2025 MIAA TOURNAMENT QUARTERFINALS
Thursday, May 8 | 3 p.m.
No. 6 seed Northwest Missouri State vs. No. 3 seed Fort Hays State | Al Ortolani Field | Pittsburg, Kan. 
WATCH | LIVE STATS (Pittsburg State venue) | LIVE STATS (Missouri Southern venue)
 
The No. 6-seeded Northwest Missouri State University baseball team (25-24, 19-17 MIAA) gears up to face No. 3-seeded Fort Hays State University in the quarterfinal round of the 2025 MIAA Baseball Championships.

Due to weather-related schedule changes, the Bearcats are set to open postseason play at 3 p.m. Thursday, May 8, in Pittsburg, Kan.
 
UPDATED CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE:
Opening Round - Wednesday, May 7
1 p.m. | Pittsburg, KS | No. 7 seed Washburn vs. No. 10 seed Northeastern State
1 p.m. | Joplin, MO | No. 8 seed Missouri Southern vs. No. 9 seed Emporia State

Quarterfinals - Thursday, May 8
12 p.m. | Joplin, MO | No. 1 seed Central Missouri vs. Missouri Southern
3 p.m. | Joplin, MO | No. 4 seed Central Oklahoma vs. No. 5 seed Rogers State

12 p.m. | Pittsburg, KS | No. 2 seed Pittsburg State vs. Washburn
3 p.m. | Pittsburg, KS | No. 3 seed Fort Hays State 3 vs. No. 6 seed Northwest Missouri State

Semifinals - Friday, May 9
1 p.m. | Joplin, MO | Semifinal Game One
4 p.m. | Joplin, MO | Semifinal Game Two

Championship Game - Saturday, May 10
1 p.m. | Joplin, MO
 

MIAA TOURNAMENT SEEDINGS

1. Central Missouri
2. Pittsburg State
3. Fort Hays State
4. Central Oklahoma
5. Rogers State
6. Northwest Missouri State
7. Washburn
8. Missouri Southern
9. Emporia State
10. Northeastern State

MIAA REGULAR SEASON TITLES WON OR SHARED:
Central Missouri - 30; Northwest Missouri - 7; Emporia State - 6; Southeast Missouri State - 5; Missouri Southern - 3; Southwest Missouri State - 3; Missouri-Rolla - 2, Missouri Western - 1; Missouri-St. Louis - 1, Pittsburg State - 1

MIAA TOURNAMENT TITLES WON:
Central Missouri - 16; Missouri Southern - 3; Emporia State - 2; Nebraska-Omaha - 1; Lindenwood – 1
 
ABOUT THE TIGERS – (32-15, 26-10 MIAA)
In their most recent matchup during the weekend of April 25–27, Fort Hays State took the series with wins in the first (4-1) and third (4-3) games. Northwest took game two with an explosive 13-2 victory. The Tigers enter the quarterfinals after being swept by Rogers State in their final regular season series.

SERIES HISTORY
Northwest holds a 38-29 advantage in the all-time series, including a 2-1 mark at neutral sites. The Bearcats and Tigers have met just once in the MIAA Tournament, with Northwest earning a 7-2 win on May 12, 2007. This week's contest marks the 68th all-time meeting between the two programs.
 
