LEADING OFF
•For the first time since March 7, 2020 - a long 335 days ago - the Washburn Ichabods will be in action as they open the 2021 season at the Lubbock Christian Invitational Feb. 5-6 with four games over two days.
•The Ichabods will face Midwestern State and host-school Lubbock Christian on the opening day followed by West Texas A&M and Texas Permian Basin on Saturday.
•The Washburn Ichabods finished the 2020 season 14-13 going 2-2 during the MIAA after the season was cut short on March 13 by the COVID-19 pandemic.
•After dropping seven of their first eight games in a trip to Florida to open the 2020 season on less than three days of outside practices, the Ichabods finished the season strong winning seven of their last 10 games.
•The Ichabods split a pair of home doubleheaders with Missouri Southern and Pittsburg State in their only MIAA action of 2020.
•In the final 2020 NCAA rankings, Raegen Hamm led the nation in pitching appearances … in 27 Ichabod games in 2020 she has appeared in 24.
•In the final 2020 NCAA rankings, Ashton Friend was 25th in sacrifice flies.
•Ashton Friend led the Ichabods last season with seven multi-hit games.
•After being installed in the summer of 2019, the Ichabods now have a completely turfed field with a new fence, batting cages and pitching bullpens and new lighting was added right before Christmas break prior to spring practice starting.
•The Ichabods have three players returning who earned all-MIAA honors in 2019 (all-MIAA teams were not picked after the 2020 season) in junior pitcher Raegen Hamm, senior outfielder Brianna Fuchs and sophomore pitcher Bailey Zuniga. Hamm was a second team all-MIAA selections while Fuchs and Zuniga were tabbed as honorable mention picks.
•The Washburn Ichabod softball team was picked fifth in the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll that was released prior to the start of the season by the conference office.
 
LAST TIME THE ICHABODS WERE IN ACTION
•Brianna Fuchs went 7-for-15 at the plate and scored five runs to go with six RBI as the Ichabods went 2-2 at home as the Ichabods split MIAA doubleheader action with Missouri Southern and Pittsburg State. In the 9-3 win over Missouri Southern, Fuchs went 2-for-3 with a walk and scored two runs herself and also drove in two more runs while adding two outfield assists in the four games overall.
•Raegen Hamm was 2-0 with a 1.98 ERA striking out 19 making appearances in all four games pitching 17 2/3 innings.
•Brianna Fuchs drove in four runs over the weekend and Ashton Friend  and Hadley Kerschen each drove in three runs.
 
OPPONENT QUICK SCOUT . . .
Midwestern State
•The Mustangs are starting their season this weekend in Lubbock.
•Midwestern State was picked to finish tied for 14th in the 2021 Lone Star Conference Preseason Poll of coaches, sports information directors and selected media members.
•The Mustangs return 12 letter winners from last season's 3-19 squad which ended the COVID-19 pandemic shortened season with a 7-5 win over No. 2 UT Tyler.
•The Mustangs lead the all-time series with the Ichabods 3-0 and the teams have not faced each other since a 5-3 Midwestern State win on Feb. 5, 2009.
 
Lubbock Christian 
•Lubbock Christian is 1-2 this season opening their season last weekend.
•The Lady Chapps topped Mississippi College 5-0 before getting swept by West Florida on Jan. 30.
•The Lady Chaps were preseason picked to finish sixth in the Lone Star Conference
•The meetings this weekend will be the first between Washburn and Lubbock Christian.
 
WEST TEXAS A&M
•The Lady Buffs are starting their season this weekend in Lubbock.
•West Texas A&M was selected to finish seventh in the Lone Star Conference Preseason Softball Poll.
•The Ichabods have lost five in a row to West Texas including a 9-2 loss in the last meeting on Feb. 1, 2019 …Washburn's lone win in the series came in a 6-4 victory on March 7, 2010.
 
PERMIAN BASIN
•The Falcons are starting their season this weekend in Lubbock.
•UT-Permian Basin was selected 12th in the Lone Star Conference Preseason Poll.
•The Falcons lead the all-time series with the Ichabods 3-1 having won the last three games …Washburn won the first game in the series on Feb. 14, 2010 … The Falcons swept two games at the Angelo State Blue and Golf Classic on Feb. 12 and Feb. 13 in a 4-1 and 1-0 win … the two teams have not played since UTPB won the last meeting on Feb. 17, 2012 with a 5-1 victory.
 
HEAD COACH BRENDA HOLADAY
•is 105-83 in her fifth 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 HISTORY . . .
•The Ichabods are 1165-914-1 in their 52nd 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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