The Northwest Missouri State University baseball team will travel to Hays, Kan., to take on the Fort Hays State University Tigers as the Bearcats look to remain in the hunt for a spot in the 2023 MIAA Tournament.
 
Friday, April 21
Northwest Missouri State at Fort Hays State, 6 p.m. | WATCH (MIAA NETWORK) | LIVE STATS
 
Saturday, April 22
Northwest Missouri State at Fort Hays State, 1 p.m. | WATCH (MIAA NETWORK) | LIVE STATS
 
Sunday, April 23
Northwest Missouri State at Fort Hays State, 1 p.m. | WATCH (MIAA NETWORK) | LIVE STATS
 
The Bearcats enter the weekend three games out of the final spot for the MIAA Tournament. Northwest trails Rogers State and Newman, who are tied for the No. 7 and No. 8 spots, by three games with six contests remaining in the MIAA regular season. Northwest's final two series in MIAA play will be at Fort Hays State (April 21-23) and at home against Rogers State (April 28-30). The top eight teams will qualify for the 2023 MIAA Tournament.
 
2023 MIAA Standings (as of April 20)
1. Missouri Southern  21-6
2. Central Missouri     21-6
3. Pittsburg State        19-8
4. Washburn               17-10
5. Central Oklahoma   16-11
6. Northeastern State 12-15
7. Rogers State           11-16
    Newman                 11-16
9. Emporia State         10-17
10. Northwest Mo. St. 8-19
    Missouri Western   8-19
    Fort Hays State       8-19
 
Northwest (10-30 overall) dropped a non-conference road contest at William Jewell on Tuesday after coming off a series win against Central Oklahoma over the weekend.
 
The Northwest pitching staff ranks No. 10 in the nation in strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.78).
 
1. Minnesota State      4.06
2. Seton Hill                3.79
3. Wingate                   3.43
4. Tampa                     2.97
5. Augustana               2.97
6. Millersville              2.83
7. Ca. St. Dom. Hills   2.80
8. Northwood              2.74
9. Wayne St. (MI)       2.70
10. Northwest Mo. St. 2.69
 
The Bearcat pitching staff ranks tops in the MIAA and No. 16 in the nation in fewest walks per nine innings (3.31).
 
Senior Max Spitzmiller leads the MIAA in innings pitched (69 2/3). Spitzmiller has walked 16 batters, while striking out a team-best 63 hitters. Among NCAA Div. II active pitchers, he is the leader in games started (53) and innings pitched (323). Spitzmiller ranks No. 3 in strikeouts among active D-II pitchers (287). Among active pitchers in all NCAA Divisions, Spitzmiller ranks No. 2 in games started (53) and No. 2 in innings pitched (323).
 
Spitzmiller is tied for fourth in the nation with 12 starts on the mound this season.
 
Spitzmiller holds the Northwest school record for innings pitched in a career. He has tossed 323 innings, which surpassed the hold mark of 309 2/3 innings pitched by Joseph Hietpas (2015-18).
 
NORTHWEST CAREER INNINGS PITCHED
1. - Max Spitzmiller, 2018-pres. – 323.0
2. - Joseph Hietpas, 2015-18 - 309.2
3. - Brad Roberts, 2015-18 - 294.1
4. - Anthony Caenepeel, 2015-17 - 278.0
5. - Tom Franke, 1977-80 - 255.0
6. - Chase Anderson, 2010-13 - 225.2
7. - Bret Harvel, 2007-09 - 215.0
8. - Dale Kisker, 1979-81 - 201.0
9. - Nikko Pablo, 2014-17 - 193.0
10. - Tom Funk, 1981-83 - 190.1

Spitzmiller ranks No. 2 on Northwest's all-time strikeout chart with 287 batters punched out. Spitzmiller has tallied six 11-strikeout games in his Bearcat career. He has posted eight 10-plus strikeout performances for Northwest.
 
NORTHWEST CAREER STRIKEOUTS
1. - Joseph Hietpas, 2015-18 - 324
2. - Max Spitzmiller, 2018-pres. – 287
3. - Anthony Caenepeel, 2015-17 - 267
4. - Brad Roberts, 2015-18 - 256
5. - Scott Kurtz, 1966-69 - 223
6. - Tom Franke, 1977-80 - 187
7. - Alex Slocum, 2019-pres. – 164
8. - Bret Harvel, 2007-09 - 163
9. - Tom Franke, 1978-80 - 153
10. - Nikko Pablo, 2014-17 - 152

 
Spitzmiller ranks tied for No. 7 on Northwest's all-time pitching appearances list with 58 games pitched. He also ranks tied for No. 5 in career complete games with nine.
 
NORTHWEST CAREER PITCHING APPEARANCES
1. - Jacob Wagner, 2015-18 - 87
2. - Nikko Pablo, 2014-17 - 82
3. - Carson Smith, 2012-16 – 68
4. - Alex Slocum, 2019-pres. - 67
5. - Brad Roberts, 2015-18 - 61
6. - Joseph Hietpas, 2015-18 - 60
7. - Austin Battaglia, 2015-17 - 58
    - Max Spitzmiller, 2018-pres. – 58
9. - Brian Greunke ,1987-90 - 56
10. - Chase Anderson, 2010-13 - 54
 
NORTHWEST CAREER COMPLETE GAMES
1. - Tom Franke, 1977-80 - 25
2. - Dale Kisker, 1979-82 - 21
3. - Tom Funk ,1978-80 - 18
4. - Bob Lord, 1978-81 - 11
5. - David Pfeiffer, 1978-79 - 9
Steve Nelson, 1986, 88-89 - 9
Max Spitzmiller, 2018-pres. - 9
8. - Brian Lamers, 2006-07 - 8
Joe Russel, 2000-01 - 8
Kyle Janssen, 1997-2000 - 8
Terry Marquardt, 1984-85 - 8
Bob Hoeg, 1981-82 - 8
Bret Harvel, 2007-09 - 8
Anthony Caenepeel, 2015-17 – 8
 
Senior Alex Slocum leads the Bearcat pitching staff with a 4-4 mark and a 4.55 earned run average. Slocum ranks No. 9 in the MIAA in starting pitcher's ERA (4.55). Slocum has made 11 starts and has pitched 60 1/3 innings. He has struck out 61 batters, while allowing only 14 walks. On March 27 at NSU, Slocum went the distance as he struck out a career-high tying eight. It is the third time in his career that Slocum has struck out eight batters. Slocum scattered four hits and two runs (one earned) in his second career complete game.
 
