FHSU Athletics

Baseball (1985-86)
A native of Longmont, Colorado, Nehls earned NAIA All-America honors in 1985 as a shortstop, setting the single-season record for stolen bases at FHSU with 52, a record that still stands today. But the All-America honor was not just based on speed as he led the team in batting average (.387) and runs scored (71), while tying for the team lead in extra-base hits with 31 (17 doubles, 6 triples, and 8 home runs) and drawing 30 walks. He added 42 RBIs to his impressive offensive onslaught that season, playing in all 66 games. He put together a solid senior year to follow, hitting .320 with 30 extra-base hits (10 doubles, and a team-best 7 triples and 13 home runs). He drove in 60 runs, scored 64, drew 45 walks, and stole 23 bases. Nehls stole 75 bases in his two years at FHSU, caught just eight times for a success rate of 90.3 percent. For his two-year career at FHSU, he finished with a .356 batting average, 27 doubles, 13 triples (tied for the FHSU career record with Brian Keck), 21 home runs, 131 runs scored, and 102 RBI. Nehls was a two-time all-conference and all-district performer, and a member of Fort Hays State's only two teams to win more than 40 games in a season during the program's NAIA history. He helped the Tigers to a 45-21 record in 1985 and a 47-16-1 mark in 1986.