This summer, three Fort Hays State University digital media and journalism students stepped behind the scenes of a brand-new professional softball team and set out to tell its story.
Parker Nisbeth, Kaden Warner and Taylor Roetzer researched the players, conducted in-depth interviews, filmed games and practices, captured the team’s community involvement, and gained access to locker rooms and dugouts as they followed the KC Diamonds through their inaugural season.
The result is a dynamic, deeply researched documentary called “Not Done Yet.” It chronicles more than the birth of a professional sports team; it captures the athletes’ personal journeys, the excitement of bringing professional softball to Kansas City, and the dedication of three student journalists determined to tell the story right.
Parker, a junior from Bennington, has been with the student-run Tiger Media Network (TMN) since his freshman year. Kaden, a senior from Hutchinson, joined TMN seven months ago after transferring from Butler Community College. Taylor, a junior from Wichita, was new to TMN this summer.
Choosing a subject for their documentary was the team’s first challenge. But all three students said they were drawn to this project because of their love for sports. Before filming, the students researched each player, making “player cards” to recognize faces and gather background stories.
Together, the students spent two weeks in Kansas City working to create the documentary. They got full access to locker rooms, dugouts and private areas to capture each athlete’s journey to professional softball.
These interviews helped tell the story of the team’s journey — from their excitement at joining the new Professional Softball League to their hopes for the future. The students asked questions about what it’s like to be a female athlete in a growing sport, and how the team hopes to inspire young girls who love softball.
The documentary shows what it takes to start a professional team from scratch. It highlights the support from the Kansas City area and the players’ efforts to give back to the community. The team even volunteered at Children’s Mercy Hospital, which the students captured on camera.
For Parker, this project was a chance to build on what he’s learned over the past three years at TMN. He’s been involved with many video and media projects, but a documentary about a new professional sports team brought fresh challenges.
“Capturing real moments and real emotions makes the story powerful,” Parker said.
Kaden shared how special this opportunity was. Coming from a junior college and now at an NCAA Division II university, he said it showed him you don’t have to be at a Division I school to succeed in media. He even interviewed the mayor of Kansas City. This experience gave him confidence that working hard and finding the right opportunities can lead to success.
All three interns were gratified to have worked with major D1 athletes. These were elite players who had played in the Women’s College World Series. One of the Diamond’s pitchers was the only player in NCAA history to face 21 batters in a game and strike out all 21.
The students also learned about the logistics behind filming sports. They captured fast-paced action and edited the footage to ensure it flowed smoothly and told a clear story.
Taylor reflected on how she discovered her passion for videography through high school projects and now feels confident that this is the path she wants to follow. She hopes to keep working in sports media after graduation.
Parker hopes to become a sports photographer for a major college or pro team. Kaden plans to return to Butler Community College to work in its sports media department, helping with streaming games and other projects.
Nick Schwien, TMN director, praised their teamwork and dedication. As a former journalist and editor, he knows how important collaboration is in the media. Nick loved seeing the crowd’s excitement when the students’ videos were shown on the big screen at the Diamonds’ games.
“To me, that’s what it’s all about. You can win all the awards you want, but getting that kind of response from a crowd, or even a letter from someone saying thank you, that’s better than any award.”
The work of Tiger Media Network has advanced since Nick took the helm in 2018, as students create video and audio projects, DJ at the campus radio station, assist in sports production, graphics and produce social media. In the fall of 2025, TMN had 92 students who completed 2,400 projects. In the spring of 2026, they had 66 students complete 2,200 projects. With that number of staff, TMN is likely the largest news organization in Kansas.
In addition, TMN has won national awards and Kansas Association of Broadcasting awards. Last year, they were ranked 37th in the nation by the Broadcast Education Association (against competitors such as Syracuse and many D1 schools) for overall winning programs. It was the best performance by a university in Kansas and the MIAA. In addition, FHSU was ranked ninth in the top winning documentary programs division by BEA, thanks to Professor Stephen Schleicher’s videography students.
Nick emphasized the goal of TMN: to help students build skills, confidence and strong portfolios to jumpstart their careers. Many TMN alumni have gone on to work with professional sports teams, major media companies and social media firms.
“We tell them, whatever they want to do post-graduation, let’s find a way to start building their portfolio now so they can be a step ahead of every other graduate from other universities,” Nick said.
The KC Diamonds documentary is available on Tiger Media Network’s YouTube channel: Not Done Yet – YouTube. When you watch it, you will see that with passion, teamwork and hard work, big opportunities are possible no matter where you start.
For Parker, Kaden and Taylor, this documentary is more than a school project. It’s a stepping stone toward their dreams and a unique chance to tell the story of a groundbreaking new team in Kansas City sports history.
Tisa Mason is president of Fort Hays State University.
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