Leading off . . .
> The Washburn Ichabod softball team is back in action this weekend in Arkansas for four games at the Eight State Classic in Bentonville, Ark., starting on Saturday.
EDITED UPDATED -- GAME TIMES HAVE CHANGED
> The Ichabods will face Upper Iowa at noon and Maryville at 4 p.m. on Saturday and then face Arkansas Tech and Wayne State at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Sunday because of rain in the area.
> The Ichabods were 1-7 this weekend in four doubleheaders in Florida.
> The Ichabods lost their first six games before picking up a 3-1 win over Lynn.
> Washburn had three one-run losses and three two-run losses over the weekend.
> After being installed this past summer, the Ichabods now have a completely turfed field with a new fence, batting cages and pitching bullpens.
> The Ichabods have four players returning who earned all-MIAA honors last season in junior pitcher Raegen Hamm, senior utility Winter Henry, senior outfielder Brianna Fuchs and sophomore pitcher Bailey Zuniga. Hamm and Henry were second team all-MIAA selections while Fuchs and Zuniga were tabbed as honorable mention picks.
> The Ichabods lost there first six games before picking up a 3-1 win over Lynn.
> The Washburn Ichabod softball team was tabbed in a fourth-place tie in the 2020 MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll which was released prior to the start of action.
 
 The weekend that was . . .
> Winter Henry led the Ichabods with a .391 batting average over the eight games in Florida.
> Henry also had 4 RBI and 11 total bases to pace the Ichabods.
> Jenna Moore had three RBI with five hits and two doubles.
> As a team the Ichabods had 11 doubles in the eight games.
> Ashlie Thissen was 0-3 in the circle with a 1.45 earned run average in four appearances pitching 19 1/3 innings.
 
 Opponent quick scout . . .
Upper Iowa
> The Peacocks will be playing their first games of the season in Arkansas.
> The Ichabods lead the all-time series 10-3.
 
Last Meeting with Upper Iowa
CONWAY, Ark. -- The Washburn Ichabods split a non-conference doubleheader with Upper Iowa taking the first game 9-2 before dropping the nightcap 6-5.
Game 1 - WU 9, UIU 2
The Ichabods pounded out a season-high 14 hits while winning their fifth game in a row in the opener with the Peacocks.
Washburn scored in the top fo the first when Taylor Kirk drove in Samantha Stallbaumer who led off the game with single and then stole second.
In the third, the Ichabods plated three runs with two coming via a 2-RBI single by Winter Henry and the other on an RBI double by Taylor Kirk.
Washburn added a solo run in the sixth inning on a pinch hit single by Samantha Dutton scoring Kameron Kissinger.
The Ichabods added four in the top of the seventh on an RBI triple by Maddie Stipsits and RBI singles by Savannah Moore and Winter Henry and an RBI double by Kirk.
Reagen Hamm moved to 6-5 on the season pitching four innings for the win.
Game 2 - UIU 6, WU 5
The Ichabods had their five-game winning streak snapped as the Peacocks added a solo run in the top of the seventh for the 6-5 win.
Washburn was down 1-0 after Upper Iowa scored a single run in the top of the first, but came back in the bottom of the first with back to back triples by Briana Fuchs and Moore with an RBI single by Kirk.
The Peacocks had two more in the second inning but the Ichabods had two of their own with a 2-RBI double by Fuchs scoring Stallbaumer and Bri Francis.
Upper Iowa wen tup 5-4 with two runs in the fourth inning, but again the Ichabods rallied with a run in the fifth tying the score on a single by Francis scoring Kirk.
The Ichabods went down in order in the sixth and after the Peacocks took the lead in the top of the seventh, Washburn had runners on on firs tand second with one out but could not send the game into extra innings.
In the twinbill, Winter Henry had four hits and 3 RBI and Kirk had five hits with 4 RBI and two doubles scoring three runs. Moore and Stallbaumer each had three hits and scored three runs as well.
 
