HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State head softball coach Adrian Mohr announced the addition of two more student-athletes for the upcoming 2018 season on Friday (July 7). Transferring from junior colleges to FHSU are Sarah Kay and Kaci Isaacson. Kay will be a junior, while Isaacson is a sophomore. This brings Mohr’s signing class to nine individuals after announcing the signing seven from the prep ranks back in December.

Kay, a native of Evergreen, Colorado, is transferring from Otero (Colo.) Junior College where she played two years. As a sophomore in 2017, Kay batted .405 with 22 extra-base hits (13 doubles, 3 triples, 6 home runs), 33 RBI, and 36 runs scored. As a freshman in 2016, she hit .333 with 12 extra-base hits (9 doubles, 2 triples, 1 home run), 25 RBI, and 45 runs scored. She had 12 stolen bases over her two years. Kay served as both an infielder and catcher at Otero. Kay played her prep career at Evergreen High School, where she hit over .500 her final three years and finished with a career high school batting average of .498 with 76 RBI.

A native of Salina, Kansas, Isaacson played one year at Barton (Kan.) Community College. As a freshman in 2017, she posted a .377 batting average with 27 extra-base hits (21 doubles, 2 triples, 4 home runs), 37 RBI, and 39 runs scored, while stealing eight bases. Isaacson was an All-KJCCC Honorable Mention selection as a shortstop. She played her prep career at Salina South High School, where she earned all-state honors and multiple all-league honors in softball.

Below is the entire signing class for the 2018 season.

Name Pos B/T Ht Yr Hometown Previous School
Sara Breckbill C/UT R/R 5-10 Fr. Parker, Colo. Chaparral HS
Terran Caldwell OF L/R 5-4 Fr. Aurora, Colo. Grandview HS
Jordan Flakus INF R/R 5-7 Fr. Eudora, Kan. Eudora HS
Sydney Harsh OF B/R 5-5 Fr. Arvada, Colo. Ralston Valley HS
Kaci Isaacson INF R/R 5-6 So. Salina, Kan. Barton (Kan.) CC
Megan Jamison P R/R 5-7 Fr. Fort Collins, Colo. Fossil Ridge HS
Sarah Kay UT R/R 5-7 Jr. Evergreen, Colo. Otero (Colo.) JC
Grace Philop UT L/R 5-5 Fr. Fort Collins, Colo. Fossil Ridge HS
Sierra Rodriguez P R/R 5-10 Fr. Phoenix, Ariz. O’Connor HS

HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State Men’s Basketball will travel east on Interstate 70 twice to open its 2017-18 season with exhibition contests at Kansas State and Kansas. The Tigers take on the Wildcats on Sunday, October 29, at Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan then take on the Jayhawks on Tuesday, November 7, at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence.

The Tigers are coming off an 18-11 season in 2016-17. FHSU enters its 17th year under head coach Mark Johnson, who owns an overall record of 322-149 (.683). Fort Hays State has produced nine 20-win seasons and reached the NCAA Tournament seven times in his tenure.

The Tigers graduated two seniors from the 2016-17 squad in Rob Davis and JaQuan Smith. Davis was an All-America selection, averaging 21.4 points per game. He became the first player at FHSU since 1996 to average at least 20 points per game. Both Davis and Smith were All-MIAA performers for the Tigers last year. FHSU returns nine players from its squad last year, led by senior Hadley Gillum who also earned All-MIAA honors last year at 13.5 points and 6.4 rebounds per game.

Kansas State enters its sixth year under head coach Bruce Weber, who enters the 2017-18 season with an overall head coaching record of 413-223 over 19 seasons. He guided the Wildcats to the NCAA Tournament last year with a record of 21-14, winning a game over Wake Forest in the First Four round before getting knocked out by Cincinnati in the round of 64. The win over Wake Forest gave Weber 100 wins as head coach of the Wildcats.

Kansas enters its 15th year under head coach Bill Self, who has guided the Jayhawks to 13 consecutive Big 12 regular-season championships and one national title in his tenure. He has a record of 416-88 (.825) at Kansas and 623-193 overall in 24 seasons as a head coach. The Jayhawks advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament last year before falling to Oregon, putting together a record of 31-5. Last year the Jayhawks reached the No. 1 national ranking during the regular season for a second straight season and have held that ranking multiple times in previous years under Self.

