FHSU Athletics

HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State overcame eight errors on the day by scoring 17 total runs in a doubleheader sweep of Newman University on Monday in its first home games of the season. The Tigers forced extra innings in game one and won 9-8, then pulled away for an 8-2 win in the nightcap. FHSU improved to 5-6 overall on the season, while Newman dropped to 5-11.

Game 1: Fort Hays State 9, Newman 8
Fort Hays State trailed 8-2 in the opening game before rallying for six runs late to force extra innings. The Tigers claimed the game with a bases loaded walk by Samantha Villarreal in the bottom of the eighth to win 9-8.

Only three of Newman’s eight runs in the game were earned. The Tigers committed five errors in the game with three occurring in the fifth that allowed four runs to score.

The Tigers fought back in the sixth and seventh to get the game extended. Tori Beltz led off the sixth with her fourth home run of the season, then Villarreal, Paxton Duran and Courtney Dobson all singled. With one more run in and the bases loaded, Madeline LaPolla doubled to left center field to plate two more and then Rilee Krier scored on a wild pitch to pull the Tigers within a run at 8-7.

In the seventh, Duran came through in the clutch just after taking over in the pitching circle in the seventh. With two outs, Kylie Strand drew a walk and then Duran smacked a ball over the right fielder for a double that scored Strand all the way from first.

An error by Newman to start the eighth proved to be the winning run for FHSU. After a single and a walk loaded the bases with one out, Villarreal drew a walk to end the game.

Duran picked up the win in 2.0 innings of relief. She struck out three and allowed only one runner by walk. Starter Carrie Clarke lasted 6.0 innings, allowing eight runs (three earned) on nine hits and four walks, while striking out two.

Kate Smith took the loss in relief for Newman allowing the last two runs of the game to FHSU in 1.1 innings of work.

Game 2: Fort Hays State 8, Newman 2
Newman held an early 1-0 lead in the second game before a pair of runs in the third inning gave the Tigers a 2-1 advantage. Erin Elmore recorded her first hit of the season, a double, to get the game leveled, then came in to score on a throwing error by the Jets.

Newman tied the game at 2-2 in the fourth, but it was short lived as FHSU scored two in the bottom half of the inning to take the lead back at 4-2. Pacton Duran led off the inning with a triple, then came in to score on an RBI by Courtney Dobson. Dobson later came in to score on a fielding error by the Jets.

In the sixth, Kylie Strand put the game away for FHSU with a grand slam to push the lead to 8-2.

Duran went the distance in the circle for FHSU, scattering 10 hits to allow two runs (one earned). She struck out eight and did not walk any batters. She moved to 4-3 overall on the season by getting the winning decision in both games.

Smith was the losing pitcher once again for the Jets, allowing eight runs (six earned) on 11 hits and two walks. She struck out four. Smith dropped to 1-9 overall on the season.

The Tigers return to action at home on Tuesday with a doubleheader against Wayne State College at 1 pm.

FHSU Athletics

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Fort Hays State had five players named to the All-MIAA Women’s Basketball Team on Monday (Feb. 29). Earning all-conference honors are Beth Bohuslavsky, Jill Faxon, Paige Lunsford, Chelsea Mason and Nikola Kacperska. Head coach Tony Hobson was honored with Lane Lord of Pittsburg State as Co-Coaches of the Year.

Bohuslavsky earned second team honors, Faxon was a third team selection, and Lunsford, Mason, and Kacperska were honorable mention selections. Lunsford was also named to the MIAA All-Defensive Team.

Bohuslavsky earned the third all-conference honor of her career after third team honors last year and an honorable mention selection as a sophomore. She has started all 28 games at point guard this season, averaging 11.5 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game. She has been a model of consistency throughout her career, ranking among the top players nationally in assist/turnover ratio the last three years. She now has a total of 900 points, 367 assists, 350 rebounds and 155 steals in her career. She was named the MIAA Women’s Basketball Athlete of the Week once this season.

Faxon earns the second all-conference honor of her career after collecting an honorable mention selection last year. She has also started all 28 games this year and averages 12.1 points and a team-best 5.4 rebounds per game. Faxon shot 41.1 percent from the field in the regular season, while tying for a team high in 3-point field goals made with 41. She has three double-doubles in points and rebounds so far this year.

