Ichabods travel to St. Joseph for Apple Market Regional Classic ...
•    The Washburn Ichabods will travel to St. Joseph for the Missouri Western Apple Market Regional Classic for six games starting on Friday and wrapping up on Sunday.
•    The Ichabods will face five Northern Sun Intercollegiate teams as well as MIAA foe Missouri Southern in a non-conference game.
•    The Ichabods will face Missouri Southern in a doubleheader returning to MIAA play on March 27 in Topeka.
 Warm ups . . . 
•    The Ichabods are on a two-game winning streak since sweeping Northeastern State in a MIAA twinbill on March 17 in Tahlequah winning 13-1 in five innings and then 6-5 in the night cap.
•    Lauren Thimmesch has 34 career home runs in her third season at Washburn which ranks fourth on the all-time Ichabod chart … she needs five more to move into third pace and 10 more to move into second place all-time at Washburn.
 •    In 21 games this season the Ichabods have hit 33 home runs … the school record is 59 set last season … the 33 round trippers the Ichabods have hit this season is already ninth on the Ichabod single-season chart.
•    Kristen Bell leads the team with a .426 batting average with a team-high 29 hits … her batting average is third in the MIAA rankings.
•    Jordan Erickson is 10th in the MIAA in batting average entering play this week with her .400 average and leads the Ichabods with 20 RBI.
•    Lauren Thimmesch has the third-best ERA in the MIAA entering this week's action with the 2.11 ERA and it dropped to 1.59 after the game at Northeastern State. Her seven home runs are tied for the league-lead.
•    Cassidy Merriman has scored a team-high 22 runs while collecting 25 hits and a team-high eight doubles.
•    The Ichabods are scoring their opponents 28-7 in the third inning and 28-12 in the fourth inning of games this season … in the seventh inning the Ichabods are being outscored 11-4.
•    The Ichabods are third in the MIAA in hitting with a .332 batting average as a team.
•    The Ichabods' next win will be the 100th for head coach Vanessa Becerra in her coaching career.

 Scouting the opponents . . . 
Northern State
•    The Wolves are 11-6 this season.
•    The Ichabods lead the all-time series 2-1 and have not met since March 21, 2014 when NSU won 9-6.
Winona State
•    The Warriors are 16-3 this season and ranked No. 14 in the latest NFCA top 25 poll.
•    The Warriors won the only meeting with the Ichabods on Feb. 23, 2013 and won 14-2.
Wayne State
•    The Wildcats are 11-3 this season.
•    The Ichabods lead the all-time series 15-9 and have not met since March 22, 2014 in a 9-7 Ichabod win.
•    The two teams are scheduled to play a doubleheader on April 16 in Wayne, Neb.
Missouri Southern
•    The Lions are 3-15 this season and 1-3 in MIAA play.
•    The Ichabods trail in the all-time series 37-39.
•    The two teams will play a MIAA doubleheader on March 27 in Topeka starting at 2 p.m.
•    The Ichabods and the Lions split a doubleheader on April 6, 2014 in Joplin with Washburn winning the first game 16-13 before falling 7-6 in the nightcap.
Augustana
•    The Vikings are 14-4 this season and have won their last four games entering the regional crossover.
•    The Vikings lead the all-time series 11-6 after winning last season 6-2 in St. Joseph in the same event.

 WU Bod Notes . . . 
#1 • Courtney Todd • IF/OF • Fr. • Has played in one game this season.
#2 • Alex Sweeney • OF • So. • Has scored one run and recorded a putout in four games.
#3 • Kristen Bell • C • Jr. • Has a five game hitting streak leading the team with a .426 batting average.
#4 • Megan Stegman • C/UT • So. • Has three multi-hit games this season.
#5 • Marina Quimby • P/IF • Jr. • Second on the team with nine multi-hit games.
#6 • Brianna White • IF • Fr. • Has not appeared in any games this season.
#7 • Savannah Moore • 3B • Fr. • Has 10 runs scored and 15 hits this season.
#8 • Jordan Erickson • OF • So. • Has reached base in the last 12 games riding a six game hitting streak.
#9 • Haylee Marsteller • OF • Jr. • Has reached base in each of the last eight games.
#10 • Kimberly Euler • P/OF • Fr. • Has recorded 1 1/3 innings pitched allowing two runs.
#11 • Samantha Carson • P/IF • So. • Has made seven appearances starting three games this season.
#14 • Taylor Kemp • P • Jr. • Has pitched 15 1/3 innings striking out seven.
#15 • Berkley White • C • Fr. • Has not appeared in any games this season.
#16 • Lauren Thimmesch • P/IF • Sr. • Picked up her first career save last time out against Northeastern State.
#17 • Cassidy Merriman • 3B/SS • Fr. • Batting a team-high .536 in MIAA play with 15 hits in 28 at bats scoring 11 runs.
#18 • Maddie Abbs • IF/OF • Fr. • Has played in six games recording three hits.
#20 • Taylor Zimmerman • IF • Jr. • Has a team-high 3 RBI in eight MIAA games.
#21 • Lindsey Marcus • IF/P • Fr. • Has made three pitching appearance this season allowing three earned runs.
#22 • Sierra Kemp • IF • Jr. • Batting .231 with three hits and a double appearing in seven games.

