FHSU Athletics

Fort Hays State was picked ninth in the 2016 MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll, released on Friday (Jan. 29). The Tigers are slotted where they finished in the standings in 2015. FHSU enters its sixth season under head coach Steve Johnson.

Fort Hays State looks to snap a two-year absence from the conference tournament. The Tigers finished ninth in the standings last year, just one place shy of qualifying for the tournament. FHSU also looks to snap a two-year string of finishing with a sub-.500 record. The top eight teams in the conference qualify for the tournament once again this year.

The MIAA changed its regular season format for the 2016 season. Each team is scheduled to play the other 13 schools in the conference three times, creating a 39-game conference schedule. Most of the three-game series’ will take place on weekends, but there will be some broken up over the course of three consecutive weeks with one mid-week contest. FHSU has 11 non-conference games scheduled before starting MIAA play on February 26.

Fort Hays State has two All-MIAA selections returning from last year in Austin Unrein and Connor Ross. Both enter their senior seasons in 2016. Unrein was solid in a utility role, making 36 starts at third base, six at designated hitter, and five in left field, while also serving as the team’s closer on the mound in his junior season. He ranked second in hits (58) and RBI (45), and third in batting average (.326), home runs (11), and slugging percentage (.596) for FHSU in 2015, while recording 24 extra-base hits. On the mound, Unrein recorded three saves, while going 3-3 on the year with a 5.68 ERA. Ross had a solid first year of action with the Tigers by ranking second on the team in batting average at .337. He recorded 24 extra-base hits (14 doubles, 1 triple, 9 home runs) and scored 39 times, serving as the Tigers’ leadoff hitter.

The Tigers have two pitchers back with significant starting experience in 2015, seniors Justin Hersch and Joe Mapes. Hersch went 3-3 last year with a 6.14 ERA and 37 strikeouts in 48.1 innings of work. Mapes made all of his starts in the latter portion of the season and went 2-1 with a 4.64 ERA and 18 strikeouts in 33 innings of work.

Fort Hays State led the nation last year in home runs per game (1.62) with a total of 76 in 47 games and ranked among the top 15 nationally in slugging percentage (.523). But three of the top four home runs hitters from that team graduated. Though the Tigers had a potent offense that averaged 7.8 runs per game last year, keeping the other team off the board was a struggle. Opponents averaged 8.4 runs per game and FHSU had a team ERA of 7.52 with 88 errors committed in the field. FHSU looks for improvement in those areas this year.

Below is the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll.

FHSU Athletics

Fort Hays State’s Brock Long gathered his third All-America honor for the 2015 season, named to the D2Football.com All-America Team. Long is a second-team selection at linebacker.

Long already earned All-America status on the D2CCA and AP Little All-America squads as a first team selection. Long had a tremendous senior year anchoring the Tiger defense at inside linebacker.

Long set a new school record for tackles in a season with 171, passing the former mark of 164 set by Alex Whitehill in 2011. But tackles were not the only category he soared in as he led the MIAA in tackles for loss, sacks, and forced fumbles at the end of the regular season. He finished the year with 21.5 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, and four forced fumbles to go with his massive tackle count. Long led the team in tackles in nine of the 12 games this season. He averaged 14.3 tackles per game and reached double figures in tackles 10 times.

Long ranks fifth on the career tackles list for the NCAA era at FHSU with 264, accomplishing the feat in just two years. He is tied for 10^th on the career sacks (13.5) and career tackles for loss (26.0) lists at FHSU for the NCAA era. For single-season accomplishments at FHSU, he is now the record holder for tackles and tackles for loss, while tying for second in sacks.

Below is the D2Football.com All-America Team for the 2015 season.

