TOPEKA, Kan. -- Mother nature has pushed the start of this weekend's Washburn baseball series at Pittsburg State back two days and will now take place on Sunday and Monday, March 14-15.
LEADING OFF
>> The Ichabods went 1-2 in the series against No. 5-ranked Missouri Southern and now hold a record of 3-7 (3-3 MIAA).
>> The Gorillas lost both ends of the doubleheader against Northeastern State on Saturday and are 6-3 (3-3 MIAA) on the season.
>> PSU is 4-2 when playing on its home field this season and WU is 2-5 in road contests.
>> Sunday's game will mark the 117th all-time meeting between these programs.
>> The Ichabods lead the all-time series, 60-56.
>> Washburn was tabbed sixth in the 2021 MIAA Preseason Poll and Pittsburg State was picked fourth.
>> This is the 68th season in Washburn baseball program history.
GAME INFORMATION
>> Sunday's start time has yet to be announced as the teams monitor the forecast and look for a window to squeeze in the single game.
>> The doubleheader on Monday is currently set to begin at 12 p.m. with game two scheduled to start at approximately 3 p.m.
>> Fans are allowed to attend the games free of charge.
>> All games will have live stats.
LAST TIME OUT
>> The Ichabods went 1-2 against No. 5-ranked Missouri Southern with all three games being decided by two or fewer runs.
>> The Lions took game one, 3-1, before losing their first game of the season on Saturday, 5-3.
>> Eleven innings were required for the backend of the doubleheader with Missouri Southern winning 4-3.
>> Xavier De Leon went 7-12 in the series and had two RBI and scored once. He also executed two sacrifice bunts that resulted on a run scored the very next play both times.
>> Eric Hinostroza had four hits, three RBI, and two runs scored against the Lions.
>> In game one, starter Rane Pfeifer went 5.2 innings and did not allow a hit in his outing while holding the Lions scoreless until the sixth when he walked in a run. He struck out six.
>> Braden Minor came on in relief in game one and went 2.2 innings without allowing a run or hit, walked two, and struck out four of the seven batters he faced.
>> Left fielder Peter Shearer threw two runners out at home plate in Saturday's games.
GOING THE DISTANCE
>> Starters Brock Gilliam and Sean McElwee both went all nine innings in their starts on Saturday against Missouri Southern.
>> Coming off a career-high strikeout day in his last outing, Gilliam bested last week's number and struck out 13 batters with zero walks while allowing just three earned runs in the win.
>> Despite picking up a no-decision in game two of the doubleheader, McElwee had an impressive nine innings on the mound.
>> He gave up three runs, with one being unearned, struck out five, and also did not surrender a walk.
OFFENSIVE LEADERS
>> Three Ichabods who have recorded more than 10 at bats are hitting above the .400 mark and rank in the top-15 in the MIAA.
>> Hinostroza has a .409 batting average (No. 10 in MIAA) and has driven in five and scored four runs.
>> Kros Bay is right behind at .407 after adding four hits against the Lions, two of which landed for doubles.
>> De Leon is batting .405 and leads the team with 17 hits and eight runs scored.
PITCHING LEADERS
>> McElwee holds a minuscule 0.92 ERA, which ranks third in the MIAA.
>> Gilliam is ranked second in all of Division II for strikeout to walk ratio as he has issued just one walk in 17.1 innings pitched while striking out 27.
>> He is 2-1 with a 3.63 ERA.
>> In 11.2 innings pitched, opponents are hitting just .125 against Pfiefer and he has struck out 15.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION - PITTSBURG STATE GORILLAS
>> The Gorillas went 14-8 (4-2 MIAA) in the COVID-shortened 2020 season.
>> Garrett McGowan leads Pittsburg State in several offensive categories, including RBI (14), homeruns (five), and is tied for first in runs (12) and second in hits (11).
>> As a team, the PSU pitching staff has a collective 5.19 ERA and 86 strikeouts.
>> David Henderson has won all three of his starts and holds a 2.25 ERA after 16.0 innings of work. He has allowed four runs on 10 hits and two walks while striking out 15.
HEAD COACH BOB FORNELLI
>> Bob Fornelli is in his third season as the head coach of the Pittsburg State Gorillas.
>> Fornelli is no stranger to the MIAA as he spent 15 seasons coaching at his alma mater Emporia State where he amassed a record of 599-266 and captured five MIAA regular season titles to go with two MIAA tournament championships.
>> Prior to ESU, Fornelli led the baseball team at Fort Hays State and finished with a record of 306-113 after seven seasons.
>> Fornelli started his collegiate coaching career at Butler Community College and served as their pitching coach from 1992-96.
SERIES HISTORY WITH PITTSBURG STATE
>> These two teams played their first game against each other in 1963.
>> The Ichabods lead the all-time advantage, 60-56.
>> Washburn won the series in 2019, taking two out of three games at Pittsburg.
>> Last season, the Ichabods were en route to Pittsburg when they received the news that the MIAA was suspending all spring sport competitions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
>> Washburn Head Coach Harley Douglas is 10-16 against Pittsburg State.
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.
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.
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 will return to Falley Field next weekend hosting Northeastern State on March 19 and 20.
