Leading off . . .
• The Washburn Ichabod softball team is back in action at the Edmond Regional Festival hosted by Central Oklahoma and Oklahoma Christian starting with a single game on Saturday night with two more games on both Sunday and Monday.
• The Ichabods went 2-4 in their first action of the season at the Arkansas Tech Winter Invitational coming back from Houston, Texas with a pair of wins on the final day of play.
• Washburn is scheduled to have its first 23 games of the season on the road not playing a home game in Topeka until March 8 when they will open MIAA play against Lincoln followed by a twin bill with Lindenwood the following day.
• Washburn finished the 2018 season with a 39-14 record going 23-3 in MIAA play winning its first conference title since the 2002 season.
• The Ichabods also made their first NCAA postseason appearance since the 2008 season last year.
• Last season in non-conference play, the Ichabods were 4-3 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.
• The 39 wins in 2018 were 14 more than the Ichabods recorded in 2017.
• Washburn is 20-3 in games in which the Ichabods have hit a home run last season.
• Senior outfielder Emilee Baker led the Ichabods in 2018 with a .397 batting average and her 69 hits were second on the squad … her 42 runs scored were second on the team and her 29 RBI were tied for third.
• The 2018 MIAA Freshman of the Year in the MIAA, catcher Bri Francis was third on the team with a .383 batting average and batted .415 in MIAA games.
• Senior third baseman Savannah Moore led the team with 19 multi-RBI games had 21 multi-hit games … she was fourth on the team with a .379 batting average … her 61 RBI was an Ichabod single season record ranked fifth in the NCAA Division II ranks.
• Senior outfielder Samantha Stallbaumer led the team with 53 runs scored and 31 stolen bases … her 74 hits led the Ichabods last season.
• Senior pitcher Megan Deiter recorded a team-best 2.27 earned run average going 17-2 in the circle en route to MIAA Pitcher of the Year honors. She has a better than 2 to 1 strikeout to walk ratio with 180 K's compared to 96 BB's and opponents batted .192 against her … she set the Ichabod single-season strikeout record.
• Washburn led the NCAA Division II ranks in 2018 with a .980 fielding percentage.
• The 76 stolen bases (in 84 attempts) 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 batted .314 compared to their .245 batting average from in 2017.
• The Ichabod pitching staff has also lowered its ERA dropping to 2.87 in 2018 from 3.12 in 2017.
• Washburn outscored its opponents 55 to 14 in the first inning, 42 to 20 in the second inning, 42 to 17 in the third inning, 29 to 20 in the fourth inning, 53 to 41 in the fifth inning, 40 to 24 in the sixth inning and was outscored 18 to 17 in scoring in the seventh inning in 2018.
• The Ichabods were 24-2 when scoring in the first innings of games last season and 32-7 this season when scoring first.
• Washburn is 33-5 last season when leading after four innings.
• Washburn opponents were 2-25 when scoring two runs or less last season.
• Washburn was 35-4 last season when out hitting its opponents.
 
 Weekend one recap . . .
• The Ichabods were 2-4 over the weekend at the Arkansas Tech Winter Invitational.
• Samanatha Stallbaumer had a team-high 11 hits with three stolen bases.
• Stallbaumer, Bri Francis and Taylor Kirk each scored five runs.
• Savannah Moore recorded 9 RBI while Kirk had 7 RBI.
• Kirk also led the team with three home runs.
• Reagen Hamm picked up both of the wins in the circle going 2-2 with 16 strikeouts allowing nine earned runs with one complete game.
 
 On Deck . . .
Rogers State
• The Hillcats are 2-2 this season entering the weekend.
• The Ichabods lead the series 2-1.
 
Texas Woman's
• The Pioneers were 1-3 at the Arkansas Tech Winter Invitational picking up a 4-3 win over the Ichabods.
• The series is tied 2-2.
 
Oklahoma Christian
• The Eagles are 5-0 this season.
• The series is tied 1-1 with the Ichabods.
• OC won the last meeting on Feb. 9, 2018 in a 5-0 win.
 
East Central
• The Tigers are 0-1 this season.
• The series is tied 2-2.
• Washburn won 4-3 in the last meeting in eight innings on Feb. 18, 2017.
 
Southern Nazarene
• The Crimson Storm is 2-2 this season.
• The series is tied 2-2 with Washburn.
• The Ichabods won the last meeting on Feb. 9, 2018 in a 5-1 win.
 