Fort Hays State’s exhibition contests in 2017-18 will feature head coaches (Johnson, Weber, and Self) combining for 1,358 wins over 59 seasons of experience. Game times of the exhibition contests will be announced on a later date.

HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State Women’s Basketball will head to Storrs, Connecticut to face perennial NCAA Division I powerhouse University of Connecticut in exhibition play on Wednesday, November 1, 2017. The Huskies have won 11 national championships (10 since 2000) under head coach Geno Auriemma, who enters his 33rd season and closed 2016-17 with his overall record at 991-135 (.880).

See the full FHSU women’s basketball schedule HERE.

Connecticut has made an NCAA record 10-straight Final Four appearances and had its NCAA record 111-game win streak snapped in the national semifinals last year against Mississippi State. The Huskies finished 36-1 last year and over the last four years hold a record of 152-2, with two undefeated campaigns and one other one-loss season in that run. Prior to last year’s national semifinal loss, the Huskies had won four consecutive national championships.

Fort Hays State is coming off another successful season under head coach Tony Hobson, who enters his 10th season at FHSU and 26th overall with a record of 592-191 (.756). The Tigers went 22-8 overall last year, reaching the 20-win plateau for the sixth straight season. This exhibition contest with UConn will feature 14 national championships won between the two head coaches at four-year institutions, as Hobson collected three national titles while coaching at Hastings College, a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Both coaches seek major milestones for wins during the 2017-18 regular season, Hobson just eight wins from 600 in his career and Auriemma just nine away from 1,000 in his career.

Fort Hays State faces another solid NCAA Division I opponent in exhibition play on Monday, November 6 when it heads to Manhattan, Kansas to take on Kansas State University. The Wildcats went 23-11 last year, advancing to the round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament before falling to Stanford University. Jeff Mittie, father of Fort Hays State sophomore Madison Mittie, enters his fourth year guiding the Wildcats in 2017-18. He has put together a record of 61-38 at K-State and has an overall record of 515-273, also entering his 26th year overall like Hobson.

The Tigers return 11 players from last year’s team, which saw the graduation of four seniors. Two All-MIAA performers return in juniors Tatyana Legette and Carly Heim. Legette is the top returning scorer and rebounder on the team, averaging 9.6 points and 7.6 rebounds per game last year. Heim averaged 7.8 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game last year. The Tigers are still young this year, but experienced, with Emma Stroyan as the only senior on the team. Stroyan will return to the state where she started her collegiate career, a two-year player at Central Connecticut State before transferring to Fort Hays State prior to the 2016-17 season.

Between Hobson, Auriemma, and Mittie, Fort Hays State’s exhibition contests in 2017-18 will feature head coaches combining for 2,098 wins over 82 seasons of experience. Game times of the exhibition contests will be announced on a later date.

FHSU Sports Information

Fort Hays State men’s basketball coach Mark Johnson announced the signing of Marcus Cooper for the 2017-18 season on Thursday. Cooper is the fourth addition to the team for the upcoming season, coming to FHSU from Northeastern (Colo.) Junior College. He attended Fresno State University in the spring of 2017, but did not play, remaining with two years of eligibility coming to FHSU.

Cooper, a native of Van Nuys, Calif., put together two solid years at Northeastern (Colo.) Junior College, playing under former FHSU assistant coach Eddie Trenkle. As a sophomore in 2015-16 he averaged a team-best 16.4 points, while adding 6.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. He shot 50.2 percent from the field and 39.5 percent beyond the 3-point line, while shooting 80.7 percent from the free-throw line on 207 attempts. He had a game-high of 33 points and buried 10 or more free-throws in a game eight times.

As a freshman in 2014-15 he averaged 6.0 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. He shot 52.8 percent from the field and 37.5 percent beyond the 3-point line that year, while shooting 74.5 percent from the free-throw line.

Cooper is the third transfer signing with the Tigers, joining Calvin Harrington and KeShawn Wilson. Nyjee Wright is the lone high school signing for the program so far this offseason.

Men’s Basketball Signings for 2017-18

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The winners of the Ken B. Jones award were announced tonight as 11 individuals were inducted into the MIAA Hall of Fame. Natalie O’Keefe of Southwest Baptist was the women’s winner while Kyle Zimmerman of Northwest Missouri received the men’s award.

