TOPEKA, Kan. -- After a long 348 day wait, Washburn baseball is finally back! The Ichabod baseball team starts the 2021 campaign with four games this weekend in Denver, Colo., at Regis University.
LEADING OFF
>> The Ichabods were originally scheduled to open the season last weekend in Durant, Okla., but cold weather forced the cancelation.
>> Washburn finished a COVID-shortened 2020 season with a record of 11-11 (3-3 MIAA).
>> Regis was 8-10 overall and went 0-4 in RMAC games during the 2020 season.
>> These two programs have met seven times and Washburn leads the all-time series, 4-3.
>> WU and RU split a four-game series last year as the Ranger won the first and final games while the Ichabods swept a doubleheader in between.
>> This will be the 68th season in Washburn baseball program history.
GAME TIMES
>> The season opener is set for Friday at 3 p.m. CST
>> A twinbill is set for Saturday with the first game starting at 12 p.m. CST
>> The series finale on Sunday is scheduled for a 1 p.m. CST first pitch.
OPENING DAY
>> The Ichabods are 6-0 in the very first game of the season since Harley Douglas became the head coach in 2015.
>> Washburn is 35-33 all-time in the season opener.
WELCOME BACK EVERY-BOD-Y
>> Twenty-eight Ichabods from last season return with 11 of those being seniors.
>> The returning roster also consists of five juniors, five sophomores, and seven freshmen.
NEW FACES
>> Washburn welcomes 18 newcomers to this year's squad, including nine transfer student-athletes who are all coming from nine different programs spread across Division I, Division II, and Junior Colleges.
>> Eight true freshmen also enter their first season with the Ichabods.
RETURNING CATEGORY LEADERS - OFFENSE
>> Mark Wanner played in 16 games and made seven starts and finished the season 14-33 for a .424 batting average.
>> Zion Bowlin also finished above the .400 mark, hitting .411 (23-56) in 17 games played with nine extra base hits. He led the team with a .696 slugging percentage and tied for a team-high in hits (23).
>> Parker Dunn went 3-3 in his first game as an Ichabod on Jan. 31. 2020, against Cal-State San Bernardino, hitting a homer, double, and finishing with three RBI and three runs scored. He launched five homers during the season and drove in a team-high 17 runs to go with a team-tying six doubles.
>> First baseman Eric Hinostroza started all 22 games and led the team in runs scored (17) and tied for the most hits alongside Bowlin.
>> Eleven of Tyler Clark-Chiapparelli's 20 hits went for extra bases as he finished with four triples, six doubles, and a homer.
RETURNING CATEGORY LEADERS - PITCHING
>> On the mound, reliever Dalton Huggins finished with a team-low 2.19 earned run average tossing 12.1 innings across 10 appearances. He also led the team in saves with four.
>> Starter Brock Gilliam threw a team-high 34.2 innings and had a 3.12 ERA to go with 30 strikeouts. On Feb. 28, 2020, he tossed seven scoreless innings and allowed just three hits while striking out five in the victory.
>> Nick Steiner tossed 8.1 innings in eight appearances out of the pen and finished with a 4.32 ERA, allowing four earned runs on nine hits while striking out 11.
>> Trevor Marreel made five relief appearances and pitched 9.0 innings for a 4.00 ERA.. He surrendered four earned runs on five hits and struck out nine.
>> Jared Sharp was 2-1 in two starts and finished with an ERA of 5.62.
LAST TIME OUT
>> Although they didn't know at the time it would be the final series of the 2020 season, the Ichabods played three games at No. 25-ranked Missouri Southern.
>> In game one, the Lions put up four runs in the seventh inning to hold on for a 6-5 win.
>> Missouri Southern completed the sweep with a 9-5 win in game two and a 12-5 victory in the finale.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION - REGIS RANGERS
>> Regis played 18 games in the 2020 season and went 8-10 overall and 0-4 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.
>> The Rangers went undefeated on their home field with a 4-0 record.
>> Heading into the 2021 season, they were picked sixth in the RMAC preseason poll.
>> The offense hit .256 and finished with 49 extra base hits, including 11 homers.
>> Austin Vaught returns after playing and starting 16 games last season and leading the team with a .353 batting average and 18 hits.