 2018 In Review . . .
The Washburn Ichabods won their first MIAA regular season championship since the 2002 season and returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2008 finishing the season with a 39-14 record going 23-3 in the MIAA winning the league by four games in the conference race.
Washburn had its longest winning streak from March 18 to March 31 winning eight games in a row including a doubleheader sweep at Emporia State. After splitting a twin bill with the Hornets the following day, the Ichabods would go on to win seven more in a row taking a total of 15 of 16 games played.
Records Fall
The Ichabods broke several school records this season including 62 RBI in a single season by Savannah Moore and 180 strikeouts by Megan Deiter both setting single season records. Deiter also broke the Ichabods' single-game record with 14 strikeouts against Nebraska-Kearney.
Taylor Kirk and Moore also tied an Ichabod single-game record with 7 RBI with Kirk's coming against Lincoln and Moore's against Pittsburg State.
All-MIAA Honors
Brenda Holaday became the first Ichabod head coach since Kim Newbern in 2002 to receive the MIAA Coach of the Year honor and only the second in program history.
Brianna Francis was named the MIAA Freshman of the Year becoming only the third Ichabod to receive the honor joining Tish Williams in 2007 and Katie Gregg in 2002.
Megan Deiter was named the MIAA Pitcher of the Year becoming the first Ichabod to receive the award.
Dieter, Savannah Moore and Samantha Stallbaumer were all three named first team all-MIAA and Brianna Francis, Emilee Baker and Taylor Kirk were all selected as second team all-MIAA picks. Kelsee Henry and Alyssa Carney were tabbed as honorable mention all-conference selections.
Classroom Success
Washburn had seven players named National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-America Scholar-Athletes for the 2017-18 academic year.
Alyssa Carney, Megan Deiter, Halle England, Brianna Francis, Taylor Kirk, Lacie Myers, Lexie Myers were the representatives from Washburn softball.
The Ichabod softball team 12 players named to the MIAA Academic Honor Roll as well.
Carney was also honored for the third time in her Ichabod career (two with volleyball) as a CoSIDA Academic All-American earning second team honors as a senior.
 
 Where to follow . . .
• Fans can also follow the Ichabod softball team at @IchabodSB for updates as well at the athletic department twitter handle at @wusports.
 
 Last time out. . .
CONROE, Texas -- The Washburn Ichabod softball team wrapped up the Arkansas Tech Winter Invitational as the bats came alive as the Ichabods topped Southeastern Oklahoma State 12-1 in five innings and then St. Mary's 5-2. Washburn is back in action at the Edmond Regional Festival next weekend.
Game 1 - Washburn 12, Southeastern Oklahoma State 1
The Ichabods opened the game with seven runs in the top of the first inning sending 12 batters to the plate. After Samantha Stallbaumer led off the game with a single and then swiped second, she would come around to score with Emilee Baker who reached on an error on a 2-RBI double by Savannah Moore. Moore would score on a two-run home run by Taylor Kirk to right center and after a Bri Francis double and a single by Ashley Ruder, a Brianna Fuchs single scored two runs.
The Savage Storm scored their only run in the bottom of the first and then the Ichabods added two more in the second on RBI by Baker and Fuchs.
Washburn's Taylor Kirk led off the third inning with a solo home run with her third round triper of the season. In the fourth, Moore drove in her third run of the game wrapping up the scoring for the Ichabods.
Raegen Hamm tossed three innings scattering five hits for the win picking up her first win of the season as Megan Deiter and Bailey Zuniga each picked scoreless innings.
Game 2 - Washburn 5, St. Mary's 2
The Washburn Ichabods scored three runs in the first and never looked back picking up the 5-2 win over the Rattlers improving to 2-4 on the season.
In the first, Bri Francis cleared the bases with a triple down the line staking Washburn to the 3-0 lead.
Neither team wold score until the sixth inning when Savannah Moore drove in Stallbaumer and Winter Henry with a single up the middle as Washburn built a 5-0 lead.
The Ratters scored solo runs in the sixth and seventh but it was not enough as the Ichabods won their second straight.
Stallbaumer was 4 for 5 with a pair of runs scored and Francis drove in three with two hits and Moore has two hits and 2 RBI. Winter Henry had three hits scoring a run.
Hamm picked up her second win of the day tossing 4 1/3 innings allowing four hits.
 
 Head coach Brenda Holaday . . .
• is 66-48 in her third 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 and was inducted into the Washburn Rural High School Hall of Fame in 2018.
• was 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 former Ichabod head softball coach Lisa Carey, the winningest coach by wins in program history.
 
 Washburn Ichabod softball history . . .
• The Ichabods are 1135-875-1 in their 50th year of softball.
• The Ichabods have made four NCAA Tournament appearances (1999, 2006, 2008, 2018).
• Washburn won the 2002 and 2018 regular season MIAA titles.
 
 Up Next . . .
Washburn will continue to be road warriors as the Ichabods will take part in the Eight State Classic in Bentonville, Arkansas Feb. 15-17.