LEADING OFF
• Washburn baseball begin a grueling schedule as it closes March with 12 games in 15 days. The slate starts this weekend with a three-game set in the Sooner State against MIAA foe Northeastern State in Tahlequah, before darting over to Durant on Monday to complete the season series with non-conference foe Southeastern Oklahoma.
• The Ichabods conclude the whirlwind weekend on Tuesday, March 20 when they return to Falley Field to host MIAA rival, Fort Hays State.
• First pitch with the RiverHawks is slated for 2 pm on Friday and Saturday with a 1 pm start on Sunday.
• Monday's game with the Storm is scheduled for 2 pm, while home game with the Tigers is scheduled for 5 pm.
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
• Darian Abram had his reached base streak snapped at 17 during game two on the Missouri Western series.
• Jake Hahn is the team leader in average (.304) with 17 hits in 56 plate appearances. Hahn has eight RBI this season and is second in on base percentage (.409).
• Javis Larson has a team-best eight steals in 11 attempts. Larson is hitting .203 on the year with three doubles.
• Josh Crosby began the season with a five-game hit streak (Feb. 1-9) and has a team-best seven multi-hit games with multiple RBI five times. Crosby entered the week tied for third in the MIAA home run race (6).
• Bowe Behymer is hitting .229 with .371 slugging and .316 OBP.
• The Washburn pitching staff has a collective 4.99 ERA through 160.2 innings of work.
• Josh Ramirez leads the pitching crop in innings pitched (36.1) and is second in strikeouts (24). Ramirez is among the top five in the MIAA in ERA (3rd, 1.98), innings pitched (4th), and opponent batting average (5th, .200).
• Sam Carver's 23 hits allowed is tied for eighth-best among MIAA leaders while his .253 opponent batting average is among the league's top 20.
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 NORTHEASTERN STATE
• The RiverHawks began the week 11-9 overall, 3-6 in the MIAA and are 4-0 this season at home.
• NSU has five players batting .300 or better including team leader Jaxon Phipps (.352).
• As a team NSU is batting .252 with 18 home runs has an on-base percentage of .349 and 16 steals in 27 27 attempts.
• The RiverHawks' ERA is a collective 3.24 through 163.2 innings with 129 strikeouts.
SCOUTING SOUTHEASTERN OKLAHOMA
• The Storm began the week at 10-11 on the season and 6-6 in conference play and carried a two-game win streak.
• Monday's game will cap a five games in seven days scenario as SOSU faced Arkansas-Fort Smith at home earlier in the week before going to Henderson State for a three-game GAC tilt over the weekend.
• The Storm are hitting .287 as a group with 17 home runs, .389 on-base percentage and 16 steals in 22 attempts.
• Pitchers have a collective 6.54 ERA through 172.0 innings and 154 strikeouts, while allowing opponents to hit .293.
SCOUTING FORT HAYS
• The Tigers entered the week at 9-11 and 1-8 in the MIAA with a 5-6 mark on the road.
• FHSU collectively is hitting .292 and average just under 11 hits a game (10.6) through 20 games with 47 doubles, .382 OBP, and 17 steals on 26 attempts.
• The Tiger pitching staff has tossed 177.2 innings through 20 games, and has a group ERA of 7.70 with 134 strikeouts.
SERIES HISTORY
• Since 1989, WU has faced the RiverHawks 19 times with NSU leading the all-time series 11-8 and has won 5 of 7 games during the last two seasons including a three-game sweep in 2017.
• Washburn leads the season series with SOSU, 2-1, and lead the all-time series, 3-2.
• Tuesday game with FHSU is the first of three games this season for Washburn and will be the 177th all-time meeting. The Ichabods trail the all-time series, 75-101, but have won 5 of 7 meetings since 2015.
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.
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).