Slocum ranks No. 4 in program history in pitching appearances by a Bearcat with 67. Slocum's 67 appearances rank No. 9 among active NCAA Div. II baseball pitchers. Slocum ranks No. 7 in in the Bearcat record book with 164 career strikeouts in 189 1/3 innings of work at Northwest.
 
Sophomore Cole Slibowski leads the Bearcats in batting average (.344), hits (43) and stolen bases (8). He ranks No. 28 in the MIAA in batting average. Slibowski has reached base safely in 30 consecutive games entering this weekend's series with Fort Hays State. He has posted a team-tying 11 multi-hit games this season.
 
Senior Ryan Koski is slashing .309/.422/.596 with team-highs in home runs (9), runs (30), doubles (10) and RBI (42). Koski is tied with Slibowski for the team lead with 11 multi-hit contests this season. He has also tallied 10 multi-RBI games. Koski ranks No. 9 in Bearcat history with 110 career RBI. Koski has also contributed defensively with a team-best seven outfield assists.
 
NORTHWEST CAREER RUNS BATTED IN
1. - Britt Westman, 2005-08 - 200
2. - John Sipes, 2000-03 - 161
3. - Adam Bailey, 1998-2001 - 147
4. - Ryley Westman, 2004-07 - 139
5. - Zac Ruff, 2000-02 - 132
6. - Steven Garber, 2012-15 - 129
7. - Kyle Gallagher, 2003-05 - 119
8. - Bob Gonsoulin, 1978-81 - 117
9 - Ryan Koski, 2019-pres. - 110
10. - John White, 2004-07 - 107
Eric McGlauflin, 2011-14 - 107
  
Koski hit his team-leading ninth home run of the season against Missouri Western. Koski has collected 18 career home runs. Koski's 18 homers ties him for No. 8 on Northwest's all-time home run list with Chuck Lynn (1982-83).
 
NORTHWEST CAREER HOME RUNS
1. - Adam Bailey, 1998-2001 - 40
2. - Britt Westman, 2005-08 - 36
3. - Brandon Kirsch, 2007-10 - 35
John Sipes, 2000-03 - 35
5. - Scott Spurgeon, 1987-88 - 30
6. - Kyle Gallagher, 2003-05 - 26
7. - Zac Ruff, 2000-02 - 22
8. - Peter Carlson, 2019-21 - 20
9. - Chuck Lynn, 1982-83 - 18
Ryan Koski, 2019-pres. – 18
 
Koski has drawn 92 career walks, which ranks No. 34 among active NCAA Div. II players. His 92 walks rank tied for No. 2 on Northwest's all-time walks chart. Koski has drawn a team-best 23 base-on-balls this season. Koski earned 37 walks in 2022, which ranks as the third-best single-season total in program history.
 
NORTHWEST CAREER WALKS
1. - Jay Hrdlicka, 2016-19 - 100
2. - Steven Garber, 2012-15 - 92
    - Ryan Koski, 2019-pres. – 92
4. - Britt Westman, 2005-08 - 89


5. - Garrett Fort, 2014-17 - 86
6. - Cameron Bedard, 2010-13 - 83
7. - John Sipes, 2000-03 - 81
8. - Nick Gotta, 2015-16 - 78
9. - John White, 2004-07 - 76
10. - John Bothof, 2000-03 - 72

Freshman Parker Griffith made his season debut March 27 and has recorded a hit in 10 of his first 14 collegiate games. Griffith is batting .308 with a .462 slugging percentage. He has six extra base hits including a home run. He has driven in 11 runs and scored five times.
 
Freshman Trey Morris hit .350 with seven hits and seven RBI last week in games against Washburn, Quincy and Central Oklahoma. Morris knocked in two homers and slugged .750 in the five-game stretch. On the season, Morris is hitting .285 with eight home runs and 30 RBI. He ranks second on the squad with eight multi-RBI contests. Morris ranks third on the team with 10 multi-hit games. Morris will take a four-game hitting streak in the series at Fort Hays State.
 
Senior reliever Alexander Lovin retired all 12 batters he faced in Sunday's 6-5 loss at Central Oklahoma. Lovin entered the game in the sixth after the Bearcats had tied the contest at 5-5 having trailed by counts of 3-0 and 5-2. Lovin struck out five UCO batters and lowered his ERA from 9.56 to 7.65 in Sunday's outing as he pitched four flawless innings. Lovin has made 13 appearances and has pitched 20 innings this season.
 
Sophomore left-handed pitcher Jacob Gajic (3-5 overall) leads the Bearcats in pitching appearances (17). Gajic has pitched 20 innings in relief and leads the squad with two saves.
 
Bearcat head coach Darin Loe has collected 724 career wins in 27 years as a head coach. He is Northwest's all-time coaching wins leader with 568 victories. He is one of 25 active NCAA Div. II head coaches with 700 or more victories. He is one of two active MIAA coaches with more than 700 wins (Pittsburg State's Bob Fornelli – 1,040 wins).