• After missing last week's conference openers with Missouri Southern and Pittsburg State, the Washburn Ichabod softball squad will step out of MIAA play four a doubleheader at Southwestern Oklahoma State in Weatherford, Okla., on March 16th followed by single games the next day against Southern Nazarene and Oklahoma Christian in Bethany.
• The Ichabods will now face Pittsburg State on March 21 at noon in a pair of MIAA games and take on Missouri Southern on April 23 starting at 2 p.m. in a pair of make up games rescheduled from last week.
• The Washburn Ichabod softball team was picked fifth in the 2021 MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll released prior to the start of the season by the conference office.
• The MIAA has made a change to the 2021 Championship Softball Tournament after a unanimous vote from the conference's athletic directors and SWAs. This year's format will include a best-of-three game quarterfinal series starting the weekend of May 7-8. The advancing four teams will play in a double-elimination tournament at the University of Central Oklahoma the following week, beginning on Thursday, May 13. The quarterfinal round weekend will feature games at the No. 1, No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 seeds from the regular season. Those teams will host seeds No. 5-8, with the winners advancing to the semifinal round in Edmond, Okla., the following weekend.
 
 Last time the Ichabods were in action
• The Ichabods were 4-1 last weekend at the ESU 5-State Classic outscoring their opponents a whopping 38-8 with three five-inning victories to finish up the event.
• Brianna Fuchs led the Ichabods with a .538 batting average going 7 of 13 with six runs scored, 8 RBI and 10 total bases  as the Ichabods were 4-1 this weekend. She also recorded a .571 on base percentage and a .769 slugging percentage. She had hits in 4 of 5 games including a 3-hit performance with 2 RBI and 3 runs scored against Wayne State. She had 3 RBI against MSU-Moorhead.
• Jaycee Ginter was 2-0 in the circle with a 0.00 ERA in 11 innings pitched with 12 strikeouts and one walk allowing only one hit over the weekend holding opponents to a minuscule .030 batting average. She also batted .375 with 3 RBI and a home run scoring three times. She tossed a complete game one-hit shutout against Southwest Baptist striking out five and against MSU-Moorhead she tossed four innings striking out seven in the win.
• Marrit Mead hit .462 with six hits while driving in five runs and scoring four times in five games.
• Hadley Kerschen drove in seven runs with four hits.
• Raegen Hamm was 2-1 with a 3.09 ERA and Ashley Thissen recorded a 2.10 ERA in three appearances .
 
 Bods and Ends
• Marrit Mead leads the Ichabods with 10 multi-hit games and is batting .550 (11 of 20) with runners on base.
• Jaycee Ginter has a nine game hitting streak entering MIAA play also reaching base in nine consecutive games.
• The Ichabods are hitting .682 as a team with a runner on third and less than two outs this season.
• Hadley Kerschen has advanced runners in 19 of her 27 at bats with runners on this season (.704).
• Ashton Friend leads the team with 6, 2-out RBI this season.
• Washburn is outscoring their opponents 24 to 2 in the fourth inning this season and 8 to 2 in the first inning and 13 to 4 in the second inning … overall the Ichabods have outscored opponents 86 to 38.
 
Opponent quick scout . . .
Southwestern Oklahoma State
• The Bulldogs are 3-6 this season winning their last three games after taking two from Northwestern Oklahoma State and the opening of a three-game set against Southern Nazarene.
Oklahoma Christian
• The Eagles are 15-3 this season opening conference play 7-1.
• The Eagles split a doubleheader with No. 18-ranked Texas A&M-Kingsville on March 14 winning the opener 3-2 before falling in the nightcap 8-2.
Southern Nazarene
• The Storm are 8-9 this season.
• Southern Nazarene lost their opening game of three-game series against Southwestern Oklhaoma State that will continue on March 15 before facing the Ichabods on the 17th.
Pittsburg State
• The Gorillas enter the week 4-10 overall and will have a busy week in front of them.
• Pitt State will face Emporia State on Tuesday in its MIAA opener and then will have a non-conference game twin bill with Southwest Baptist on March 17.
• The Gorillas return to MIAA play at Newman on Saturday, March 20 before facing the Ichabods on March 21 in Pittsburg.
 
Head Coach Brenda Holaday . . .
• is 116-86 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 softball history . . .
• The Ichabods are 1176-917-1 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.
 
Up Next . . . On Saturday, March 27, approximately 2:30 p.m., Washburn Athletics and the Washburn University Alumni Association and Foundation are excited to announce the dedication of the Washburn softball field in honor of Bill and Emilie Gahnstrom. The Ichabods will be celebrating their first MIAA homestand of the season and playing University of Nebraska-Kearney. All former softball athletes and donors are welcome to attend.