Coming off a strong season which saw Fort Hays State capture a share of the MIAA regular season crown, the Tigers head into the 2017 season picked fourth in the MIAA Preseason Coaches’ Poll. The newest rankings were released on Thursday (Aug. 10).

Earlier this month, the Tigers also captured its first-ever national ranking as they came in at No. 14 in the nation. Last season, Fort Hays State went 15-5-3, while boasting a 10-1-0 record in the conference. After earning a share of the MIAA title in 2016, the Tigers have now finished in the top third of the MIAA for the third-straight year. Fort Hays State also extended its strong campaign last year as it earned only its second-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament where the Tigers advanced to the round of 16.

This season, the Tigers will see some old faces while bringing in fresh talent. Most notably, Fort Hays State is the new home for former Kansas Wesleyan coach Blake Reynolds who takes over for Craig Shaw. Reynolds brings eight years of NAIA coaching experience with him to campus. As far as the roster, the Tigers bring back 15 veterans to the field, while welcoming 10 athletes including two transfers. Among the returners are four All-MIAA selections in Bailey Schmitz, Taryn Schnell, Eden Stoddard and Jasmine Beaulieu. Schmitz and Schnell look to continue to anchor a defense which in 2016 held its opponents to just 15 goals in 23 matches, good for .65 a contest. This defense also set a new program record with 12 shutouts during the year.

Offensively, midfielders Stoddard and Beaulieu are back after to lead an offense which was stifling during 2016. The Tigers were able to net 44 goals in their 23 matches, outscoring their competition 44-15. The offense was even stronger when games came down to the wire and in late stages of play as the Tigers outscored their opponents 27-10 in the second half.

Preseason for the Tigers will kick off on Saturday, August 19 as they host Hutchinson Community College in their first exhibition match. Fort Hays State will then match-up against coach Reynolds’ former program when it travels to Salina to for an exhibition meeting with Kansas Wesleyan on Saturday, August 26. The regular season for the Tigers commences on Thursday, August 31 when they hit the road to take on Southwest Minnesota State in Topeka. The first MIAA contest for Fort Hays State will be against Emporia State at home on Sunday, September 24 at 3:30 p.m.

Below is the 2017 MIAA Preseason Coaches’ Poll.

2017 MIAA Women’s Preseason Coaches’ Poll
1. Central Missouri (11) 121
2. Central Oklahoma 108
3. Northeastern State 95
4. Fort Hays State (1) 93
5. Lindenwood 77
6. Missouri Western 74
7. Emporia State 65
8. Washburn 55
9. Nebraska-Kearney 38
10. Northwest Missouri 32
11. Missouri Southern 23
12. Southwest Baptist 11

Kansas City, MO – The MIAA has announced that James R. Crane Stadium at Robert N. Tompkins Field on the campus of the University of Central Missouri has been selected as the site for the 2018 MIAA baseball tournament. The tournament will be held May 10-13, 2018. The winner of the 8-team tournament receives an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

“The MIAA is pleased to announce that our 2018 Conference Baseball Championship will be played at Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field on The University of Central Missouri campus,” said MIAA Commissioner Mike Racy. “We have great all-turf baseball stadiums in the MIAA, and Crane Stadium offers a first class venue to stage the 2018 MIAA Tournament. This will be the third consecutive year that we have conducted the championship at a different campus facility and the conference is looking forward to having UCM serve as this year’s host (The 2016 tournament was at Lou Brock Sports Complex on the Lindenwood University campus; last May the championship was on the Missouri Southern State University campus at Warren Turner Field).”

“The University of Central Missouri is excited to be named the host institution for the 2018 MIAA Baseball Tournament,” commented Central Missouri Athletic Director Jerry Hughes. Crane Stadium is an excellent facility and we’re thrilled to be able to provide the student-athletes with an excellent experience. The tournament will provide an economic boost to the Warrensburg community during the four days of the tournament.”

For more information on the MIAA Baseball Tournament visit the championship website which can be found here.

About James R. Crane Stadium at Robert N. Tompkins Field
In the spring of 1998, Central Missouri enjoyed the completion of an outstanding baseball facility to go with its already outstanding baseball program – James R. Crane Stadium at Robert N. Tompkins Field.

A $1.2 million construction project, funded primarily by Crane, added a locker room and coaches’ offices for the Mules, an umpires dressing room, new dugouts, permanent seats, a concession stand, a press box and lights to the already existing playing field.

In the fall of 2004, a new facility was added to include indoor batting cages and bullpens, a weight room, storage facility, and umpires dressing room. Following that in 2006, permanent seatback chairs were installed for the fans. All of this was funded by Crane. In the summer of 2013, the stadium received another upgrade with a new grass playing surface being installed.

In the fall of 2015, a $1.1 million project to outfit the stadium with a synthetic turf playing surface was funded primarily by Crane. The project, which includes synthetic turf from AstroTurf, was completed prior to the Mules’ 2016 home-opener.

This field, which seats approximately 1,500, has been the site 15 NCCAA Division II Regionals and 12 MIAA Tournaments. The field’s dimensions are 330 feet down each foul line, 375 feet to left center and right center, and 400 feet to center field.

Fort Hays State Men’s Basketball All-American Rob Davis, who completed his senior year of eligibility in 2016-17 at Fort Hays State, has signed a contract to play professionally in Bulgaria. He will play for Akademik Bulteks 99, based in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, a member of the Bulgarian National Basketball League, which is the highest level of professional basketball in the country.

Davis had a tremendous senior season at Fort Hays State, earning All-America honors from Division II Bulletin, All-District First Team by the NABC, All-Region Second Team from D2CCA, and All-MIAA First Team honors. He is the fourth player under head coach Mark Johnson to garner All-America honors and 27th All-America selection overall in school history.

Davis had a tremendous year for the Tigers, averaging 21.4 points per game. He became the first FHSU player to average at least 20 points per game since the 1995-96 season, when Alonzo Goldston averaged 20.4 helping lead the Tigers to an undefeated national championship. He is the first player under head coach Mark Johnson to average at least 20 per game in a season. Davis finished the year scoring 30 or more points in a game eight times and 20 or more 17 times. He scored 1,140 points over two years with Fort Hays State, finishing 15th on the all-time scoring list.

Davis joins another NCAA Division II standout player on the Akademik Bulteks 99 roster in 2017-18. Shakir Smith has signed for a second year with the team after averaging 20.8 points per game in his final year at Adams State University, earning Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference First Team honors in 2015-16. Akademik Bulteks 99 finished the 2016-17 season 17-10 overall. Smith and Jordan Semple, a Division II All-America performer from Chico State (Calif.), led the team in scoring last season, combining for 38.3 points per game. Davis looks to bolster the firepower at guard

Davis scored a career-high 42 points at Emporia State on February 1, 2017, matching the sixth-highest scoring game in Tiger history. Dennis Edwards owns the top five single-game scoring performances in Tiger history and was the last to break the 40-point barrier before Davis, doing it three times in 1995.

Davis finished 2016-17 shooting 49.9 percent from the field, making 207-of-415 attempts from the field. He shot 45.3 percent beyond the 3-point line (82-of-181) and 85.1 percent at the free-throw line (126-of-148). He added 3.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game.

For his career, Davis ranks fourth all-time in Tiger history for 3-point field goal percentage and free-throw percentage. He was very consistent in his rate of shooting from the field, hitting exactly at a .499 clip overall and .453 clip beyond the 3-point line both seasons at FHSU. His performance at the free-throw line this year improved as his career percentage settled at 82.2 percent.

FHSU Sports Information