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Leading Off...
Washburn will look to win its fifth MIAA series with a four-game swing at UNK this weekend. Washburn has won four MIAA series, split one and lost two.
The Ichabods will then play the sixth and final game of this year's Turnpike Tussle series Tuesday at Falley Field. WU took 3 of 4 against ESU in MIAA action and the Hornets won last month in Emporia in a non-conference game.
Washburn is 17-15 overall and fourth in the MIAA at 16-12. The top four teams in the standings host Nos. 5-8 in an MIAA tournament best of three series May 1-4.
The four winners of those series will meet in Springfield, Mo., May 8-10 for the remaining rounds of the MIAA tournament.
UNK is 21-14 and eighth in the league at 15-13. The Lopers have split their last four MIAA series.
UNK is in its second season in the MIAA. The two played just twice last year with the Lopers winning both in a neutral location.
These will be the first games WU's played at UNK since at least 1967, before game locations were archived. UNK leads the all-time series 3-9 and WU hasn't beat the Lopers since 1965.
Kyle Carnahan has reached base safely in each of the first 20 games this year and so far in 31 of the 32.
He is on an 11-game hitting streak and raised his season average from .300 to .391 and he's 11th in the MIAA in hitting.
Carnahan and
Matt Jackson both enter the weekend with 11-game reached base streaks.
Senior
Brett Ash leads the MIAA with a 0.88 ERA and he's the only pitcher throwing below a 1.00 ERA. He also leads the league allowing just a .152 opponent batting average.
Ash is 1st in WU history with 23 complete games, 3rd with 20 wins & 3rd with 180 K. Eight more K will move him to 2nd.
When Ash makes his next start he will be tying Jake Lenherr (2003-06) for most starts in WU history with his 37th.
Washburn is 7-0 in the 2nd game of four-game series this year but just 1-6 in game four.
MIAA series at UNK and Turnpike Tussle finale up next as Ichabods look to climb conference standingsThe Ichabods will play their first MIAA games at Nebraska-Kearney with a four-game series Thursday through Saturday and then they will return home and wrap up the six-game Turnpike Tussle series with a 5 p.m. non-conference game Tuesday against Emporia State.
The UNK series was moved up a day earlier due to possible bad weather on Sunday. The two teams will play a game Thursday at 6 p.m. and then play a doubleheader Friday at 3 p.m. The series will wrap up Saturday at noon.
Washburn won three of four last weekend in conference games against ESU and then split a doubleheader with Rockhurst to improve to 17-15 overall and 16-12 in the MIAA. The Ichabods climbed from fifth to fourth in the conference standings as they won their fourth of seven MIAA series this year.
Nebraska-Kearney is 21-14 and eighth in the league with a 15-13 record while Emporia State is 21-14 overall entering the weekend.
Ash climbs to third in career wins and strikeoutsSenior
Brett Ash moved eight strikeouts closer to second in school history after his performance Saturday at Emporia State. He's third with 180 career strikeouts and he needs eight more to tie Mike Lineback (1982-85) for second. The school record is 215 set by Jake Lenherr (2003-06).
Ash pitched his third straight complete game win to move him alone in second with 20 victories. Four more would tie him with Lenherr.
He also extended his school record to 23 complete games.
Ash gave up just four hits and an unearned run in Washburn's 10-1 win at ESU. He struck out eight with three walks as he improved to 3-1. He lowered his season ERA to 0.88 as he's allowed just three earned runs this year in 30 2/3 innings.
Ash gave up singles in the third and fourth but stranded the runners. In the fifth he walked the leadoff batter and the next batter reached on an error. Ash got out of that inning without allowing the Hornets past second.
Ash is second in Washburn history in career innings pitched and career starts. His next start will tie him for first.
Ash leads the MIAA in ERABrett Ash is the only MIAA pitcher throwing below a 1.00 ERA with a league-low 0.88 average. He also leads the league allowing just a .152 opponent batting average.
He allowed a season-high five hits against Northwest Missouri but is allowing just 3.4 hits per start. Of the 17 hits he's allowed, only three of them were for extra bases, a pair of doubles and an unearned home run against the Bearcats.
