MIAA Tournament – May 1-4
Edmond, Okla. – Gerry Pinkston Stadium
University of Central Oklahoma
Opening Round – May 1 / Quarterfinals – May 2 / Semifinals – May 3 / Championship – May 4
 
Opening Round – Wednesday, May 1 – 5:30 p.m.
#10 seed Fort Hays State (26-24, 10-16 MIAA) vs.
#7 seed Missouri Western (31-19, 13-13 MIAA)
Winner moves on to face #2 seed Pittsburg State in Quarterfinals Thursday
 
Fort Hays State is making its third MIAA Tournament appearance in the last four years, starting on Wednesday (May 1) in Edmond, Okla. The tournament is taking place at Gerry Pinkston Stadium, home venue of the University of Central Oklahoma, selected as the host site this season. Fort Hays State enters the tournament as the No. 10 seed and will take on No. 7 seed Missouri Western in the opening round on Wednesday evening at 5:30 p.m.
 
All nine games of the MIAA Tournament will be available to stream on The MIAA Network. Live stats will also be available for all contests. All FHSU games will be available on radio on KJLS (103.3 FM) in the Hays area and online.

First Year of Single-Elimination Format
This is the first time the MIAA is using a single-elimination format for the MIAA Tournament and the field has expanded to 10 teams this season. It is the second time in the last four years the format has changed from the traditional 8-team, double-elimination format the conference used for several years since FHSU joined the conference in 2006-07. Back in 2021, the tournament format changed to what is currently used for baseball, which is an 8-team format that starts with a best-of-3 series in the opening round, then moves to a 4-team double elimination tournament the following weekend between the four advancing teams in the best-of-3 series. That format lasted for only a year before the 8-team, double-elimination format was back in place in 2022 and 2023.

The League is Still Deep
The MIAA has 7 teams with at least 30 wins this season, including 3 teams with 40 or more wins. All of the teams with at least 40 wins (Pittsburg State, Central Oklahoma, Rogers State) are among the top 15 of the NFCA national rankings, and all occupy the top three spots in the NCAA Central Region Rankings. Last year, the MIAA had an unprecedented nine teams finish with at least 30 wins overall on the season, which included FHSU. One of those nine 30-win teams last year did not make the MIAA Tournament (Northeastern State). All 10 of the teams competing in the MIAA Tournament this year have at least 23 wins on the season and 11 of the 14 teams in the MIAA will finish with at least 20 wins on the season.

Opening Round
#7 seed – Missouri Western (31-19, 13-13 MIAA)
Series Record: MWSU leads 29-13
-Since FHSU has been a member of the MIAA (2007), Missouri Western has won a pair of MIAA Tournament titles (2014, 2016). The Griffons also won two regular season titles in that span, sharing with Nebraska-Omaha and Emporia State in 2011 and outright in 2016.
-FHSU and MWSU have met in the MIAA Tournament seven times. FHSU holds a 4-3 advantage in those contests. The last time the teams met in the tournament was in 2015, which resulted in an 8-0 win for the Griffons in Overland Park, Kan.
-FHSU's last win over MWSU in the MIAA Tournament was in 2013 by a score of 3-0 in Overland Park, Kan., which was also the last time the Tigers defeated the Griffons outside of Hays.
-MWSU leads the all-time series with FHSU 29-13. The Griffons swept the regular season doubleheader this year in St. Joseph by scores of 4-2 and 13-5.
-By sweeping the doubleheader in St. Joseph earlier this season, MWSU has now won 15 straight games against FHSU on its home field.
-Offensively, Kalee Higdon leads the Griffons with a .394 batting average. Mackenzie DeVine leads MWSU in RBIs (35) and extra-base hits (19).
-Sydney Rader leads MWSU pitching with a 1.90 ERA and 15-6 record, recording 143 strikeouts in 154.2 innings. She has 5 shutouts for the season.
-Both FHSU and MWSU have won by shutout 8 times this season.

