Ichabods host Arkansas Tech Wednesday, at UCM and SBU starting Friday ...
•    The Washburn Ichabod softball team will host Arkansas Tech in a non-conference game on Wednesday at the Washburn Softball Complex before returning to MIAA play on Friday at Central Missouri and Southwest Baptist on Saturday.
•    The Ichabods were 1-3 after splitting with Missouri Southern on March 27 and were swept by Pittsburg State the following day.
•    Arkansas Tech is 25-7 this season and has won its last seven games and received votes in the latest NFCA top 25 poll.
•    Central Missouri is 23-9 and 5-1 in the MIAA entering a midweek conference doubleheader on April 1 at Missouri Southern.
•    Southwest Baptist is 11-18 and 3-9 in MIAA play and will face Missouri Southern on March 31 and Emporia State on April 3 before facing the Ichabods on April 4 in Bolivar.

 Warm ups . . . 
•    The Ichabods have gone 5-5 in their 10 games and are two wins shy of their 2014 win total of 20.
•    Lauren Thimmesch has 37 career home runs in her third season at Washburn which ranks fourth on the all-time Ichabod chart … she needs two more to move into third place and seven more to move into second place all-time at Washburn.
•    In 31 games this season the Ichabods have hit 44 home runs … the school record is 59 set last season … the 44 round trippers the Ichabods have hit this season is eighth on the Ichabod single-season chart.
•    Cassidy Merriman leads the team with a .381 batting average is second on the team with eight home runs … her 24 RBI is third on the team.
•    Marina Quimby is batting .371 this season which is second on the team and her 39 hits lead the team.
•    Lauren Thimmesch has the best ERA in the MIAA entering this week's action with the 1.94 ERA and her 12 wins are tied or second … her 10 home runs leads the Ichabods … her 12 pitching wins are the most by an Ichabod pitcher since the 2009 season. 
•    The Ichabods are scoring their opponents 34-11 in the third inning and 38-27 in the fourth inning of games this season and 27-13 in the fifth inning … in the seventh inning the Ichabods are being outscored 11-7.
•    The Ichabods are second in the MIAA in hitting with a .321 batting average as a team and they are eighth in the MIAA with a 3.73 ERA.

Scouting the opponents . . . 
Arkansas Tech
•    The Golden Suns are 25-7 this season and have won their last seven games.
•    They received votes in the lastest NFCA top 25 coaches poll.
•    Samantha Herweck leads the team with a .400 batting average …as a team the Golden Suns are batting .330 and have hit 50 home runs and stolen 30 of 37 attempts on the base paths.
•    As a team they have a 3.19 ERA throwing four complete game shutouts.
•    The Ichabods won the only meeting between the two teams on Feb. 20, 2004 in a 2-1 win.
Central Missouri
•    The Jennies are 23-9 this season and 5-1 in MIAA play and have won three straight entering play this week.
•    Lauren Mabe leads the team with a .413 batting average and has 15 RBI … jakki Prater has a team high 29 RBI with 13 doubles and 39 hits.
•    Prater also leads the team with nine wins in the circle and has a 2.31 ERA.
•    The Jennies have swiped 67 of 77 stolen base attempts.
•    The Jennies lead the all-time series 46-38 after splitting a doubleheader last season.
Southwest Baptist
•    Southwest Baptist is 11-18 this season and 3-9 in MIAA entering this week.
•    They have lost their last three games.
•    Brittanie Halquist leads the team with a .337 batting average with four home runs and 21 RBI.
•    They are batting .269 as a team and have a 3.62 ERA.
•    The Ichabods lead the all-time series with the Bearcats 46-8 and have won nine of the last 10 meetings.

