Fort Hays State Softball heads to Weatherford, Oklahoma on Tuesday (Mar. 28) for a non-conference doubleheader at Southwestern Oklahoma State. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. The Tigers enter on an eight-game win streak, now 21-10 overall, while the Bulldogs are 6-26 overall.
 
Live video and stats will be available for both games.
 
The Opponent
Southwestern Oklahoma State (6-26)
-FHSU holds a 4-3 advantage in the all-time series with SWOSU. The Tigers won a meeting earlier this year in Wichita Falls, Texas by a score of 12-0 in five innings.
-FHSU won the last 3 games between the teams, which goes back to 2012. The meeting earlier this season was the first between the teams since 2013.
-SWOSU snapped a six-game losing streak in its most recent game, a 6-1 win over Arkansas Tech in Russellville, Ark.
-Jordyn Wadley leads SWOSU in extra-base hits (11) and RBIs (16). Maddie Rahon leads the team in batting average (.290).
-Kaylee Barkley leads SWOSU in ERA (2.32), while Brianna Cryer leads the Bulldogs in strikeouts (45), wins (4), and innings pitched (78.2).
 
Tiger Notes
Tigers Sweep Three-Straight Series
Fort Hays State is coming off three straight sweeps of opponents. The Tigers swept CSU Pueblo on March 15 in a doubleheader, Colorado School of Mines in a three-game set March 21-22, and then Nebraska-Kearney in a doubleheader on March 25. The Tigers have won eight straight games going back to a game two win at MSU Denver on March 14. It is the second eight-game win streak for the Tigers this season. The Tigers shut out the opposition three times during the eight-game streak and have not allowed more than three runs in a game during the streak.
 
When the Tigers Score Four
Fort Hays State is 12-2 this season when scoring at least four runs in a game. The only losses when scoring four or more were on walk-off home runs, a 7-6 loss to Southern Nazarene and a 13-11 loss to MSU Denver. FHSU is 9-8 when scoring three or less runs this season.
 
10 Shutouts
Ten of Fort Hays State's 21 wins this season have been by shutout. The 10 shutouts are tied for the MIAA lead with defending national champion Rogers State. It ranks 8^th in NCAA Division II. The national lead is 18 by Saint Leo, led by former FHSU head coach Erin Kinberger. The 10 shutouts are already the most by a Tiger team during Adrian Pilkington's tenure as a head coach. The 2013 team, led by Kinberger, set the record for most shutouts by a Tiger team with 19. This year's team joins the 2002 (10) and 2009 (11) squads as the only others in the program's NCAA Division II history to reach double figures in shutouts for a season.
 
Shepard of Speed
Peyton Shepard ranks among the top 10 players in the MIAA in batting average (8^th), stolen bases (T-5^th), on-base percentage (6^th), hits (3^rd), and hit-by-pitch (T-8^th). She has 15 stolen bases, 42 hits, a .424 batting average, a .504 on-base percentage, 24 runs, and has been hit by a pitch five times.
 
Efficient Running
Peyton Shepard and Sarah Tiffany have combined for 24 stolen bases so far this season. Shepard leads the team with 15, caught just one time, while Tiffany is a perfect 9-of-9 on her attempts. Carly Stuke is 2-of-2, while Sydnee Hoffman is the only Tiger to be caught stealing this season at 1-of-2. The Tigers are 27-of-29 as a team.
 
Tiffany Heating Back Up
Sarah Tiffany has hit safely in nine of the last 11 games. She is hitting .342 (13-for-38) in that stretch, bringing her season batting average back up to .323. She had a 1-for-19 stretch at the plate prior to the last 11 games. Tiffany moved back into the team lead for RBIs on the season, now with 23 overall after two in the doubleheader with Nebraska-Kearney.
 
Pierce Churning Out Doubles
Madison Pierce started to find her groove at the plate once again in the last five games, going 7-for-15 (.467) at the plate. She had four doubles in the last five games and leads the team with 13. She ranks second in the MIAA in doubles and 10^th in NCAA Division II. Sydni Hawkins of Missouri Western leads the MIAA with 15.
 
Tough to Strikeout
Lilliana Ramirez-Johnson has just two strikeouts in 76 at bats this season. She ranks 24^th in NCAA Division II for toughest to strikeout, averaging just one every 38 at bats. The national leader Jolie Miracle of Florida Tech has struck out just once in 108 at bats.
 
Beggs Getting Hits in Bunches
Loren Beggs has recorded multi-hit games in four of the last eight contests. She went 2-for-3 at the plate in both games of the doubleheader with Nebraska-Kearney and has elevated her season batting average up to .263. She is second on the team in RBIs with 22.
 
Putting the Ball in Play
Fort Hays State leads the MIAA in fewest strikeouts per game as a team, averaging just 3.0 per game with 93 in 31 games. Nebraska-Kearney leads the MIAA in strikeouts with 185, averaging 6.2 as a team per game.
 
Moving Your Teammate Up
Fort Hays State ranks second in the MIAA in sacrifice bunts/hits with 20, only behind Washburn's 28. FHSU is also second in the conference in total sacrifices with 29 when adding on their nine sacrifice flies. Washburn leads the MIAA in total sacrifices with 36. Central Oklahoma leads the sacrifice fly category with 18 for the season.
 
Solid Pitching
Fort Hays State has a team pitching ERA of 2.52, which ranks fifth in the MIAA. Three of four Tiger pitchers have ERAs lower than 3.10 for the season, led by Savanah Egger at 1.72. The Tiger pitchers rank third in the MIAA in strikeouts with 206, only behind Washburn (259) and Missouri Western (208). All four Tiger pitchers have at least 27 strikeouts on the season, led by Egger with 103. FHSU is allowing just a .241 batting average to opponents, which is fourth in the MIAA.
 
Strong in the Circle
Savanah Egger has allowed two or less earned runs in 12 of her 16 starts in the pitching circle this season. She had four consecutive shutouts from February 24 to March 4, then notched her fifth on March 21 against Colorado School of Mines and sixth on March 25 against Nebraska-Kearney. She ranks 4^th in NCAA Division II for individual shutouts and leads the MIAA. She also leads the MIAA and ranks 13^th in NCAA Division II for complete games with 12. She ranks 3^rd in the MIAA in strikeouts and 21^st in NCAA Division II with 103. She had a 32-inning scoreless streak snapped on March 6 against Northwestern Oklahoma State, but threw 38 shutout innings in a 41-inning stretch from February 24 to March 11. She has held the opposition scoreless in 19 of her last 20 innings pitched.
 
Four-Straight Complete Games for Carlson
Bailey Carlson threw a pair of complete games last week in Colorado and then tossed a pair at home against Colorado School of Mines and Nebraska-Kearney last week. She went the full seven innings in a 3-1 win at MSU Denver and a 5-2 win at CSU Pueblo. She notched her second shutout of the season against Colorado School of Mines on March 21 in a 2-0 win, then followed that with a 10-2 victory against Nebraska-Kearney in six innings on March 25. The complete game at MSU Denver on March 14 was her first since a 14-0 run-rule win in five innings over Sioux Falls back on February 26. With a 1.30 ERA over the last four games, she lowered her season ERA nearly a whole run from 3.27 to 2.33.