Fort Hays State fell twice on Thursday (Feb. 15) in a pair of games in Claremore, Oklahoma. The Tigers fell to the home team Rogers State by run rule, 10-0, and saw a big lead evaporate late in a 6-5 loss to Oklahoma Baptist in a neutral site contest.

Rogers State 10, Fort Hays State 0

The Tigers fell by run rule in their first contest Thursday, a 10-0 defeat at the hands of Rogers State. Fort Hays State had two runners reach base, one by walk and one by error, but could not scratch out a hit against Rogers State starter Alex Brake in the shortened contest that ended in the fifth.

Each Tiger that reached base also stole a base, Terran Caldwell following a leadoff walk in the first and Bailey Boxberger after reaching on an error in the second.

Tiger starter Hailey Chapman lasted just 1.1 innings and allowed eight runs on four hits and four walks. Carrie Clarke relieved for 0.1 innings, and Sierra Rodriguez pitched the final 2.1 innings. Rodriguez allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits and a walk.

Oklahoma Baptist 6, Fort Hays State 5

Fort Hays State built a 5-0 lead, but saw it evaporate quickly late in a 6-5 loss to Oklahoma Baptist. The Tigers scored twice in the first and three times in the second, but went scoreless the final five innings, while OBU scored six runs over the final two innings.

Tess Gray put the Tigers on top early with a two-run home run in the first inning. Candace Bollig tacked on to the lead in the second with a two-RBI single, followed by another RBI single from Grace Philop.

Hailey Chapman cruised along through five innings before running into trouble in the sixth. Oklahoma Baptist led off the sixth with a home run and proceeded to scratch out three singles over the next four batters to plate another run. With two runners aboard, the biggest blow was a three-run homer allowed to OBU catcher Hailey Seago that tied the game 5-5. Sierra Rodriguez came on in relief following the home run.

Oklahoma Baptist benefitted from a throwing error that allowed the first batter of the seventh inning to reach base. After Rodriguez got one out, OBU took the lead on an RBI single by Bry Flanagan. Rodriguez escaped further damage, stranding runners at first and third.

Grace Philop led off the bottom of the seventh with a single, then moved up to second on a sacrifice bunt by Gray. However, the Tigers could not find a timely hit to extend the game.

Rodriguez took the loss even though she did not allow an earned run. Chapman threw 5.1 innings and allowed five runs on eight hits and a walk with two strikeouts. Amanda Peterson picked up the win for OBU, throwing the final six innings of the game after relieving for starter Chandler Roberts. All three runs Peterson allowed in the second inning were unearned. She scattered nine hits and allowed one walk.

Fort Hays State, now 2-7, returns to action on Saturday when it hosts the FHSU Crossover Tournament. FHSU will face Harding and Wayne State (Neb.) on Saturday, then Upper Iowa and Rogers State on Sunday. See the Tournament Homepage for a schedule of all the games in Hays over the weekend.

HAYS, Kan. – With forecasted weather altering the schedule this week, Fort Hays State Softball will now host a seven-team crossover tournament in Hays, Friday through Sunday (Feb. 16-18). Fort Hays State will play its games this weekend on Saturday and Sunday. Teams participating in the tournament include Fort Hays State, Harding, Nebraska-Kearney, Rogers State, Upper Iowa, Washburn, and Wayne State (Neb.).

The majority of games will take place on Saturday and Sunday. All of Saturday’s games will be at the Bickle-Schmidt Sports Complex, located just to the west of campus on the Highway 183 Bypass. On Sunday, one field will be utilized at the Bickle-Schmidt Sports Complex for four games, while three games will take place at Tiger Stadium (Home of FHSU Softball). Both of Fort Hays State’s games on Sunday will be at Tiger Stadium.

Below is the schedule of games for the weekend.