Potential Tournament Opposition Through Semifinals
Quarterfinal Round
#2 seed – Pittsburg State (49-5, 23-3 MIAA)
Series Record: FHSU leads 24-22
-The Gorillas earned a share of the MIAA regular season title with Rogers State. It was the first MIAA regular season title for the Gorillas in 30 years, last earning a share of the MIAA title in 1994.
-Pittsburg State reached a new single-season program record for wins in a season with 49, passing its former high set in 1994 with a record of 48-15.
-The Gorillas were the No. 1 ranked team in the NCAA Central Region rankings released on April 24. The MIAA has the top-three regionally ranked teams and four teams in the top six of the region rankings.
-The Gorillas are ranked No. 4 in the latest NFCA national rankings going into the MIAA Tournament.
-Pittsburg State swept the regular season doubleheader with FHSU in Pittsburg by scores of 8-0 (6 inn.) and 4-1. It snapped a 7-game win streak FHSU had in the series going into the doubleheader.
-Fort Hays State owns a 4-0 record against Pittsburg State in the MIAA Tournament. The last meeting occurred in 2013 when FHSU defeated PSU in the opening round as Maddie Holub threw one of her six no-hitters that season for FHSU in an 8-0 (5 inn.) win. That meeting was in Overland Park, Kan.
-FHSU leads the NCAA Division II series history between the schools at 24-22.
-PSU's last neutral site win over FHSU was in 2010 in Maryville, Mo. by a score of 2-0.
-Ava Laurent leads PSU pitching with a 1.97 ERA and 18-1 record. She has 192 strikeouts in 149.1 innings pitched, while throwing seven shutouts and 15 complete games this season. She has one no-hitter this season, which occurred in an 8-0 (5 inn.) win against Truman on March 3. PSU has two no hitters thrown this season, the other by Chelsea Beville in an 8-0 (5 inn.) win against Rockhurst on February 25.
-Heather Arnett leads the MIAA in hitting with a .452 batting average. She and Hannah Burnett are both hitting north of .400 for the season. Maddie Fernandez and Paxtyn Hayes each have 11 home runs on the season and both have driven in at least 50 runs.

Semifinal Round
#3 seed - Central Oklahoma (41-11, 21-5 MIAA)
Series Record: UCO leads 25-8
-UCO claimed its 5th MIAA Regular Season title since it joined the conference in 2013 by sweeping Missouri Southern in its final doubleheader of the regular season. UCO won regular season titles in 2013, 2017, 2019, 2021, and 2023.
-UCO has won three MIAA Championship Tournaments since it joined the MIAA in 2013. Those titles occurred in 2017, 2019, and 2023, when the Bronchos were also champions of the regular season.
-UCO is ranked No. 9 in the latest NFCA Division II Poll released on April 30 and held the No. 2 ranking in the latest Central Region rankings released back on April 24.
-FHSU and UCO split the regular season doubleheader. UCO took Game 1 7-0 before FHSU won Game 2 in 8 innings by a score of 2-1. UCO was ranked No. 6 nationally in that doubleheader.
-UCO leads the all-time series with FHSU 25-8 and has won the last six games.
-FHSU is 1-1 against UCO in the MIAA Tournament. A 5-0 win in 2013 was Maddie Holub's sixth no-hitter that season for the Tigers on their way to winning the MIAA Tournament. However, UCO went on to win the national title that year by knocking off FHSU twice in Hays in the NCAA Regional. Last year, UCO defeated FHSU in the opening round by a score of 8-2 in Topeka, Kan.
-The Bronchos enter the MIAA Tournament on a 2-game losing streak after falling twice at Pittsburg State in the final doubleheader of the season.
-Terin Ritz is one of the best two-way players in the MIAA. She leads UCO pitching with a 1.35 ERA, a 19-6 record, five individual shutouts and four combined shutouts, and 88 strikeouts in 145.2 innings. As a hitter, Ritz has a .381 batting average with 30 extra-base hits (17 home runs, 11 doubles, 2 triples) and 54 RBIs. She leads the MIAA in home runs.
-UCO has 157 extra-base hits as a team this year. The Bronchos rank in the top 25 nationally in doubles, triples, and home runs.
-UCO has the third-best team ERA in the MIAA at 1.89 and has 15 shutouts as a team this year.

