BROOKFIELD, Ill. – Fort Hays State had eight players named to the Don Hansen Football Committee All-America Team for the 2017 season, released on March 22. Nathan Shepherd and Travis Talley headline the group as first team selections, while Jose Delgado earned third team honors. Honorable mention selections went to Brandon Brown, Dante Brown, Monterio Burchfield, Kenneth Iheme, and Doyin Jibowu.

2017 Don Hansen Football Committee All-America Team

The eight All-America selections are the most for a season in FHSU history, topping the six individuals selected in 1991. Fort Hays State joined Shepherd University (W.Va.) as the nation’s leader in Don Hansen All-America selections with eight. Both teams had impressive seasons as Fort Hays State went 11-0 in the regular season, winning its first MIAA Championship in football, while Shepherd went 10-0 in the regular season. Both the Tigers and Rams lost their first game of the NCAA Playoffs. Fort Hays State was the No. 1 seed in Super Region 3 of the playoffs. Indiana (Pa.) and Bowie State (Md.) were close behind FHSU and Shepherd with seven selections each.

Fort Hays State has now seen 17 football student-athletes earn All-America honors on the field over the last three seasons. The Tigers had five All-America performers in 2015, four in 2016, and now eight in 2017.

The Don Hansen team carries out the legacy of long-time small college football advocate Don Hansen, who passed away at age 75 on Aug. 29, 2010. Hansen, from Brookfield, Ill., started and published Don Hansen’s National Weekly Football Gazette for three decades, selecting NCAA Division II All-America teams for the first time in 1988.

Shepherd picked up his fourth All-America selection for his senior season at defensive tackle. The MIAA Defensive Player of the Year in 2017, Shepherd finished the year with 38 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, and four sacks. In his three years at Fort Hays State, Shepherd amassed 168 tackles, 27 tackles for loss, and 10 sacks. He tied as the top vote receiver in NCAA Division II for the Cliff Harris Award, presented to the nation’s top small college defensive player representing almost 500 colleges and universities from NCAA Division II, Division III and NAIA colleges. With solid performances at the Reese’s Senior Bowl and the NFL Combine, Shepherd is a strong candidate for being selected in the NFL Draft in April.

Talley earns his second All-America selection for 2017, this time as a first team selection after gaining honorable mention status from D2Football.com. Talley was an All-MIAA First Team selection on the offensive line. He anchored the Fort Hays State line at right tackle, helping the team average 441.5 total yards of offense per game. He helped the Tiger offense average 257.3 passing yards per game and 184.2 rushing yards per game.

Delgado picks up a third-team selection at linebacker. He led the Tigers in tackles in 2017, finishing with 107, including 11 for loss, and 3.5 sacks. Delgado now has 285 tackles in his career, along with 6.5 sacks. He is already seventh on the career tackles list for the NCAA era at Fort Hays State and will enter his senior year 76 shy of the record.

Brandon Brown earns an honorable mention selection after being named the 2017 MIAA Special Teams Player of the Year. He finished the year with 94 kicking points to set a new single-season record at FHSU. It broke his own mark of 88 set the previous year. He was a perfect 49-of-49 on PAT attempts and went 15-of-21 on field goal attempts. Brown finished his two-year career at FHSU with 31 field goals and 89 PATs for a total of 182 kicking points, ranking fourth all-time in kick scoring at FHSU.

Punter Dante Brown grabs an honorable mention selection after finishing the year with a 43.5 yards per punt average, the second-highest average for a season in FHSU history. He ranked sixth in NCAA Division II in yards per punt, giving the MIAA three punters inside the top 10 nationally. Brown placed 18 kicks inside the 20-yard line this year, and 20 punts that went at least 50 yards.

Burchfield earns an honorable mention selection at wide receiver. He became the sixth receiver in Fort Hays State history to eclipse the 1,000-yard receiving mark in a season, finishing 2017 with a team-high 1,003 yards on 54 catches. He averaged 18.6 yards per catch and produced nine touchdowns. Burchfield was an All-MIAA First Team selection at the position.

