Leading off . . .
> The Washburn Ichabods are back on the road for four games away from Topeka as they will face Central Missouri on Friday and Southwest Baptist on Saturday.
> The Ichabods have yet to play a game at their home field on the Washburn campus as rain and wet field conditions moved the two games last weekend against Missouri Southern and Pittsburg State to Patty Dick Field at Hummer Sports Park.
> The trip to Bolivar, Mo., to face Southwest Baptist will be the final regular season match up between the Ichabods and the Bearcats as SBU is leaving the MIAA heading to the Great Lakes Valley Conference.
> The Ichabods are 8-2 in MIAA play entering the weekend action.
> Thanks to Mother Nature, the Ichabods have had 25 games canceled so far this season.
> 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.
 
 Weekend recap . . .
> The Ichabods were 3-1 last weekend sweeping Pittsburg State on March 31 and then splitting a twin bill with Missouri Southern the day before.
> Maddie Stipsits led the Ichabods with a .667 batting average collecting six hits while driving in three runs.
> Winter Henry batted .600 with six hits and 1 RBI.
> Taylor Kirk dorve in four runs and Brianna Fuchs hit .429 with six hits and a triple while scoring four runs.
> Raegen Hamm was 1-1 with a 0.84 ERA with a complete game shutout against Pittsburg State and Bailey Zuniga won both her starts.
 
 Stat Watch . . .
> The five triples this season by Brianna Fuchs is tied for seventh all-time on the single season chart … the school record is eight.
> Savannah Moore has 106 runs scored which is 10th all-time at Washburn.
> Moore's 40 doubles is 10th all-time at Washburn.
> Moore's 24 home runs is tied for seventh all-time at Washburn.
> Moore's 137 RBI is fifth all-time at Washburn needing four more to move into the top four.
> Samantha Stallbaumer's 47 stolen bases are fourth all-time at Washburn.
> Samantha Stallbaumer's current .402 career batting average ranks first on the all-time Ichabod chart head of Tish Williams who had a .399 career average.
 
 On Deck . . .
Central Missouri
> The Jennies are 19-9 this season and 5-1 in the MIAA entering a doubleheader with Drury on April 3 before facing the Ichabods and Emporia State this weekend.
> The Jennies lead the all-time series with the Ichabods 49-43 after splitting a doubleheader last season.
 
Last Meeting with UCM - April 12, 2018
TOPEKA, Kan. -- The Washburn Ichabods split an MIAA doubleheader with Central Missouri winning the opener 4-0 before falling in extra innings in the second game 2-1.
Game 1 - Washburn 4, Central Missouri 4
The Ichabods jumped on the board with two runs in the top of the first as Samantha Stallbaumer and Emilee Baker both singled and Stallbaumer would come around to score on a throwing error. Brianna Francis doubled to left field scoring Baker as the Ichabods went up 2-0.
The Ichabods went up 4-0 after adding two more in the bottom of the fifth. After Lexie Myers reached on an error, Stallbaumer singled to third and then swiped second. Francis' second double scored Stallbaumer from second. The Ichabods scored another run on the Jennies' fourth error of the game later in the inning.
In the sixth, Megan Deiter became the Ichabod NCAA-era single season strikeout lead by sitting down Taylor Nickel for her 162nd strikeout of the season. Deiter improved to 15-0 on the season with nine total strikeouts allowing three hits in the shutout win.
Francis finished with two hits and 2 RBI and Stallbaumer had two hits as well.
Deiter's strikeout total now sits at 163 passing Amy Heiman's mark of 161 from the 1999 season.
Game 2 - Central Missouri 2, Washburn 1 (8 innings)
For the second straight game in the twin bill, the Ichabods got on the board first scoring a solo run in the bottom of the second when Maddie Anderson drew a bases-loaded walk scoring Alyssa Carney who was hit by a pitch.
Neither team scored until the Jennies chased across a run in the top of the fourth.
After the teams went scoreless in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings, the Jennies scored a run in the top of the eighth to go up 2-1.
In the home half of the eighth, Emilee Baker singled to center with one out and moved to third on a fly out by Savannah Moore. But the Ichabods couldn't score the tying run as the Jennies gained the split ending the Ichabods' 17-game MIAA winning streak.
Taylor Kirk had two of Washburn's four hits in the game and Anderson's hit by pitched led to the solo Ichabod run.
 
