Fort Hays State Softball returns to action this weekend at the Washburn Invitational in Topeka, Kan. The Tigers enter the weekend at 6-2 overall. The Tigers are set to face five teams from the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) and one from the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC). The Tigers will play two games each day, spanning Friday through Sunday (Feb. 23-25).
 
Live Coverage
Only live stats coverage will be available for games. There will be no video available for the fields FHSU is playing on throughout the weekend.
See FHSU SCHEDULE for live stat links.
 
Weekend Schedule for FHSU
Friday
FHSU vs. Minnesota Crookston – 2 p.m. (Lake Shawnee Field 1)
FHSU vs. Maryville – 4 p.m. (Lake Shawnee Field 3)
Saturday
FHSU vs. Wayne State (Neb.) – 10 a.m. (Lake Shawnee Field 1)
FHSU vs. Sioux Falls – 4 p.m. (Lake Shawnee Field 1)
Sunday
FHSU vs. Winona State – 10 a.m. (Lake Shawnee Field 1)
FHSU vs. St. Cloud State – 2 p.m. (Lake Shawnee Field 2)
 
Fort Hays State is coming off a 2-2 weekend at the Raising Cane's Softball Festival last week in Oklahoma. The Tigers picked up wins over Southern Nazarene and East Central. They came up a run short in an extra-inning contest with nationally ranked Southern Arkansas.
 
Head coach Adrian Pilkington recorded her 200^th win at Fort Hays State in the 9-4 win over East Central last Friday in Edmond, Okla. She is the first in the program's NCAA Division II history to reach that mark, already owning the most coaching wins in program history.
 
The Opponents
 
Minnesota Crookston
2023 Record: 18-32
2024 Record: 2-2
Series History: FHSU leads 3-0
Series Notes
- Fort Hays State has won all three meetings with Minnesota Crookston, the most recent being last year in Topeka by a score of 13-0.
- All meetings in the series history have occurred in Kansas.
- Peyton Shepard, Regan Curry, and Lilliana Ramirez-Johnson all had two hits in the 13-0 win over UMC last year. Shepard, Ramirez-Johnson, and Aubrey Martinez all had 2 RBIs in the game.
- Emma Montoya threw a complete-game shutout against UMC last year with 10 strikeouts.

Maryville
2023 Record: 30-21
2024 Record: 1-8
Series History: First meeting
Series Notes
-This will be the first-ever meeting between FHSU and Maryville in softball.
 
Wayne State (Neb.)
2023 Record: 13-39
2024 Record: 1-7
Series History: FHSU leads 11-4
Series Notes
-Fort Hays State has won the last three meetings with Wayne State, including a 6-2 win in Topeka last year.
-This will be the eighth-straight meeting between the teams in the state of Kansas.
-Peyton Shepard and Sarah Tiffany both had 3 hits in the 6-2 win against WSC last year.
-Bailey Carlson threw a complete game against WSC last year with 5 strikeouts.
 
Sioux Falls
2023 Record: 24-26
2024 Record: 5-6
Series History: USF leads 4-2
Series Notes
-FHSU won last year's meeting with USF by a score of 14-0 in Topeka. It was the largest win margin against USF in the series history.
-This will be the fifth-straight year FHSU and USF meet in Topeka and have split the four previous meetings.
-In the 14-0 run-rule win last year, Sarah Tiffany, Regan Curry, and Aubrey Martinez all had three hits.
-Eight of nine Tigers in the starting lineup of last year's game recorded hits, helping the team to 19 in the game.
-Bailey Carlson threw a complete-game shutout last year against USF with 3 strikeouts.
 
Winona State
2023 Record: 38-16
2024 Record: 5-1
Series History: WSU leads 2-1
Series Notes
-This will be the first meeting with Winona State since 2017.
-FHSU's lone win in the series history occurred in Clermont, Fla. during the 2013 season by a score of 12-2.
-In all three previous meetings between the teams, the winner scored at least 7 runs.
 
St. Cloud State
2023 Record: 38-16
2024 Record: 5-1
Series History: WSU leads 2-1
Series Notes
-FHSU and St. Cloud State last met in 2022 in Topeka. FHSU won that meeting 6-3.
-All meetings in the series history have taken place in either St. Cloud, Minn. or Topeka, Kan.
-In the 2022 meeting, Madison Pierce and Sarah Tiffany each had 2 hits.
-Savanah Egger threw a complete game with 9 strikeouts in the 6-3 win in 2022.

Tiger Notes

• Savanah Egger ranks 7^th nationally in shutouts with 2 for the season. She ranks 17^th in WHIP at 0.71 and 39^th in ERA at 1.00.
• Morgan Schmidt is also sporting a sub-2.00 ERA for the season at 1.64. She has struck out 19 in 21.1 innings of work.
• Loren Beggs leads FHSU with a .435 batting average and .652 slugging percentage. She leads the team in extra-base hits with three. She also has the team's only home run so far.
• Beggs, Madison Pierce, Lilliana Ramirez-Johnson, Carly Stuke, Alondra Dominguez, and Sarah Tiffany all have at least 4 RBIs for the season.
• Peyton Shepard leads the Tigers in stolen bases with 3.
• Through two weeks of play, Fort Hays State ranks 2^nd in the MIAA and 7^th nationally in ERA at 1.30. The Tigers have allowed 10 earned runs in 53.2 innings so far.
• FHSU ranks 1^st in the MIAA and 8th nationally in WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched). The Tigers sit at 1.01 so far this season.
• FHSU has 6 players hitting over .300 for the season.
• FHSU is tied for 2^nd in the MIAA and tied for 16^th in NCAA Division II for shutouts with three. Washburn leads the MIAA so far with five, which shares the national lead with two other teams.