#6 seed – Emporia State (31-19, 14-12 MIAA)
Series Record: ESU leads 37-22
-Since FHSU has been a member of the MIAA (2007), Emporia State has won six MIAA Tournament titles (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2018). The Hornets also won six regular season titles in that span, but have not won the regular season since 2014.
-FHSU and ESU have met in the MIAA Tournament eight times. The Hornets hold a 5-3 advantage in those meetings.
-The last MIAA Tournament meeting between FHSU and ESU was in 2013, when FHSU won the title with a 7-4 victory in Overland Park. It was the only year the Tigers won the MIAA Tournament.
-ESU leads the NCAA Division II series history with FHSU 37-22. FHSU and ESU split the doubleheader in the regular season in Hays with ESU taking Game 1 6-0 before FHSU won Game 2 5-4 in 8 innings.
-Alexis Dial leads the Hornets in batting average (.432), doubles (20), triples (5), home runs (8), and RBIs (60).
-Gracie Rabe leads the Hornets in ERA (2.41), wins (9), and innings pitched (113.2). She has six complete games and one shutout this season.

Should they reach the tournament championship game, possible opponents for FHSU will be No. 1 seed Rogers State, No. 4 seed Washburn, No. 5 seed Northwest Missouri State, No. 8 seed Central Missouri, or No. 9 seed Missouri Southern.

Tiger Notes
Third MIAA Tournament Appearance in Last Four Seasons
Fort Hays State will be making its third MIAA Tournament appearance in the last four seasons. It is the second-straight year the Tigers are in the tournament after qualifying as the No. 8 seed last year when the tournament was held in Topeka, Kan. FHSU missed the tournament in 2022 when it finished ninth in the MIAA, but made the field in 2021 as the No. 5 seed when they played a best-of-3 opening round series against No. 4 seed Rogers State in Claremore, Okla.

Tigers as the No. 10 Seed in MIAA Tournament
This will be the first time the Tigers play as a No. 10 seed in the MIAA Tournament, since this is the first time since FHSU joined the conference in 2006-07 the tournament field has been expanded to 10 teams.

13th MIAA Tourament Appearance Overall
Fort Hays State will be making its 13th appearance overall in the MIAA Tournament in 18 years as members of the conference. The Tigers qualified for the tournament every year from 2007 to 2016. The Tigers have one MIAA Tournament Championship in their history, claiming the 2013 tournament title. That year, the Tigers were the top seed in the NCAA Central Region and finished the season 47-12 overall, the best record in the program's NCAA Division II history that dates back to 1999. The Tigers have made appearances in the MIAA Tournament Final twice, which included the 2013 season and also an appearance in 2011.

Tigers in the MIAA Tournament
Fort Hays State is 17-23 all-time in the MIAA Tournament. The Tigers are looking for their first win in an MIAA Tournament game since 2014 after going 0-2 in 2015 (No. 8 seed), 2016 (No. 7 seed), 2021 (No. 5 seed), and 2023 (No. 8 seed). This is the fifth appearance in the conference tournament under head coach Adrian Pilkington. FHSU's last tournament win was over Central Missouri in its tournament opener in 2014 by a score of 6-5, playing as the No. 4 seed that season. They went on to drop in their next two contests, so FHSU will be looking to snap a 10-game losing streak in MIAA Tournament games.

