Fort Hays State Baseball (9-14, 6-7 MIAA)
at Washburn (8-15, 5-6 MIAA)
Wednesday, March 18, 2026 • 4 p.m.
Topeka, Kan. • Steve Anson Stadium at Falley Field
 
at Missouri Southern (12-10, 7-5 MIAA)
Friday-Sunday, March 20-22, 2026 • 1 p.m. each day
Joplin, Mo. • Warren Turner Field
 
The Fort Hays State baseball team continues an 11-game, three-week long road trip during spring break with games against Washburn and Missouri Southern. The Tigers and Ichabods will meet up in game two of their midweek series Wednesday (March 18) beginning at 4 p.m. in Topeka before the Tigers and Lions battle in a three-game set over the weekend (March 20-22) with first pitch slated for 1 p.m. each day.
 
Winners of five out of the last six, the Tigers enter the week 9-14 overall and 6-7 in MIAA play. The Ichabods are 8-15 on the year and 5-6 in league action, while the Lions are 12-10 this season and 7-5 in conference play.
 
The Tiger defense has turned 21 double plays this season, the most in the MIAA and 15th-most in Division II.
 
Derek Woolwine leads the Tigers with a slugging percentage of .797, second-best in the MIAA while his eight home runs are third-most in the league. The senior has only struck out four times this season, averaging one strikeout per 18.5 trips to the plate which ranks 20th in Division II and is second-best in the league.
 
Antonio Avila has compiled a team-high 35 hits this season, ranking sixth in the conference, while his 12 doubles are third-most in the league. Avila also leads the team with 10 stolen bases, 10th-most in the conference. Avila and Cooper Howell have both scored 24 runs on the year, tied for 14th-most in the MIAA.
 
Tyson Jimenez ranks inside the top 10 in the league with 18 walks on the season while his two triples are sixth-most in the Association.
 
Tony Moore has six sacrifice bunts on the year, fourth-most in the country and one off the DII national lead.
 
Cody Bruss is one of 38 pitchers in Division II and one of just two in the MIAA to hurl multiple complete games this season. The lefty ranks second on the team with 35.2 innings of work in seven appearances, striking out 22 batters and posting a record of 2-3.
 
Brett Jacobs leads the team and ranks ninth in the MIAA with 28 strikeouts on the year. The junior righty is 1-2 on the year with a pair of saves.
 
Tucker Russell has lowered his ERA to a team-best 4.75, including an ERA of 2.92 in conference games which ranks third in the MIAA. The Olathe, Kan. native tossed FHSU's third complete game of the season last week, limiting Missouri Western to three runs across nine innings of work.
 
Washburn picked up a 13-8 win in the first midweek contest three weeks ago in Hays, helping the Ichabods pull within 110-98 in the all-time series. The Tigers are 3-7 against the Ichabods under head coach Justin Wichert, including a three-game sweep last season. The Tigers have won the last two meetings in Topeka, winning 10-8 in 10 innings and 7-5 last season.
 
Ian Luce leads the Ichabods with 38 base hits, tied for third-most in the MIAA. Maclane Finley paces the pitching staff with 30 strikeouts on the year, eighth-most in the conference. Washburn ranks 11th out of 13 teams in the MIAA with a batting average of .271, however their on-base percentage of .400 ranks sixth in the league. The pitching staff is in the middle of the pack in the league, ranking seventh in both ERA (6.38) and opposing batting average (.291).
 
The Tigers are 22-50 all-time against Missouri Southern, including a 4-5 record during the Wichert era. FHSU took two of three against the Lions last season in Hays. This is FHSU's first trip to Joplin since 2022, with the Tigers dropping nine in a row on the road against MSSU.
 
Owen Schneider ranks second in the conference in ERA (2.13), opposing batting average (.201) and strikeouts (38). Brayden Luikart ranks 10th in the MIAA with a team-best slugging percentage of .635. The Lion pitching staff ranks fourth in the league in both ERA (5.04) and opposing batting average (.250) while their hitters rank 11th out of 13 MIAA teams with an on-base percentage of .380.
 
Looking ahead, the Tigers will play the final four games of the 11-game road swing next week when they travel to Emporia State on Tuesday (March 24) and Central Oklahoma over the weekend (March 27-29).