Iheme earned honorable mention status at running back. He finished the year with 1,380 yards on 230 carries. He averaged 6.0 yards per carry for the season and 115 rushing yards per game. He produced seven 100-yard rushing games, with 189 as his season high against Pittsburg State. Iheme was one of 34 candidates considered for the Harlon Hill Trophy (Division II Player of the Year), finishing the season with 1,690 all-purpose yards. With 2,569 rushing yards in his career, Iheme finished seventh on the all-time rushing list at FHSU. He is eighth all-time in all-purpose yards with 3,458. Iheme was a unanimous All-MIAA First Team selection this season.

Jibowu picks up an honorable mention selection at safety. Playing the bandit back position, Jibowu finished the year with 62 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, five interceptions, nine pass break-ups, and two forced fumbles. Over three seasons, Jibowu now has 219 tackles and seven interceptions at FHSU.

LIBERTY, Mo. – The Fort Hays State baseball team was unable to come up with many timely hits Wednesday afternoon against William Jewell, stranding eight runners on base in an 11-1 loss. The Tigers are now 9-17 on the year, while the Cardinals move back to .500 on the year at 8-8.

The Tigers collected seven hits in the loss, with runners reaching base in six different innings. Addison Kaasch got the afternoon started on a positive note, doubling down the left field line with one out in the top of the first. Wyatt Schulz pitched around the hit for the Cardinals, retiring the next two batters to strand Kaasch in scoring position.

William Jewell put up a three-spot in the home half of the first inning thanks to four singles and a walk. Zach Rothert (0-1) settled down after the first, retiring the side in order in the second and fourth innings while allowing a single run in the third.

Fort Hays State got one run back in the top of the fourth when Ryan Grasser was hit by a pitch with two outs. Jordan Wilkerson made Schulz pay for the mistake, sending a triple to deep center to score the Tiger second baseman.

The Cardinals put up two more runs in the fifth inning, chasing Rothert after four innings, six earned runs and three strikeouts. Easton Palmer came out of the pen to toss three scoreless frames, allowing just two hits while walking none and striking out one Cardinal batter.

After the Tigers left runners on base in each of their final three at bats, the home team pushed across five runs in the eighth inning to secure the non-conference victory.

Grasser and Wilkerson both picked up two hits for FHSU, with Kaasch, Alex Weiss and Dayton Pomeroy all adding one base knock.

The Tigers will return to action this weekend (March 23-25) when they take on Southwest Baptist in a three-game conference series in Bolivar, Mo. First pitch is set for 2 p.m. all three days.

LAKEWOOD, Co. – The Fort Hays State softball team fell in its final two games in Colorado this week, with the two losses on the day coming at the hands of Colorado Christian. The Tigers dropped the first contest 11-3, while slipping in the second, 5-1. With the losses, FHSU drops to 7-23 on the seasons while maintaining a 3-5 record in MIAA play.

Game 1: Colorado Christian 11, Fort Hays State 3

Sara Breckbill continued her strong hitting as she helped the Tigers jump out to a 2-0 lead over the Cougars following a two-run home run to right center. However, Colorado Christian was able to capture the lead in the second inning after four runs were scored to go up 4-2. In the five inning game, the Tigers were only able to add one more run at the bat of Tess Gray who singled up the middle to cut into the deficit at 3-5 following a Stephanie Day homer for the Cougars.

The third through fifth innings were all Colorado Christian as they tallied six additional runs to steal the 11-3 win over Fort Hays State. Kacie Burger connected on a home run in the fourth inning, alongside three other hits to put fellow Cougars on base. A single to right center by Shelby Fusich sealed the win for Colorado Christian when Charlotte Romero and Kendall Yasui were sent home to hit the eight-run rule in the fifth.

