ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - Fresh off a victory against rival Northwest, Griffon baseball (9-24, 7-15 MIAA) is set to return to the Spring Sports Complex for a three-game weekend series against the MIAA newcomer Arkansas-Fort Smith (6-19, 11-24 MIAA). This will mark the Griffs' ninth game in 13 days.
The series will begin on Friday at 6:00 p.m., with game two scheduled for Saturday at 2:00 p.m. and the finale on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.
UAFS leads the series 3-1, with Western winning the last matchup 11-1 on February 29, 2019, in Arkadelphia, Arkansas.
WATCH - MIAA NETWORK
All MIAA football, women's soccer, volleyball, men's basketball and women's basketball, baseball and softball regular season conference games will be streamed live on the MIAA Network. The MIAA Network showcased over 1,500 live broadcasts for its 14 member schools last season. For more information, visit
https://www.themiaanetwork.com/.
LISTEN - GRIFFON SPORTS NETWORK (Varsity Network App & GoGriffons.com/listen)
Live streams of Missouri Western athletics are now available on The Varsity Network app! All home and away football and men's and women's basketball games will be available to listen to for FREE on the Varsity Network App and at
GoGriffons.com/listen. Available on iPhone and Android, fans can access free audio streams for game days on the Varsity Network App. Fans can also receive push notifications as reminders for upcoming games and broadcasts.
Once you download The Varsity Network app, search 'Missouri Western' and select which Griffon teams you want to follow. For more information on The Varsity Network and how to listen to the Griffons,
click here. Audio broadcasts can also be found at
GoGriffons.com/listen. Audio broadcasts will also be archived at
GoGriffons.com/listen in the 'On Demand' section, and on the
Griffon Sports Insider Podcast, which is available on Spotify, Apple and wherever you podcast.
2025 MIAA BASEBALL STANDINGS (as of 4/9/25)
| School |
Conf |
CPct. |
Overall |
Pct. |
Streak |
| Fort Hays State |
18-4 |
.818 |
24-9 |
.727 |
W1 |
| Central Missouri |
16-5 |
.762 |
25-8 |
.758 |
W3 |
| Central Oklahoma |
19-6 |
.760 |
29-8 |
.784 |
W13 |
| Pittsburg State |
16-7 |
.696 |
27-7 |
.794 |
W9 |
| Missouri Southern |
14-12 |
.538 |
21-15 |
.583 |
L1 |
| Washburn |
12-12 |
.500 |
19-18 |
.514 |
W2 |
| Northwest Missouri |
11-11 |
.500 |
17-18 |
.486 |
L1 |
| Rogers State |
10-12 |
.455 |
20-14 |
.588 |
L3 |
| Emporia State |
9-13 |
.409 |
16-17 |
.485 |
L5 |
| Northeastern State |
8-14 |
.364 |
11-25 |
.306 |
L2 |
| Missouri Western |
7-15 |
.318 |
9-24 |
.273 |
W1 |
| Arkansas-Fort Smith |
6-19 |
.240 |
11-24 |
.314 |
W1 |
| Newman |
4-20 |
.167 |
8-27 |
.229 |
L13 |
TOP GRIFFON PERFORMERS
Frank Gall has been a key contributor to the Griffons' offense this season. The native of St. Joseph tops the team with 39 hits, boasting the highest number of home runs (5), doubles (5) and triples (5). His five triples rank as the second-most in the MIAA. Furthermore, he ranks second on the team with 26 RBIs. Gall also leads the Griffons with 21 stolen bases out of 25 attempts, has crossed the plate 30 times and has earned nine walks.
Anthony Taggart has also been a momentum changer for the Griffon offense this season, boasting an impressive slash line of .317/.420/.505. He has recorded 32 hits, 26 RBIs and scored 20 runs. The right fielder has tallied 11 extra-base hits with six doubles, three home runs and two triples.
In addition,
Kaden Doan leads the team with a .338 batting average, while
Blake Venneman stands out with a .437 on-base percentage.
Freshman
Colby Deaver (1-5) has added a spark to the starting rotation, highlighted by a 7.0-inning shutout performance in the victory over Northwest. He leads the starters with a 5.72 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP, and he ranks third on the team with 28 strikeouts in 39.1 innings pitched.
Logan Winkelman (0-2) leads the team with 39 strikeouts, closely followed by
Lynden Bruegman with 38.
Gunnar Nartker (1-4) heads into the weekend with momentum after securing his first win as a Griffon on Wednesday against the Bearcats.
Jayson Shorb (2-3) has been solid in relief, posting a 0.92 WHIP and a 3.05 ERA over 14.1 innings, while also leading the bullpen arms with 17 strikeouts. In addition, junior
Lou Levy (2-2) has contributed in the pen, tallying 19 strikeouts in 26.2 innings pitched.
ABOUT THE LIONS
Arkansas-Fort Smith finished the 2024 campaign with a 26-28 (23-25 LSC) record and was picked to finish 10th with 52 points in its first MIAA Preseason Coaches' Poll.
The Lions have an 11-24 (6-19 MIAA) record this season. They are coming off a 3-2 win over Rogers State on Tuesday, but dropped all three games to Central Oklahoma over the weekend. UAFS has claimed series over Southeastern Oklahoma State, Newman and Northeastern State.
The player to watch is senior outfielder Cooper White. The senior has slashed .360/.493/.570 with 41 hits (12 doubles), 34 runs, 27 RBIs, 17 walks and nine stolen bases.
A pitcher to keep an eye on is junior Chase Pair (4-2). The righty has a 2.64 ERA and 1.28 WHIP. He ranks third on the team with 23 strikeouts and has walked only 12 batters in 47.2 innings.
