BY CAYDEN SANDERS
PHOTOS BY MADISON SHAPLAND
With about a month to go in the regular season, Fort Hays State Softball controls its destiny. While almost every program deals with the ever-revolving door of graduating upperclassmen and attempting to fill their shoes, this year’s team had to adjust from having four seniors a year ago, to none on the current roster. Even with a younger team, FHSU is fifth in the MIAA standings, with a chance to draw even with Washburn this weekend.
“[Last year] we had the team to be a contender, but we could not bring it together,” Head Coach Adrian Pilkington said. “This year is different. The girls are playing together and play for one another. That’s what we have been missing, and the mentality for this team has switched.”
Last year the Tigers finished the season 23-30-1, while this season the Tigers have earned a 24-13 mark overall and are 6-4 in the MIAA. Since the 2014 season, the program has seen roughly 24-26 wins each year. Before that, Fort Hays State had a run from 2008-2013 with roughly 30 wins each season.
“As a coaching staff and as a team, we need to go out and focus one day at a time, one drill at a time and one pitch at a time,” Pilkington said.
For the players, that’s what they have been doing. Sophomore pitcher Savannah Egger has seen some successes while taking Coach Pilkington’s advice.
“I just go out there and compete, I try to not think about it too much. I have really seen the success this season not worrying about what’s next when I am out there competing,” Egger said.
This season Egger has appeared in 20 games, with 11 wins, two saves and seven shutouts. Pitching in 110 innings the sophomore has 459 batters faced, only giving up 92 hits, 35 runs and five home runs while getting 115 strikeouts. Opponents this season facing off against the fierce Tiger pitcher manage just a .217 batting average while keeping her ERA at 1.59.
For Egger, she says she is only just finding her rhythm.
“This season, I have been able to get a better grip of my pitches,” she said. “It’s really helped with the movement with my pitches and being able to place them where it needs to go.”
It is not just the pitching for the Tigers, as junior third baseman Loren Beggs is having a good year on the field.
Statistically, Beggs is having an excellent year defensively, with 24 putouts and 72 assisted outs while keeping a fielding percentage of .906.
“I did not even know I was doing that well defensively this season, but having a good year defensively has really helped my game and put this team in better situations keeping opponents of the bases,” Beggs said.
Beggs spoke about how this team has been able to come together and play for each other.
“I can’t give my teammates enough credit on picking each other up, because I know there are times that I pick someone up or when my first baseman [Lilliana Ramirez-Johnson] does it for me all of the time,” Beggs said.
Another key piece for the Tigers is a freshman in Peyton Shepard. In her first year of college softball, Shepard has seen the ball well. In 118 at-bats, Shepard has 49 hits, one double and triple while collecting 11 walks and five hit-by-pitches. At this point in the season, Shepard has a .415 batting average with an on-base percentage of 48.5 percent.
For Shepard, she is not thinking about how the opposing pitcher is going to attack her. She says the best way to attack is to be in the moment and not think.
Not only is Shepard a problem for opponents at the plate, but she’s also a problem on the basepaths, collecting 17 stolen bases so far this year.
For the Tigers, this season is not over yet. Fort Hays will travel on the road to Washburn and Emporia State to take on in-state rivals this weekend. But for the Tigers, it’s more than just a road trip.
“Washburn is a really good team; up and down the lineup they are a solid group. They have a really good pitcher in Jaycee Ginter and I think it will be a battle.” Pilkington said, “That first game is going to be tough because it will be a pitching dual between Savannah [Egger] and Jaycee Ginter.”
The Tigers are currently behind the Icahbods, who sit third in the conference (29-7, 8-4), and 17th in the nation. Fort Hays State and Washburn are set to compete at 4:00 and 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Then the Tigers make the trip to Emporia on Saturday to compete at 1:00 and 3:00 p.m.
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