Leading off . . .
•  The 2018 MIAA regular season champion Washburn Ichabods will be making their first tournament appearance since the 2015 season when they will open with the No. 8-seeded Emporia State Hornets at 5 p.m. on Thursday, April 26 at the USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City.
•  The Ichabods clinched their first MIAA regular season title since the 2002 season in head coach Brenda Holaday's second year in the Washburn dugout.
•  The Ichabods enter the MIAA Tournament with a 39-10 while finishing the conference season with a 23-3 mark, the most for an Ichabod team in MIAA play in program history.
•  Washburn is in search of its first 40-win season since the 2002 campaign when the Ichabods finished the season 48-11.
•  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 39 wins this season are 14 more than the Ichabods recorded in 2017.
•  Washburn is 20-2 in games in which the Ichabods have hit a home run.
•  Emilee Baker has a .407 batting average to lead the team and her 66 hits are second on the squad … her 41 runs scored is second on the team and her 28 RBI is tied for second … her 19 multi-hit is tied for second on the team lead.
•  Brianna Francis is second on the team with a .400 batting average and is batting .415 in MIAA games.
•  Savannah Moore leads the team with 17 multi-RBI games has 19 multi-hit games …  she is fourth on the team with a .378 batting average while batting .371 in MIAA play … her 60 RBI this season is tops on the team and is ranked fifth in the NCAA Division II ranks … she has already set the Ichabod high-water mark for a single season … her 15 doubles lead the team and her 62 hits is third on the team.
•  Samantha Stallbaumer leads the team with 51 runs scored, 28 stolen bases, and her 67 hits.
•  Megan Deiter has a team-best 2.01 earned run average going 17-1 in the circle. She has a better than 2 to 1 strikeout to walk ratio with 177 K's compared to 783 BB's and opponents are batting .191 against her … she already has snapped the Ichabod single-season strikeout record … she is a finalist for the NFCA D2 National Player of the Year.
•  Kelsee Henry is 16-3 in the circle and has a 3.25 ERA.
•  The 70 stolen bases (in 78 attempts) this season for the Ichabods in 49 games has already passed the final season total dating back to every year since 1999 when the Ichabods swiped 74 bases for the entire season.
•  This season as a team the Ichabods are batting .316 compared to their .245 batting average from last season.
•  The Ichabod pitching staff has also lowered its ERA dropping to 2.69 in 2018 from 3.12 in 2017.
•  Defensively, the Ichabods lead the nation in fielding percentage committing only 27 errors through 49 games with a fielding percentage of .979 …  in 2017, the Ichabods had 39 errors and a .950 fielding percentage.
•  Washburn is outscoring its opponents 51 to 11 in the first inning, 41 to 20 in the second inning, 41 to 15 in the third inning, 29 to 16 in the fourth inning, 52 to 36 in the fifth inning, 36 to 24 in the sixth inning and 17 to 13  in the seventh inning.
•  The Ichabods are 24-0 when scoring in the first innings of games this season and 32-4 this season when scoring first.
•  Washburn is 33-4 this season when leading after four innings.
•  Washburn opponents are 1-25 when scoring two runs or less.
•  Washburn is 35-2 this season when out hitting its opponents.
•  Washburn was picked 10th in the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll.
 
MIAA Tournament opening game opponent. . .
•  The Ichabods will open the MIAA Tournament with the No. 8-seeded Emporia State Hornets.
•  The Ichabods won three of four meeting this season with the Hornets sweeping the doubleheader in Emporia on March 30 and splitting a non-conference twin bill with ESU on March 31 in Topeka.
•  The Hornets have won their last nine games entering the tournament and is the longest winning streak since 2015 where they won nine games in a row from Feb. 27 to March 14.
 
Possible second game opponents
•  The Ichabods will face with the winner or loser of the Missouri Western/Northwest Missouri game at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday night.
 
Record watching . . .
•  Lexi Crabtree has seven saves this season which broke the Ichabod single-season record set by Samantha Carson in 2016.
•  Savannah Moore has 60 RBI this season breaking the Ichabod single season record of 56 set by Tish Williams in 2007.
•  Megan Deiter has 177 strikeouts this year and passing Amy Heiman's mark of 161 set in 1999.
•  The Ichabod single season record for runs scored in a season is 58 and Samantha Stallbaumer enters the tournament with 51.
•  The Ichabod single season record for stolen bases in a season is 33 and Samantha Stallbaumer enters the tournament with 28.
 
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.
 
