The Washburn baseball team is set to open its 2019 home schedule at Falley Field, having played the last 24 games on the road, on Tuesday at it welcomes Baker for a 6 pm showdown.
Live stats for each game will be available online at wusports.com/live or on the team's schedule page with additional links to radio and video made available on a game-by-game basis.
LEADING OFF
» Tuesday will be the 61st meeting all-time, with Washburn leading the series, 45-14-1.
» In their two series, the Ichabods are hitting .274 with 26 runs during the six game stretch.
» The 2019 campaign marks the 30th season Washburn Baseball has called Falley Field home, since opening prior to the 1990 season.
» Washburn is led by Harley Douglas, who is in his fifth season with the program.
A LOOK AT BAKER
The Wildcats visit Topeka for the first time March 8, 2005, and are 10-15 on the year and riding a four-game losing streak. Baker batters are hitting .269 with 36 doubles, 100 walks and 48 steals. Cooper Karlin is hitting a team-best .400 (30-for-75) with 16 runs, while Logan Wyatt leads the way with 16 RBI. Cody Rowe is 11-for-15 (.733) in stolen bases. The Baker pitching staff has a combined 5.65 ERA in 176.2 innings and has surrendered 137 runs on 219 hits. David Tudhope is 2-2 on the year with a 4.40 ERA in 30.2 innings and 24 strikeouts.
ON THE MOUND
The Ichabod pitching staff has a combined 4.70 ERA with 192 strikeouts in 201.0 innings of work. The staff averages 8.0 strikeouts per nine, which is sixth among the MIAA.
» Josh Ramirez is 2-3 in eight starts and holds a 4.17 ERA in 45.1 innings and seventh among league leaders with 49 strikeouts. His 191.2 career innings is ninth-best oin the Washburn record and is 25 outs shy of reaching 200 innings pitched, making him just the eighth Ichabod to accomplish the feat.
» Jacob Head is 2-2 in seven starts, while posting a 4.19 ERA in 34.1 innings of work with 26 strikeouts. On March 1, Head lead the charge in a combined shutout effort at Pittsburg State in a two-hit, 6.0-inning outing.
» Brandon Gabler is 3-0 on the year in 10 appearances with a 3.32 ERA, 23 strikeouts in 21.2 innings, while oppoenents are .169 hitting.
OFFENSIVE CONTRIBUTIONS
The Ichabods have received offensive support form their entire lineup:
» 16 different players have scored at least one run, with eight scoring at least six times.
» 12 players have doubles led by Larson and Lane Harvey with six apiece. Brady Hoover has a team-best 12 extra base hits, including six home runs, sitting second on the team in hitting with a .297 clip (27-for-91).
» De Leon is hitting a team-best .330 with two triples and 19 runs and is currently riding a six-game hit streak .
» Eight players have at least five RBI, with Hoover's 24 runs batted in leading a quartet of Ichabods with double-digit RBI.
» De Leon and Larson led team in the UCM series with a .364 (4-for-11) average. Larson has paced or the team in hitting in three of last five series including a .636 marking at at Missouri Western.
YARD WORK
» The Ichabods began the season with a home run in four consecutive games en route to tallying 10 during their opening seven games of the season. They broke a nine-game drought without a home run last Saturday, March 9 at Missouri Southern.
» Six of the 12 home runs Washburn has hit this season have come from the lead off spot.
» In the last four seasons, Washburn has homered 193 times including 69 home run outburst in 2016 for second all-time.
UNDER DOUGLAS
Fifth-year head coach Harley Douglas is the fifth head coach in the program's 67 seasons. Douglas is 105-98 in his last four seasons which includes back-to-back seasons with over 30-plus wins. The first former player to take the helm, Douglas played four seasons (1997-2000) for predecessor Steve Anson before a stint with the New York Mets system and a three-year term as Anson's top assistant.
#PROBODS UPDATE
Former Ichabod slugger Riley Krane (2014-17) is set for his second full season in the Frontier League in 2019 when he suits for the Joliet Slammers. Krane is hitting a .248 for his career with eight dingers, 52 RBI in 123 game s played.
'BODS IN THE BIGS
Washburn baseball has been home to many talented alumni with some being able to take their talents to Major League Baseball. 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. Additionally, six Ichabods have been chosen in the MLB Amateur Draft with catcher David Gauntt being selected most recently by the Miami Marlins in 2016 (Round 18).
UP NEXT
Washburn will resume MIAA action as it visits Northwest Missouri for a three-game series scheduled to begin on Friday.