FHSU Softball Crossover Tournament
February 17-18 – Hays, Kan.
Teams
Fort Hays State (MIAA)	Rogers State (Heartland)	Washburn (MIAA)
Harding (GAC)	Upper Iowa (NSIC)	Wayne State (NSIC)
Nebraska-Kearney (MIAA)
Friday, February 16	Tiger Stadium
2:00 p.m.	Wayne State vs. Nebraska-Kearney
Saturday, February 17	Bickle-Schmidt Sports Complex Field 1	Bickle-Schmidt Sports Complex Field 4
10:00 a.m.	Harding vs. Upper Iowa	Rogers State vs. Nebraska-Kearney
12:00 p.m.	Fort Hays State vs. Harding	Washburn vs. Wayne State
2:00 p.m.	Upper Iowa vs. Nebraska-Kearney	Rogers State vs. Washburn
4:00 p.m.	Fort Hays State vs. Wayne State
Sunday, February 18	Tiger Stadium	Bickle-Schmidt Sports Complex Field 1
9:00 a.m.	Upper Iowa vs. Rogers State	Harding vs. Washburn
11:00 a.m.	Fort Hays State vs. Upper Iowa	Nebraska-Kearney vs. Harding
1:00 p.m.	Fort Hays State vs. Rogers State	Wayne State vs. Washburn
3:00 p.m.		Nebraska-Kearney vs. Wayne State

 

All six of Fort Hays State’s softball games scheduled for this weekend in Bentonville, Arkansas have been canceled due to weather forecasted for that area. The Tigers will now go on the road Thursday to Rogers State (Okla.) University to play a pair of games, facing Rogers State and Oklahoma Baptist. Game times will be 12 pm and 2 pm in Claremore, Oklahoma.

For Saturday and Sunday (Feb. 17-18) this weekend, Fort Hays State will be hosting a seven-team tournament in Hays. Details of the tournament (schedule, sites, etc.) will be posted on fhsuathletics.com soon.

HAYS, Kan. – The Fort Hays State baseball team jumped in front early before holding on to defeat Newman Tuesday afternoon (Feb. 13), 9-6. The Tigers are now 5-2 on the year, while the Jets fall to 1-2 overall.

After Roger Kruse (1-0) worked out of a jam in the first inning, stranding a pair of runners, the Tigers batted around in the home half of the frame to accumulate five runs. After Addison Kaasch reached on an error to lead things off, singles from Ryan Grasser and Alex Weiss quickly loaded the bases. Jordan Wilkerson worked a walk two batters later, giving FHSU the first run of the game. Grasser made the score 2-0 when he scored on a wild pitch before Marcus Altman drove in a run with a single to left center. Bryce Whitchurch tacked on two more runs when he crushed a double to left center, scoring Altman and Wilkerson.

The Tigers added to their lead in the bottom of the third when Wilkerson was hit by a pitch in the first plate appearance of the frame. After swiping second, the junior came around to score when designated hitter Jonathan Mariani sent a single back up the middle.

Fort Hays State quickly loaded the bases once again in the fourth inning when Kaasch reached on another error, a pitch hit Grasser and Weiss singled to right center. Pomeroy drove in a run by drawing a four-pitch walk before Altman added his second RBI of the afternoon with a single through the right side, giving the Tigers an impressive 8-0 lead.

Kruse tamed the Jet offense over the first five innings, earning the win after not allowing a run. The junior struck out four batters while giving up two hits and five walks. The Jets tried to battle back against the FHSU bullpen, scoring two runs in the sixth, seventh and ninth innings, but Sam Capps stranded the would-be game-tying run at the plate when he struck out the final batter looking.

The Tigers added their ninth and final run in the sixth inning when Pomeroy demolished a leadoff home run over the fence in left center.

Cody Rottinghaus held Newman at bay out of the bullpen, retiring all four batters he faced.

Pomeroy, Altman and Whitchurch all drove in a pair of runs for FHSU, while five different Tigers collected a pair of hits.

The Tigers will be back in action over the weekend when they travel to Las Vegas, N.M. to take on New Mexico Highlands in a three-game series. Game one will commence at 2 p.m. (1 p.m. MT) on Friday (Feb. 16).

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Fort Hays State sophomore pitcher Hailey Chapman earned MIAA Pitcher of the Week honors on Tuesday (Feb. 13) for her efforts at the St. Mary’s Softball Classic in San Antonio, Texas last weekend.