Southwest Baptist
> The Bearcats are 3-24 this season and 0-2 in the MIAA.
> SBU is on a 10-game losing streak entering a doubleheader with Missouri Southern on April 3.
> Washburn leads the all-time series 51-11 with the Bearcats and have won the last three overall.
Last Meeting with Southwest Baptist - April 13, 2018
TOPEKA, Kan. – The Washburn Ichabod softball team swept Southwest Baptist winning 8-0 behind a one-hit shutout by Megan Deiter in five innings in the opener and out-lasted the Bearcats in eight innings in the nightcap as Taylor Kirk's walk-off, lead-off home run in the bottom of the eighth sent Washburn home with a pair of wins completing the rally in the second game. The Ichabods (36-9, 20-2 MIAA) will wrap up the regular season with four games at home starting with Missouri Western on Friday followed by senior day on Saturday against Northwest Missouri.
Game 1 – Washburn 8, Southwest Baptist 0 (5 innings)
Deiter improved to 16-0 in the circle with six strikeouts in the game and Washburn scored four runs in the second to cruise to the win. After a lead-off single by Brianna Francis and a walk by Kirk (who walked three times in the game), Maddie Anderson drew a free pass and after Ashley Ruder was hit by a pitch sending Francis home, Lexie Myers singled scoring Kirk. An RBI single by Emilee Baker scored Ruder and Savannah Moore also drew a bases-loaded walk scoring Lexie Myers.
In the fourth, the Ichabods scored once on a double steal with Samantha Stallbaumer coming home as Baker took second to put Washburn up 5-0.
In the fifth, Lenae Salinas singled and then moved to second on Kirk's third walk of the day. Anderson singled and then Lexie Myers double down the left field line scored both Kirk and Anderson putting runners on first and third. Southwest Baptist then used seven infielders leaving only outfielders in right center and left center and Stallbaumer lifted a ball into left field gap for a single sending the game-winning run clinching the 8-0 win over the Bearcats.
Game 2 – Washburn 4, Southwest Baptist 3 (8 innings)
Taylor Kirk's lead-off home run in the eighth was the difference as the ball cleared the center field fence despite 25-30 mph winds coming in from right field to left field to wrap up the day for the Ichabods who trailed 3-1 entering the bottom of the sixth inning.
The Bearcats (15-30, 5-15 MIAA) scored in their first at bat taking a 1-0 lead, but Washburn came back with a run to tie the score on a single up the middle by Alyssa Carney sending Emilee Baker home in the bottom of the first.
The Bearcats scored two runs taking advantage of an Ichabod fielding error going up 3-1 and the Ichabods would not score until sending eight batters to the pate in the sixth inning. Savannah Moore walked to lead off the inning and Carney's single moved her to third after a wild pitch. A single by Kirk scored Moore and then Carney would come around to score on a fielder's choice by Salinas tying the score.
Lexi Crabtree came in a tossed the final 4 1/3 innings not allowing a Bearcat runner to reach base minus an error in the fourth as she retired the final 13 batters she faced for the win striking out four setting the table for Kirk's heroics to end the game.
Kirk finished the second game with two hits scoring once and driving in two.
 
 Head coach Brenda Holaday . . .
> is 81-61 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 1145-893-1 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 is scheduled wrap up the home slate against Nebraska-Kearney on April 12 and Fort Hays State on April 13. The Ichabods will then have their next eight games on the road with MIAA twin bills at Northeastern State, Central Oklahoma, Missouri Western and Northwest Missouri. The MIAA Tournament starts on May 2 in Edmond, Oklahoma at Central Oklahoma's softball complex.