Friday, April 5
Northwest Missouri State at Fort Hays State, 5 p.m. | WATCH | LIVE STATS

Saturday, April 6
Northwest Missouri State at Fort Hays State, 2 p.m. | WATCH | LIVE STATS
Sunday, April 7
Northwest Missouri State at Fort Hays State, Noon | WATCH | LIVE STATS

The Northwest Missouri State University baseball team will travel to Hays, Kan., this weekend to take on the Fort Hays State University Tigers in a three-game MIAA series.

The Bearcats (15-19 overall, 7-13 MIAA) will play Friday at 5 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at noon against FHSU (20-14 overall, 8-12 MIAA). The Tigers are 12-4 at home this season.

Northwest owns a 35-26 lead in the all-time series with Fort Hays State. Northwest has won four of the last six encounters with FHSU.
 
Head coach Darin Loe's squad has tallied 13 double-figure scoring contests this season. Northwest is averaging 7.8 runs per game, which ranks No. 6 in the MIAA. Northwest's offense has produced 348 hits, which ranks No. 28 in the nation and No. 4 in the MIAA. Northwest has drawn 193 walks, which ranks No. 13 in the country and No. 3 in the MIAA.
 
Northwest is 11-1 when leading after six innings and a perfect 11-0 when leading after eight. Northwest has tallied 43 first-inning runs – the most of any inning.

The Bearcats scored a 2-1 series win over No. 8-ranked Missouri Southern. It is the first series win over a ranked opponent since Northwest topped Central Missouri in the 2006 season.

Ryan Williams is Northwest's top hitter with a .406 batting average, .516 on-base percentage and a .703 slugging percentage. Williams leads the squad in hits (52), doubles (13), triples (2), total bases (90) and walks (27). Williams is second on the team with seven home runs. Williams ranks No. 3 in the MIAA in batting average and on-base percentage. Williams is in the midst of a 10-game hitting streak, which has him batting 21-of-40 with 15 runs scored, nine RBI and four home runs. Williams has posted 17 multi-hit games and 10 multi-RBI contests. Williams has tallied seven three-hit games this year.

Noah Bodenhausen leads the club with 36 runs scored. Bodenhausen is batting .310 with 40 hits and 11 stolen bases. He is 16-of-32 (.500) when leading off an inning. Bodenhausen has 10 multi-hit games and four multi-RBI contests. He enters the Rogers State series in the midst of a four-game hitting streak.

Trey Morris is hitting .362 and ranks second on the squad with 52 hits. Morris is tops on the Bearcats in RBI (46) and home runs (8). Morris has accumulated 16 multi-hit games, which includes nine three-hit affairs. He tops the squad with 12 multi-RBI games. Morris enters the FHSU series riding a six-game hitting streak. His 46 RBI ranks No. 11 in the nation and No. 2 in the MIAA.
Kaehukai Young ranks tied for third on the squad with 28 runs scored. He is batting .297 with 30 hits and four home runs. He has drawn 15 walks and has been hit by a pitch on six occasions. He is 5-for-5 in stolen base attempts.
 
Cole Slibowski is batting .270 with 37 hits. He has 12 two-out RBI and has 11 two-out hits. He is third on the team with 11 multi-hit contests. He has posted five multi-RBI games. Slibowski has a team-best 25 hits when leading off an inning (25-of-53).

Alex Bowers enters the FHSU series with a six-game hitting streak. Bowers is batting .358 with 19 hits. Bowers has drawn seven walks.

Sam Wornson currently has a six-game hitting streak. Wornson has started 11 games and his batting .255 with 12 hits, including a home run and eight RBI. 

The Bearcat pitching staff has put up a 6.82 team earned run average. Northwest pitchers have struck out 267 batters in 286 1/3 innings.
 
George Fisher is 2-1 with a 3.79 ERA in three starts. Fisher has allowed eight earned runs in 19 innings pitched with 18 strikeouts.
 
Brock Steggall possesses a 4.60 earned run average in 31 1/3 innings pitched. Steggall is 3-1 with a save with 25 strikeouts. 

Casey Stalzer has made eighth starts and sits at 3-3 with a 6.75 ERA. Stalzer has struck out a team-best 60 batters in 45 /3 innings pitched. Stalzer has struck out at least eight batters in six of his nine starts this season. Stalzer leads the MIAA in strikeouts (60), which also ranks No. 14 in the nation.
 
Quinn Mason captured MIAA Pitcher of the Week honors as he mowed down Emporia State for 6 2/3 scoreless innings. Mason (2-2) struck out 11 Hornets in picking up his first win of the year. Mason has a 7.59 ERA in 40 1/3 innings pitched. Mason has struck out 47 batters.

Jake Ciafullo ranks sixth in the country and second in the MIAA with 17 appearances on the mound this season. Ciafullo is 1-2 with a 6.04 ERA in 25 1/3 innings pitched. He has struck out 16 batters.
 
Jacob Gajic has tallied a team-best four saves this season. He is 2-4 with a 5.75 ERA in 36 innings of work. Gajic has struck out 39 batters in 14 appearances. Gajic has produced 13 career saves to rank tied for fourth in Bearcat history.
 
Northwest Career Saves
1. Trevor Dudar, 2018-19 - 23
2. Carson Smith, 2011-16 - 17
3. Matt Goodman, 2000-01 - 15
4. Brett Whittle, 2006-07 - 13
    Jacob Gajic, 2022-pr. - 13
6. Jayson Huett, 2010-11 - 12
7. Nikko Pablo, 2014-17 - 11
8. Evan Nickell, 2007-08 - 9
9. Matt Coons, 2003-06 - 8
10. Brett Rust, 2002 - 7
     Troy Newman, 1984-85 - 7

Bearcat manager Darin Loe is one of 25 active NCAA Div. II head coaches with at least 700 career wins. Loe has tallied 742 triumphs in 31 seasons as a head coach. Loe is one of four active MIAA coaches with 700 or more wins with Bob Fornelli (1,067 – Fort Hays State, Emporia State, Pittsburg State) and Brad Hill (901 – Central Missouri, Kansas State, Emporia State), Sunny Golloway (771 – Oral Roberts, Oklahoma, Auburn, East Central, Northeastern State). Loe is Northwest's all-time coaching wins leader with 586 victories. Loe has a record of 403-416 in MIAA games only. Loe took over as the Bearcat skipper in 2000 and ranks No. 4 in all-time MIAA baseball coaching victories (586).
 
Loe has announced he will retire at the conclusion of the 2024 season. Bearcat athletics will honor Loe and his contributions to the program with a pre-game ceremony at 1:30 p.m. prior to the start of Northwest's home game vs. Newman on April 13.
 
MIAA Coaching Wins (through April 3, 2024)
1. Bob Fornelli (ESU/PSU – 2004-pres.)       1,067
2. Buzz Verduzco (MWSU – 2000-2023)      629
3. Steve Anson (Washburn – 1989-2014)      622
4. Darin Loe (Northwest – 2000-pres.)          586
5. Steve Bever (PSU – 1991-2012)                565