Maryville
> The Saints are 1-3 this season.
> The Ichabods lead the all-time series 2-0 after sweeping a doubeheader on Feb. 26, 2017.
 
Last Meeting with Maryville
ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- The Washburn Ichabod softball team picked up a doubleheader sweep over Maryville Univeristy taking the first game 3-0 and winning the second game of the double dip 3-1.
Game 1 - Washburn 3, Maryville 0
An Erica Harper first inning home run put the Ichabods (10-11) on the board first and then Washburn would go up 2-0 in the top of the second when Dakota Sanders singled to lead off the inning and then scored on a ground out by Lexie Myers.
The Ichabods added a solo run in the seventh when Ashley Ruder's single to left scored Chantal Prester.
Ashley Wills improved to 5-0 in the circle pitching six innings allowing three hits and Samantha Carson picked up her second save of the season tossing a scoreless seventh for the win.
Six different Ichabods had hits in the game.
Game 2 - Washburn 3, Maryville 1
As in the first game, the Ichabods struck first when Erica Harper's siingle scored Jordan Erickson who doubled in the first inning staking the Ichabods to a 1-0 lead. Washburn added another run in the fifth go go up 2-0 when Maddie Anderson's single to right scored Dakota Sanders who led off the inning with a single.
Washburn stretched the lead to 3-0 when Lacie Myers doubled to right center scoring Taylor Kemp.
Kelsee Henry improved to 4-6 on the season allowing four hits and a two-out home run for the Saints' only run of the game. Henry struck out four in the game.
 
Arkansas Tech
> The Golden Suns are 3-5 this season.
> The Ichabods trail the series 1-2 and the two teams have not been since April 1, 2015.
 
Last Meeting with Arkansas Tech
TOPEKA, Kan. -- The Washburn Ichabod softball team was swept by No. 23-ranked Arkansas Tech on Wednesday at the Washburn Softball Complex.
Game 1 - ATU 4, WU 2
The Ichabods went into the top of the seventh leading 2-1 and the Golden Suns scored three runs with two outs and the bases empty for the come-from-behind 4-2 win.
Washburn scored two in the bottom of the first on a single by Lauren Thimmesch which drove in Marina Quimby who led off the game with single. Cassidy Merriman would also score for Washburn on a ground out by Taylor Zimmerman.
The Golden Suns scored one in the top of the second on a home run by Kamie Hill trimming the Ichabod lead to 2-1.
Neither team would score the remainder of the way until Arkansas Tech scored the three runs on three hits for the win.
Lauren Thimmesch struck out four dropping to 12-5 on the season in the circle. Thimmesh and Quimby each had two hits for the Ichabods who finished with five overall in the game.
Game 2 - ATU 12, WU 6
The Golden Suns (27-7) scored three in the first, one in each of the second and third innings and added five in the fourth leading to a 12-6 win.
After ATU scored three in the first, Washburn (18-13) came back with two in the first cutting the lead to 3-2 with Taylor Zimmerman picking up an RBI while driving Cassidy Merriman home along with Quimby taking advantage of a fielding error by the leftfielder.
Washburn was held scoreless until picking up three unearned runs in the fifth inning after Washburn was aided by two errors by the Golden Suns' shortstop. Sierra Kemp picked up an RBI in the inning.
Washburn final run came in the seventh on a bases loaded walk by Sierra Kemp.
Thimmesch had two hits as did Quimby, who took the loss in the circle giving up three first inning runs.
 
Wanye State
> Wayne State will be seeing its first action of the season this weekend.
> The Ichabods lead the all-time series 19-12.
> The Wildcats won the last meeting on March 21, 2019.
 
Last Meeting with Wayne State
Wayne State 5, Washburn 0
Wayne State scored two runs in the second adding one more in the fourth and two more in the sixth leading to a 5-0 win.
Washburn was limited to four hits in the game stranding 12 baserunners. Brianna Fuchs had three of the Ichabod hits and Maddie Stipsits had the other.
 
Head coach Brenda Holaday . . .
> is 92-77 in her fourth 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 1156-909-1 in their 51st 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.
 
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