Leading off . . .
> The Washburn Ichabods softball team will return home for its first and final four home games of the regular season to be played at the Washburn Softball Complex starting on Friday with Nebraska-Kearney and on Saturday against Fort Hays State.
> Between games on Saturday against the Tigers, the Ichabods will honor the six seniors and their families. They include Samantha Stallbaumer, Ashley Ruder, Emilee Baker, Savannah Moore, Taylor Kirk and Megan Deiter.
> The Ichabods are 11-3 in MIAA play entering the weekend action currently sitting in third place in the standings.
> 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 splitting with Central Missouri on Friday and then sweeping Southwest Baptist on Saturday.
> Brianna Fuchs batted .467 with seven hits, scoring three runs driving in seven runs in the four games with a .533 slugging percentage and a .529 on base percentage … she drove in at least one run in each game and had a career-high 4 against UCM in the second game win while drawing two walks in the contest.
> Samantha Stallbaumer had a team-high eight hits with four runs scored while stealing four bases.
> Taylor Kirk scored six runs during the week with six hits and two home runs driving in three.
> Raegen Hamm was 1-0 with a 1.02 ERA and Bailey Zuniga was 2-1 with a 1.62 ERA.
 
 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 108 runs scored which is 10th all-time at Washburn.
> Moore's 40 doubles is 10th all-time at Washburn.
> Moore's 25 home runs is seventh all-time at Washburn.
> Moore's 142 RBI is fourth all-time at Washburn.
> Samantha Stallbaumer's 51 stolen bases are fourth all-time at Washburn.
> Samantha Stallbaumer's current .407 career batting average ranks first on the all-time Ichabod chart head of Tish Williams who had a .399 career average.
> Taylor Kirk's .756 season slugging percentage is fifth on the all-time list and the best since Tish Williams recorded a .889 percentage in 2007.
> Taylor Kirk's career .640 slugging percentage is third on the all-time list and the best since Tish Williams recorded a .792 percentage from 2006-10.
 
 On Deck . . .
Nebraska-Kearney
> The Lopers are 12-18 entering a doubleheader with Hastings College on April 9 in Hastings.
> The Ichabods won the last meeting on Feb. 17, earlier this season in Conway, Arkansas in a 13-2 win in a five-inning contest.
> The Lopers lead the all-time series 29-22, but the Ichabods have won the last five overall.
 
Last Meeting with UNK - Feb. 17, 2019
Game 1 - Washburn 13, Nebraska-Kearney 2 (5 innings)
The Ichabods scored seven runs in the first inning en route to a season-high 13 runs in a 13-2 run-rule win over MIAA foe Nebraska-Kearney.
The Ichabods sent 10 batters to the plate in their first at bat. With back to back to back singles to start the game by Samantha Stallbaumer, Brianna Fuchs and Savannah Moore. Stallbaumer stole home and Fuchs swiped second on a double steal and then Moore drove in Fuchs.
After Taylor Kirk walked, Kameron Kissinger singled and then both scored on a double by Bri Francis. Morgan Henry drove in a run with a sac fly staking the Ichabods 7-0 lead.
Nebraska-Kearney came back with two in the bottom of first but a solo home run by Moore put the Ichabods up 8-2.
Neither team scored until the Ichabods added five more runs with a 2-RBI double by Samantha Dutton, a sac fly by Sieana Hall, an RBI triple by Fuchs and an RBI double by Moore.
Raegen Hamm pitched four innings for the win allowing two runs with one strikeout and Bailey Zuniga pitched a perfect fifth inning to close out the game.
Fuchs and Moore each had three hits and Moore had 3 RBI.
 
Fort Hays State
> The Tigers are 16-15 overall and 9-7 in the MIAA entering a Friday doubleheader with Emporia State before facing the Ichabods on the following day.
> Washburn defeated the Tigers 8-0 on Feb. 17 in Conway, Arkansas earlier this season in a non-conference game.
> Washburn leads the all-time series 42-35 winning the last four overall.

Last Meeting with Fort Hays State - Feb 17, 2019
The Washburn Ichabods jumped out to a 1-0 lead in their first at bat after Stallbaumer led off the game with a single and then stole second and moved to third on a throwing error by the Tigers and would come around to score on a ground out by Fuchs.
In the second, the Ichabods added two more after Winter Henry walked and then scored on a triple by Kissinger who scored after an error by the Tigers.
Washburn broke the game open with five runs in the third inning after a 2-RBI double by Winter Henry and RBI by Kissinger and Kirk with a RBI double. Morgan Henry also drove in a run with a single.
Hamm (5-5) picked up her second win of the day scattering three hits with a strikeout and Zuniga pitched the fifth inning with a pair of strikeouts.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.
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 84-62 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 1148-894-1 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 . . .
The Ichabods will 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.