LEADING OFF
• Washburn baseball welcomes former MIAA combatant Truman State in its first series at Falley Field of the season.
• The Ichabods are 3-3 are after splitting a shortened weekend series with Southeastern Oklahoma.
WHERE TO FOLLOW
• Fans can fellow every pitch of the 2018 season via live stats available by visiting wusports.com/live or the team's schedule page ... for occasional in-game updates, news and more be sure to follow Washburn Athletics on Twitter (@wusports) and Facebook ... fans should also be on the look out for all new baseball/softball coaches' show featuring head coach Harley Douglas.
ICHABOD NOTABLES
• Josh Crosby had a team-best five game hit streak.
• Darian Abram and Javis Larson have each reached base six consecutive games.
• Kolton Meyer has safely reached base in three straight games.
• Bowe Behymer has a team-best six RBI.
• Jake Bublitz and Brady evenly split a combined 10 RBI.
• Bublitz is the first Ichabod this season to record three or more hits in a game.
• Sam Carver has a team-best eight strikeouts.
• Josh Ramirez leads the pitching staff innings pitched (8.2).
• Jake Butterfield recorded his first career save as an Ichabod in a 9-2 victory over SEOSU on Feb. 9.
• WU has scored opponents 33-30 with 18 Ichabod runs coming during the final three innings.
• This season, Washburn has turned seven double-plays.
• Ichabods pitchers have a collective 4.11 ERA.
THE SKIPPER
• Harley Douglas is in his fourth season as the Ichabods' head coach.
• Douglas' career record to begin the year was 88-68.
• Lead Washburn to consecutive (2015 & 2016) 30-wins seasons for the first time nearly three decades.
• Coached Miami Marlins' draft pick David Gauntt (2016, Rd. 18)
• Had the MIAA Pitcher and Player of the Year in 2016.
• Douglas is the first former Ichabod baseball player to be named head coach of the program ... he played under predecessor Steve Anson from 1997-2000.
• Set the single-season hits record in 2000 (88) en route to earning MIAA honors.
• Former member of the New York Mets minor league system.
SCOUTING TRUMAN STATE
• The Bulldogs are opening the 2018 season.
• Truman State was slated for a tie at sixth in the GLVC West Division Preseason Coaches' Poll.
• TSU was 18-30 last season and 11-15 in the GLVC.
• First baseman Charlie Kreh hit .348 last season with 19 doubles, 29 RBI and four home runs in 43 games.
• The Bulldog roster features five seniors and seven juniors while boasting 16 freshman and redshirt-freshman.
• Truman State is led by head coach Dan Davis who is in his 12th season and entered 2018 with a career record of 184-371.
SERIES HISTORY
• The weekend series ends a three-year hiatus since Washburn and Truman State last squared off.
• Washburn leads the all-time 60-25.
• In Topeka, the Ichabods are 32-9 all-time when hosting TSU.
• The final MIAA series between the Ichabods and Bulldogs was at Falley Field in 2013 with WU winning two of three games to take the series.
FALLEY FIELD
• The 2018 season marks the 29th season the Ichabods have called Falley Field home since it first opened prior to the 1990 campaign.
• Entering the year, the Ichabods are 370-262 (.591) at Falley Field.
MIAA PRESEASON RANKINGS
• Washburn begins the season ranked in a tie for ninth with NW Missouri in the MIAA Preseason Coaches' Poll ... Emporia State topped the list with 11 first -place votes ... No. 2 Central Missouri and No. 5 Missouri Western also each received a first-place vote ... the remainder of the top five consisted of No. 3 Central Oklahoma and No. 4 Lindenwood ... Pitt State claimed sixth with Missouri Southern and Southwest Baptist following respectively ... Northeastern State was listed at No. 11, Nebraska-Kearney at No. 12 and Fort Hays State at No. 13.
PRO 'BODS UPDATE
• Former Washburn hurler Brett Ash (2010-12, 14) continues his baseball career as a member of the Seattle Mariners' organization ... Ash, who's second in program-history in strikeouts (199), is set to begin his second season with the Mariners' Double-A affiliate, Arkansas Travelers.
• Former Ichabod backstop David Gauntt (2013-2016) will continue his professional career in 2018 as a member of the Miami Marlins' organization ... in 2017, Gauntt spent the season with Short-A affiliate, Batavia Muckdogs.
• Former Ichabod slugger Riley Krane (2014-2017) returns to the Windy City Thunder Bolts ... Krane signed with the Frontier League club after the 2017 season and batted .321 with 22 runs, 15 extra base hits, and 26 RBI in 42 appearances.
WASHBURN BASEBALL HISTORY
• The Washburn baseball program began in 1947.
• There was no Ichabod baseball from 1951-56 ... the program returned in 1957 under the direction of Marion McDonald.
• In 1985, head coach Steve Anson recorded the program's first 30-win season as went 33-20.
• Washburn baseball has been home to many talented alumni with some being able to take their talents to the Majors ... to date, their have been six former Ichabods who have played a regular-season or playoff game for an MLB club including George Darrow, Rick DeHart, Jerad Head, Davey Lopes, Jerry Robertson and Steve Simpson.
• Six Ichabods have been chosen in the MLB Amateur Draft with catcher David Gauntt being selected most recently (Miami Marlins, 2016, Rd. 18).