MIAA Tournament Records by Seed for FHSU
FHSU has an all-time MIAA Tournament record of 17-23. Here's a breakdown of their record in 40 tournament games...
#2 seed (4-1), #3 seed (2-4), #4 seed (1-2), #5 seed (3-4), #7 seed (4-4), #8 seed (3-8). FHSU was the No. 2 seed in 2013 when they won the MIAA Tournament.

Second Journey to Edmond This Season
Fort Hays State has already played at Gerry Pinkston Stadium in Edmond one time this season, defeating East Central 9-4 back on February 16 in the Raising Cane's Softball Festival. FHSU was also supposed to play a pair of games at Deer Creek High School in Edmond on February 17, but that day was canceled due to cold conditions.

Second Most Wins Under Pilkington in a Season
Fort Hays State has matched its second-most wins under head coach Adrian Pilkington in a season with 26, also produced in 2015. FHSU's highest amount of wins in a season under Pilkington occurred last year when the Tigers won 31 games.

Success in 1-Run Games
Fort Hays State is 9-5 this season in 1-run games. The Tigers have won their last four games decided by one run, all in MIAA play and three of the four were at home. The last game decided by 1-run for the Tigers was a 3-2 win at Northeastern State on April 26 in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. That was the last win for FHSU overall, which enters the tournament on a two-game losing skid.

Several Close Games
The Tigers have played 50 games this season and 22 of those contests (44 percent) were decided by two runs or less. As noted above, the Tigers are 9-5 this season in games decided by one run, but they are 3-5 in games decided by two runs, making them 12-10 in games decided by two runs or less. Sixteen of the 50 games this season (32 percent) were decided by five or more runs and FHSU has a record of 7-9 in games with at least that size of a spread. FHSU is 7-5 in games decided by either 3 or 4 runs this season.

Winning Record in Extra Innings
Four of Fort Hays State's games this season have gone to extra innings, and all of those contests ended in eight innings. FHSU has a record of 3-1 in extra-inning games this season. Two of the four games were against nationally ranked teams as FHSU fell in neutral site action to then No. 23 ranked Southern Arkansas in February by a score of 3-2, but then defeated then No. 6 ranked Central Oklahoma in April by a score of 2-1 in Hays. All four extra-inning games this season were decided by one run. FHSU won all three games where they were the home team (Rockhurst, Emporia State, and Central Oklahoma), but fell when they were visitor in the game with Southern Arkansas.

Holding the Opponent to 2 or Less
Fort Hays State is 21-4 overall this season when holding the opponent to 2 runs or less in a game. However, the Tigers are 5-20 in games where they allow three or more runs. The last game FHSU won when surrendering more than 3 runs was the Game 2 win at Northwestern Oklahoma State on April 16 in Alva.

Take The Lead First
Fort Hays State is 22-5 this season when it scores first, but 4-19 when the opponent scores first. FHSU is 14-2 when it scored in the first inning this season.

Slam the Door Shut
Fort Hays State is 20-1 overall this season when leading after 4 innings. The Tigers are 22-0 when leading after 5 innings and 20-0 when leading after 6 innings.

2 NCAA Tournament Appearances
Fort Hays State has made two NCAA Tournament appearances in its Division II history, which dates back to 1999. Both times the Tigers went to the NCAA Tournament, they were conference tournament champions. The Tigers won the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament in 2003 and went on to play in the South Central Regional San Antonio, Texas where they lost to Tarleton State and Texas A&M-Kingsville. The Tigers claimed the MIAA Tournament in 2013 and served as a Central Regional host. They went 2-2 in that regional, defeating both Emporia State and Minot State, but fell twice to Central Oklahoma, which went on to win the NCAA Division II National Championship that season at 51-11 overall going undefeated through the entire NCAA Tournament (9-0 - regional, super regional, and championship site).