O’Keefe is a two-time NCAA Elite 90 recipient and was named an Academic All-American last season with this season’s awards yet to be determined. She was the 2016 Ken B. Jones award winner and has three career national titles and is a six-time All-American. She is the first athlete in SBU history to win two NCAA National Championships and has now won three MIAA Championships and been named All-MIAA seven times.

Twice she has been named the Southwest Baptist female athlete of the year and was the SBU Rex Brown Award Winner. She becomes just the third MIAA student-athlete to win multiple Ken B. Jones awards joining tonight’s hall of fame inductee from UCM Lindsay Lettow and Pittsburg State’s Brian Moorman.

Away from athletics Natalie has been involved in a number of activities around the Bolivar community. These include the being a part of the “Share Your Christmas” event providing presents for underprivileged children. She was a volunteered her time to held the Humansille Track and Field Team as well as participating in the “track day” at an elementary school as part of the NCAA’s Make A Difference at the NCAA Indoor Nationals.

Academically Natalie, who is a junior, carries a 4.00 GPA as an Art major. She has been an MIAA Honor Roll member for four years and four times she has been named to the MIAA Scholar Athlete list.  She is also a two-time recipient of the Academic excellence award.

Kyle Zimmerman, quarterback for Northwest Missouri State is a two-time National Champion and was named the Kansas City Sports Commissioner Sportsman of the Year. He was named the MIAA Offensive Player of the Year also earning first team All-MIAA honors. He was a named a second team All-American by three different publications following the 2016 season. He led his team to a 15-0 record this season going 299 of 441 passing for 3,763 yards and 37 touchdowns.

Off the field, Brent was very active throughout his career in the Maryville Community as well as on campus. He participated in the annual spring cleanup in and around Maryville and also helped at the local food pantry and read at local elementary schools.

Academically Kyle was named the 2016 CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year in football and was a 2016 first team Academic All-American. He graduated with a  3.95 in Business Management before starting his MBA in General Management in 2016-17.  He was a four-time member of the MIAA Academic Honor Roll and was a Scholar Athlete in 2016. He graduated suma cum laude in the spring of 2016 and earned the Northwest Missouri President’s award six times.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Central Missouri edged Pittsburg State by less than a tenth of a point to claim the inaugural MIAA Commissioner’s Cup. Central Oklahoma also finished in double digits to come in third as the teams were all divided by less than a point.

Central Missouri won all the All-Sports Trophies during the time they went by that name, but this is by far the closest the race has ever been.

“Winning the commissioner’s cup is attributed to our outstanding coaches and student-athletes across all sports,” Central Missouri Athletic Director Jerry Hughes said. “We’re proud of not only their accomplishments on the playing fields, but also in the classroom and how they represent the University of Central Missouri in the community.”

Missouri Southern finished in fourth place just five-tenths ahead of Northwest Missouri who rounded out the top five. Just three-tenths of a points divided six through eighth place as Fort Hays State came in sixth, Emporia State was seventh and Missouri Western placed eight.

In ninth place was Northeastern State with Lindenwood finishing behind them in ninth place. Nebraska-Kearney was just three-tenths of a point ahead of Southwest who was just two-tenths ahead of Washburn in the 11-12-13 spots. Lincoln finished in 14^th despite winning one league championship and coming in as the league runner-up once.

“We are very excited that the Commissioner’s Cup has been brought back to help celebrate the outstanding achievement of MIAA student-athletes and coaches throughout the academic year,” MIAA Commissioner Mike Racy said. “It was a banner season for many MIAA programs at the regional and national levels and the close race we had in the conference standings to decide the commissioner’s Cup winner for 2016-17 highlights just how competitive the MIAA is right now.”

The trophy will be presented to UCM at the MIAA Awards Ceremony presented by Husch Blackwell on June 5 from the Kansas City Public Library – Plaza Branch.

Current Standings (Final)
1. Central Missouri, 10.941
2. Pittsburg State, 10.875
3. Central Oklahoma, 10.143
4. Missouri Southern, 8.929
5. Northwest Missouri, 8.406
6. Fort Hays State, 7.778
7. Emporia State, 7.547
8. Missouri Western, 7.470
9. Northeastern State, 7.150
10. Lindenwood, 7.011
11. Nebraska-Kearney, 6.778
12. Southwest Baptist, 6.470
13. Washburn, 6.281
14. Lincoln, 5.818