Lunsford earns the first all-conference honors of her career. She was solid in all facets of the game during the regular season, averaging 10.9 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.7 steals per game, while starting every contest. She leads the team in field goal percentage (for players with at least 100 attempts) at 51 percent. She ranks fourth on the team in 3-point field goals made with 25 and second in free-throws made with 69. She also has two double-doubles in points and rebounds this season. The MIAA All-Defensive Team selection is the first of her career. She was named MIAA Women’s Basketball Athlete of the Week once this season.

Mason earns her first All-MIAA honor as the team’s leading scorer. Starting every contest this year, Mason is averaging 13.3 points per game and is tied for the team lead in 3-point field goals made. She has 1,175 points in her three years at Fort Hays State, which ranks 12th on the all-time scoring list. She has averaged 13 points per game throughout her career at FHSU and ranks third all-time in 3-point field goals made.

Kacperska earns the first All-MIAA nod of her career. She leads the team in steals with 52, ranking among the top players in the conference. She also adds 7.9 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game. She is the team’s top free-throw shooter at 83.6 percent and ranks third on the team in 3-point field goals made with 33.

Hobson earns MIAA Coach of the Year honors for the second consecutive year. He shares the honor this year with Pittsburg State’s Lane Lord. FHSU and Pittsburg State tied for second in the MIAA standings. Hobson has guided the Tigers to five consecutive 20-win seasons and the Tigers have a record of 117-32 in that stretch. The Tigers were 30-4 last year and sit at 24-4 so far this year.

Below is the 2016 All-MIAA Women’s Basketball Team.

Player of the Year
LaQuinta Jefferson, G, Sr., MWSU

Defensive Player of the Year
Kylie Gafford, C, Sr., PSU

Freshman of the Year
Caylee Richardson, F, Fr., SBU

Co-Coaches of the Year
Tony Hobson, FHSU & Lane Lord, PSU

All-MIAA First Team
LaQuinta Jefferson, G, Sr., MWSU**[r2]
Kelly Moten, G, Jr., ESU[r2]
Mikaela Burgess, So., G, PSU
Sharese Jones, Sr., G/F, MSSU
Shelby Winkelmann, Sr., G, UCM[r2]
**Unanimous Selection
[r2] Two time repeat First Team Selection

All-MIAA Second Team
Kylie Gafford, C, Sr., PSU
Sarafina Handy, G, Sr., MWSU
Beth Bohuslavsky, G, Sr., FHSU
Laramey Becker, G, Sr., UNK
McKenzie Solberg, G, Sr., UCO

All-MIAA Third Team
Jill Faxon, G, Jr., FHSU
Kathryn Flott, F, Jr., ESU
Sandra Ngoie, F, Sr., ESU
Deb Holcomb, G, Jr., MSSU
Erika Lane, G, Jr., WU

All-MIAA Defensive Team
Kylie Gafford, C, Sr., PSU
Kelly Moten, G, Jr., ESU
Kathryn Flott, F, Jr., ESU
Laramy Becker, G, Sr., UNK
Paige Lunsford, G, Sr., FHSU

All-MIAA Honorable Mention
Ashley Jones, UCM
Julia Mason, UCO
Kelsey Barnwell, ESU 
Chelsea Mason, FHSU
Nikola Kacperska, FHSU
Paige Lunsford, FHSU
Zuri Hill, LU
Kassidy Gengenbacher, LWU
Jenny Rocha, LWU
Miliakere Koyamainavure, MWSU
Chelsea Dewey, MWSU
Alexa Hogberg, UNK
Kate Bellamy, NSU
Tember Schechinger, NWMSU
Cathy Brugman, PSU
Hadyn Herlocker, PSU
Dilonna Johnson, SBU
Caylee Richardson, SBU
Felisha Gibbs, WU
Alyxis Bowens, WU

FHSU Athletics

HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State dropped the series finale to Central Missouri on Sunday by the score of 16-12 and now sits at 7-7 overall and 1-2 in the MIAA this season. The Mules took the series 2-1 and improve to 3-6 overall and 2-1 in the MIAA.

Central Missouri started the scoring early with two runs in the top of the first. Caleb Cherryholmes got the Tigers on the board in the bottom half when he hit a solo homer.

The Mules pushed their lead back to two with solo home run from Miles Orscheln in the second, but the Tigers tied it 3-3 in the bottom half when Clayton Basgall singled to right and plated Alex Weiss and Alex King.

Fort Hays State took its first lead of the afternoon in the third, 5-3, on back-to-back singles from Weiss and King that scored Cherryholmes and Joe Mapes.

In the fourth, the Tigers extended their lead on a solo homer from Basgall, then Mapes plated Cherryholmes with a RBI single to center making it 7-3.