Chapman struck out 20 batters in 16.1 innings pitched, starting two games and closing one over Fort Hays State’s four games on the weekend. She threw two complete games but took tough luck losses in both. In a 3-2, eight-inning loss to Cameron, she struck out a career-high 12 batters and allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits. In a 2-0 loss to Eastern New Mexico, she finished with seven strikeouts, while allowing two runs on four hits. Chapman relieved for the final two innings of a 5-3 win over St. Edward’s, recording her second save of the season.

Chapman joined Danielle Sprinkle of Emporia State (Hitter of the Week) for weekly honors from the conference.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – With his third-consecutive provisional mark now under his belt, Sam Dreiling of the FHSU men’s track and field team has been named co-field athlete of the week for the MIAA. This is the second-straight week a Tiger pole-vaulter has been named to the honor, as Jake Morrow took the award last week.

Over the weekend, Dreiling competed at the Concordia Indoor Invite in Seward, Neb., where he posted his third-straight provisional mark after hitting a height of 16 feet, 8 ¾ inches and taking first in the event. This mark was also his personal best in a Tiger uniform. This height puts Dreiling at No. 5 on the national performance list, while topping the MIAA performance list.

This is Dreiling’s first-ever MIAA athlete of the week honor of his Tiger career.

NEW ORLEANS – The Fort Hays State men’s track and field team remains in the USTFCCCA national rankings as they come in at No. 22 in the latest installment released Tuesday (Feb. 13). The Tigers are coming off a performance at the Concordia Indoor Invite over the weekend that saw two provisional marks met.

FHSU reaches the No. 22 spot after calculating 32.91 points from the computer-based system within the poll. The Tigers were one of five MIAA programs to earn a mention in the rankings alongside No. 7 Pittsburg State, No. 13 Missouri Southern, No. 14 Emporia State and No. 23 Central Missouri.

Sam Dreling leads the Tigers after claiming his third-straight provisional with a personal best of 16 feet, 8 ¾ inches in the pole vault at the Concordia Indoor Invite. Kolt Newell also captured a provisional with a high jump of 6 feet, 9 inches which now ranks him 26th in the nation. Other first-place finishes over the weekend include Matthew Pieper taking the 400-meters at 51.47, Oscar Carmona winning the 3,000-meters at 8:47.25 and Blayne Godshall in at No. 1 in the long jump with a distance of 22 feet, 8 ½ inches.

The Tigers will next be on the road to the Nebraska Tune-Up in Lincoln, Neb., their last meet before the MIAA Championships hosted at Pittsburg State the following weekend.

Below are the latest rankings for Division II Men.

Rank Institution Points
1 Colorado Mines 166.43
2 Tiffin 162.48
3 Adams State 154.98
4 Grand Valley State 131.61
5 Texas A&M-Commerce 122.70
6 Ashland 117.42
7 Pittsburg State 113.96
8 CSU-Pueblo 86.82
9 Findlay 76.71
10 Texas A&M-Kingsville 72.61
11 Academy of Art 70.66
12 Western Oregon 67.60
13 Missouri Southen 67.39
14 Emporia State 60.36
15 Minnesota State 59.52
16 West Texas A&M 51.65
17 American International 48.27
18 Saint Augustine’s 45.14
19 Colorado Mesa 42.20
20 Colorado Christian 38.47
21 Wingate 36.46
22 Fort Hays State 32.91
23 Central Missouri 32.14
24 U-Mary 29.68
25 Rogers State 27.86

(Courtesy UNK Athletics)

KEARNEY, Neb. – Facing a $3.4 million budget gap, University of Nebraska at Kearney Chancellor Doug Kristensen today announced unprecedented campus reductions that include eliminating Loper baseball, men’s tennis and men’s golf programs.

The athletics news was discussed today at a campuswide budget forum that also includes personnel and operational reductions in UNK administration and support staff ($837,000), faculty ($1.52 million), and business and facilities personnel ($829,475). The sport reductions will save UNK $450,000 annually.

“The fact that we developed these recommendations collaboratively across campus doesn’t lessen the negative impact on faculty, staff and students,” Kristensen said. “Sport elimination is particularly difficult because it directly impacts 56 student-athletes and 10 incoming freshmen.”

