By HAILEY CHAPMAN
The Fort Hays State Baseball team is looking to return to their former glory with an entire new roster and only eight returners for the 2019 season.
Head coach Jerod Goodale is hoping to turn the program around with new faces. Historically, the Tigers have had legendary years.
| Record | Year | |
| Most Shutouts | 14 games | 1986 |
| Consecutive Years without Being Shutout | 181 games | 1999-02 |
| Most Runs Scored in a Game | 32 runs | 2008 |
| Highest Team Winning Percentage | .818, 54-12 | 2000 |
| Highest Win Streak | 17 games | 1983 |
The Tigers currently have 14 All-Americans, the earliest being Brian Keck, shortstop of the 1996 team. The most recent All-American is Kevin Czarnecki, utility of the 2015 team.
This year’s team is fully motivated to bring the program back to its prior reputation.
Senior pitcher and Hays native Ryan Ruder stated he has full faith in the team and coaching staff to stay motivated and push towards a common goal. In his final year at Fort Hays, he stated that a winning season would make all of the trials and tribulations worth it.
“At the end of the day,I just want the program to hit its first stride in getting back to where it has historically been,” Ruder said.
Fellow senior Tyler Olson is in his second year at Fort Hays and shares the same beliefs in this year’s squad, specifically within the small bunch of returners.
“The guys that are returning from last year’steam know how poor the culture has been over the past seasons. All of us know that results don’t just show up, we are making sure that we work hard everyday to get better and lead all the new guys to have the same work ethic,” Olson said.
For the newcomers, it’s a bit of a different perspective. Many have come from successful programs, never having to endure the heartbreak like that of the Tigers past.
For junior transfer Brayden Smith, his past successes have all come with consistency and brotherhood amongst the team. Smith first committed to Emporia State, another historically successful program. After a redshirt season, he transferred to Butler Community College where he got more playing time within another strong program. Smith believes his past can help him implement leadership within the team to help them reach their goals.
“The will to want to put your teammates and brothers before yourself is what separates the great teams from the average teams,” Smith said.
Fellow newcomer Traelon Yarbrough was contacted by the coaching staff at Fort Hays, having caught their eye being a high school Player of the Year and Kiamichi Allstar at Atoka High School. He believes strongly that the string of new players gives them an edge as they are all experiencing a newly implemented culture.
“I believe great team chemistry, tough coaching, and players buying into what we are trying to accomplish leads to a strong team,” Yarbrough said.
The team is ready to take on the adversity they will inevitably face coming off of a tough few seasons, but are in high spirits as they prepare throughout the fall.
The Tigers are eager to showcase their new team Sept.17 against Colby Community College at Larks Park.
Photos by Allie Schweizer and courtesy of FHSU Athletics, graphics by Hailey Chapman