The Mules fought back in the fifth and sixth with consecutive three run innings. With one out in the fifth, Matt Elliot singled to left field and later scored on a single by Jake Alexander. Later in the inning Bennett Oliver cut the Tiger lead to 7-6 when he hit a two run home run, then the Mules took the lead 9-7 in the sixth with a three run shot from Elliot.

The Tigers fought back and were on the brink of victory when Connor Ross hit a three run homer in the eighth, pushing the Tigers back in front 10-9.

The Tigers needed just three outs to seal the deal entering the ninth up one. But Central Missouri had other plans as they rallied for seven runs on five hits (a single, two doubles, and two home runs), a walk, and a Tiger error. The Mules led 16-10 heading to the final half inning.

The Tigers put up a fight in the ninth as they were able to score two runs and load the bases to bring the tying run to the plate with one out. However, Central Missouri’s Reece Ponak got the final two outs by strikeout to end the game.

Justin Hersch went 4 1/3 innings to start the game for the Tigers but had to leave due to injury, allowing four runs (three earned) on four hits, with three strikeouts and a walk.

Logan Herd took the loss and moved to 0-2 on the year lasting 1.2 innings with six runs (five earned) allowed. Ponak recorded the win for the Mules and is now 2-0.

Next up for the Tigers is another three-game MIAA series against Central Oklahoma, March 4-6, in Hays, Kan.

FHSU Athletics

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Fort Hays State men’s and women’s basketball earned first-round byes in the 2016 MIAA Tournament. Both Tiger teams are in the quarterfinals and await the winners of first-round games that will be played on Monday and Tuesday. The quarterfinal through final round of the tournament takes place March 3-6 at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City.

The Fort Hays State women tied for second in the MIAA regular season standings and have the No. 3 seed in the MIAA Tournament. The Tigers will await the winner of No. 6 seed Missouri Southern vs. No. 11 seed Northeastern State. The Lions and RiverHawks meet on Monday (Feb. 29) in Joplin, Mo. The Tigers’ quarterfinal game kicks off the tournament in Kansas Cityon Thursday at 12 pm.

The Fort Hays State men finished alone in fourth place in the MIAA standings and have the No. 4 seed in the MIAA Tournament. The Tigers will await the winner of the No. 5 seed Central Oklahoma vs. No. 12 seed Central Missouri. The Bronchos and Mules meet on Tuesday (Mar. 1) in Edmond, Okla. The Tigers’ quarterfinal game will be the final game on Friday in Kansas City at 8:15 pm.

Below is the schedule for both the women’s and men’s tournaments…

Women’s Tournament

Monday, February 29, 2016 (Campus Sites)
Game 1: #9 Southwest Baptist at #8 Nebraska-Kearney 7 p.m.
Game 2: #12 Lindenwood at #5 Central Oklahoma 7 p.m.
Game 3: #10 Central Missouri at #7 Washburn 7 p.m.
Game 4: #11 Northeastern State at #6 Missouri Southern 5:30 p.m.

Thursday, March 3, 2016 (Municipal Auditorium Kansas City, Mo.)
Game 5: #3 Fort Hays State vs. winner game 4 12 p.m.
Game 6: #2 Pittsburg State vs. winner game 3 2:15 p.m.
Game 7: #1 Missouri Western vs. winner game 1 6 p.m.
Game 8: #4 Emporia State vs. winner game 2 8:15 p.m.

Saturday, March 5, 2016 (Municipal Auditorium Kansas City, Mo.)
Game 9: winner game 5 vs. winner game 6 12 p.m.
Game 10: winner game 7 vs. winner game 8 2:15 p.m.

Sunday, March 6, 2016 (Municipal Auditorium Kansas City, Mo.)
Game 11: MIAA Championship game 1:00 p.m.

Men’s Tournament

Tuesday, March 1, 2016 (Campus Sites)
Game 1: #9 Lindenwood at #8 Pittsburg State 7 p.m.
Game 2: #12 Central Missouri at #5 Central Oklahoma 7 p.m.
Game 3: #10 Emporia State at #7 Lincoln 7 p.m.
Game 4: #11 Missouri Western at #6 Washburn 7 p.m.

Friday, March 4, 2016 (Municipal Auditorium Kansas City, Mo.)
Game 5: #3 Missouri Southern vs. winner game 4 12 p.m.
Game 6: #2 Nebraska-Kearney vs. winner game 3 2:15 p.m.
Game 7: #1 Northwest Missouri vs. winner game 1 6 p.m.
Game 8: #4 Fort Hays State vs. winner game 2 8:15 p.m.

