Fort Hays State Baseball (14-28, 9-20 MIAA)
at Emporia State (30-13, 17-12 MIAA)
Tuesday, April 21, 2026 • 3 p.m.
Emporia, Kan. • Turnbull Field at Trusler Sports Complex
 
at Northeastern State (13-28, 8-21 MIAA)
Thursday-Friday, April 23-24, 2026
Tahlequah, Okla. • Rousey Field
 
The Fort Hays State baseball team plays its final regular season road games this week (April 21-24) with trips to Emporia, Kan. and Tahlequah, Okla. The Tigers (14-28, 9-20 MIAA) will open the trip with the final midweek game against the Emporia State Hornets (30-13, 17-12 MIAA) beginning at 3 p.m. on Tuesday.
 
FHSU's weekend trip to Oklahoma has been pushed forward due to expected rain later in the week, with the Tigers and RiverHawks (13-28, 8-21 MIAA) set to play a doubleheader on Thursday beginning at 1 p.m. and a single game on Friday at a time to be announced.
 
With seven games to play in the regular season, the Tigers are currently one game in front of the RiverHawks for the final spot in the MIAA Championship Tournament. The top 10 teams in the standings will qualify for the single elimination tournament, set for May 6-10 in Edmond, Okla.
 
Mac Bowie has home runs in four of the last five games, including in all three games against Colorado Christian over the weekend. The utilityman now ranks second on the team with eight home runs on the year.
 
Alvin Santiago has played his way into the starting lineup, hitting safely in each of the last four games and scoring four runs over that span. For the season the freshman is hitting .318 with an on-base percentage of .423.
 
Antonio Avila leads the team with 61 hits, 15 doubles, 14 stolen bases and a batting average of .365. The senior has hit safely in 33 of 40 games played this year.
 
Derek Woolwine reaches base at a .468 clip thanks to a team-high 10 home runs, 26 walks and 10 hit-by-pitches. The designated hitter-turned second baseman is second on the squad with 10 doubles while he also paces the squad with 38 RBI.
 
Despite missing five weeks of the season, Brandon Chavez leads the team and ranks 10th in the MIAA with 50 strikeouts. The junior has reached that tally in just 33.1 innings of work, averaging 13.5 punchouts per nine innings.
 
Emporia State is receiving votes in the most recent ABCA Division II Coaches Poll. The Hornets hold the second-best team ERA in the MIAA of 4.62, led by Colby Deaver who is first in the conference with an ERA of 1.33. Logan Myers leads the offense with a batting average of .436, second-best in the league, while his 20 doubles are tops in the conference.
 
The Tigers are 76-125 all-time against Emporia State, including wins in four of the last six meetings. FHSU is 6-5 against the Hornets under head coach Justin Wichert, with ESU winning both meetings so far in 2026.
 
The RiverHawks rank 11th in the conference in both batting average (.278) and team ERA (9.36). Klete Finley leads Northeastern State with 49 runs scored, 10th-most in the conference, while his 17 stolen bases are eighth in the conference. Bryce Parlin has a team-high 44 strikeouts in 46.2 innings of work.
 
Fort Hays State is 11-24 all-time against Northeastern State, including a 2-1 series win in Hays last season. The Tigers are 6-3 against the RiverHawks under head coach Justin Wichert.
 
Looking ahead, FHSU will wrap up the regular season at home next weekend (April 30-May 2) when the Tigers host Newman. Starting times in that series are set for 3 p.m. Thursday, 6 p.m. Friday and 1 p.m. Saturday. Friday's game will be the annual Pack the Park event, including discounted food and beverage specials and other special events.