Ichabods in the MIAA Tournament . . .
The Ichabods have compiled a 33-45 record in the MIAA Tournament dating back to the 1991 season.
1991 • 1-2
1992 • 2-2
1993 • 1-2
1994 • 1-2 (4-1 in MIAA Interdivision play-in tournament qualifier)
1995 • 2-2
1996 • 2-2
1997 • 2-2
1998 • 3-2
1999 • 1-2
2000 • 3-2
2001 • 1-2
2002 • 2-2
2003 • 1-2
2004 • 0-2
2005 • did not qualify
2006 • 1-2
2007 • 3-2
2008 • 1-2
2009 • 0-2
2010 • 0-2
2011 • 1-2
2012 • 1-2
2013 • did not qualify
2014 • did not qualify
2015 • 0-2
2016 • did not qualify
2017 • did not qualify
 
Records vs MIAA Opponents in the MIAA Tournament . . .
Central Missouri • The Ichabods are 5-6 against the Jennies.
Central Oklahoma • The Ichabods are 0-1 against the Bronchos losing the last meeting on April 30, 2015 in Overland Park.
Emporia State • The Ichabods trail the ESU in tournament match ups 1-9 having lost the last six encounters. Washburn has not beat Emporia State in the MIAA Tournament since a 6-3 win during the 1998 tournament.
Fort Hays State • The Ichabods lost the only meeting in MIAA Tournament play to the Tigers on May 7, 2011 in a 5-3 loss.
Lincoln • The Ichabods are 3-0 against the Blue Tigers.
Missouri Southern • The Lions lead the conference tournament match ups 5-2.
Missouri Western • The Ichabods are 2-7 against the Griffons in MIAA Tournament meetings.
Northwest Missouri • Washburn is 3-2 against the Bearcats winning the last meeting on May 6, 2011 with a walk-off grand slam.
Pittsburg State • The Ichabods have played the Gorillas the most in the tournament, nine times with the series tied 5-5. The Ichabods last played the Gorillas in the opening round of the 2015 tournament.
Southwest Baptist • The Ichabods have won all three meetings leading the series 3-0.
Teams no longer in the MIAA
Missouri-Rolla • The Ichabods lead the meetings in the tournament 4-1.
Missouri-St. Louis • The Ichabods are 1-2 against the Tritons in the tournament.
Truman • The Ichabods are 3-7 against the Bulldogs and have lost four of the last five meetings in the tournament.
 
Last time out . . .
TOPEKA, Kan. – The Washburn Ichabods wrapped up the 2018 regular season with a senior day sweep over Northwest Missouri winning the opener 5-1 before rallying for a 3-2 victory in the nightcap. The Ichabods finished the regular season 39-10 going 23-3 in the MIAA. Washburn will be the No. 1 seed at the MIAA Tournament starting Thursday in Oklahoma City.
Game 1 – Washburn 5, Northwest Missouri 1
Washburn jumped on the board in its first at bat scoring three in the frame after three straight singles by Samantha Stallbaumer, Emilee Baker and Savannah Moore to load the bases, Taylor Kirk's double to right scored two and Halle England's ground out scored Moore staking the Ichabods to a 3-0 lead.
Washburn added another on Taylor Kirk's two-out blast into the left field trees on her team-leading 12th home run of the season pushing the lead to 4-0. Neither team scored until the fifth when the Bearcats pushed across their only run of the game.
Washburn added a solo run in the sixth after Lexie Myers walked and Courtney Todd was inserted as a pinch runner and would come around to score on a sac fly by Baker wrapping up the scoring.
Kelsee Henry picked up the win going 5 1/3 innings with three strikeouts improving to 15-3 on the season and Lexi Crabtree recorded the first of her two saves of the afternoon tossing 1 2/3 innings not allowing a base runner for her sixth and seventh saves of the season.
England had three hits and 3 RBI in the opening game.
Game 2 – Washburn 3, Northwest Missouri 2
Washburn stranded 12 base runners, but rallied from a 2-1 deficit scoring two times in the bottom of the sixth inning for the comeback win.
After Washburn took a 1-0 lead on an Alyssa Carney single scoring Taylor Kirk who doubled one batter before in the third inning, the Bearcats came back scoring an unearned run in the fourth tying the score at 1-1.
Northwest added a run in the fifth to go up 2-1 setting the table for the Ichabod rally in the sixth. Pinch hitter Lenae Salinas singled to lead off the inning and Ashley Ruder re-entered the game to come around and score along with Halle England on a two-run single up the middle by Savannah Moore.
In the top of the seventh, Lexi Crabtree relieved starter Megan Deiter, who won her 17th game of the season, with a strike out allowing one Bearcat to reach, but ended the game with a strikeout.
Moore and Kirk each had two hits in the game and Moore finished with 2 RBI adding to her Ichabod single-season record of 60.
 
Head coach Brenda Holaday
•  is 64-40 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 1133-867-1 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 . . .
•  The NCAA National Tournament pairings will be announced on May 7 on ncaa.com on a 9 a.m. CST selection show and the regional tournament will start May 10 and run through May 12. The NCAA Super Regional will run May 17-18 and the College World Series will run May 24-28 in Salem, Virginia.