Saturday, March 5, 2016 (Municipal Auditorium Kansas City, Mo.)
Game 9: winner game 5 vs. winner game 6 6 p.m.
Game 10: winner game 7 vs. winner game 8 8:15 p.m.

Sunday, March 6, 2016 (Municipal Auditorium Kansas City, Mo.)
Game 11: MIAA Championship game 3:30 p.m.

By GERARD WELLBROCK
Hays Post

EDMOND, Okla. – Fort Hays State had their second worst shooting game of the season as they lose 67-54 to Central Oklahoma in their regular season finale Saturday afternoon at Hamilton Field House. The Tigers (19-9, 13-9 MIAA), who missed their first 10 shot attempts, were held to 35-percent shooting and see their four-game win streak snapped.

Mark Johnson Postgame Interview

Game Highlights

The Tigers trailed by as many as 10 in the first half and were down 21 with just over six minutes to play.

Rob Davis led FHSU with 15 points. Jake Stoppel added 12.

Trai Jordon led Central Oklahoma (15-13, 11-11 MIAA) with 10 points and 14 rebounds.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Fred VanVleet and Anton Grady scored 16 points apiece and Wichita State routed Illinois State 74-58 on Saturday for its fifth-straight win.

By GERARD WELLBROCK
Hays Post

EDMOND, Okla. – Fort Hays State couldn’t overcome an early double-figure deficit and lose 81-73 to Central Oklahoma Saturday afternoon at Hamilton Field House. With the loss, the Tigers (24-4, 18-4 MIAA) tie for second in the MIAA with Pittsburg State and will have the No. 3 seed in the conference tournament and play at noon on Thursday.

The Broncos (18-10, 12-10 MIAA) used an early 14-2 run to build an 11-point first quarter lead and would never trail the rest of the day. The Tigers trailed  by 19 with 2:05 to play in the third quarter, then put together a 17-2 run over the next four minutes to close the gap to four which would be the closest they would get.

Tony Hobson Postgame Interview

Game Highlights

The Tigers shot 27-percent in the first half and finished at 37-percent for the game but were 7-of-29 from beyond the arc. UCO knocked down 8-of-15 from 3-point range while shooting 55-percent. They were 27-of-32 from the free throw line where they outscored the Tigers by 11.

Paige Lunsford led three Tigers in double-figures with 16 points. Nikola Kacperska added 14 and Beth Bohuslavsky 13.

FHSU Athletics

HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State rallied for an 8-7 win in 10 innings over Central Missouri in the MIAA opener on Friday at Larks Park in Hays. Down 5-3 in the eighth, FHSU scored four runs in the eighth to take a 7-5 lead, but Central Missouri tied the game in the ninth. Alex Weiss provided the walk-off solo homer in the 10th to lift the Tigers to victory.

Central Missouri built a 4-0 lead by the top of the fifth, but the Tigers cut the lead in half in the bottom half of the inning on back-to-back RBI singles by Ty Redington and Caleb Cherryholmes. FHSU cut the lead down to one on a Clayton Basgall RBI single in the sixth.

After Central Missouri pushed its lead back to two at 5-3 in the seventh, the Tigers put together a four-run rally in the eighth. Joe Mapes walked and Connor Ross doubled to set up a game-tying two-RBI single by Weiss. Later in the inning, Clayton pushed the Tigers in front with a two-run homer.

Central Missouri led off the ninth with back-to-back doubles to make it 7-6, then tied the game on a sacrifice fly later in the inning. The Tigers got two aboard in the ninth, but grounded into a double play to end the threat. FHSU got out of a bases loaded jam with one out in the 10th to set up the game winning shot by Weiss leading off the bottom half of the 10th.

Weiss and Basgall finished with three RBI each and Weiss had a team-high three hits.

D.J. Carr went 6 2/3 innings in his start, allowing five runs (four earned) on 10 hits and a walk, but struck out six. Casey Sedbrook held the Mules scoreless in 1 1/3 innings of relief. Giles Fox entered in the ninth to try and earn the save, but allowed two runs. He worked out of the jam in the 10th and picked up his second win of the season in relief.

Tyler House lasted 4.2 innings in the start for Central Missouri and used three relief pitchers. Lucas Williams took the loss, allowing three runs in two innings of work.

The Tigers and Mules play the second game of the three-game weekend conference series on Saturday at 1 pm.