Fort Hays State Softball will open MIAA play on Sunday and Monday in Missouri when it faces Northwest Missouri State and Missouri Western. The Tigers will face the Bearcats in a doubleheader on Sunday in Maryville at 3 pm, then take on Missouri Western in a doubleheader on Monday at 12 pm. Live video and stats will be available for both doubleheaders.
 
Fort Hays State enters the weekend at 10-12 overall, while Northwest Missouri State is 5-16 overall and Missouri Western is 5-11 overall.
 
Fort Hays State has won the last four games against Northwest Missouri State, which includes doubleheader sweeps in both 2019 and 2021 in Hays. The teams will be meeting in Maryville for the first time since the 2018 season, when NWMSU swept a doubleheader. In the doubleheader last year in Hays, Loren Beggs (2) and Jessica Espinoza drove home all three runs of a 3-2 win in the first contest. Then Betsy Parmley had a walk-off two-RBI single to lift the Tigers to a 5-4 win and a doubleheader sweep. Elise Capra and Sarah Tiffany also had RBIs in that game. The all-time series between the teams is tied 12-12.
 
The Tigers snapped a five-game losing streak to the Griffons last year in Hays by winning the second game of a doubleheader by a score of 1-0. Sara Breckbill had a sacrifice fly RBI late in that game to lift the Tigers to a win. The Griffons lead the all-time series 24-12.
 
Beggs leads the Tigers in batting average at .400 and is tied with Breckbill for the team lead in extra-base hits, each with 10. Breckbill has 14 RBIs, followed by Beggs with 13. A sizzling weekend at the plate last weekend pushed Sarah Tiffany's batting average up to .388 and she has 10 RBIs for the season. The Tigers as a team have 29 stolen bases, led by Lindsey Kelly with 11.
 
The Tigers had a strong performance in the pitching circle last weekend from Bailey Carlson and Savanah Egger. Carlson did not allow an earned run in both of her complete game performances, one being a shutout. She now has a 1.59 ERA on the season as a result. Egger also had a complete game shutout in one of her two starts. She has a 3.41 ERA for the season.