UNK Director of Athletics Paul Plinske said student-athletes’ scholarships will be honored through their remaining eligibility. and UNK will support the athletes in their efforts to find new teams, and to transfer if they desire.

“This is a very tough day for Loper athletics,” said Plinske. “Difficult times require difficult decisions, and none are as hard as those that affect the lives of our students.

“We will stay focused on being positive about the many accomplishments of these teams and will support our student-athletes and coaches who are most affected by this news.”

Kristensen said a careful analysis of the costs associated with offering 17 sports was conducted. While the average number of sports offered by MIAA peers is 13.4, UNK’s lineup of 17 sports is the most of any public university in the conference.

“Title IX compliance prohibited our consideration of eliminating any women’s sport and the MIAA conference requires sponsorship of football and basketball,” he said. “From there we analyzed operational and personnel costs, facility and travel costs, and looked at sports that lack opportunity for home competitions because of Nebraska’s spring climate.”

“We’ve done our best for a long time and have asked a lot of our supporters over the years, but unfortunately 17 sports are not sustainable given the economic environment,” Plinske said. “These student-athletes are tremendous ambassadors for our university and deserve our support as they complete this season.”

Plinske said three coaching positions will be phased out over the next year while the women’s tennis coaches will remain on staff.

WICHITA, Kan. – The Fort Hays State wrestling team finished runner-up at the MIAA Championships, scoring 74.5 team points. This is the highest FHSU has ever placed at the MIAA Tournament since it began in 2012-13. Three Tigers took home individual titles, Brandon Ball (141 lbs), Efe Osaghae (149 lbs) and Rakim Dean (197 lbs). Micquille Robinson earned a runner-up finish, while Conrad Cole, Dylan Wiesner and Micah Felton took home third place finishes. Nebraska-Kearney won the event with 110 team points.

Eighth-ranked Brandon Ball earned his first MIAA Championship of his career in the 141-pound weight class. Ball defeated Jonathan Killingsworth of Nebraska-Kearney with a 4-2 decision in the first round. The sophomore pinned Derek Heil of Lindenwood in the semifinals in 4:58 and narrowly beat out Tevin Briscoe of UNK with a 3-2 decision in the title bout.

Redshirt-freshman Efe Osaghae earned his first conference championship as a Tiger in the 149-pound weight class. Osaghae received a bye in the first round. He then went on to defeat Will Steltzlen of Central Oklahoma with a 3-2 decision in the semifinals. In the title match, Osaghae used a takedown in overtime to defeat defending national champion, Keith Surber of UNK, for the second time this season with a 3-1 sudden victory this time around.

Senior Rakim Dean extended his bout winning streak to double digits (ten) and improved from last season’s third place finish by winning the 197-pound weight class title for the first time in his career. Dean defeated John Kramer of Lindenwood in the first round with a 16-1 technical fall. He then defeated Chance Bila of UNK in the semifinals with a 3-1 decision. Dean earned the championship after a medical forfeit.

In the 174-pound weight class, Micquille Robinson delivered a runner-up finish for the Tigers. Robinson defeated Nata Panagakis of Newman with a 3-2 decision in the first round, advanced past the semifinals via medical forfeit before dropping the title bout to Zach Stodden of Nebraska-Kearney by decision (3-2).

Conrad Cole was the first Tiger to earn a third place finish after receiving a bye in the first round of the 125-pound weight class. He then was defeated by eventual champion Elijah Hale of UCO in the semifinals. The sophomore pinned Tyler Lawley for the second time within a week to move on to the consolation championship where he won via medical forfeit.

Senior Dylan Wiesner earned a third place finish in the 174-pound weight class after defeating Reid Rodich twice. The first victory was in the first round by a 10-6 decision as the second was to claim the consolation championship over Rodich via 7-0 decision.

Micah Felton claimed third place in the 184-pound weight class for the Tigers. Felton pinned Zach Benner of Central Missouri in the first round in 2:44. He was then defeated by Noel Torres of Newman in the semifinals via a 2-1 decision. The junior advanced to the third place match by medical forfeit and defeated Isaac Deaton of UNK with an 11-6 for the consolation title.