The Cougars doubled the Tigers in hits, recording ten compared the FHSU’s five. The Tiger defense capitalized by keeping six Cougars on base while FHSU only abandoned four. Five Tigers added a hit to the stat sheet in the contest, while Breckbill’s brought in two runs. Three errors hurt Fort Hays State while the Cougars were able to limit their errors in the first meeting to zero.

Hailey Chapman took the loss in the circle for the Tigers, dropping her 2018 record to 2-13. Chapman struck-out three batters while walking five in her 4.1 innings pitched. Kenzie Mattey claimed the win while striking-out five Tiger batters and only suffering one walk.

Game 2: Colorado Christian 5, Fort Hays State 1
Just like the first contest, the Tigers got on the board ahead of the Cougars after a double to left center by Bailey Boxberger sent Terran Caldwell across the plate to go up 1-0 over Colorado Christian in the final contest. However, that lead would not last long as a home run from Hanna Farmer evened up the match in the first.

Kacie Burger for the Cougars utilized her first at-bat of the game to give her team the advantage after sending a home run to left center to go up 2-1. That would not be it for Burger, who crushed another long ball, this time worth three runs to end the scoring in the game and give the Cougars a 5-1 lead over the Tigers in the fourth inning. The Tigers would be held scoreless aside from Caldwell’s run early on.
The three home run hits would be enough for the Cougars to sweep the Tigers on the day. Colorado Christian tallied nine totaled hits, while Fort Hays State was limited to two. Both teams were hit with two errors in the second game.

On the mound, Sierra Rodriguez takes the loss to drop to 5-8 on the season. Rodriguez earned two strike outs alongside no walks while giving up six hits. Rodriguez split the pitching duties with Megan Jamison who took care of the final three innings, giving up three hits and striking out one Cougar. Jennifer Romero for Colorado Christian improved to 11-1 through her seven innings pitched on the day with her six strike outs.

The Tigers will head back home to Hays for two-consecutive home double-headers this weekend. The action starts on Friday (March 23) when they play host to Central Missouri with first pitch set for 2 p.m., followed by a Saturday double tilt against Southwest Baptist starting at 12 p.m.

DENVER, Co. – The Fort Hays State softball team dropped two meetings against Metro State on Tuesday, its first of four games in Colorado. The Roadrunners claimed the first game 9-1 in five innings, followed by a 6-4 win over the Tigers in the second. With the two losses, the Tigers drop to 7-21 overall while holding a 3-5 MIAA mark.

Game 1: Metro State 9, Fort Hays State 1
The Roadrunners of Metro State climbed out to a 3-0 lead over the Tigers and never gave up that advantage as they went on to take game one of the matchup 9-1 over FHSU. The Tigers would get on the board in the second inning after Lily Sale singled up the middle to bring in Sara Breckbill. That would be the lone run for the Tigers as the Roadrunners maintained control the remaining three innings of the contest to claim their 11th win of the season.

Two homers from Metro State in both the second and fourth innings helped to clinch the victory for the Roadrunners, with Alyssa Richter taking a long ball off Hailey Chapman on the mound to go up 4-1. A pitching change in the fourth inning for the Tigers put Megan Jamison in the circle to try and work back into the deficit. However, the a grand slam off the bat of Megan Sansburn for the Roadrunners increased the Metro State lead to 8-1 in the fourth. Annike Anderson closed out the scoring in the first meeting after her single down the third base line sent Ashlee Kim home to give the Roadrunners the 9-1 win.

The Tigers were able to connect with three hits in the contest as Candace Bollig, Bailey Boxberger and Sale each accounted for one. Fort Hays State was able to get on base, but offensive struggles left nine Tigers on.

Chapman took the loss to drop to 2-12 on the season in her three innings pitched on the day. Chapman gave up seven Roadrunner runs alongside three hits while walking four.

Game 2: Metro State 6, Fort Hays State 4
In a more offensive outing for the Tigers, Sara Breckbill connected on two home runs. However, the power hitting was not enough as the Roadrunners took game two 6-4 over Fort Hays State.

