Leading off . . .
•  The Washburn softball team will open its 51st season of action when the Ichabods will head for Florida for eight games starting Feb. 5 at Palm Beach Atlantic.
•  The Ichabods will then face Barry on Feb. 6, Nova Southeastern on Feb. 8 and Lynn on Feb. 9 to wrap up the trip.
•  The Ichabods are scheduled to have their first 18 games on the road before opening the home slate with the Washburn Invitational Feb. 28-March 1.
•  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 finished the 2019 season with a 27-26 record going 17-9 in the MIAA placing third in the conference race.
•  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 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.
 
 Stat Watch 2019 recap. . .
•  The six triples by Brianna Fuchs tied for fourth all-time on the single season chart … the school record is eight.
•  Raegen Hamm's 43 appearances in 2019 was the most on the single season chart passing the previous single season leader of 42 set by Amy Heiman in 1999 … Bailey Zuniga has 35 appearances this season which was fifth on the single season chart.
 
 opponent quick scout . . .
Palm Beach Atlantic
•  The Sailfish were picked seventh in the 2020 Sunshine State Conference Preseason Poll which was released last week.
•  The Ichabods trail the all-time series with the Sailfish after falling 3-2 on Feb. 16, 2016 in Florida.
•  The Sailfish are 2-1 this season after picking up wins over Midwestern state and No. 24-ranked Valdosta State with a 5-1 loss to fellow MIAA school Rogers State sandwiched in between.
 
Last Meeting with PBA
Feb. 13, 2016 - Washburn was down 1-0 entering the top of the seventh before the Ichabods rallied for two in the top of the frame taking a 2-1 lead over the Sailfish. After Erink Keeney reached on a single, Washburn took advantage of a couple of wild pitches and then Ashley Ruder drove in both runs with a single putting Washburn up 2-1. However in the bottom of the seventh, PBA took advantage of an Ichabod error leading to the winning run.
Ruder finished with two hits driving in the two runs while Cassidy Merriman and Keeney each had hits. Samantha Carson pitched six innings allowing two runs while striking out three giving way to Ashley Wills in the seventh who took the loss.
 
Barry
•  Barry was tabbed 11th in the Sunshine State Conference Preseason poll.
•  The Ichabods trail the all-time series with 1-0 after falling Feb. 12, 2016 in a 4-0 loss.
•  Barry is 2-2 this season after splitting a doubleheader with Georgia Southwestern State on Jan. 31 and a doubleheader with Flagler on Feb. 1.
 
Last Meeting with Barry
Feb. 12, 2016 - Barry scored one in the bottom of the first and added three in the fourth as the Buccaneers moved to 3-1 with a 4-0 win over the Ichabods. Erin Keeney led the Ichabods with two hits while Marina Quimby and Ashley Ruder each added singles. Ashley Wills (0-1) making her Ichabod debut struck out four scattering five hits in six innings of work.
Washburn outhit Barry 5 to 4, but left eight runners on compared to seven for Barry. Washburn was 0-15 with runners on base in the game compared to 4 of 16 for the Buccaneers.
 
Nova Southeastern
•  Nova Southeastern was picked sixth in the Sunshine State Conference preseason coaches poll.
•  The Ichabods lead the all-time series with the Sharks 1-0 after winning the only meeting 2-1 on Feb. 13, 2016.
•  Nova Southeastern is 2-2 this season and will face Georgian Court on Feb. 7. The Sharks lost to MIAA opponent Rogers State 9-1 on Feb. 2 and beat No. 4 West Florida 8-1 and Delta State 6-2 after falling 2-1 to Lee in their season opener.
 
Last Meeting with NSU
Feb. 13, 2016 - The Ichabods scored two in the bottom of the third inning breaking a scoreless tie when Cassidy Merriman drove in a run followed by a sac fly by Erin Keeney putting Washburn up a pair. The Sharks (1-3) cut the lead to a run after scoring a solo run in the top of the seventh, but stranded two runners on as Wills picked up the win in the circle for the Ichabods. Ashley Ruder had two hits for Washburn scoring a run and Marina Quimby, Cassidy Merriman, Taylor Zimmerman and Megan Stegman all had hits for the Ichabods. Ashley Wills went the distance striking out six allowing one earned run in the victory.
 
Lynn
•  Lynn was picked 10th in the Sunshine State Conference poll.
•  The Ichabods lead the all-time series with the Fighting Knights 1-0 after winning 9-8 on Feb. 14, 2016.
•  Lynn is 1-3 this season after toping Georgia Southwestern in the opener and then falling 7-6 in the second game of the series and were then swept by Flagler on Feb. 2. They will face East Stroudsburg on Feb. 7 and Georgian Court on Feb. 8 before facing the Ichabods on Feb. 9.
 
Last Meeting with Lynn
Feb. 14, 2016 - WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- The Washburn Ichabod softball team scored six runs in the its final two at bats for a come-from-behind 9-8 win over Lynn in the final day of the Sailfish Showdown.
After tying the score in the bottom of the first after Lynn's first at bat, Cassidy Merriman drove in Marina Quimby on a sac fly. Lynn took the lead at 2-1 in the top of the third before Washburn regained the lead in the bottom of the fourth at 3-2 on a solo home run by Taylor Zimmerman leading off the inning  and then Haylee Marsteller would score in the inning with the second run of the frame.
Lynn rallied with six runs in the top of the fifth inning taking an 8-3 lead before Washburn responded with four runs in the sixth inning after singles by Marsteller, Megan Stegman, Quimby, Ashley Ruder and Merriman. After a scoreless top of the seventh, Marsteller led off the inning with a walk and then moved to second on a base hit by Lacie Myers. After a single to center by pinch hitter Sierra Kemp which scored pinch runner Berkley White, Stegman recorded a single and then Quimby picked up the walk off single scoring White with the winning run.
Samantha Carson picked up the win in relief of Ashley Wills, who struck out four in 4 2/3 innings. Carson (1-1) struck out two.
 
 Head coach Brenda Holaday . . .
•  is 91-70 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 1155-902-1 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.
 
 Up Next . . .
The Ichabods will be back in action Feb. 14-15 at the Eight State Classic in Bentonville, Ark., as they will play four games over two days against non-conference foes.