The Tigers will have two weeks to prepare for the NCAA Division II Regionals in Las Vegas, N.M. (Feb. 23-24).

SAN ANTONIO, Texas – Fort Hays State picked up its first win of its weekend schedule of games in San Antonio on Saturday. The Tigers split a pair of games, falling 2-0 to Eastern New Mexico before winning their nightcap 5-3 over St. Edward’s. The Tigers are now 2-5 overall on the season.

Eastern New Mexico 2, Fort Hays State 0
The Tigers found themselves on the short end of a well-pitched ballgame in a 2-0 loss to Eastern New Mexico. Hailey Chapman had a solid performance in the pitching circle for the Tigers for the second straight day, throwing a complete game on four hits and seven strikeouts. Unfortunately, the offense did not come up with any timely hits.

The Greyhounds outhit the Tigers 4-3 in the game, but it was the timeliness of the hits that were the difference. Chapman had a no-hitter going through three innings, but ENMU opened the fourth with three consecutive doubles. That sequence plated the Greyhounds’ two runs and it was all their pitcher #9 Reyes needed as she held the Tigers scoreless.

Fort Hays State had runners reach scoring position at second base in the first, second, and fourth innings, but could never find a clutch hit to plate a run. All three of the Tiger hits in the game were singles, two by Candace Bollig and one by Jeni Mohr. Reyes retired the final 10 Tiger batters in the game.

Reyes allowed just one walk besides the three hits in the complete game shutout effort, striking out four Tigers. Chapman struck out seven and did not walk any batters, but all four of her hits allowed in the game were doubles.

Fort Hays State 5, St. Edward’s 3
The Tigers took an early lead and never let it go to gain a split of their two games on Saturday. FHSU defeated its one opponent from the Heartland Conference this weekend, knocking off St. Edward’s 5-3.

The Tigers took a 2-0 lead in the first inning, a rally started by three straight hits with one out. Candace Bollig and Grace Philop each singled, which set up Tess Gray for an RBI single to put the Tigers in front. Veronica Knittig followed with an RBI on a fielder’s choice to plate the second run of the inning.

Again, with one out in the third inning, the Tigers used a similar sequence as Gray and Knittig singled. Bailey Kennedy reached base on an error, loading the bases for Sara Breckbill. A single by Breckbill plated two runs and the Tigers led 4-0.

St. Edward’s benefitted from a pair of errors by Tiger third baseman Candace Bollig to open the bottom of the third. Both batters that reached by error came in to score, slicing the Tiger lead to 4-2. However, Bollig atoned for her mistakes in the top of the fourth when she pushed the lead to three with an RBI triple.

The Hilltoppers threatened in the sixth by loading the bases with three outs. Sierra Rodriguez got out of the jam, limiting damage to just a sacrifice fly RBI. She stranded runners at second and third by getting another fly out to end the inning.

Rodriguez worked around 10 hits and a walk allowed, picking up a complete game win. She struck out three and did not allow an earned run. All three Hilltopper runs were unearned, all a result of Fort Hays State’s three errors in the game.

Reagan Carter took the loss for St. Edward’s, allowing four runs (three earned) in just 2.1 innings of work. She allowed six hits and struck out two. Olivia Burdick relieved for the final 4.2 innings, allowing one run on five hits with one strikeout.

EDMOND, Okla. – Fort Hays State missed their first five shots and had to play from behind the entire day and lost 81-57 at Central Oklahoma. The Bronchos (17-7, 10-5 MIAA), who scored the game’s first 10 points, outrebounded FHSU (14-10, 7-8 MIAA) by 19 and outscored them by 16 at the free throw line.

Mark Johnson Postgame Interview

Game Highlights

The Tigers closed the gap to two in the first half and were down four at halftime but UCO used a 7-0 run in the second half to go up 12 with a little over 15 minutes to play.

The Tigers were whistled for 22 fouls compared to the Bronchos eight. UCO attempted 24 more free throws and outscored FHSU 17-1 at the line.

The Bronchos had 13 offensive rebounds and had a 15-2 advantage in second chance points.

KeShawn Wilson and Brady Werth were the only Tigers to score in double-figures with 16 points each.