Leading off . . .
•  The Washburn Ichabod softball team returns to the Washburn Softball Complex a day sooner than expected as the weekend forecast has moved up a pair of MIAA doubleheaders which will start on Thursday as the Ichabods will play host to Central Missouri at 1:30 p.m.
•  On Friday, the Ichabods will return to action hosting Southwest Baptist, also scheduled for a 1:30 p.m. start time.
•  Against Southwest Baptist, the softball team will be hosting its annual Cancer Awareness Day. Both the Ichabods and the Bearcats will be wearing lavender ribbons and the Ichabods will be sporting lavender warm up shirts as well. Prior to the game, the Ichabods will recognize Chelle Vale, the mother of the Ichabod softball manager Brittany Vale and she is current Kelsee Henry and Morgan Henry's aunt, prior to the starting line ups being announced. She spent the last year fighting breast cancer and now is cancer free. Both teams will release lavender balloons as well prior to the starting line ups.
•  The Ichabods enter the games with Central Missouri 33-8 and 17-1 in the MIAA.
•  The 17 MIAA wins is the most for an Ichabod team in program history as the Ichabods are off to their best in MIAA play since the 2002 season when they would finish the year 16-2 in league play winning 11 games in a row at one point en route to a 48-11 season.
•  The Ichabods have won their last 16 MIAA games in a row.
•  The Ichabods are in first place in the MIAA race with the 17-1 record while Central Missouri is 13-3 and Central Oklahoma is 12-4. Northwest Missouri is 12-4 in fourth and Missouri Western is 10-6 … the Ichabods will face each of these except Central Oklahoma in the final two weeks of the season.
•  In non-conference play, the Ichabods have gone 4-1 against teams from the NSIC, 5-2 against the Heartland Conference, 3-2 against the GLVC and 3-1 against teams from the GAC this year and now 1-1 against MIAA teams in non-conference games after splitting with Emporia State earlier this season.
•  The 33 wins this season are eight more than the Ichabods recorded in 2017.
•  The 33-8 start follows the 2002 team (33-8 through 41 games) and the 1986 teams (38-3 through 41 games) as the best starts in school history.
•  Washburn is 18-2 in games in which the Ichabods have hit a home run.
•  Brianna Francis leads the team with a .460 batting average and is batting .512 in the last 18 MIAA games she has played in.
•  Emilee Baker has a .437 batting average and leads the team lead with 59 hits scoring 38 runs which is second on the team … her 19 multi-hit also leads the team.
•  Savannah Moore leads the team with 16 multi-RBI games and 17 multi-hit games …  she is third on the team with a .410 batting average while batting .438 in MIAA play … her 57 RBI this season is tops on the team and has already set the Ichabod high-water mark … her 15 doubles and 57 hits is tied for the team lead.
•  Samantha Stallbaumer leads the team with 44 runs scored and 20 stolen bases … she is tied for second on the team with 57 hits.
•  Megan Deiter has a team-best 1.97 earned run average going 14-0 in the circle. She has a better than 2 to 1 strikeout to walk ratio with 154 K's compared to 70 BB's and opponents are batting .198 against her … she needs seven strikeouts to tie and eight to break the Ichabod single-season record.
•  Kelsee Henry is 14-3 in the circle and has a 3.33 ERA.
•  The 57 stolen bases this season for the Ichabods in 41 games has already passed the final season total dating back to every year since 2000 when the Ichabods swiped 58 bases for the entire season.
•  This season as a team the Ichabods are batting .325 compared to their .245 batting average from last season.
•  The Ichabod pitching staff has also lowered its ERA dropping to 2.83 in 2018 from 3.12 in 2017.
•  Defensively, the Ichabods have been solid committing only 21 errors through 41 games with a fielding percentage of .981 … in 2017, the Ichabods had 39 errors and a .950 fielding percentage.
•  Washburn is outscoring its opponents 43 to 9 in the first inning, 35 to 17 in the second inning, 35 to 15 in the third inning, 28 to 12 in the fourth inning, 47 to 30 in the fifth inning, 29 to 21 in the sixth inning and 17 to 13  in the seventh inning.
•  The Ichabods are 20-0 when scoring in the first innings of games this season and 28-3 this season when scoring first.
•  Washburn is 29-3 this season when leading after four innings.
•  Washburn opponents are 0-21 when scoring two runs or less.
•  Washburn is 30-1 this season when out hitting its opponents.
•  The Ichabods are hitting .337 as a team in MIAA play while holding opponents to a .226 batting average.
•  Washburn's pitching staff as a 2.05 earned run average in MIAA action compared to its opponents ERA of 5.02.
•  Washburn was picked 10th in the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll.
•  The Ichabods return seven letterwinners off last season's squad which went 25-30 finishing ninth in the MIAA race. Of the seven returnees, two were honorable mention all-MIAA selections in junior third baseman Savannah Moore senior pitcher Kelsee Henry.
 
