FHSU Athletics
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The Fort Hays State baseball team was well represented on the 2025 MIAA postseason honors list, highlighted by head coach Justin Wichert winning the Steve Anson Coach of the Year award and Ty Riley being named MIAA co-Pitcher of the Year. A total of eight Tigers were honored, including seven All-MIAA selections and one Gold Glove Award winner.
Riley was a first team All-MIAA pick for the second year in a row. He was joined on the first team by relief pitcher Brandon Chavez. Elliott Herrmann, Trey DeGarmo and Derek Woolwine were all second team All-MIAA selections, while Cade Flaherty and Tony Moore both earned honorable mention accolades. Luis Ayala was also recognized, with the catcher earning the conference Gold Glove Award.
FHSU's seven All-MIAA picks are the most for the team since the Tigers also had seven honorees in 2016. Wichert is the first FHSU head coach to earn MIAA Coach of the Year recognition and is the first Tiger skipper to earn conference coach of the year honors since 2006 (Matt Ranson - RMAC). Riley is just the second player to earn a major MIAA honor (Ryan Majercik - 2008 Freshman of the Year) and the first Tiger to earn a conference pitcher of the year award since 2006 (Bobby Lewton - RMAC).
Riley led the conference with 111 strikeouts this season, ranking second in the nation and breaking a school record that stood for nearly 50 years. The senior limited opponents to a batting average of .185, second-best in the league, while his ERA of 2.91 was fourth best among qualified pitchers. The Bentonville, Ark. native led the league with four complete games while his 16 strikeouts in a game against UC-Colorado Springs were second most by a DII pitcher this season. Riley is 9-1 on the year, tying for the ninth-most wins in a single season in program history.
Chavez put together a breakout sophomore campaign, earning first team recognition after compiling nine saves and six victories in 22 appearances. His nine saves were second-most in the conference and tied for fifth-most in team history while his six wins were tied for sixth-most. The lefty struck out 53 batters in 51.1 innings of work, third-most on the squad, while ranking third on the team with an ERA of 4.56. A native of Laramie, Wyo., Chavez limited the opposition to a batting average of .246, second-best on the pitching staff.
Herrmann collected second team status at first base after being named to the third team in 2024. The Castle Rock, Colo. native ranked second on the team with 11 home runs, tied for 11th-most in the league, while batting .302 and slugging .580. He reached base at a .404 clip after working 21 walks, tied for the most on the team. Herrmann scored 43 runs, second-most on the team, while driving in 34 RBI.
DeGarmo picked up his first All-MIAA honor after earning the Gold Glove Award at third base last season. The senior led the team with 13 home runs this year, tied for sixth-most in the league, while his team-best 54 RBI ranks eighth in the conference. The Andover, Kan. native batted .337 while leading the team with a slugging percentage of .625 and an OPS of 1.041. He also led the team with 44 runs and ranked second with 10 doubles.
Woolwine collected second team All-MIAA honors in his first season as a Tiger after totaling 11 home runs, second-most on the team. He ranked second on the team with a slugging percentage of .596 while posting the third-best OPS of 1.013. The Boulder, Colo. native scored 31 runs and drove in 31 RBI while reaching base at a .417 clip, third-best on the team.
Flaherty was an honorable mention selection, earning All-MIAA recognition for the first time in his six-year career. The senior made 12 starts, second-most on the team, posting a 4-1 record with an ERA of 4.59. He tossed a pair of complete games while striking out 45 batters in 66.2 innings of work. The Omaha, Neb. native limited opponents to a batting average of .257, fourth-lowest on the pitching staff.
Moore earned honorable mention status at second base after an incredible freshman campaign. The Hoisington, Kan. native led the team with a batting average of .349 while also leading the way with 12 doubles and four triples. His four triples are tied for fifth-most in the MIAA. Moore scored 36 runs and added 36 RBI while working 16 walks. He posted an on-base percentage of .433, second-best on the team.
Ayala earned the Gold Glove Award behind the plate after leading the league with 17 runners caught stealing. He totaled 319 putouts behind the dish, seventh-most in the league, while posting a fielding percentage of .989.
Wichert helped guide the Tigers to their first 30-win season in 15 years and their highest win total in 18 seasons. FHSU's 26 conference wins are the most for the team since joining the MIAA in 2007. The Tigers were picked sixth in the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll but entered the final weekend of the regular season tied for first place in the league standings before ultimately placing third. Wichert has led the Tigers to 77 wins and counting over the last three seasons, higher than the team's win total of 75 over the seven seasons (2016-22) prior to his hiring in 2023.
The Tigers will open postseason play on Thursday evening (May 8) when FHSU takes on Northwest Missouri State in the quarterfinal round of the 2025 MIAA Championship Tournament in Joplin, Mo. First pitch is slated for 7 p.m. in the final of four games that day.