BEARCAT LEADERS

• Dylan Hufft leads the Cats in batting average (.363), hits (73), triples (5), and at-bats (201), while starting all 49 games alongside Neuman. His five triples ranked third in the MIAA and tied for sixth in a single season in program history, while his 73 hits were fourth-most both in the MIAA and in school history. Hufft notched 21 multi-hit games, including a 5-for-5 outing against nationally ranked Central Missouri on April 1. He hit his first home run of the season in the series opener against Emporia State.
• Ashton Neuman Neuman set a new single season school record with 56 walks, leading the nation in that category, and has belted a team-high 12 home runs—ranking among the top 10 in program history. He's driven in 49 runs on 171 at-bats with a .292/.556 slash line and crossed the plate 59 times, tying for fourth in Bearcat history and fifth in the MIAA. Neuman has tallied 14 multi-RBI games, including four four-RBI performances, and 10 multi-hit outings. One of just two Bearcats to start all 49 games, Neuman has made seven starts and eight appearances with a 1-3 record and 14 strikeouts across 26 2/3 innings. Defensively, he holds a .992 fielding percentage in the outfield with 116 putouts and only one error.
• Kaehukai Young has driven in a team-high 59 RBI on 60 hits – 12 doubles, nine homeruns and one triple. Young marks a .313/.526 average from the plate with a .393 on-base percentage in 48 starts. Young has tallied a team-best 101 bases.  
• Ryan Williams posts a .363/.524 slash line with 62 hits, 19 doubles (second-most in the MIAA), and six home runs over 189 at-bats. His 19 doubles are tied for third-most in a single season at Northwest and mark a career high. Williams recorded a personal-best 54 RBIs and drew 38 walks, ranking fourth in the conference. He produced 19 multi-hit games and a team-high 17 multi-RBI performances while reaching base safely in 20 straight contests. Defensively, he registered a .968 fielding percentage behind the plate and has thrown out six runners. He was named MIAA Hitter of the Week on April 8.
• Ben Haug has made 13 starts—second-most in the league—and posts a 5-5 record with 82 strikeouts, ranking third in the MIAA and ninth in Northwest single-season history. Haug has thrown two complete games, including a shutout, over a team-leading 75 2/3 innings. He earned MIAA Pitcher of the Week honors on April 14 following a dominant, 14-strikeout complete game in a win over Newman University.
• Guck has made 10 starts and records a 2-1 record with a 4.17 ERA over 54 innings. He holds opponents to a .276 batting average and allows just 27 earned runs—the sixth-fewest in the MIAA. Guck tossed a complete game performance on April 26 against nationally ranked Fort Hays State, where he allowed just five hits and two runs while striking out a season-high seven.

AS A TEAM

• Northwest has drawn 251 walks this season, second-most in program history.
• The Bearcats have tallied 463 hits, including a new school-record 56 home runs (8th in MIAA), seven triples, and 97 doubles (5th in MIAA).
• On the basepaths, runners are 39-for-49 in stolen base attempts.
• The Bearcats have secured 19 conference wins this season – most since 2018 (25-11). 
• Northwest outscores opponents in the ninth inning, 37-6 – 7-1 in extra innings. The Bearcats hold a 23-2 record when leading after six innings of play, 1-21 when trailing. After the seventh, Northwest is 32-2 when it has the advantage. 
• The 'Cats are 15-2 when scoring 10 or more runs, and 8-0 when holding opponents to three or less.  
• Northwest's longest winning streak this season comes at four – on a current three-game streak. 

 
Five members of the Northwest Missouri State University baseball team were honored for their outstanding performances during the 2025 season, as the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) revealed its annual postseason awards.

NORTHWEST'S ALL-MIAA SELECTIONS
Ashton Neuman, OF (Third Team)
Ryan Williams, Utility (Third Team)
Ben Haug, P (Honorable Mention)
Jaren Guck, P (Honorable Mention)
Dylan Hufft, SS (Honorable Mention)
 
NORTHWEST'S MIAA GOLD GLOVE RECIPIENT
Ashton Neuman, OF
 
INCHING UP THE RECORD BOOKS
CAREER DOUBLES
1. Adam Bailey, 1998-2001 - 56
2. - Britt Westman, 2005-08 - 48
3. - John White, 2004-07 - 47
4. - Ryley Westman, 2004-07 – 46
5. Ryan Williams, 2022-pres. – 45
6. Steven Garber, 2012-15 – 44
7. Ryan Abernathy, 2012-14 – 42
8. - Ryan Koski, 2019-23 – 36
9 - Zac Ruff, 2000-02 - 35
John Sipes, 1999-2003 - 35
Scott Spurgeon, 1987-89 – 35
 
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
Ryan Koski, 2019-23 - 22
Trey Morris, 2023-24 – 22
Ryan Williams, 2022-pres. 22
Jacob Selock, 2023-pres. 22