All-MIAA Honors in 2024
Peyton Shepard and Loren Beggs were named to the All-MIAA Team for 2024. Both were honorable mention selections. For Shepard, a sophomore outfielder, it is her second-straight All-MIAA selection after earning second team honors as a freshman. Beggs received all-conference recognition for the first time in her career at FHSU. Receiving defensive honors for the season was Regan Curry, named to the Gold Glove Team at shortstop. It is also the first conference honor for Curry.

Six Tigers with MIAA Performance Accolades
Even though Peyton Shepard has the most All-MIAA recognition of any Tiger on the team as a two-time selection in the outfield, the Tigers have six players on the team that have earned All-MIAA status at some point during their time at FHSU. Loren Beggs (HM-3B) and Regan Curry (Gold Glove-SS). Last year, Savanah Egger (P-HM) and Carly Stuke (HM-OF) earned All-MIAA honors alongside Shepard. In 2022, Sarah Tiffany (HM-OF) was an all-conference selection.

Solid in the Circle
Savanah Egger and Morgan Schmidt continue to put up strong numbers in the pitching circle for FHSU. Egger enters the MIAA Tournament with a 14-11 record and team-best 2.39 ERA with 134 strikeouts in 155.1 innings pitched. She leads the MIAA in complete games with 20 and ranks 23rd nationally. Five of her 20 complete games this season have been shutouts and the 20 complete games is her most for a season at FHSU, passing her previous best of 18 set last season. Egger has recorded at least 130 strikeouts all three years in the circle at FHSU and has 16 career shutouts. She owns a career ERA of 2.58. Schmidt has 107 strikeouts in 117.1 innings of work this season, posting 8 wins with a 3.52 ERA. Schmidt has 2 shutouts this season and 1 combined shutout. Schmidt has two no-hitters thrown in her career, both happening last season.

Beggs Matches Doubles Record, Breaks Games Played Mark
Loren Beggs is now tied for the FHSU career record for doubles with 49. In the doubleheader at Northeastern State this past weekend, she matched Hallie McMillen (2006-09) on the career list at FHSU. Beggs is the team leader in doubles this season with eight and she's tied for the team lead with Carly Stuke in extra-base hits, each with 11. Beggs is also the team leader in home runs this season with three. Beggs is now the career leader in games played at FHSU with 227, passing the record of 226 set by Sara Breckbill in 2022. Beggs, Breckbill, and assistant coach Lily Sale (224) were all able to take advantage of the COVID year of eligibility to play a fifth year. Hallie McMillen (222) played the most among four-year players in the program's history.

Shepard's Model of Consistency
Peyton Shepard is leading the Tigers in several offensive categories this season, including batting average (.375), runs scored (29), hits (63), total bases (74), slugging percentage (.440), on-base percentage (.432), and stolen bases (19). Entering the MIAA Tournament, she is pretty much replicating her averages from her freshman season when she finished with a .373 batting average and .431 on-base percentage, while stealing 19 bases. The team has played five fewer games overall this season as compared to last season as the MIAA Tournament begins.

Among Nation's Best in Sacrifice Flies
Fort Hays State ranks 13th nationally in sacrifice flies with 20 for the season, which is tied for the MIAA lead with Pittsburg State. The Tigers have produced at least 16 sacrifice flies as a team in each of the last three seasons, including a program-record 24 in 2022.

A Strong Defensive Conference
Fort Hays State is right on pace with its school-record .972 fielding percentage it set last season and currently ranks 27th nationally in fielding percentage. The Tigers rank 4th in the MIAA, which has some elite defenses. Rogers State ranks 8th nationally and leads the MIAA at .975, Pittsburg State is 13th nationally at .974, and Washburn is 15th nationally at .973.

Fourth-Straight 20-Win Season
Fort Hays State reached 20 wins in a season for the fourth-straight year in 2024, currently with 26. The streak could have been six-straight years had it not been for the COVID-shortened 2020 season when FHSU went 15-13 through mid-March. The Tigers also won at least 20 in 2019.

Full notes and stats are available at the FHSU Game Notes link above.