while walking just six. She ended the week with a 0.22 ERA, a .077 opponent’s batting average and 12.9 strikeouts per seven innings.

The Hays, Kan., native tossed the first no-hitter of her career on Tuesday in a 1-0 win over Northwest Missouri State in which she struck out 13 batters. Holub also notched three 10-plus strikeout performances last week, with a high of 16 coming in a 5-1 win over Pittsburg State. She finished the week with three complete games and two shutouts.

Holub is currently 17-8 on the year with a 1.64 ERA and 279 strikeouts. She currently ranks third in the nation in both strikeouts and hit per seven innings with 11.2 and 3.68, respectively, and is fourth in total strikeouts.

– FHSU Sports Information –

Fort Hays State pulled out a wild 17-13 win over Bethany College on Tuesday night in Hays. Ryan Busboom delivered a walk-off grand slam in the ninth, part of a 3-home run, 7-RBI performance. The Tigers improved to 23-19 with the win.

The game was a see-saw battle throughout the night. Both teams scored two in the first and three in the second, but FHSU took its first lead of 6-5 with one in the third. Busboom’s first home run of the night, a two-run shot, came in the first.

Bethany tied the game once again with one in the fourth, but FHSU retook the lead in the fifth at 7-6 on Busboom’s second home run of the game, a solo shot. Bethany knotted the score with a run in the top of the sixth, but FHSU pulled back ahead on a Nash Smith two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth.

With the Tigers leading 9-7, the game was delayed in the top of the seventh due to lightning observed by the umpires. It was a confusing moment for the teams and fans, since the storm was not even in the vicinity of Hays. Instead of waiting the entire 30 minutes for lightning, the teams resumed play after about 20 minutes once the situation was properly assessed.

The break was not good to the Tigers, as Bethany came out and scored six runs in the top of the seventh following the delay to take a 13-9 lead. FHSU turned to reigning MIAA Pitcher of the Week Brett Macari to shut the door on the Swedes the rest of the way as he pitched the final 2 1/3 innings of the game.

The Tigers scored once in the seventh on a Sam Thornton infield RBI single, then scored twice in the eighth on a Mace Krol sacrifice fly RBI and a Brandon Hoefler RBI single. The Tigers entered the ninth down 13-12.

The Tigers immediately started the rally in the ninth as Luke Kordsmeier was hit by a pitch. Chris Santoscoy pinch ran and Thornton layed down a successful sacrifice bunt to get him in scoring position. Smith followed that with a RBI double to the left center gap to tie the game.

From that point, the Tigers drew two walks to load the bases and set the stage for Busboom with one out. Busboom hit a long foul ball down the line that Bethany let fall, because it would have been deep enough to score Smith from third. However, instead of a sacrifice fly RBI, Busboom pulled another pitch down the left field line that cleared the wall and gave the Tigers to walk-off win. Busboom finished the night 5-of-6 at the plate with three home runs, one double, and one single.

– FHSU Sports Information –

Fort Hays State’s Maddie Holub has been named the MIAA’s Pitcher of the Week for the week of April 17-23, as selected by a conference SID panel. This is the third time this season that Holub has earned the MIAA’s weekly honor and second as a pitcher. She previously was named the conference’s Hitter of the Week for the week of February 21 and the Pitcher of the Week for the week of March 27.

Holub started five games from the circle last week, helping the Tigers to a 5-1 record, which locked up third place in the MIAA standings and the No. 3 seed in the upcoming conference tournament. Fort Hays State was 5-0 in the games that Holub started and she finished the week with a 3-0 record and 0.27 ERA. Holub hurled the fifth no-hitter in FHSU history on Tuesday as the Tigers beat NW Missouri State 1-0 and she nearly picked up a second after throwing a one-hitter against Missouri Southern on Sunday. She tied her own single-game school record with 16 strikeouts against Pittsburg State on Saturday and then almost matched it the next day with 15 more strikeouts against Missouri Southern. She started two other games during the week, and pitched a total of five innings, by design, and allowed one hit and struck out seven more batters.

Holub, a junior from Hays, recorded at least 13 strikeouts in each complete game she pitched and finished with 51 for the week in 26.0 innings of work. She only allowed seven hits as well, with six of those coming againstPittsburgState, who leads the MIAA in hits. Holub is currently 17-8 on the year, tying the FHSU record for wins in a season, and she has lowered her ERA to 1.64. She also leads the MIAA and ranks among the nation’s best with aFortHaysState single-season record 279 strikeouts.