2016 D2Football.com All-America Team

D2Football.com Individual Award Winners

First Team
QB	Jason Vander Laan	6-4, 244, Sr.	Ferris State
RB	Cameron McDondle	5-7, 202, Sr.	CSU-Pueblo
RB	Ja’Quan Gardner	5-7, 190, So.	Humboldt State
WR	Reece Horn	6-3, 215, Sr.	Indianapolis
WR	Jon Schnaars	6-3, 210, Sr.	East Stroudsburg
TE	Cole Spurgeon	6-3, 235, Sr.	Colorado Mines
OL	Dominique Robertson	6-5, 306, Sr.	West Georgia
OL	Jordan Morgan	6-4, 300, Jr.	Kutztown
OL	Joe Ray	6-1, 280, Sr.	Lenoir-Rhyne
OL	Chris Reaper	6-3, 281, Sr.	Findlay
OL	Herschel Prater	6-6, 325, Sr.	Minnesota State
DL	Matt Judon	6-4, 255, Sr.	Grand Valley State
DL	Brandon Yost	6-2, 290, Sr.	Northwest Missouri
DL	Josh Gordon	6-2, 255, Sr.	Minnesota State
DL	Collin Bevins	6-6, 286, Jr.	Northwest Missouri
LB	Alex Wahl	6-2, 235, Sr.	Upper Iowa
LB	Connor Harris	6-0, 243, Jr.	Lindenwood
LB	Jewell Ratliff	6-1, 238, Sr.	Tuskegee
DB	Michael Jordan	6-1, 205, Sr.	Missouri Western
DB	Solomon St. Pierre	5-11, 178, Sr.	Sioux Falls
DB	Marqui Christian	6-1, 205, Sr.	Midwestern State
DB	Jordan Shaw	6-2, 215, Sr.	Shorter
K	Brent Wahle	6-2, 175, Sr.	Ohio Dominican
P	Matt Klingler	6-1, 235, Sr.	Lindenwood
AP	Tyreek Hill	5-10, 185, Sr.	West Alabama
Second Team
QB	Brent Wilson	6-0, 194, Sr.	Emporia State
RB	Damian Baker	5-8, 195, Sr.	Carson-Newman
RB	Anthony Bilal	5-8, 185, Sr.	Lake Erie
WR	Jameson Parsons	6-2, 201, Jr.	St. Cloud
WR	Matt Williams	6-2, 195, Jr.	Grand Valley
TE	Daree’ Goodwin	6-4, 235, Sr.	West Liberty
OL	Kennedy Estelle	6-6, 285, Sr.	West Alabama
OL	Travis Hening	6-5, 305, Sr.	East Central
OL	Zach Martinez	6-6, 293, Sr.	CSU Pueblo
OL	Cory Tucker	6-4, 305, Sr.	Slippery Rock
OL	Zach Voytek	6-5, 300, Jr.	New Haven
DL	Marcus Martin	6-3, 245, So.	Slippery Rock
DL	Andrew Cohen	6-3, 255, Sr.	West Chester
DL	Clayton Callicutt	6-4, 275, Sr.	Angelo State
DL	Morgan Fox	6-4, 259, Sr.	CSU-Pueblo
LB	Kyle Kitchens	6-2, 205, So.	Catawba
LB	Teven Williams	5-11, 220, Sr.	Slippery Rock
LB	Brock Long	5-11, 210, Sr.	Fort Hays State
DB	Brad McCurdy	6-1, 205, Sr.	Ohio Dominican
DB	Carlo Thomas	6-2, 185, So.	Johnson C. Smith
DB	Antion McBee	6-2, 210, Sr.	Southwest Baptist
DB	Kevin Berg	5-11, 184, Jr.	Northwest Missouri
K	Cole Tracy	6-0, 185, So.	Assumption
P	Bret Benes	6-0, 180, Jr.	Charleston
AP	Jesse Zalk	5-8, 160, Jr.	Central Washington
Honorable Mention
QB	Matt Soltes	6-3, 220, Sr.	East Stroudsburg
QB	Jeff Ziemba	6-3, 210, Jr.	Shepherd
QB	Kyle Washington	6-6, 225, Sr.	Angelo State
QB	Luke Wingo	6-2, 185, Sr.	North Alabama
QB	Trey Heid	6-2, 197, Jr.	Augustana
RB	Clay McKenzie	5-11, 200, So.	Central Oklahoma
RB	Andre Anderson	5-8, 195, Jr.	New Haven
RB	Richard Cooper	5-9, 185, Jr.	Texas A&M Kingsville
WR	David Moore	6-2, 220, Jr.	East Central
WR	Garry Brown	6-1, 200, Jr.	California
WR	Billy Brown	6-4, 236, Jr.	Shepherd
WR	Keshaun Taylor	6-1, 180, So.	Mars Hill
WR	Josh Mikes	6-3, 222, Sr.	Winona State
TE	Adam Shaheen	6-6, 240, So.	Ashland
TE	Gabe Hughes	6-4, 240, Sr.	Florida Tech
OL	Mathu Gibson	6-6, 295, Sr.	Wingate
OL	Alex Cappa	6-7, 285, So.	Humboldt State
OL	Shane Thompson	6-3, 245, Sr.	Texas A&M Commerce
OL	Derek Evans	6-1, 275, Sr.	Carson-Newman
OL	Alfredo Moreno	6-2, 285, Sr.	Midwestern State
OL	Shane Smith	6-4, 297, Sr.	Northwest Missouri
OL	Jim Walsh	6-5, 310, Sr.	Grand Valley
OL	Orion Awa-Dubose	6-1, 294, Sr.	West Georgia
DL	Paulin Miano	6-6, 265, Jr.	Virginia Union
DL	Joby Saint Fleur	6-5, 245, Jr.	Northwestern Oklahoma
DL	Michael Bloomfield	6-3, 245, Sr.	Winston-Salem
DL	Shaneil Jenkins	6-4, 275, Sr.	Shepherd
DL	Karmah Yates	6-3, 267, Sr.	East Central
DL	Anthony McDaniel	6-1, 275, Sr.	Bowie State
DL	Justin Woods-West	6-2, 265, Sr.	Central State
DL	Justin Zimmer	6-3, 292, Sr.	Ferris State
DL	Dylan Donahue	6-3, 235, Jr.	West Georgia
LB	Marquez Gollman	5-11, 190, Jr.	Grand Valley
LB	Daniel Laudermilk	6-1, 226, Sr.	Midwestern State
LB	Jordan Herdman	6-2, 232, Jr.	Simon Fraser
LB	Austin Jacques	6-3, 240, Sr.	Johnson C. Smith
LB	Joel Wimbley	6-0, 220, Sr.	Saint Joseph’s
LB	D’Gary Wallace	6-0, 210, Sr.	Urbana
LB	Tyler Condit	5-11, 235, Sr.	New Haven
LB	Matt Zakrzewski	6-2, 250, Sr.	New Haven
LB	Tyler Henderson	6-3, 235, Sr.	Minnesota State
DB	Bryce Enyard	6-1, 189, Sr.	Northwest Missouri
DB	Aaron Terry	5-11, 195, Jr.	California
DB	Floyd Jones	6-0, 217, Sr.	North Alabama
DB	Dustin Rivas	5-11, 180, So.	Colorado Mesa
P	Felipe Parra	5-10, 190, Jr.	West Texas A&M
AP	Sheldon Mayer	5-7, 170, Sr.	Shippensburg
AP	Keelan Cole	6-2, 175, Jr.	Kentucky Wesleyan
AP	Jason Greenway	5-9, 203, Sr.	Augustana
AP	D.J. Jones	5-7, 155, Jr.	Southwestern Oklahoma

