Leading off . . .
? The Washburn Ichabods open MIAA play this weekend starting on Friday as they will host Missouri Southern at 1 p.m. at the Washburn Softball Complex.
? Washburn (12-11, 0-0) is coming off a 4-1 weekend at the Washburn Invitational entering MIAA play on a three-game winning streak.
? 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 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 . . .
? Brenda Holaday picked up her 100th win in the Ichabod dugout with the win over Rockhurst on Friday.
? Raegen Hamm and Cassidy Greer were both named to the All-Invitational team at the conclusion of the 33-game, 12-team event in Topeka.
? Hamm was 3-1 during the week with a 1.42 ERA holding opponents to a .191 batting average striking out 26 people in five appearances throwing three complete games and two shutouts during the Washburn Invitational. She led all pitchers of the weekend with three wins at Washburn and she tossed a complete game shutout against Minnesota Crookston striking out a season-high 11. She pitched another complete game shutout in the 2-0 win over Southwest Minnesota State and she entered in the game with UMSL to complete the combined shutout win.
? Greer batted .455 starting three games appearing in five over the weekend and led the Ichabod hitting attack with five hits driving in six runs with a .455 slugging percentage. She had the go-ahead RBI as a pinch hitter in the bottom of the sixth in the 5-4 win over Rockhurst on Friday. She also had the go-ahead RBI in the bottom of the third in the 2-0 win over Southwest Minnesota State.
? Winter Henry batted .462 with six hits and had two doubles and 3 RBI.
? Ashlie Thissen was 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in one start picking up her first collegiate win.
 
 Opponent quick scout . . .
MISSOURI SOUTHERN 
? The Lions are 10-6 this season and have won their last four games including a doubleheader sweep over Missouri S&T last weekend.
? The Ichabods lead the all-time series 44-43 and have won four of the last five meetings after splitting a doubleheader last season on March 31.
 
Last Meeting with Missouri Southern - 03/31/2019
TOPEKA, Kan. – The Washburn Ichabods split an MIAA doubleheader with Missouri Southern on Sunday on Patty Dick Field at Hummer Sports Park falling in game one 3-0 before scoring three runs in the fifth inning of game two in a 4-3 win.
Game 1 – Missouri Southern 3, Washburn 0
An unearned run in the top of the second and two more in the seventh for the 3-0 win for the Lions. Both teams recorded seven hits in the game but the Ichabods stranded 10 base runners in the opener.
Winter Henry had two hits in the first game while Samantha Stallbaumer, Brianna Fuchs, Savannah Moore, Sienna Hall and Maddie Stipsits each had solo hits. Raegen Hamm pitched 6 1/3 innings allowed two earned runs in the circle.
Game 2 – Washburn 4, Missouri Southern 3
After the Lions took advantage of an Ichabod error scoring an unearned run in the top of the first, the Ichabods tied the score in the bottom of the second tying the score after Taylor Kirk led off the inning with a double to right center and then scored on Winter Henry's single to center.
Washburn scored three times in the bottom of the fifth after Samantha Stallbaumer singled up the middle and moved to second on a single by Brianna Fuchs. Kirk reached on an error scoring Stallbaumer and after Henry was hit by a pitch, Maddie Stipsits' single to center scored both Kirk and Henry pushing Washburn to a 4-1 lead.
The Lions scored two more in the sixth cutting the lead to one, but Raegen Hamm tossed the final 1 2/3 innings for her first save of the season while Bailey Zuniga improved to 6-5 on the season picking up the win.
Stallbaumer and Stipsits each had two hits in the second game to led the Ichabod attack..
 
PITTSBURG STATE
? The Gorillas are 9-15 after going 4-2 at the Washburn Invitational last weekend winning their last three games.
? The Ichabods leads the series 68-57 and have won the last four games which snapped a seven-game winning streak by the Gorillas.
 
Last Meeting with Pittsburg State - April 1, 2019
TOPEKA, Kan. – The Washburn Ichabod softball team pounded out 22 hits and used two strong pitching performances en route to a doubleheader sweep over Pittsburg State taking game one 3-0 and winning the night cap 8-3.
Game 1 – WU 3, Pittsburg State 0
The Ichabods scored in their first at bat taking advantage of a Gorilla error going up 1-0 when Brianna Fuchs scored. Washburn added two more insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth after Winter Henry singled and then would come around to score on a triple to right by Kameron Kissinger. Kissinger would come around to score on a single up the middle by Bri Francis putting Washburn up 3-0.
That would be all the run support Raegen Hamm would need as she would give up three hits striking out a season-high eight while retiring 18 of the final 21 batters of the game including a stretch of 17 straight improving to 10-9 on the season throwing 104 pitches in the game while allowing only a seventh inning walk.
Fuchs and Kissinger each had two hits in the game one for the Ichabods.
Game 2 – WU 8, Pittsburg State 3
The Ichabods scored the six runs of the game including five in their first at bat picking up an 8-3 win to gain the sweep over the Gorillas.
In the first Samantha Stallbaumer led off the game with a single and then moved to second on a single by Fuchs. After Winter Henry drew a walk, Taylor Kirk drove in two runners with a single to center. After Savannah Moore reached on a fielder's choice and Kissinger reached on a walk, Maddie Stipsits drove in one with a single and Francis drove in two more with a single to right field as Washburn jumped out to the 5-0 lead.
In the second, Winter Henry recorded a triple to left center and then scored on Kirk's single as Washburn went up 6-0.  The Gorillas added two in the third, but the Ichabods responded with a solo run in the fourth on a Kirk blast to center field as Washburn moved the lead to 7-2.
The Gorillas added a solo run in the sixth, but Washburn added one more in the sixth wrapping up the scoring with an 8-3 win.
Bailey Zuniga pitched 5 1/3 innings allowing three earned runs and Hamm pitched the final 1 2/3 of the game sealing the sweep. Zuniga moved to 7-5 on the season.
Kirk finished the game going 3 for 3 with 4 RBI and two runs scored. Fuchs had two hits and scored twice and Stipsits and Francis each added two hits.
Fuchs had four hits in the doubleheader to lead the Ichabods while Francis, Kirk, Winter Henry, Stipsits and Kissinger each had three hits. Francis drove in three on the day. Hamm had a 0.00 earned run average in two appearances tossing 8 2/3 innings.
 
 Head coach Brenda Holaday . . .
? is 103-81 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 1163-912-1 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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