Record watching . . .
•  Lexi Crabtree has four saves this season which ties the Ichabod single-season record set by Samantha Carson last season.
•  Savannah Moore has 57 RBI this season and breaking the Ichabod single season record of 56 set by Tish Williams in 2007.
•  Megan Deiter has 154 strikeouts this year and the current leader is Amy Heiman's mark of 161 set in 1999.
 
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.
 
About the Jennies . . .
•  The Jennies are 24-16 overall and 13-3 in the MIAA race two games behind the Ichabods.
•  UCM has won its last three games.
•  UCM is batting .292 as a team led by Lauryn Deer's .406 average … she has stolen 25 bases in 29 attempts.
•  Paxton Summers leads the team with 27 RBI and three home runs.
•  In the circle, Katie Glacone leads the team with a 9-5 record and a 2.94 ERA … as a team the Jennies have a 3.76 ERA.
 
About the Bearcats . . .
•  The Bearcats are 15-26 overall and 5-11 in MIAA play entering Thursday's doubleheader at Emporia State.
•  Jaidyn Mawhinney leads the team with a .322 batting average and 38 hits.
•  Claire Miller has a 12-13 record in the circle with seven shutouts.
 
Last time out . . .
TOPEKA, Kan. – The Washburn Ichabod softball team continued its winning ways rolling over Northeastern State winning 7-1 and 9-0 to win its 16th-straight MIAA game improving to 17-1 in league play and 33-8 overall.
Game 1 – Washburn 7, Northeastern State 1
The Ichabods jumped on the board first scoring a solo run in the bottom of the first on a double to right center by Savannah Moore scoring Samantha Stallbaumer putting Washburn in front 1-0. In the second inning with two outs, Ashley Ruder singled and after a walk by Lexie Myers, a single through the left side by Stallbaumer stretched the lead to 2-0.
In the third, the Ichabods added three more going up 5-0. With the bases loaded, Lexie Myers was hit by a pitch and Alyssa Carney scored after recording a single and then a two-out single to left by Stallbaumer drove in both Maddie Anderson who reached after getting plunked and Ruder who reached on a fielder's choice.
Washburn moved the lead to seven with two more in the bottom of the fifth on a 2-run shot by Lexie Myers scoring Anderson who led off the inning with a double.
The RiverHawks (25-20, 11-9 MIAA) pushed one run across in the sixth, but it wasn't enough as the Ichabods picked up the win for starter Megan Deiter who moved her recorded to 14-0 with 10 strikeouts lifting her season total to 154, which is eight shy of breaking the Ichabod NCAA era record for strikeouts in a single season held by Amy Heiman set in 1999.
Stallbaumer finished with three hits and drove in three as did Lexie Myers.
Game 2 – Washburn 9, Northeastern State 0 (5 innings)
The Ichabods took advantage of four total errors by the RiverHawks including two in the first inning to plate five runs in the opening frame cruising to the run-rule win. After Stallbaumer led off the game with a single, she scored on an RBI from Emilee Baker, who would score on a sac fly by Brianna Francis. A two-out triple by Ruder scored both Taylor Kirk and Anderson as the Ichabods built the 5-0 lead.
Washburn scored another unearned run in the second when Savannah Moore's ground out scored Stallbaumer who reached on an error going up 6-0.
In the third, Washburn scored three times as Kirk walked and moved to second on a single by Anderson. Ruder's RBI single scored Kirk and then Stallbaumer's ground out scored Anderson. After a walk by Baker, Savannah Moore's RBI single up the middle scored Ruder, for her 57th RBI of the season, breaking the Ichabod single-season record topping the 56 Tish Williams had in 2007.
Kelsee Henry scattered three hits in the game striking out three improving to 14-3 on the season.
Baker and Ruder each had two hits to lead the Ichabods.
 
Head coach Brenda Holaday
•  is 58-38 in her second 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 named the Centennial League Coach of the t 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 former Ichabod head softball coach Lisa Carey, the winningest coach by wins in program history.
 
Washburn Ichabod softball history . . .
• The Ichabods are 1125-865-1 in their 49th year of softball.
• The Ichabods have made three NCAA Tournament appearances (1999, 2006, 2008).
• Washburn won the 2002 regular season MIAA title.
 
Up Next . . .
•  After the doubleheader with the Bearcats, the Ichabods will wrap up the regular season at home hosting Missouri Western on April 20 and then Northwest Missouri on April 21. Between games with Northwest Missouri, the three seniors - Maddie Anderson, Alyssa Carney and Kelsee Henry will be honored.