By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
The Fort Hays State baseball team returns to action this weekend (Feb. 14-16) when the Tigers host New Mexico Highlands in a four-game series. The teams will battle in a single game on Friday beginning at 3 p.m. before a doubleheader starting at noon on Saturday. The series will wrap up with a noon finale on Sunday.
The Tigers are 5-3 on the year, while the Cowboys have yet to play a game this season.
Fort Hays State is 52-25 all-time against New Mexico Highlands, including a 27-10 record in Hays. The former RMAC rivals have renewed the series in non-conference play each of the last four years, with the Tigers holding a slim 7-6 lead in the series since 2016. Highlands took all four games of the series last year in Las Vegas, N.M. The Cowboys have not won a game in Hays since 2006. FHSU has never lost a series against the Cowboys in Hays.
Drake Angeron is a perfect 10-for-10 on stolen base attempts this season, leading the country in swipes through two weeks of play. Garrett Stephens ranks second in Division II with four home runs, while Grant Schmidt sits in fourth nationally with 12 runs scored so far this season. Jacob Ensz has a strikeout/walk ratio of 15.00 through three appearances, the second-highest in the country. Jared Maneth leads the team with a batting average of .467 and an on-base percentage of .619.
The Cowboys turned in a 19-31 record in 2019, including a 12-24 RMAC mark to finish eighth in the league standings. NMHU was picked to finish seventh in the league this season. Junior infielder/pitcher Ashton Roy, senior pitcher JT Mossberg and junior infielder/pitcher Kalen Hammer were all selected as players to watch in the RMAC this season.