2025 MIAA BASEBALL POSTSEASON AWARDS & ALL-MIAA TEAMS
Co-Player of the Year: Caden Robertson - Central Oklahoma
Co-Player of the Year: Jacob Steele - Central Missouri
Co-Pitcher of the Year: Kolby Dougan - Pittsburg State
Co-Pitcher of the Year: Ty Riley - Fort Hays State
Freshman of the Year: Cole Kreisel - Central Missouri
Steve Anson Coach of the Year: Justin Wichert - Fort Hays State
ALL-MIAA FIRST TEAM
Starting Pitcher: Kolby Dougan – Pittsburg State
Starting Pitcher: Ty Riley – Fort Hays State
Starting Pitcher: Maddox Thornton – Pittsburg State
Relief Pitcher: Brandon Chavez – Fort Hays State
Catcher: TJ Racherbaumer – Emporia State
First Base: Dagen Brewer – Pittsburg State*
Second Base: Andrew Ramirez – Rogers State
Shortstop: Jett Buck - Washburn
Third Base: Jacob Steele – Central Missouri
Outfield: Caden Robertson – Central Oklahoma
Outfield: Alex Rodgers – Pittsburg State
Outfield: Vance Tobol – Central Missouri
Designated Hitter: Dayvin Johnson – Central Missouri
Utility: Drew Bugner – Pittsburg State
*Unanimous Selection
ALL-MIAA SECOND TEAM
Starting Pitcher: Colton Anderson – Rogers State
Starting Pitcher: Evan O'Toole – Central Missouri
Starting Pitcher: Dax Sharp – Central Oklahoma
Relief Pitcher: JD McReynolds – Central Missouri
Catcher: Hayden Priest – Washburn
Catcher: Gage Williams – Northeastern State
First Base: Elliott Herrmann – Fort Hays State
Second Base: Jackson Mervosh - Washburn
Shortstop: Orlando Gonzalez – Central Oklahoma
Third Base: Trey DeGarmo – Fort Hays State
Outfield: Isaiah Keller – Central Missouri
Outfield: Noah Steele – Emporia State
Outfield: Drew Townsend – Missouri Southern
Designated Hitter: Derek Woolwine – Fort Hays State
Utility: Payton McHarg - Washburn
(Team Includes Ties)
ALL-MIAA THIRD TEAM
Starting Pitcher: Tanner Leslie – Pittsburg State
Starting Pitcher: Caleb Lunnon - Washburn
Starting Pitcher: Brettt Pense – Central Oklahoma
Relief Pitcher: Valek Cisneros – Central Oklahoma
Catcher: Weston Peninger – Rogers State
First Base: Ty Chapman – Central Oklahoma
Second Base: Logan Myers – Emporia State
Shortstop: Rickey Sanchez – Pittsburg State
Third Base: Hayden Dyer – Pittsburg State
Outfield: Easton Bruce - Washburn
Outfield: Ethan Clark – Missouri Southern
Outfield: Brayden Luikart – Missouri Southern
Outfield: Ashton Neuman – Northwest Missouri
Designated Hitter: Andres Contreras – Rogers State
Designated Hitter: Jacob Filip – Missouri Southern
Designated Hitter: Peyton Lewis – Emporia State
Utility: Ryan Williams – Northwest Missouri
(Team Includes Ties)
GOLD GLOVE TEAM
Pitcher: Caden Bressler – Washburn
Catcher: Luis Ayala – Fort Hays State
First Base: Chase Wilcox – Central Missouri
Second Base: Andrew Ramirez – Rogers State
Shortstop: Rickey Sanchez – Pittsburg State
Third Base: Jacob Steele – Central Missouri
Outfield: Carson Cheatwood – Rogers State
Outfield: Ty Hammack – Central Oklahoma
Outfield: Brayden Luikart – Missouri Southern
Outfield: Ashton Neuman – Northwest Missouri
Outfield: Alex Rodgers – Pittsburg State
Outfield: Drew Townsend – Missouri Southern
(Team Includes Ties)
HONORABLE MENTION
Arkansas Fort Smith: Cooper White (Outfield)
Central Missouri: Jack Scott (Starting Pitcher); Jack Kreisman (Starting Pitcher); Jake Wilson (Relief Pitcher); Chris Massey (Relief Pitcher); Chase
Heath (Catcher); Grant Hollister (Second Base); Cole Kreisel (Shortstop)
Central Oklahoma: Grant Randall (Third Base); Ty Hammack (Outfield); Joe Ricchio (Designated Hitter)
Emporia State: Cade Barton (Starting Pitcher); Brady Unrein (Shortstop)
Fort Hays State: Cade Flaherty (Starting Pitcher); Tony Moore (Second Base)
Missouri Southern: Clayton Beck (Catcher); Nate Mieszkowski (Utility)
Missouri Western: Logan Winkelman (Starting Pitcher); Frank Gall (Outfield); Kaden Doan (Utility)
Newman: Gio De Graauw (Starting Pitcher); Trent Trammell (First Base); Eli Wohl (Outfield); Micah Kobuszewski (Outfield); Blake Mitchell (Outfield)
Northeastern State: Diego Murillo (Shortstop); Colton Ayres (Outfield)
Northwest Missouri: Ben Haug (Starting Pitcher); Jaren Guck (Starting Pitcher); Dylan Hufft (Shortstop)
Pittsburg State: Cooper Crouch (Relief Pitcher); Cayden Castellanos (Relief Pitcher)
Rogers State: Ky Decker (Starting Pitcher); Landon Riley (Relief Pitcher); Jackson Romero (Third Base)
Washburn: Cooper Carlgren (Starting Pitcher); Cash Jay (Third Base)