FHSU Athletics
PITTSBURG, Kan. – Fort Hays State Baseball saw a strong 2025 season close on Thursday in the MIAA Tournament Quarterfinals at Al Ortolani Field. The No. 3 seeded Tigers fell in 10 innings, 6-5 to the No. 6 seeded Bearcats of Northwest Missouri State in a back-and-forth battle. The Tigers finished the year at 32-16 overall, while the Bearcats moved to 26-24 and advanced to the semifinals.
Fort Hays State was not immune to a day of upsets in the MIAA Tournament as the top three seeds in the tournament all fell in the quarterfinals. No. 1 seed Central Missouri fell to No. 8 seed Missouri Southern and No. 2 seed Pittsburg State fell to No. 7 seed Washburn. No. 4 seeded Central Oklahoma was the only higher seed to survive in a win over No. 5 seed Rogers State.
The Tigers had to battle back into the game early as Ty Riley struggled with command. The Bearcats opened the game with a walk, advancement on a wild pitch, then a double and triple generated two runs before an out was ever recorded. The Bearcats plated one more run to lead by three after a half inning. They tacked on another run in the second to lead 4-0.
The Tigers went to work at the plate in the second inning, putting a quick gash in the Bearcat lead with three runs of their own. Cesar Saavedra walked to lead off the inning, then Elliott Herrmann gave the Tigers two runners in scoring position with a double. Luis Ayala and Cooper Howell had back-to-back RBI singles to cut the Bearcat lead in half, then Trey DeGarmo drove in a run with an RBI groundout. In the bottom of the third, the Tigers pulled even 4-4 with the Bearcats. Saavedra drew another walk and moved up to second on a throwing error pickoff attempt by the Bearcat pitcher. Herrmann drove him in with an RBI single.
The Tigers took their only lead of the game in the fifth when Saavedra led off with a triple and Tony Moore drove him in on an RBI groundout. However, the Bearcats matched them with a run in the sixth to level the game once again.
There were several key defensive plays in the game for both sides that kept the game tight. With the score 4-4 and no outs with two on in the top of the fifth, the Tigers turned a double play to get out of danger. Up 5-4 in the sixth, the Tigers limited damage in a bases loaded, no outs situation by getting another double play to trade two outs for a run. It helped keep the Bearcats from putting a crooked number on the board. In the top of the seventh, the Tigers kept the game tied when Brady Kreutzer threw a relay to Trey DeGarmo, who gunned down the potential go-ahead run at the plate on a double. The Tigers escaped trouble the remainder of the inning.
On the flip side, Northwest Missouri State turned a critical double play with one out and runners at first and second to end a Tiger threat. Then after taking a 6-5 lead with a pair of clutch two-out hits (single followed by an RBI double), the Bearcats turned another double play in the bottom of the 10th to squelch another potential Tiger rally and went on to win the game. Second baseman Alex Bowers had the key two-out RBI double for the Bearcats in the top of the 10th then was the turn man on the 5-4-3 double play to help secure the Bearcat win.
The Tigers had their chances to add on throughout, outhitting the Bearcats 13-7 in the contest. FHSU recorded at least one hit in every inning except the ninth, an inning where neither team had a hit.
Riley threw 78 pitches in just 3.0 innings of work and faced one batter in the fourth. He allowed four runs (three earned) on three hits and three walks, but managed to strike out four. He finished the year with 115 strikeouts, a new FHSU single-season record and for the meantime took over the NCAA Division II national lead by one.
Cade Flaherty allowed just one run in 3.0 innings of relief with one strikeout, bridging the gap to Brett Jacobs who threw the final 4.0 innings. Jacobs took the tough-luck loss with just the run allowed in the 10th after retiring 10-straight Bearcats before the two-out single and double that generated NWMSU's winning run. He struck out four and moved to 3-1 on the season.
Bearcat starter Ben Haug allowed all five Tigers runs (four earned) in 6.0 innings of work. He allowed nine hits and four walks, while recording six strikeouts. The Tigers could not solve reliever Brock Steggall, who kept the Tigers scoreless over the final 4.0 innings with one strikeout. He moved to 6-2 on the season with the win.
Isaiah Ural led the Tigers with three hits in the game (3-for-4), while Herrmann, Howell, and Ayala all had two hits. Saavedra scored three of the five Tiger runs.
The Tigers were among the 10 teams listed alphabetically in the first release of NCAA Regional Rankings, then held the No. 9 ranking in the second edition. After a trio of losses at Rogers State, FHSU fell out of the region rankings in the final release before the MIAA Tournament. The Tigers needed to win the tournament for the conference's automatic bid in hopes of extending its season into the national tournament. Central Missouri (No. 1), Pittsburg State (No. 2), and Central Oklahoma (No. 5) were all among the top five in the rankings going into the MIAA Tournament.
Fort Hays State won over 30 games for the first time since the 2010 season when it had 31. The 32 wins is the most since the 2007 when the Tigers won 33 and the 16 losses are the fewest in a full season (COVID year excluded) since FHSU went 32-16 as well in 2004.