FHSU Athletics

BROOKFIELD, Ill. – The Don Hansen All-Super Region 3 Team has been released for the 2015 football season. Fort Hays State had five players named to the squad, all second-team selections. Earning the honors on offense are Treveon Albert, Shaquille Cooper and Matt Erbert. On defense, Brock Long and Daniel Lindsey earned the distinction.

2015 Don Hansen All-Super Region 3 Selections

Five selections to the Don Hansen All-Super Region Team are the most for the Tigers in program history. The Tigers had four Don Hansen regional selections in 2009.

Albert was one of the most dynamic quarterbacks in the nation with both his arm and legs. He finished the season with 1,752 passing yards and 1,228 rushing yards. He finished with the most rushing yards by a quarterback for a single season in FHSU history and fifth most rushing yards in a season overall. He finished his career with 8,111 yards of total offense, setting a new school record. He also set the FHSU career passing touchdowns mark at 55. With 2,399 career rushing yards, he finished seventh on the all-time chart at FHSU. He finished third on the career passing chart with 5,712 yards.

Joining Albert in one of the best rushing combinations nationally was sophomore Shaquille Cooper. He finished the year with 1,441 rushing yards, the third-most in a single season at FHSU. Cooper averaged 120.1 rushing yards per game and he also hauled in a team-high 37 passes for 309 receiving yards. Cooper finished the year with 1,753 all-purpose yards, averaging 146.1 per game.

Erbert adds another all-region honor to his collection. He was named to the D2CCA All-Super Region 3 Team earlier this season. Erbert anchored the offensive line at left tackle, helping the Tigers average 251.1 rushing yards per game.

Long had one of the greatest all-around seasons at linebacker for FHSU. He set a new school record for tackles in a season with 171. It passed the former mark of 164 set by Alex Whitehill in 2011. Aside from the tackles, he also finished with 21.5 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, and four forced fumbles. Long has garnered numerous All-Super Region and All-America honors for his efforts this year.

Lindsey finished the 2015 season with 85 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, one sack, one forced fumble, and four blocked kicks. He also was a huge asset on kick returns, setting a new single-season record for kick return touchdowns at FHSU with two. He averaged 27.9 yards per kick return with a total of 390 yards.

FHSU Athletics

Fort Hays State Softball was picked eighth in the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll, released on Thursday (Jan. 28). Fort Hays State is picked in the same position it finished in the regular season last year when it went 14-12 in conference play.

