Northwestern Oklahoma State (2-17) at
Fort Hays State (11-5)
Monday, March 6 – 1 & 3 PM
Hays, Kan. – Tiger Stadium
 
Fort Hays State Softball will play its first home doubleheader of the 2023 season on Monday (Mar. 6), hosting Northwestern Oklahoma State. Originally scheduled for March 7, the doubleheader was moved up a day due to weather forecasted. The games are still slated to begin at 1 p.m. at Tiger Stadium in Hays. FHSU enters the doubleheader on an eight-game win streak.
 
Live stream and stats will be available for the doubleheader. All MIAA softball broadcasts are on the MIAA Network this season as a pay-for subscription service. Fans can pay per event or monthly since just a few months remain for MIAA Network broadcasts. All-Access pass holders for the entire year also have access to the games. Links are provided above.
 
The Opponent
-Northwestern Oklahoma State enters this doubleheader at 2-17 overall on the season.
-The Rangers have lost their last six contests. Their last win was on February 25 against Henderson State.
-FHSU won the first meeting between the teams this season by a score of 4-1 in Wichita Falls, Texas back on February 11.
-FHSU leads the all-time series with NWOSU 3-1-1.
 
Tiger Notes
Eight-Game Win Streak
FHSU's eight-game win streak is its longest under head coach Adrian Pilkington. It topped the previous longest streak under her guidance of six games, set last season.
 
Washburn Invite Sweep/Doubleheader Sweep at William Jewell
FHSU won all six of its games at the Washburn Invitational in late February and then swept a doubleheader at William Jewell this past Saturday to create its eight-game win streak.
 
Shutout Frenzy
The Tigers won five of their six games at the Washburn Invitational by shutout, then one of the two at William Jewell. That gives the Tigers six shutouts in their last eight games. They outscored the opposition 52-5 in that span. The Tigers have surrendered runs in just three of the last 50 innings played.
  
2-3-4 Punch
For the last 14 games, Adrian Pilkington has slotted Sarah Tiffany, Loren Beggs, and Madison Pierce 2-3-4 in the batting lineup. All three players have at least 11 RBIs on the season and account for almost half of FHSU's RBIs this season (36 of 75 total).
 
Shepard of Speed
Peyton Shepard leads the Tigers in batting average, stolen bases, runs, and on-base percentage so far this season. She is hitting .490 for the season and is a perfect 10-of-10 on stolen base attempts. She has crossed the plate 16 times. As the Tiger leadoff hitter, she got on base and scored in the first inning in four of the six shutouts over the last eight games. So far, Shepard ranks fourth in the MIAA in batting average, stolen bases, and on-base percentage.
 
Efficient Running
Peyton Shepard and Sarah Tiffany have combined for 17 stolen bases so far this season. They are both perfect in their attempts, Shepard with 10 and Tiffany with seven. Carly Stuke is 2-of-2, while Sydnee Hoffman is 1-of-1 on the season to make the Tigers a perfect 20-of-20 overall for the season.
 
26-Inning Scoreless Streak
Savanah Egger has now thrown four consecutive complete-game shutouts after a 2-0 victory at William Jewell on Saturday with six strikeouts. Prior to that, she pitched three consecutive complete-game shutouts at the Washburn Invitational, striking out 20 batters over 19 scoreless innings of work. She threw seven-inning complete games in a pair of 2-0 wins against Southwest Minnesota State and Rockhurst, then threw a five-inning complete game in a run-rule 9-0 win over Mary. Egger currently ranks fourth in the MIAA in strikeouts with 54 for the season, averaging 7.8 per seven innings. She leads the MIAA lead in complete game shutouts with four and ranks second in complete games with six.
 
Tiger Pitching in a Groove
Fort Hays State pitching allowed only five runs in the last 50, all part of its current 8-game win streak. The Tigers allowed runs in only three of those 50 innings, which included a pair of runs in the 7^th inning of a 6-2 win over Wayne State, and then one run in the 1^st inning and two in the 7^th of a 4-3 win over William Jewell. FHSU has an 0.70 team ERA in its eight-game win streak. Savanah Egger had four complete-game shutouts, while Emma Montoya and Bailey Carlson each