Leading off
•     The Washburn Ichabods host Fort Hays State in a mid-week non-conference game at Falley Field on Wednesday.  The conference series (Feb. 28-March 1) between the two teams was canceled due to weather in the Hays area.

•    The Ichabods are seven games ahead of the Tigers in the MIAA standings headed into the final week of conference play.

•    Washburn is 26-17 overall and 19-13 in the MIAA while Fort Hays State is 15-27 overall and 12-20 in conference play.  

•     The Ichabods will be looking to continue its four-game winning streak after sweeping its weekend MIAA series at Northwest Missouri State.

•     Washburn enters the week tied for fifth place in the MIAA standings, tied with Missouri Western.  The Ichabods are two games back in the loss column behind Nebraska-Kearney.  Missouri Southern (32-9, 23-5 MIAA) is on top of the conference standings while Central Missouri (27-16, 22-10 MIAA) is second.  Just ahead of the UNK is Emporia State (29-10, 19-10 MIAA), in the third spot.  UNK comes to Falley Field this weekend (April 24-26) in the final MIAA series of the season.

•    Washburn is 10th in the latest MIAA statistical rankings in batting average with a .297 batting average while the Bearcats are 11th with a .296 batting average. 

•    The Ichabods are ranked sixth in the MIAA in ERA with a 5.35 while the Tigers are 13th with a 7.70 ERA.

•    The Ichabods fell out of the NCBWA Central Regional Poll from No. 7 on Monday … the NCAA regional rankings determine which teams go to the postseason.

•    The Ichabods outscored their opponents 316 to 254 in 43 games this season ... An inning-by-inning breakdown is:

            1: WU, 55-39    6: WU, 45-39

            2: OPP, 42-33    7: WU, 30-28

            3: WU, 37-26    8: WU, 25-15

            4: OPP, 31-22    9: WU, 14-8

            5: WU, 51-34    EX: WU, 4-2

•     Overall, the Ichabods are 12-0 when leading after eight innings, 15-0 after seven innings and 21-0 when leading after six innings.

•    Of Washburn's 43 home runs this season, eight have been grand slams … the NCAA Division II record is nine, set by Armstrong in 1988 in 54 games played.

•    Connor Crimmins is ninth in career at bats as an Ichabod with 542 ... No. 8 on the list (Brian Soderberg, 1986-89) has 573.

•    David Gauntt is second in the MIAA with 29 walks, fourth in home runs with 13, fourth in hit-by-pitch (15), tied for fifth in RBI with 45,  and 14th in On base percentage with a .459 mark ... Riley Krane is fifth in triples with four … Kyle Carnahan is fifth with 17 stolen bases, tied for 9th with 43 RBI and 11th with 44 runs scored ... Parker Gibson is fourth in the MIAA in stolen bases with 17 and seventh with 46 runs scored … Connor Crimmins is tied for 12th with 13 doubles ... Tanner Johnson leads the MIAA in putouts with 325 ... Tanner Kilmer is ranked third in the MIAA in ERA with a 2.89 mark, tied for fourth in appearances (18), eighth in opponent batting average (.260) and tied for 10th with three saves.

•    The 13 home runs hit by David Gauntt are the most by an Ichabod since John Calhoun and Tyler Bean had nine in 2012.

Noting Fort Hays State
•    The Tigers (15-27, 12-20 MIAA) are coming off a four game series with Emporia State, taking the first and final contests.  FHSU is still alive in the MIAA tournament hunt headed into the final week, though Wednesday's game does not count as a conference matchup.

•    Kevin Czrnecki leads the team with a .408 average at the plate, adding 14 doubles (team-high) and 11 home runs as well.  Cooper Langley is hitting .314 and leads the team in home runs (17) and RBI (59).

•    Austin Unrein leads the team with three wins while starters Justin Hersch and Tyler Patty are both 2-3.

Series history with Fort Hays State
•    The Tigers lead the all-time series 99-70 after splitting a four-game series in Topeka last season ... An early season series in Hays was canceled due to weather ... In 2013 the Tigers won 3 of 4 in home-and-away doubleheaders, splitting a doubleheader in Topeka.

In the dugout
•     Washburn is led by first-year head coach Harley Douglas. He served as an assistant to former coach Steve Anson for three years and he's a 2002 Washburn graduate. He played at WU from 1997-00.