– FHSU Sports Information –

Fort Hays State baseball players Mace Krol and Brett Macari were named the MIAA Baseball Student-Athletes of the Week for the week of April 16-22. Krol earned Hitter of the Week and Macari earned Pitcher of the Week honors. Both were instrumental in a midweek victory over Nebraska-Kearney and then the four-game series at Southwest Baptist this past weekend.

Krol, a senior from Nickerson, Kan., led the Tigers in batting average (.526), hits (10), and RBI (10) last week. He started his week with four-RBI against Nebraska-Kearney on Tuesday, delivering a grand slam in the fourth to put FHSU up 8-5 after trailing 5-4. It was Krol’s second consecutive grand slam home run after hitting one against Truman the previous weekend.

In the first game of the series at SBU, Krol’s RBI single in the fourth inning broke a scoreless tie. FHSU went on to win that game 4-1. In the second game on Friday, he had a pair of RBI singles and an RBI double. One of the singles was in the first inning, pushing FHSU to a 2-0 advantage. The double in the third inning pushed the FHSU lead to 3-0. With the game tied in the eighth, Krol delivered his other RBI single with two outs to give FHSU the lead and they went on to win 5-3. In the 6-3 loss, Krol had an RBI single that was part of a two-run fourth inning for the Tigers. In the series finale he had another RBI single, which was part of a five-run seventh for the Tigers in an 11-4 win.

Macari, who ranked second in the MIAA in saves last year with 12, finally had several save opportunities this past week and converted all three, pushing his total to six for the season. He allowed just one hit against the 12 batters he faced. He allowed just one walk and struck out two over that stretch. He closed out a pair of crucial conference wins for the Tigers at Southwest Baptist on Friday and had a two-inning save against Nebraska-Kearney earlier in the week. In the 4-1 win against SBU, Macari entered with FHSU leading 4-1 with runners at first and third and one out. He got the first batter he faced to ground into a double play and end the game. He pitched the entire ninth inning in the 5-3 win.

Macari has not allowed a run over his last 6.2 innings pitched and recorded five of his six saves this year in that stretch since April 7. In that time, he has seen his ERA drop from 2.70 to 1.80.

– FHSU Sports Information –

The Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) released the bracket for the MIAA Centennial Softball Tournament on Sunday evening. The tournament begins Thursday evening at the Blue Valley Recreation Complex in Overland Park, Kan. Fort Hays State finished the regular season 29-17 (13-7 MIAA) and secured the No. 3 seed in the tournament.

The Tigers will face the No. 6 seed Pittsburg State on Thursday evening at 6pm. The format for the tournament is double-elimination, with all eight teams that qualified guaranteed to play at least two games on Thursday evening. Pitt State finished 11-9 in the conference standings, but their seed was adjusted following a self-reported eligibility violation. Fort Hays State swept the Gorillas by scores of 5-1 and 7-5 on Saturday at Tiger Stadium in Hays.

Following that game, the Tigers will meet either No. 2 seed Missouri Western or No. 7 seed Northwest Missouri State at 8pm on Thursday evening.

FHSU has now qualified for the conference tournament in all six years since joining the conference with the No. 3 seed they have equaled the team’s best at the event. Last season, the Tigers made it to the final day of the tournament before bowing out against Nebraska-Omaha 2-1 in the championship game.

Emporia State earned the top seed for the tournament after finishing with a 20-0 conference record while Missouri Western finished second at 18-2. Final MIAA standings and matchups for the tournament are as follows:

Final 2012 MIAA Standings:
Emporia State — 20-0 (1.000); 33-9
Missouri Western — 18-2 (.900); 37-8
Fort Hays State –13-7 (.650); 29-17
Central Missouri — 9-11 (.450); 25-28
Washburn — 9-11 (.450); 18-22
Pittsburg State — 11-9 (.435*); 29-26
Northwest Missouri — 7-13 (.350); 19-29
Lincoln — 6-14 (.300); 15-34
Truman — 6-14 (.300); 22-27
Southwest Baptist — 6-14 (.300); 16-30
Missouri Southern — 5-15 (.250); 16-35

First round matchups:
Thursday, April 26
Game 1: (1) Emporia State vs. (8) Lincoln, 6 p.m.
Game 2: (4) Central Missouri vs. (5) Washburn, 6 p.m.
Game 3: (3) Fort Hays State vs. (6) Pittsburg State, 6 p.m.
Game 4: (2) Missouri Western vs. (7) NW Missouri State, 6 p.m.
Game 5: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 8 p.m.
Game 6: Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4, 8 p.m.
Game 7: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 8 p.m.
Game 8: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4, 8 p.m.