 Last time out for the Ichabods . . . 
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. -- The Washburn Ichabods swept an MIAA doubleheader at Northeastern State winning 13 -1 in five innings and 6-5 in the nightcap. 
Game 1 - WU 13, NSU 1 (5 innings)
The Ichabods scored all of their runs in three innings starting with four runs in the first beginning with a leadoff home run by Marina Quimby on the second pitch of the game. The Ichabods added three more in the frame starting with a single by Cassidy Merriman. Lauren Thimmesch reached via an error and Jordan Erickson loaded the bases after being hit by a pitch. With two outs in the first, Taylor Zimmerman drove in two with a double down the right field line putting Washburn up 4-0. The Ichabods sent 12 to the plate in the third inning scoring eight runs capped by a two-run homer by Erickson. Megan Stegman, Thimmesch, Quimby and Merriman all had RBI singles in the inning. Washburn's last run came in the top of the fifth on a solo home run by Merriman. The RiverHawks picked up a solo run in the bottom of the fifth, but it wasn't enough to avoid the run rule as Washburn won 13-1. Thimmesch picked up the win in the circle improving to 9-1 on the season striking out two allowing one earned run. Zimmerman finished with 3 RBI and Quimby, Merriman and Erickson all had 2 RBI. Merriman led the Ichabods with three hits and three runs scored.
Game 2 - WU 6, NSU 5
The Ichabods (13-8, 5-3 MIAA) trailed the RiverHawks (12-14, 4-6 MIAA) 1-0 through four innings before erupting for six runs in the top of the fifth inning to take the lead. Savannah Moore led off the inning with a single and then Stegman followed with a sac bunt reaching base on a fielder's choice. After a single by Quimby, the RiverHawks recorded two outs leading to back to back 2 RBI singles by Erickson and Haylee Marsteller as Washburn went up 5-1. A single by Zimmerman drove in another run. The RiverHawks cut the lead to 6-2 in the bottom of the fifth and then scored three times in the bottom of the sixth to cut the margin to one at 6-5. With runners on first and second and one out, Thimmesch came in relief of Quimby who improved to 3-1 and recorded the final two outs on a fly out and strikeout closing the door on Northeastern wrapping up the game. Quimby, Merriman, Marsteller, Kristen Bell and Moore all had two hits and Erickson and Marsteller each drove in two.

 Ichabod head coach Vanessa Becerra . . . 
• was named the Washburn Ichabod head softball coach on Aug. 3, 2011 after spending four seasons at Metro State in Denver, Colo., with the final season coming as the head coach. 
• is 65-88 in her fourth season on the bench at Washburn and overall Becerra has recorded a 99-106 mark in her fifth year as a head coach.
• in her lone season as the head coach at Metro State, Becerra led the Roadrunners the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference regular season championship while advancing to the NCAA regional tournament for the third-straight season finishing with a 34-18 record. 
• has coached 12 Ichabods to all-MIAA honors.
• has had 38 Ichabods named to the MIAA's Academic Honor Roll.

 Ichabod softball history. . . 
• The Ichabods are 1080-795-1 in their 46th year of softball. 
• The Ichabods have made three NCAA Tournament appearances (1999, 2006, 2008). 
• Washburn won the 2002 regular season MIAA title.

 Up next . . . 
•    The Ichabods will then resume MIAA play on March 27 against Missouri Southern and then will take on Pittsburg State the following day. Both doubleheaders will start at 2 p.m.