FHSU Athletics
Fort Hays State Baseball (20-14, 8-12 MIAA)
vs. Northwest Missouri State (15-19, 7-13 MIAA)
Friday-Sunday, April 5-7, 2024
Hays, Kan. • Larks Park
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The Fort Hays State baseball team wraps up a seven-game homestand this weekend (April 5-7) when the Tigers host Northwest Missouri State for a three-game MIAA series. The weekend slate begins Friday at 5 p.m. with Pack the Park/Curt Pfannenstiel Day at Larks Park. The series continues with a 2 p.m. first pitch Saturday before wrapping up with a noon matinee on Sunday.
The annual Pack the Park/Curt Pfannenstiel Day will feature discounted concessions all evening, including burgers and brats for $2.50, hot dogs for $2 and drinks for $2. Admission will be $5 for adults and $3 for kids and will be cash only.
The Tigers enter the weekend 20-14 overall and 8-12 in MIAA play, while the Bearcats are 15-19 this season and 7-13 in league contests.
Fort Hays State matched last year's win total with its victory over Missouri Western last Saturday, giving the Tigers 20 wins in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2012-13.With four conference series yet to play, the Tigers currently sit in a tie for seventh in the league standings with Northeastern State, one game behind Rogers State in sixth. FHSU is one game up on the Bearcats, who are tied for ninth alongside Missouri Western.
Both the Tigers and Bearcats are coming off series victories, with FHSU taking two-of-three against Missouri Western last weekend and Northwest Missouri State winning two out of three against No. 8-ranked Missouri Southern last weekend.
Elliott Herrmann leads the team with 11 home runs with Brady Kreutzer close behind with 10, making the Tigers one of three schools in the MIAA to have multiple players with 10 or more home runs this season. Herrmann also paces the Tigers with 40 RBI, good for eighth in the league.
Kruetzer also has six triples on the year to go with his 10 home runs, tops in the MIAA and one off the national lead. His 93 total bases are fourth-most in the conference and 14th-most in Division II.
Tanner Vaughn and Ty Riley are tied for the team lead with 45 strikeouts this season, seventh-most in the MIAA. Fort Hays State and Northwest Missouri State are the only two conference teams with multiple pitchers that rank in the top eight in strikeouts this season.
Three Tiger starters rank in the top seven in the MIAA for ERA among qualified pitchers, including Riley ranked second (2.95), Dylan Rinker ranked sixth (4.08) and Cade Fleharty ranked seventh (4.20). Riley's opposing batting average of .216 ranks third-best in the conference.
The Tigers are 28-38 all-time against Northwest Missouri State in a series that began in 1973. Fort Hays State took two-of-three against the Bearcats last season in Hays, giving FHSU a 2-1 edge during the Justin Wichert era. The teams have split the last 10 games evenly, 5-5.
Northwest Missouri State enters the weekend winners of four of its last six games. The Bearcats have worked 193 walks on the year, third-most in the conference and 14th-most in Division II. Ryan Williams leads the Bearcats in batting average (.406) and on-base percentage (.516), ranking third in the conference in both categories, while Trey Morris is second in the league with 46 RBI this season. Casey Stalzer leads the MIAA with 60 strikeouts on the year, with Friday night starter Quinn Mason also in the top five in the league with 47 punchouts this season.
Fort Hays State vs. Northwest Missouri State
Hays, Kan. • Larks Park
Game 1 - Friday, April 5 - 5 p.m. - Pack the Park/Curt Pfannenstiel Day
Game 2 - Saturday, April 6 - 2 p.m.
Game 3 - Sunday, April 7 - 12 p.m.