•    He is 26-17 in his first season in the Washburn dugout going 19-13 in MIAA games.

•    Douglas played for the Ichabods from 1997-2000. 

•    He was an all-MIAA second team selection as an outfielder his senior year at Washburn. 

•    He finished with a .363 career batting average, the 13th highest in school history. 

•    He's second in school history with 11 triples and eighth with 136 runs scored … third with 75 career stolen bases. 

•    Douglas graduated in 2002 from Washburn with an exercise physiology degree and in 2004 with an education degree. He earned a master's degree in adaptive special education from Emporia State in 2010.

Last time out
April 17, 2015 -- MARYVILLE, Mo. -- Washburn hit three home runs in the nightcap of a doubleheader, wrapping up the series sweep over Northwest Missouri State in the 13-5 win.

Washburn scored three in the first capped by back to back home runs by Carnahan and his eighth of the season which was followed by Gauntt's team-high 13th of the season.

Northwest Missouri (19-24, 14-18 MIAA) tied the score with three in the bottom of the third and the Bearcats would go on to take the lead with two more in the fourth inning.

In the fifth, Washburn sent nine to the plate taking a 6-5 lead as Gauntt drove in another run with an RBI single to left and Crimmins recorded an RBI to left as well. Carnahan had a sac fly in the inning as well.

A solo home run by Soicher in the sixth inning put the Ichabods up 7-5.

WU put the game away with four runs in the eighth inning with a 2-RBI single by Soicher and a bases loaded walk by Tanner Johnson with an RBI single by Carnahan.

Crimmins' second home run of the day in the ninth inning on a 2-run homer scoring Gibson wrapped up the scoring and the 13-5 win.

Carnahan drove in four while Crimmins finished 3 for 4 with two runs scored and 3 RBI and Soicher was 2 for 3 with two runs scored and 3 RBI. Gibson had two hits and scored three times.

Ryne Dowling pitched two scoreless innings for the win improving to 2-0 on the season.

Last meeting with Fort Hays State
(3/15/14) TOPEKA, Kan. – Corey Gragg had a walk-off RBI single to help the Ichabods win game one 7-6 in extra innings Saturday against Fort Hays State at Falley Field. Washburn then came up a run short in the nightcap, losing 5-4 as the two teams split a four-game MIAA series.

 Kyle Carnahan singled to lead off the eighth inning, the first extra frame in game one, and then he moved to second on a groundout from Riley Price. Gragg then singled up the middle to drive in Gragg and end the game.

 Samuel Jones (2-0) earned the win for Washburn as he pitched a scoreless eighth inning. Drew Ridley and AJ Green also each pitched an inning of scoreless relief to help Washburn come back and take starter Eric Schmid off the hook. Schmid pitched the first five innings and allowed all six runs but just one was earned.

Washburn had gone ahead 6-3 after a five-run fifth but the Tigers (5-14, 4-12 MIAA) were able to tie the score with three runs in the sixth. Tanner Johnson and Taylor Herrington opened up the fifth inning with doubles and Connor Crimmins later had a double to drive in a run. Washburn totaled five hits in the inning.

 Washburn pounded out 11 hits with Carnahan, Taylor Herrington and David Gauntt each going 2 for 4. Gauntt scored twice.

 Washburn never led in the second game after the Tigers got on the board with two runs in the second. Washburn got one in the fourth but gave up three in the top of the fifth to trail 5-1. The Ichabods got all three back in the bottom of the inning to get within a run but they couldn't produce a threat the final two innings.

 Carnahan led off the fifth with a bunt single and then two straight walks loaded the bases. A double by Wes Jones later drove in one of Washburn's three runs that inning.

 Maustin Otterstatter pitched the entire game for Washburn. He gave up three earned runs off 10 hits with two strikeouts and no walks. He fell to 2-1 as he suffered his first loss.

On Deck
The Ichabods will wrap up the regular season April 24-26 hosting Nebraska-Kearney in a four game set. The MIAA Tournament starts April 30 on campus sites with the top four teams hosting teams five through eight in the final standings. The winners of the three game series will advance to the MIAA Tourney at Community America Ballpark in Kansas City.