SEASON WALKS DRAWN
1. Ashton Neuman, 2025 – 56
2. Ryan Williams, 2024 – 48
3. - Brandon Huske, 2013 - 45
Nick Gotta, 2016 – 45
5. Ryan Williams, 2025 - 38
6. - Ryan Koski, 2022 – 37
7. - Scott Spurgeon, 1988 - 35
8. - Nick Gotta, 2015 - 33
9. - Ben Malick, 2008 - 32
Jerry Mikusa, 1985 - 32
Austin Wulff, 2015 - 32
Noah Bodenhausen, 2024 – 32

CAREER WALKS DRAWN
1. - Ryan Williams, 2022-pr., 117
2. - Jay Hrdlicka, 2016-19 - 100
3. - Ryan Koski, 2019-23 - 97
4. - Steven Garber, 2012-15 - 92
5. - Britt Westman, 2005-08 - 89
6. - Garrett Fort, 2014-17 - 86
7. - Cameron Bedard, 2010-13 - 83
8. - John Sipes, 2000-03 - 81
9. - Nick Gotta, 2015-16 - 78
10. - John White, 2004-07 - 76
 
SEASON TEAM HOME RUNS
1. 2025 - 56
2. 2024 – 54
3. 1988 - 51
4. 2008 - 50
    2005 – 50
6. 2001 - 49
7. 2023 - 49
8. 2000 - 44
9. 2007 - 44
10. 2006 - 42
    1987 – 42

SEASON TEAM WALKS DRAWN
1. 2024 – 280
2. 2025 – 251
3. 2004 - 231
4. 2016 - 229
5. 2001 – 226



JANDRON TAKES OVER
First-year head coach Tony Jandron takes the reins as only the fourth leader in the last 42 seasons of Bearcat baseball. This is the first head coaching job for Jandron after previously serving as an assistant coach at Illinois State, Central Michigan, Northwood and the College of DuPage.

Jandron takes the Bearcats to their first back-to-back MIAA Tournament appearance since the 2018-19 season. 

Jandron's Coaching Profile

• Illinois State - First winning season since 2019 ('24)
• Mid-American Conference (MAC) Champions ('22, '19)
• MAC Tournament Champions ('22,'19)
• MLB Draft Picks ('22', '21, '20, '19)
• NCAA D1 Regional Qualifier ('22,'21,'19)
• NCAA D1 Regional Finalist ('21)
• First NCAA Tournament Appearance in 24 years ('19)
• Tied program record with 47 wins ('19)
• GLIAC Champions ('18, '17)
• GLIAC Tournament Champions ('18, '17)
• NCAA D2 Regional Qualifier ('18, '17)
• 84 wins, 5th in all of Division II ('18, '17)
• Top-20 national ranking ('18, '17)
• Program Record 46 wins ('17)
• First ever NCAA Regional - #1 seed ('17)
• DuPage, 16-win improvement: 39-20 record ('15)
• First year at DuPage resulted in first winning season in five years ('14)

 
Jandron added a pair of assistant coaches in Theo Bartolomeo and Javier Martinez to the Bearcat coaching staff.
 
WILLIAMS NAMED PRESEASON D2 BASEBALL ALL-AMERICAN
Northwest Missouri State University senior Ryan Williams has been named a D2 Baseball Preseason All-America selection, announced Friday. Williams (Kansas City, Mo./Liberty HS) gained a spot on the D2 Baseball Third-Team All-America list.
 
2025 MIAA BASEBALL PRESEASON POLL
1. Central Missouri [11] – 141 points
2. Missouri Southern [2] – 128 points
3. Pittsburg State – 120 points
4. Central Oklahoma – 119 points
5. Washburn – 97 points
6. Fort Hays State – 78 points
7. Emporia State – 67 points
8. Rogers State – 65 points
9. Missouri Western – 53 points
10. Arkansas-Fort Smith – 52 points
11. Northeastern State – 41 points
12. Northwest Missouri – 33 points
13. Newman – 20 points
[#] - First Place Votes