Games 48, 49, 50

vs Fort Hays State (15-31 (10-23))

4/30 | 3 PM | Hays, KS
Video | Live Stats

5/1 | 6 PM | Hays, KS
Video | Live Stats

5/2 | 1 PM | Hays, KS
Video | Live Stats

Last Time Out 
The Jets hosted Northwest Missouri for a weekend series at Equity Bank Park. The Bearcats took the series (11-10, 6-2, 17-11). The Jets hosted their final midweek game against No. 9 Pittsburg State on Tuesday, April 28th at West Side Athletic Field. The Gorillas took the game through seven innings, 18-0.

In game one of the series against Northwest, the Bearcats took a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning on a single and an error, but Newman chipped away. Justin Birch and Peyton Mitchell sparked a run in the fifth, and Birch later scored on a Riley Kujawa sacrifice fly in the seventh to tie it 2-2. After a scoreless eighth, both teams erupted for four runs in the ninth to make it 6-6 and force extras. Following three quiet innings, Northwest Missouri scored five unearned runs in the 13th. Newman answered with four runs in the bottom half, but fell just short in an 11-10 loss.

In game two, Northwest Missouri jumped ahead early in the second inning as John Connors tripled home Sam Wornson and later scored on a Michael Good groundout for a 2-0 lead. They added another in the third on a sacrifice fly by Jordi Ventura to make it 3-0. The Bearcats pulled away in the fifth with an RBI single and a two-run homer, extending the lead to 6-0. Newman answered with solo home runs from Collin Morris in the sixth and Justin Birch in the seventh, but it wasn't enough as NW secured a 6-2 win.

In the final game of the series, Newman came out hot, scoring four runs in the first inning behind a key hit from Peyton Mitchell and a two-run double by Anthony Cannavino to take a 4-1 lead. They added another in the fifth on a Collin Morris single, but Northwest Missouri answered with a five-run inning to jump in front. NW kept the momentum, building a 12-6 lead through six. Newman showed life late with a solo homer from Justin Birch and a two-run shot by Cannavino in the eighth, then added two more in the ninth, but couldn't complete the comeback as the Bearcats held on for a 17-11 win.

In the midweek game against No. 9 Pittsburg State, the Gorillas took control early, scoring six runs in the first inning including a two-run homer. They added five more runs in the second, with Isaac Webb driving in a run and additional scoring coming from a passed ball and sacrifice flies to make it 11-0. The Gorillas extended the lead to 12-0 in the third on an RBI single from Seth Dandridge. After a couple quiet innings, they exploded again in the sixth, featuring a two-run homer by Wesslund to cap an 18-0 shutout over Newman through seven innings. 

Scouting the Jets 
Kaynan Kaku continues to lead the Jets with a batting average of .377. Kaku has recorded 61 hits the season along with scoring 30 runs. Nicolas Ely has a batting average of .344 and leads the Jets in runs with 36. Justin Birch continues to lead the Jets in extra base hits with 23 including fifteen doubles and eight home runs. Collin Morris has a batting average of .252 and has recorded 33 hits and 14 RBIs. On the mound, Frank Fabian has pitched 48.0 innings and recorded 22 strikeouts. Fabian has a record of 2-5. 

Behind Enemy Lines
Fort Hays State is coming off a series against Northeastern State University. The Tigers won game one, 16-2, but lost the series. Antonio Avila leads the Tigers offense with a batting average of .363. Avila leads the team in hits with 65. Garretson Cook has a batting average of .340. Derek Woolwine leads the team in extra base hits with 26 including eleven home runs. Woolwine has tallied 42 RBIs on the season so far. On the mound for the Tigers, Brett Jacobs leads the team in innings pitched with 65.1 as well as strikeouts with 48. Tucker Russell has pitched 52.0 innings, recording 28 strikeouts. Russell has a record of 3-4. 

The Series 
-Newman holds a 12-11 record against Fort Hays State. The Jets recorded their last win against the Tigers in April of 2025. 

This series vs Fort Hays State will cap off their 2026 season.