Leading off . . .
•    After a 25-game road trip to start the season, the Washburn Ichabods will finally make an appearance at the Washburn Softball Complex as they will face Missouri Southern and Pittsburg State in a pair of MIAA doubleheaders starting Friday with the Lions.
•    Erica Harper has eight multi-hit games to lead the team and Jordan Erickson has six. Ashley Ruder, Savannah Moore and Taylor Kemp all have five.
•    Jordan Erickson leads the team with four multi-RBI games while Savannah Moore, Erica Harper and Dakota Sanders all have three.
•    Dakota Sanders has a team-high and season-best 13-game streak in reaching base safely.
•    The two saves by Samantha Carson this season is the most by an Ichabod pitcher since 1997 when Kathy Mohler had three setting an Ichabod single season record. Carson now has four in her career which is a school record breaking the three Mohler had.
•    Jordan Erickson went over the 100-hit mark for her career at Washburn against Northeastern State … she now has 104.
•    Samantha Carson has appeared in 125 games as an Ichabod making 105 career starts.
 
The Week that was . . .
•    Washburn was 0-4 opening MIAA play against then No. 11 ranked Central Oklahoma and Northeastern State.
•    Savannah Moore led the Ichabods in the four games with a .455 batting average going 5 of 11 with two runs scored.
•    Jordan Erickson also had five hits and drove in three runs collecting a pair of home runs.
•    Megan Stegman had four RBI coming on a grand slam against Northeastern State.
•    Washburn outscored its opponents in the first inning of the four games 10 to 7, but was outscored 19 to 1 in innings two through five.
 
Where to follow . . .
•    Fans can also follow the Ichabod softball team at @WashburnSB for updates as well at the athletic department twitter handle at @wusports.
•    Live stats will be linked at www.sidearmstats.com/washburn/softball.
 
This week's opponents . . .
Missouri Southern
•    The Lions are 8-13 this season and have not played any MIAA games this season.
•    Abi Corbett leads the team with a .481 batting average with a team-high 38 hits …she is 12 of 15 in stolen base attempts this season.
•    Angel Badalamenti is batting .415 with 15 RBI and Erika Lutgen has a team-high 21 RBI.
•    As a team, the Lions have a 7.29 earned run average and have 65 walks compared to 64 strikeouts this season.
•    The Ichabods trail the Lions in the all-time series by one game 41-40 … the two teams have split MIAA doubleheaders each of the last two seasons.
 
Pittsburg State
•    The Gorillas are 14-6 this season and will face Emporia State on Friday in their MIAA opener.
•    Kala Holder leads the team with a .355 batting average with 22 hits and 12 runs scored.
•    Kylie Gunthier has 17 hits and 15 RBI with a team-high four home runs.
•    Emmie Robertson leads the pitching staff with a 10-3 record and a 1.01 ERA … she has 17 strikeouts and 17 walks this season.
•    Washburn leads the all-time series 64-55 with the Gorillas, but Pitt State has won the last five meetings … the Ichabods' last win in the series was in the second game of a doubleheader winning 5-3 on April 5, 2014.
 
Last time out . . .
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – Northeastern State hit a pair of late-inning home runs helping lead the RiverHawks to a doubleheader sweep over the Ichabods falling 6-5 and 9-6 in 11 innings.
Game 1 – Northeastern State 6, Washburn 5
The Ichabods took a 4-0 lead after their first at bat when Megan Stegman connected on a grand slam scoring Jordan Erickson, Dakota Sanders and Erica Harper putting Washburn up early. The RiverHawks came back in the bottom of the first inning with three of their own cutting the Washburn lead back to 4-3.
The RiverHawks scored two in the fifth inning taking a 5-4 lead before a solo home run by Savannah Moore tied the score at five-all, but Northeastern State's Jess Schuler had a pinch-hit home run in the bottom of the sixth to put the RiverHawks up 6-5 and the Ichabods went down in order in the seventh as Washburn came up one run short.
Moore and Erickson each had two hits in the game and Stegman recorded four RBI. Samantha Carson took the loss in the circle for the Ichabods allowing two earned runs. Kelsee Henry started the game and went 4 1/3 innings striking out three.
Game 2 – Northeastern State 9, Washburn 6 (11 innings)
For the second straight game, Washburn scored four runs in its first at bat as Taylor Kemp started the scoring by drawing a bases loaded walk scoring Megan Stegman who also walked. Lexie Myers singled to left driving in Savannah Moore who singled in the inning and then Dakota Sanders drove in two more sending Kemp and Erica Harper home.
In the bottom of the first, the RiverHawks cut the lead in half scoring two runs in the inning. Neither team would score again until the RiverHawks picked up two more runs in the fourth tying the score at 4-4.
The teams would go scoreless from that point until Erica Harper's single to left in the top of the 10th inning scored Stegman who was placed on second using the international tiebreaker and then moved to third on a single by Moore.
The RiverHawks then rallied to score a run knotting the score at 5-5.
After Kemp was placed on second to start the 11th, Carson's double to center scored Kemp as the Ichabods jumped back in front 6-5. However the RiverHawks scored four unearned runs in the bottom of the 11th with a three-run walk off home run for the game-winner as Washburn falls to 10-15 overall and 0-4 in the MIAA.
Savannah Moore had three hits to lead the Ichabods' 10-hit attack and Stegman scored two runs and Harper added two hits. Sanders drove in two.
Ashley Wills struck out five scattering four hits over 8 1/3 innings pitched before giving away to Carson who pitched the final 2 1/3 innings allowing no earned runs giving up three hits.
Jordan Erickson tied a school record with six at bats in the game becoming the 30th person in school history to have six bats.
Savannah Moore had five hits in the doubleheader in seven at bats for a .714 batting average with a home run and Megan Stegman had 4 RBI scoring three runs.
 
Head coach Brenda Holaday
•    is 10-15 in her first season as the Ichabod head softball coach.
•    coached the previous 19 seasons at Washburn Rural High School in Topeka compiling a 351-93 record.
•    led the Junior Blues to three 6A state championships as well as winning 14 league championships earning 16 6A state tournament berths, five second-place state finishes and three third-place state finishes.
•    was been named the Centennial League Coach of the Year and City Coach of the Year nine different times earning the Midwest Sectional Coach of the Year in 2011 and the 6A Kansas Coach of the year two times in 2008 and 2011 and was named the overall Kansas Coach of the Year in 2011.
•    while at Washburn Rural, she coached more than 40 players who have gone on to play college softball including three at the NCAA Division I level including for Ichabod head softball coach Lisa Carey, the winningest coach by wins in program history.
 
Washburn Ichabod softball history . . .
•    The Ichabods are 1123-851-1 in their 48th year of softball.
•    The Ichabods have made three NCAA Tournament appearances (1999, 2006, 2008).
•    Washburn won the 2002 regular season MIAA title.
 
Up Next . . .
•    Washburn will open its home slate with weekend games against Missouri Southern on March 10 and Pittsburg State on March 11.