 WU Bod Notes . . . 
#1 • Courtney Todd • IF/OF • Fr. • Has played in one game this season.
#2 • Alex Sweeney • OF • So. • Has scored twice making one start appearing in six games.
#3 • Kristen Bell • C • Jr. • Has 11 multi-hit games which is second on the team.
#4 • Megan Stegman • C/UT • So. • Batting .357 in 12 MIAA games this season.
#5 • Marina Quimby • P/IF • Jr. • Leads the team with 14 multi-hit games.
#6 • Brianna White • IF • Fr. • Has not appeared in any games this season.
#7 • Savannah Moore • 3B • Fr. • Season high 4 RBI against Missouri Southern this past weekend.
#8 • Jordan Erickson • OF • So. • Third on the team with a .364 batting average.
#9 • Haylee Marsteller • OF • Jr. • Made her 100th career start last weekend against Missouri Southern.
#10 • Kimberly Euler • P/OF • Fr. • Picked up her first collegiate win against Missouri Southern on March 21 pitching four innings in the combined shutout.
#11 • Samantha Carson • P/IF • So. • Recorded her first career save against Missouri Southern on March 21 pitching three innings allowing one hit striking out four.
#14 • Taylor Kemp • P • Jr. • Collected third his of season in 13 at bats against Pitt State last weekend.
#15 • Berkley White • C • Fr. • Has not appeared in any games this season.
#16 • Lauren Thimmesch • P/IF • Sr. • Needs 14 RBI to reach 100 for her career at Washburn.
#17 • Cassidy Merriman • 3B/SS • Fr. • Has reached base a season-long seven straight games.
#18 • Maddie Abbs • IF/OF • Fr. • Season high four at bats and three putouts against Pitt State last weekend.
#20 • Taylor Zimmerman • IF • Jr. • Her 25 RBI is tied for second on the team this season.
#21 • Lindsey Marcus • IF/P • Fr. • Has made four pitching appearance this season allowing three earned runs.
#22 • Sierra Kemp • IF • Jr. • Had hits in both at bats last time out against Pitt State last weekend.

 Last time out for the Ichabods . . . 
TOPEKA, Kan. -- The Washburn Ichabods were swept in a pair of close games by MIAA front-runners Pittsburg State falling 3-1 and 5-4 in eight innings on Saturday at the Washburn Softball Complex.
Game 1 Pittsburg State 3, Washburn 1
Washburn scored in the first inning on a solo home run by Cassidy Merriman but the Ichabods were limited to two more hits the rest of the way in a 3-1 loss. 
Merriman had one other hit and Taylor Zimmerman had the other for the Ichabods.
The Gorillas scored solo runs in the second, third and fourth innings for the 3-1 win.
Emmie Robertson struck out eight Ichabods while walking one improving to 12-5 on the season. For Washburn Lauren Thimmesch fell to 12-3 overall after giving up two earned runs striking out three.
Game 2 - Pittsburg State 5, Washburn 4
After the Gorillas scored three in the top of the third inning, the Ichabods (18-13, 6-6 MIAA) scored three in the bottom of the inning taking advantage of a Gorilla error. Taylor Zimmerman hit a 2-RBI double to right field scoring Merriman and Thimmesch who reached on an error. Kristen Bell's sac fly scored Jordan Erickson to tie the score.
Neither team would score until the top of the eighth inning when the Gorillas (20-10, 9-1 MIAA) scored a pair of runs on a 2-run double by Jordan Bradshaw. Washburn scored one in the bottom of the frame on an RBI single by Erickson scoring Sierra Kemp, but left runners at the corners falling 5-4.
The Ichabods recorded 10 hits in the night camp with two coming from Quimby, Merriman and Zimmerman.
Thimmesch took the loss pitching all eight innings striking out five allowing three earned runs. Emmie Robertson pitched 5 1/3 innings in relief improving to 13-5.

 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 71-90 in her fourth season on the bench at Washburn and overall Becerra has recorded a 105-108 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 1085-800 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 return home on April 7 to host Rockhurst and then return to MIAA play on April 10 to face Nebraska-Kearney and Fort Hays State on April 11.