The Tigers enter their second year under head coach Adrian Mohr’s guidance. FHSU finished with an overall record of 26-27 in 2015, but continued its run of making the MIAA Tournament every year since joining the conference in 2006-07. The Tigers had a rollercoaster season, twice putting together win streaks of four games, but also saw one five-game losing streak.

FHSU has most of its starting lineup back from last year, which includes five All-MIAA selections. All five returning were honorable mention selections last year. The list includes pitcher Paxton Duran, first baseman Tori Beltz, outfielder Samantha Villarreal, and infielders Courtney Dobson and Kylie Strand. Dobson is a three-time All-MIAA selection, while Duran, Beltz, and Villarreal have two all-conference selections to their credit.

The Tigers open the season on February 12 at the 8-State Classic in Bentonville, Ark., where they’ll play six games in the span of three days.

Below is the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll for the 2016 season.

2016 MIAA Softball Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Central Oklahoma (4)            157
2. Pittsburg State (6)                154
3. Central Missouri (3)              149
4. Missouri Western (1)            142
5. Northwest Missouri               111
6. Emporia State                      106
7. Washburn                              96
8. Fort Hays State                      92
9. Northeastern State                  76
10. Nebraska-Kearney                 57
11. Southwest Baptist                 52
12. Missouri Southern                 35
13. Lindenwood                          34
14. Lincoln                                 13

Kansas City Royals

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Kansas City Royals announced their 2015 team award winners today, which were voted on by the Kansas City Chapter of the BWAA.  Outfielder Lorenzo Cain was named the Les Milgram Player of the Year, while relief pitcher Wade Davis earned the Bruce Rice Pitcher of the Year award.  Both players earned those same honors in 2014.  For the first time since 1991, there were multiple honorees for the Joe Burke Special Achievement Award as Alcides Escobar, Mike Moustakas and Ben Zobrist split the votes evenly.

Cain, 29, enjoyed another fantastic season in 2015, when was selected to his first All-Star Game and finished third in the American League Most Valuable Player voting.  The right-handed hitting outfielder batted .307 with 34 doubles, six triples, 16 homers with a career-best 101 runs scored, becoming the first KC player to score at least 100 runs in a season since 2011.  He also ranked second in the A.L. in stolen bases (28), while finishing fifth in batting average and runs scored.  He started all 16 postseason games in center field, batting .258 with two doubles, a homer, 11 RBI, 11 runs scored and a Major League-best 11 walks.  He is the first player to win the Les Milgram Player of the Year award in back-to-back seasons since Billy Butler (2009-10).

Davis, 30, was once again one of the most dominant relief pitchers in the Majors.  The right-hander went 8-1 with a microscopic 0.94 ERA (7 ER in 67.1 IP), while holding the opposition to a .144 batting average.  His eight victories were tied for the most by a Major League relief pitcher in 2015, while his ERA was the lowest among all big league pitchers that threw at least 40.0 innings.  Davis served as the Royals closer during two stints in the regular season, converting 17 of 18 save opportunities.  He worked eight scoreless appearances in the postseason, going 1-0 with four saves in four opportunities and fanning 18 in just 10.2 innings.  Davis becomes the first to earn Bruce Rice Pitcher of the Year Honors in consecutive seasons since Greg Holland (2012-13).

Escobar, 29, earned his second Special Achievement Award, also being honored in 2012.  The KC shortstop was selected to the 2015 All-Star Game, was named a Rawlings Gold Glove winner and was selected as the Most Valuable Player of the 2015 American League Championship Series.  Escobar hit .257 during the regular season with 20 doubles, five triples, three homers and 76 runs scored.  He turned it on in the postseason, batting .329 with four doubles, three triples, a homer and 13 runs scored, which also included at least one hit in his final 15 postseason games to set a club record.

Moustakas, 27, captured his first postseason team award.  He enjoyed an All-Star campaign, becoming the first Royal to be selected to the game with the Final Fan Vote, where he received over 19 million online votes.  He hit .284 during the regular season with 34 doubles and set career highs in homers (22), RBI (82), runs scored (73), hits (156) and slugging percentage (.470).  His 51 RBI after the All-Star break were eighth-most in the American League, while he recorded 43 multi-hit games in 2015 after collecting 45 combined in 2013-14.  He started all 16 games at third base during the postseason, batting .215 with a double, a homer and eight RBI.

Zobrist, 34, was acquired by the Royals on July 28 from the Oakland Athletics and batted .284 with 16 doubles, a triple, seven homers and scored 37 runs in the final two months of the regular season.  The switch-hitting utility man batted .303 with a team-record eight doubles, two homers and a Major League-best 15 runs scored during the postseason.  Zobrist signed with the Chicago Cubs during the offseason.