Leading off
• The Washburn Ichabods host Nebraska-Kearney in the final series of the regular season this weekend (April 23-25) in a four-game set with MIAA Tournament implications.  Weather forecasts forced an alteration of the original schedule, and the teams will now play a doubleheader on Thursday (two seven-inning games), and two single, nine-inning contests on Friday and Saturday.
• The Ichabods are two games back of the Lopers in the MIAA standings currently with four games to go.
• Washburn is 27-17 overall and 19-13 in the MIAA while Nebraska-Kearney is 28-16 overall and 21-11 in conference play.  
• The Ichabods have won five straight, sweeping Northwest Missouri State in a conference series last weekend and defeating Fort Hays State, 13-0, in seven innings on Wednesday in a non-conference game.
• Washburn enters the series tied for fifth place in the MIAA standings with Missouri Western. Missouri Southern (32-9, 23-5 MIAA) is on top of the conference standings while Central Missouri (27-17, 22-10 MIAA) is second.  UNK (third spot) is just ahead of Emporia State (29-10, 19-10 MIAA), in the third spot. 
• As of Monday, April 20, 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. 
• As of Monday, April 20, 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 last Monday (April 14) … the NCAA regional rankings determine which teams go to the postseason.
• The Ichabods outscored their opponents 329 to 254 in 43 games this season ... An inning-by-inning breakdown is:
1: WU, 58-39 6: WU, 45-39
2: OPP, 43-35 7: WU, 30-28
3: WU, 41-26 8: WU, 25-15
4: OPP, 31-24 9: WU, 14-8
5: WU, 53-34 EX: WU, 4-2
• Overall, the Ichabods are 13-0 when leading after eight innings, 16-0 after seven innings and 22-0 when leading after six innings.
• Of Washburn's 45 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 544 ... No. 8 on the list (Brian Soderberg, 1986-89) has 573.
• As of Monday, April 20, 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 Nebraska-Kearney
• The Lopers (28-16, 21-11 MIAA) has all nine offensive starters hitting above the .300 mark, and sits third in the conference standings.  UNK is coming off a four-game series with Lindenwood at home, which it won 3-1.
• Dillon Schroeder leads the team with a .403 average, hitting 15 doubles with five home runs and 42 RBI.  Max Ayoub (.331) has 16 home runs this season with 56 RBI and 11 doubles
• Joe Smidt has a team-low 3.27 ERA with a 3-1 record. Aaron Smith is 7-1 this season with 49 strikeouts and a 3.61 ERA.

Series history with Nebraska-Kearney
• The Lopers lead the all-time series, 13-4, and have won eight of the last night.  Last season in Kearney, Neb., WU took one game in a four-game set.

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 27-17 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
TOPEKA, Kan. -- The Washburn Ichabod baseball team won its fifth straight game in impressive fashion, racking up 13 hits in a 13-0, run-rule win over Fort Hays State on Wednesday, April 22 at Falley Field.
Washburn scored in each the first six innings to push the lead into double-digits, holding FHSU to just five hits in the win. 
WU took a 3-0 lead in the first behind Connor Crimmins' seventh home run of the season.  Parker Gibson's bunt single was the first hit of the game for WU, and Gibson used his speed to steal second and take third on a strikeout.  After David Gauntt was hit by a pitch with two outs, Crimmins took a 1-1 pitch on a line over the left center wall to give the Ichabods the lead.
Johnson pushed the lead to 4-0 with a leadoff home run to right field, and Gardner followed with a double, moving to third on an FHSU error.  In the next at-bat, Payton Soicher scored Gardner with a ground ball RBI.
Another four runs in the third put the Ichabods up, 9-0. Kyle Carnahan led off with a walk, and after Gaunt singled, both runners put in motion a double steal that led to another Tiger error, allowing Carnahan to score and Gaunt to take third.  Crimmins' fourth RBI of the day came in the next at-bat with an RBI single, making it 7-0.  Crimmins stole second base and took third on a groundout, eventually coming home off Johnson's sacrifice fly.  Later in the inning, Gardner (who reached on a bunt single, scampered around from second on Riley Krane's RBI single.
The fourth inning saw WU add two more, when Tanner Triggs singled through the right side to score Carnahan and Gaunt, and another two scored off an FHSU error in the fifth.  With two on and two out, Alex Head's ground ball skipped through the third baseman's legs, allowing Krane and Wes Jones to come home.
Zach Linquist (3-3) started on the hill and went five innings in shutout fashion, allowing just three hits.  Linquist struck out four before Hank Wellborn took over to start the fifth and close the win.
Crimmins and Gardner each had two hits in the game to lead the Ichabods as Crimmins had four RBI.
 
Last meeting with Nebraska-Kearney
(4/12/14) KEARNEY, Neb. – Washburn broke a scoreless tie in the seventh inning but the Lopers scored twice in the bottom of the ninth to win 2-1 Sunday afternoon in the finale of the MIAA series.
Kyle Carnahan was hit by a pitch to lead off the seventh and he advanced to second on a grounder by Matt Jackson. He then scored on a single by Tanner Johnson to put the first run on the board for any team.
Starter Eric Schmid then retired the Lopers in the next two innings but they got a one-out single in the ninth and Washburn went to the bullpen. Maustin Otterstatter came in and allowed three straight singles. The second hit drove in the tying run and the third drove in the game-winning run.
Schmid allowed six hits and a run through 8 1/3 innings. He struck out five and walked just one. He kept the Lopers hitless through the first three innings. Otterstatter took the loss and fell to 3-3.
Washburn got nine total hits with Johnson and Riley Price getting two each. Carnahan went 1 for 3 and batted .500 (7 for 14) in the series. He's on a 15-game hitting streak and he's now batting .406 on the season.

On Deck
The Ichabods have clinched a berth to the MIAA Tournament and seeding will be on the line in the final weekend of play.  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.