Ash is 3-1 this year with three straight wins. He's allowed just three earned runs in five starts and 30 2/3 innings pitched.
Streaky Kyle CarnahanKyle Carnahan has nearly been on a season-long offensive streak as he's reached base safely in all but one game. He started the year reaching base safely in the first 20 games and he's gone on to reach safely in 31 of Washburn's 32 games entering the weekend at UNK.
Carnahan has reached base safely in 11 straight games, all with at least one hit, entering the weekend. He was last held without a hit on March 22 in the third game at Pittsburg State.
Carnahan was batting .300 before his current 11-game hitting streak and he's raised his season batting average to .391 as he's batted 18 for 32. He's batting .563 during his 11-game hitting streak. He has a .719 slugging percentage and .660 on-base percentage during the streak.
Carnahan's .391 batting average is 11th in the MIAA and his on-base percentage of .500 is fourth.
Ichabods tough in the middleWashburn is 7-0 in the second game of four-game MIAA series this year. The Ichabods are 5-2 in the third games to make them 12-2 in the middle two games of the series. They are 3-4 in openers and 1-6 in finales. Washburn has won four series, lost two and split one this year.
The Ichabods have had three opportunities to finish a four-game sweep but have come up short in game four all three times.
Doubleheaders mean at least one win for IchabodsThe Ichabods are 15-7 this year in doubleheaders and they have swept four of their 11 twin bills. They split the other seven and have not been swept in a doubleheader this year.
Washburn is 8-3 in the opener and 7-4 in the finale. The Ichabods are
Ichabods demonstrate rare offensive powerThe Ichabods have led the MIAA in triples the last two seasons but have been near the bottom in home runs. They turned that around in the last week with four home runs in their six-game stretch against Emporia State and Rockhurst.
Riley Price had a go-ahead grand slam with two outs in the seventh inning Friday against Emporia State. The Hornets later tied the game but Washburn won in extra innings. Washburn had three homers in that game, a season-high.
David Gauntt also homered with the bases loaded as part of a seven-run first inning in the opener against Rockhurst. Gauntt homered against the Hornets as well to give him two home runs during the week.
The Ichabods entered the ESU series with nine homers and now have 13.
About Nebraska-KearneyThe Lopers split a four-game series last weekend at Northeastern State and are 21-14 overall and 15-13 in the MIAA. They have actually split their last four conference series against Central Missouri, ESU, Missouri Western and NSU.
The Lopers have two of the four MIAA players batting at least .400 this year. Anthony Pacheco leads the team batting .429 and Brandon Landanger joins him above the .400 mark with a .406 average.
Logan Willard leads the starting pitchers with a 3-0 record and a 4.87 ERA and Aaron Smith has a 3-1 record and 4.00 ERA in 13 bullpen appearances.
About Emporia StateThe Ichabods and Hornets will be playing their sixth game against each other this year. Price Jacobs is batting .579 against Washburn (11 for 19) with a homer and three RBI. Brenton Higgins has saved both of ESU's wins in the series and has a 4.05 ERA against the Ichabods.
The Hornets enter the weekend 21-14 overall and seventh in the MIAA at 15-13. They host Lincoln in a four-game MIAA series this weekend before heading the Washburn.
Keeping up with the changesThe Ichabods have had numerous games postponed or moved and didn't play their first home game until March 14, the latest date in recorded school history.
All but one of those games has been rescheduled with the March 5 home game against William Jewell being the only one that hasn't been rescheduled.
Up NextThe Ichabods will host Lincoln over Easter weekend with a doubleheader April 18 at 2 p.m. and a doubleheader April 19 at noon. The Ichabod seniors will be honored prior to the Sunday games with the Senior Day ceremony. Washburn will then make up a game against Newman on April 21 at Falley Field at 6 p.m. and then play two game April 22 at Rockhurst starting at 3 p.m.
Washburn will play seven games in five days during this stretch and then have just one week remaining in the regular season.
