Fort Hays State Softball hits the road this weekend to Topeka, Kansas, where it will play six more regional contests against schools from both the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) and Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC). The Tigers play two games each of the three days, all at the Lake Shawnee complex.
 
Tiger Schedule at Washburn Invitational
vs. St. Cloud State – Sat. Feb. 26 – 12:30 pm (Lake Shawnee West)
vs. Missouri-St. Louis – Sat. Feb. 26 – 4:30 pm (Lake Shawnee West)
vs. Southwest Minnesota State – Sun. Feb. 27 – 1:30 pm (Lake Shawnee East)
vs. University of Mary – Sun. Feb. 27 – 3:30 pm (Lake Shawnee East)
vs. Sioux Falls – Mon. Feb. 28 – 10 am (Lake Shawnee West)
vs. Wayne State – Mon. Feb. 28 – 2 pm (Lake Shawnee East)
 
Live stats coverage will be available on Sunday and Monday, but FHSU's two games on Saturday will not have live stats. Score updates will be given periodically for the Saturday games on the @FHSU_Softball Twitter account. No streaming will be available for the games at the Lake Shawnee complex this weekend.
 
The Opponents…
St. Cloud State (3-1)
Fort Hays State meets St. Cloud State for the first time since 2020, also meeting in Topeka that season. St. Cloud State won the last meeting 11-9. Loren Beggs, Sara Breckbill, and Elise Capra all recorded hits in that game and combined for two of FHSU's RBIs. St. Cloud State holds a 3-1 advantage in the all-time series. Fort Hays State's lone win in the series occurred in 2016 in St. Cloud, Minn.
 
Missouri-St. Louis (1-5)
Fort Hays State and Missouri-St. Louis meet for the 10^th time on Saturday. The Tritons hold a narrow 5-4 lead in the all-time series. FHSU won the last meeting 6-3 in Emporia, Kansas last year. Jessica Espinoza had two hits in that contest, while Sarah Tiffany, Loren Beggs, and Elise Capra all had one hit each. The teams met twice last year as UMSL won the first meeting in Topeka by a score of 3-1. All nine games in the series history have been played on neutral fields and the trend continues this year.
 
Southwest Minnesota State (3-3)
Fort Hays State and Southwest Minnesota State have only met twice before and the series is knotted 1-1. FHSU won a meeting between the teams in 2020 in Topeka by a score of 4-0, while SMSU took a contest between the schools in 2016 in extra innings. In that 2020 matchup, Beggs, Breckbill, and Capra all recorded hits.
 
University of Mary (0-7)
Fort Hays State and Mary meet for the fourth time on Sunday. All games have been on neutral fields. The last meeting occurred in 2017 when FHSU won 1-0 in St. Joseph, Mo. FHSU owns a 2-1 advantage in the series.
 
Sioux Falls (1-3)
Sioux Falls holds a 3-1 advantage in the all-time series with FHSU. The teams met last year in Topeka, a game where FHSU notched its first win against USF by a score of 8-0. Sarah Tiffany and Loren Beggs each had a two-hit game in that contest. Beggs had two RBIs and Tiffany scored three runs. Sara Breckbill and Jessica Espinoza each had a hit and combined for a run and an RBI in the contest. This will be the third time the schools meet in Topeka.
 
Wayne State (2-5)
Fort Hays State and Wayne State play each other for the 14^th time during FHSU's NCAA Division II era. The Tigers hold a 9-4 advantage in the all-time series. The teams met twice last year and both games were decided by one run. Wayne State won 3-2 in Topeka, and FHSU won 2-1 in Emporia. Breckbill and Beggs combined for seven hits over the two contests, while Sarah Tiffany notched two hits against the Wildcats.