>> Brevin Owen played in all 18 games with 16 starts and legged out a team-high eight doubles. He batted .298 and scored 12 runs to go with 12 RBI.
>> Ryan Tierney knocked in a team-best 14 RBI and hit two homers and four doubles.
>> On the mound, the Rangers had a 5.80 ERA and struck out 135.
>> Justin Kleinsorge tossed 29.0 innings and was 4-1 in his five starts. He had a 2.79 ERA and gave up nine earned runs on 20 hits and struck out a team-high 33 batters.
HEAD COACH DREW LACOMB
>> Drew LaComb enters his second season as the head coach of the Rangers after serving as an assistant for the past from 2017-19.
>> As a student-athlete, LaComb started his collegiate career at Mesa Community College and was the team captain when they won the NJCAA Division II national title in 2014.
>> He transferred and played at Regis from 2014-16 to close out his playing career.
SERIES HISTORY WITH REGIS
>> These two teams played a three-game series in 1992 and didn't face each other again until last year.
>> Washburn leads the all-time series, 4-3.
>> Brett Ingram found his stride in the Regis series last year. He hit .545 after going 6-11 at the plate and hit a homer, double and scored three runs.
>> Two of Wanner's four hits in the series were doubles. He also scored two runs.
>> Hinsotroza had three hits, three RBI, and three runs scored to go with three walks.
MIAA PRESEASON POLL
>> The Ichabods were picked sixth in the MIAA Baseball Coaches Preseason Poll.
>> Central Missouri was voted the favorite earning 11 first-place votes and totalling 121 points.
>> Central Oklahoma received the remaining first-place vote and was picked second with 110 points.
>> Missouri Southern, Pittsburg State, and Emporia State rounded out the top-five.
ICHABODS AROUND THE COUNTRY
>> Washburn's 45-man roster consists of players from 10 different states.
>> There are 17 players on the roster who hail from the Sunflower State.
>> Texas has the second-most Ichabods with eight.
>> Nebraska and Colorado each have five Washburn players.
>> Four are from Oklahoma.
>> Ashton Paith and Alex Bass represent Missouri.
>> Four states have just one player: Adrian Burciaga (California), Eric Hinostroza (Florida), Teagan Tamiya (Hawaii), and Mark Wanner (Illinois).
HITTING FOR HISTORY
>> On Feb. 8, 2020, Wyatt Featherston became the second Washburn player in program history to hit for the cycle. He accomplished the feat in a 13-3 seven inning victory over Truman State.
>> The first and only other time an Ichabod has hit for the cycle was on May 12, 2000 by Pat Colley against Central Missouri.
MIAA ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
>> Despite a shortened season that allowed just six weeks of the MIAA Athlete of the Week award, two different Ichabods received conference Hitter of the Week honors.
>> Featherston was recognized on Feb. 12 after hitting for the cycle.
>> Bowlin received the honor in week five on March 4 after he went 8-13 against Missouri Western, batting .615 and had a slugging percentage of 1.077. Four of his eight hits went for extra bases as he finished with three doubles and a homer while collecting seven RBI.
IN THE RANKINGS
>> Clark-Chiapparelli legged out four triples last season, which was tied for second overall in Division II. Nine other players hit exactly four triples.
>> Only Cole Taylor from Central Missouri hit more triples and he finished with five.
>> Gilliam's strikeout-to-walk ratio landed him in the top-15 in the nation. He struck out 30 while walking just three and was tied for ninth in all of Division II. Four other players had a ratio of 10.0.
>> Huggins' four saves was tied for 10th in Division II.
ICHABODS IN THE PROS
>> There have been five Washburn players since 1965 that played for a Major League Baseball team and seven total players have signed a professional contract.
>> Former Ichabod infielder Riley Krane (2013-17) recently signed a contract with the Evansville Otters of the Frontier League for the 2021 season.
>> Krane enters his fourth season in the Frontier League after playing two seasons with the Windy City ThunderBolts and one with the Joliet Slammers.
TAKE A LOOK AHEAD
>> Washburn starts conference play next week at Missouri Western. The Ichabods will play on Friday at 3 p.m. and then a doubleheader of two nine inning games on Saturday starting at 1 p.m.
