TOPEKA, Kan. -- Washburn baseball will host a mid-week non-conference matchup against Northwest Missouri on Wednesday at 4 p.m. at Falley Field.
QUICK HITS
>> The Ichabods went 1-2 in the three-game home series against Northeastern State and hold a record of 6-10 (6-6 MIAA).
>> The Bearcats are on a three-game losing streak after being swept at home by Pittsburg State last weekend. NWMSU is 6-9 (5-7 MIAA) on the season.
>> The Bearcats have played just four road games so far and are 1-3. The Ichabods are 2-4 at Falley Field.
>> Washburn was tabbed sixth in the 2021 MIAA Preseason Poll and Northeastern State was selected eighth.
>> This is the 68th season in Washburn baseball program history.
GAME INFORMATION
>> Wednesday's game is set for a 4 p.m. first pitch.
>> Fans are allowed to attend home games free of charge, but are expected to socially distance in the stands and wear a mask at all times when in the facility.
>> The game will be live streamed and have live stats.
MIAA PITCHER OF THE WEEK - BROCK GILLIAM
>> Brock Gilliam was recognized by the league for the gem he pitched in game one of the DH against Northeastern State on Sunday.
>> He improved his record to 3-1 as he threw seven scoreless innings and allowed just three hits while tying a career-high in strikeouts with 13.
>> He recorded five 1-2-3 innings and struck out the side in the fifth.
LEADING OFF
>> Leadoff man Xavier De Leon continues to set the tone for the Ichabod offense at the top of the lineup.
>> He leads the team in batting average (.400/seventh in MIAA), hits (28/third in MIAA), and is tied for the most runs scored (12).
>> Four of his five hits last weekend were doubles.
>> De Leon is also 3-3 in stolen base attempts and has laid down three sacrifice bunts.
OFFENSIVE LEADERS
>> Brett Ingram is 10th in the MIAA with a .386 batting average and eighth with a .684 slugging percentage.
>> He leads the team with four home runs; three solo shots and one grand slam.
>> Parker Dunn has hit a team-high eight doubles, which ranks fourth in the conference. He hit one double in every game last series, including a two-RBI double in game one.
>> De Leon is on a 14-game hitting streak and has 10 multi-hit games.
>> Catcher Kros Bay is hitting .354 and has six doubles and scored seven runs.
>> Cole Emerson has scored the second-most runs for the Ichabods (11) and leads the team in triples (two).
PITCHING LEADERS
>> Sean McElwee and Gilliam both have an ERA of 3.81 and have pitched 28.1 innings.
>> McElwee struck out a season-high 10 in his last outing and has 26 total this season.
>> Gilliam leads the pitching staff with 44 strikeouts, ranking third in the MIAA.
>> Rane Pfeifer has a 4.05 ERA and 29 strikeouts. Against NSU, he went four innings and allowed just two hits and zero runs with five walks.
LAST TIME OUT
>> The Ichabods took one out of three games last weekend against Northeastern State.
>> NSU opened the series with a 13-6 win before falling in game two, 7-4. The RiverHawks posted a 5-1 victory in the finale.
>> The Ichabods hit 10 doubles in the series.
>> Washburn was successful in seven of nine stolen base attempts.
>> In the final game, Ingram led off the bottom of the seventh with a solo homer over the left field fence.
>> Carson Sader had two pinch hit at bats and went 2-2 with two singles.
SCOUTING NORTHWEST MISSOURI
>> The Bearcats went 7-13 (2-4 MIAA) in the COVID-shortened 2020 season.
>> As a team, NWMSU is batting .229 and have hit eight home runs.
>> Ryan Koski leads the team in five different categories, including batting average (.316) and hits (18).
>> The pitching staff holds a 6.70 ERA and has recorded 100 strikeouts.
>> Spencer Hanson is 2-1 with a 2.56 ERA and has struck out 26 batters.
>> Max Spitzmiller leads the team in innings pitched (32.0) and strikeouts (35).
HEAD COACH DARIN LOE
>> Darin Loe has been the head coach of the Bearcats since 2000 and holds a record of 532-542.
>> Prior to joining Northwest Missouri, he served as the head coach at Baker for three seasons (1997-99) and started his collegiate coaching career at Missouri Valley College in 1994.
>> Loe pitched at Valley City State University, where he still holds program records.
>> He was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 26th round of the 1989 amateur draft and played three seasons within the organization before becoming a college coach.
SERIES HISTORY WITH NORTHWEST MISSOURI
>> These two programs have met 131 times since 1970 and Washburn leads the all-time series, 67-64.
>> Combined there has been 749 total runs scored across those 131 games.
>> They did not get to face each other in 2020, but did square off four times in 2019. The Bearcats captured a three-game sweep at home while the Ichabods claimed a mid-week contest in Topeka by the score of 6-4.
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 returns to the road as the team travels to Central Missouri for three games starting Saturday, March 27.
