Ichabods host Nebraska-Kearney and Fort Hays State this weekend ...
•    The Washburn Ichabod softball team will close out the home slate this weekend with games against Nebraska-Kearney on Friday and Fort Hays State on Saturday.
•    Between games on Saturday, the Ichabods will honor two seniors Kristen Bell and Lauren Thimmesch who will be playing their final games in Topeka.
•    The Ichabods are coming off a week where they went 2-4 overall splitting MIAA doubleheaders with Central Missouri and Southwest Baptist.
•    The Ichabods were swept in a non-conference doubleheader against Arkansas Tech on April 1.
•    The Ichabods are sitting in ninth in the MIAA standings two games behind Nebraska-Kearney who is in eighth. Fort Hays State is in sixth in the conference standings. The top eight teams in the final MIAA standings qualify for the conference tournament starting April 30 in Kansas City.

 Warm ups . . . 
•    The Ichabods are 2-3 in the last five games and have gone 3-7 in their last 10 games …Washburn is 20-17 overall this year and 8-8 in MIAA play … Washburn matched its 2014 win total of 20.
•    Lauren Thimmesch has 39 career home runs in her third season at Washburn which ranks third on the all-time Ichabod chart … she needs four more to move into second place all-time at Washburn.
•    In 37 games this season the Ichabods have hit 50 home runs … the school record is 59 set last season … the 50 round trippers the Ichabods have hit this season is tied for second on the Ichabod single-season chart.
•    Marina Quimby is batting .400 this season raising her batting average 29 points last week leading the team with 50 hits and her 32 runs scored is second on the team.
•    Cassidy Merriman is second on the team with a .368 batting average and she is second on the team with eight home runs and leads the team with 36 runs scored … her 25 RBI is fourth on the team.
•    Lauren Thimmesch has the third-best ERA in the MIAA entering this week's action with a 2.25 ERA and her 14 wins are third in the MIAA … her 12 home runs leads the Ichabods … her 14 pitching wins are the most by an Ichabod pitcher since the 2008 season when Kelly Swygert recorded 18. 
•    The Ichabods are outscoring their opponents 38-13 in the third inning and 43-33 in the fourth inning of games this season and 32-14 in the fifth inning … in the seventh inning the Ichabods are being outscored 16-12.
•    The Ichabods are tied for fourth in the MIAA in hitting with a .314 batting average as a team and they are eighth in the MIAA with a 3.81 ERA.

 Scouting the opponents . . . 
Nebraska-Kearney
•    The Lopers are 12-23 this season and 10-10 in the MIAA and have split eight MIAA doubleheders this season.
•    Katie Ruwe leads the team with a .440 batting average with a team-high 43 RBI … she also leads the team with 48 hits and has struck out only seven times in 109 at bats.
•    Cassie Roessing leads the team with 11 wins and has a 3.25 ERA.
•    The Lopers lead the all-time series 27-15. The two teams have split the last two seasons in MIAA play.

Fort Hays State
•    The Tigers are 21-16 and 12-8 in conference play entering a doubleheader with Emporia State on Friday.
•    Tori Beltz is tied for the team lead with six home runs and the Tigers are hitting .283 as a team.
•    Both Kelsey Kimminau and Paxton Duran have 10 wins and an ERA around 2.8.
•    The Ichabods lead the all-time series 36-32 after splitting a twinbill last season in Hays. Prior to that the Tigers had won eight straight over the Ichabods.

 WU Bod Notes . . . 
#1 • Courtney Todd • IF/OF • Fr. • Has played in one game this season.
#2 • Alex Sweeney • OF • So. • Has scored three times making one start appearing in seven games.
#3 • Kristen Bell • C • Jr. • Has 13 multi-hit games which is second on the team.
#4 • Megan Stegman • C/UT • So. • One of three Ichabods to have a triple this season.
#5 • Marina Quimby • P/IF • Jr. • Has had at least two hits in six of the last seven games.
#6 • Brianna White • IF • Fr. • Has not appeared in any games this season.
#7 • Savannah Moore • 3B • Fr. • Has three multi-RBI games this season.
#8 • Jordan Erickson • OF • So. • Tied for team lead with eight multi-RBI games this season.
#9 • Haylee Marsteller • OF • Jr. • Has the longest streak of reaching base in games this season at 16.
#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. • Batting .200 this season in 15 at bats.
#15 • Berkley White • C • Fr. • Has not appeared in any games this season.
#16 • Lauren Thimmesch • P/IF • Sr. • Needs seven RBI to reach 100 for her career at Washburn.
#17 • Cassidy Merriman • 3B/SS • Fr. • Batting .444 in MIAA play this season which leads the team.
#18 • Maddie Abbs • IF/OF • Fr. • Has two assists and seven putouts this season in 15 games.
#20 • Taylor Zimmerman • IF • Jr. • Her 19 RBI in MIAA play leads the team.
#21 • Lindsey Marcus • IF/P • Fr. • Has made six pitching appearance this season allowing five earned runs.
#22 • Sierra Kemp • IF • Jr. • Has six hits and six RBI in 32 at bats this season.

 Last time out for the Ichabods . . . 
BOLIVAR, Mo. -- The Washburn Ichabod softball team split an MIAA doubleheader on Saturday at Southwest Baptist winning game one 3-1 before dropping the nightcap 2-1. Washburn returns to action on Friday hosting Nebraska-Kearney. 
Game 1 - WU 3, SBU 1
The Ichabods pounded out 10 hits in the opener. The Ichabods scored a solo run in the top of the fifth on a three base error by the Bearcats allowing Marina Quimby to score from first on a single by Cassidy Merriman. 
The Bearcats tied the score in the bottom of the sixth, but the Ichabods' Megan Stegman and Quimby hit back to back home runs in the seventh putting the Ichabods up 3-1.
In the bottom of the seventh the Bearcats had their first two batters reach base but Lauren Thimmesch sat the Bearcats down in order improving to 14-5 on the season scattering four hits while striking out six giving up one earned run.
Quimby finished with three hits and Thimmesch and Merriman each had two hits.
Game 2 - SBU 2, WU 1
The Ichabods (20-17, 8-8 MIAA) outhit the Bearcats 6 to 4 but a solo run in the bottom of the fifth was the difference in the 2-1 loss.
Washburn's only run came in the top of the fifth when Quimby's single scoring Kristen Bell tied the score at 1-1. 
The Bearcats (13-20, 5-11 MIAA) scored the go ahead run in the bottom of the fifth and held on for the win as the Ichabods had seven of the final eight batters retired the remainder of the game.
Quimby and Marsteller each had two hits to lead the Ichabods.
Thimmesch took the loss in the second game giving up four hits and an earned run.

 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 72-97 in her fourth season on the bench at Washburn and overall Becerra has recorded a 106-115 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 1087-804-1 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 return to action on Thursday at Wayne State on April 16 before facing MIAA foes Central Oklahoma on April 18 in a make up game from earlier in the season. The Ichabods will wrap up the regular season on Friday, April 24 at Missouri Western and at Northwest Missouri the following day. The MIAA Tournament begins on April 30 for the top eight teams in the final regular season standings.