Fort Hays State Softball returns to eastern Kansas this weekend for the Top Gun Midwest College Classic, hosted at Mid-America Sports Complex in Shawnee, Kan. The tournament, originally scheduled for Friday through Sunday, has now moved up to Thursday through Saturday (Feb. 26-28) due to an unfavorable weather forecast on Sunday. The Tigers will play six games at the event.
 
Keep an eye on fhsuathletics.com for any further schedule changes. There have been several updates to game times and opponents already.
 
A streaming service will be provided for the event through BallerTV. The cost is $35 to watch all tournament games.
 
The Tigers go into the week with an overall record of 4-5. Hannah Green leads the Tigers in batting average at .485, while Abbey Duarte leads in extra-base hits (7) and RBIs (14) with a .481 average. Audrey Gillespie gives the Tigers a third player with a .400 or better batting average, hitting right at that mark.
 
The Tigers have 25 stolen bases as a team, led by Hannah Green's 10. Peyton Shepard had six and Kaydawn Haag has four.
 
The Tigers have spread pitching responsibilities around to six different players so far, but Solana Carpenter has taken a strong lead among the staff for innings pitched at 26.2. She has a 1.84 ERA and 19 strikeouts for the season to go with a 2-1 record. Korryn Johnson notched a complete game last week against MSU Billings, the only other pitcher with a complete game aside from Carpenter's three.
 
The Opponents
Upper Iowa
2026 Record: 3-15
2025 Record: 12-35
Series Record: UIU leads 2-1
Notes: FHSU and Upper Iowa will meet for the first time since 2019. FHSU won the last meeting between the teams 2-1 in Russellville, Arkansas. FHSU is 1-1 against Upper Iowa in neutral site games.
 
Maryville University
2026 Record: 5-5
2025 Record: 28-26
Series Record: FHSU leads 2-0
Notes: This will be the third-straight year FHSU plays Maryville in neutral site action. FHSU won 3-1 in 2024 and 5-3 in 2025 against the Saints at the Washburn Invitational in Topeka.
 
Quincy
2026 Record: 2-10
2025 Record: 8-40
Series Record: Tied 2-2
Notes: FHSU and Quincy will meet for the first time since 2014. FHSU won the last meeting 6-4 in 8 innings in Russellville, Arkansas. All four previous meetings have been at neutral sites.
 
Augustana
2026 Record: 3-2
2025 Record: 50-11 (NCAA Tournament participant – Super Region finalist)
Series Record: AUGIE leads 6-2
Notes: FHSU and Augustana will meet for the first time since 2018. Augustana won the last two meetings between the schools. All eight previous games have been neutral contests as well. This is the first time the teams will meet in the state of Kansas. Augustana made the NCAA Super Regional last year after winning one of the NCAA Central Regionals. The Vikings lost to Central Oklahoma in the Super Regional.
 
Minnesota Duluth
2026 Record: 9-4
2025 Record: 39-17
Series Record: UMD leads 3-1
Notes: FHSU will meet Minnesota Duluth for the first time since 2016. FHSU won the last meeting in Bentonville, Arkansas by a score of 4-0. This will be the first time the teams meet in the state of Kansas.
 
Winona State
2026 Record: 9-2
2025 Record: 42-14
Series Record: WSU leads 3-1
Notes: FHSU and Winona State last met in 2024 in Topeka and the Warriors won 2-0. FHSU's only win over Winona State was in 2013 in Clermont, Florida. All previous meetings have been at neutral sites, but this will be the third time the teams meet in Kansas.