The Tigers had their first lead of the day after a Breckbill homer in the second inning put them on the board first. However, the lead did not last long as a single up the middle from Megan Sansburn sent two Metro State players home to go up 2-1. A big triple from Ashlee Kim scored two more runners to double the Roadrunner’s score at 4-1.

The fourth inning was again started off with a long ball from Breckbill to lessen the deficit at 4-2, but a Sansburn double and Annika Anderson single sent two across the plate to give Metro State the 6-2 advantage in the fourth. That would be all the scoring for the Roadrunners, but the Tigers were not done yet. Bailey Boxberger soared a double out to left field two send two of her Tiger teammates home. Although the bats were hitting harder in the second game, the late hits were not enough as the Roadrunners claimed the 6-4 win through the full game.

The Tigers calculated ten hits, led by Breckbill and Terran Caldwell with three a piece. Alongside the four runs brought in, five Tigers were left on base.

On the mound, Sierra Rodriguez pitched the whole game, but dropped to 5-7 on the season. Rodriguez gave up 13 hits while walking one. The freshman accounted for four strikeouts during her appearance. Destinee Lopez picked up the W for the Roadrunners through 4.1 innings pitched. Lopez improves to 2-4 on the season.

The Tigers are back on the field in Colorado Wednesday for an afternoon double-header against 23-2 Colorado Christian. First pitch for game one is set for 1 p.m. CST.

TOPEKA, Kan. – The Fort Hays State baseball team fell behind early Tuesday afternoon (March 20) against Washburn and was unable to recover, falling 16-0 at Falley Field. The Tigers are now 8-19 on the year and 1-12 in league play, while the Ichabods move to 8-16 overall and 2-11 in MIAA action.

Jason Nicholson led off the game with a base knock, but the next three Tigers were retired to strand a runner on first. The Ichabods pushed across their first run of the evening in the bottom of the first after a two-out triple was followed by a wild pitch.

After Nicholson’s leadoff single, the next eight batters were retired by Washburn starter Nick Sloan. Nicholson returned to the plate in the third inning and promptly collected the second Tiger hit of the afternoon with a double to left center. Addison Kaasch worked a walk to put two on with two out, but Alex Weiss smacked a line drive right at the shortstop, allowing the Ichabods to get out of the inning unscathed.

Washburn extended its lead with five runs in the second inning, three in the third, five in the fourth and two in the sixth. The Ichabods outhit FHSU in their win, 15-5. Fort Hays State had baserunners in two other innings, but the Tigers stranded all six of their baserunners on the day.

Roger Kruse (1-1) took the loss after allowing nine runs (five earned) in two-plus innings of work. Alex Ruxlow worked two scoreless innings of relief late in the game, striking out two and allowing just one baserunner.

The Tigers continue their spring break road trip Wednesday (March 21) when they take on William Jewell in Liberty, Mo. at 3 p.m.

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – The Fort Hays State women’s golf team finish ninth at the spring-portion opener Holiday Inn Express Classic. The event was hosted by Missouri Western at the St. Joseph Country Club, a par-72, 5,836-yard course. The Tigers shot rounds of 346 and 335 to finish 105-over (681) for the tournament.

Junior Hannah Perkins led Fort Hays State as she earned a top-ten finish in a tie for seventh individually. She fired rounds of 83 and 78 to finish 17-over (161) for the week, tied for the second lowest score for an MIAA individual at the event.

Taylor DeBoer tied for 36th individually with rounds of 85 and 86. Sophomore Madison Roether tied for 42nd with rounds of 90 and 82. Katie Brungardt finished in a tie for 52nd with rounds of 88 and 89. Kylie McCarthy shot 93 and 90.

William Woods University won the tournament, shooting 57-over par (633) as a team and winning by 22 shots. Nebraska-Kearney (336-319) and Oklahoma Baptist (331-324) tied for second as a team with identical scores of 655. Katie Warren of William Woods claimed the individual title with a 3-over par score (147) for the week.