TOPEKA, Kan. -- Washburn baseball returns to Falley Field this weekend for the first time in 369 days as the Ichabods host the No. 5-ranked Missouri Southern Lions.
LEADING OFF
>> The Ichabods are 2-5 (2-1 MIAA) after taking both ends of the doubleheader at Missouri Western last Saturday.
>> The Lions are off to a hot 9-0 start and moved up 13 places in the latest National Collegiate Baseball Writers after last weekend's sweep over Emporia State.
>> Friday's game will mark the 100th all-time meeting between these teams.
>> Washburn was tabbed sixth in the 2021 MIAA Preseason Poll and Missouri Southern was picked third.
>> This is the 68th season in Washburn baseball program history.
GAME INFORMATION
>> The home opener is set for Friday at 2 p.m.
>> Saturday's doubleheader has been pushed back one hour from what it was originally scheduled and will now begin at 1 p.m. with game two starting approximately at 4 p.m.
>> Fans are allowed to attend the games free of charge, but social distancing is expected and masks must be worn while at the facility.
>> All games will be live streamed and have live stats.
LAST TIME OUT
>> After dropping the series opener at Missouri Western, 5-3, the Ichabods came storming back to sweep the doubleheader and outscore the Griffons a combined 16-1 over the two games.
>> The Ichabods hit .325 for the series while the Griffons hit just .178. WU also out-hit MWSU, 37-16.
>> On the mound, WU had a 1.73 ERA while MWSU had a 5.33 ERA.
>> Cole Emerson went 3-4 in the finale and scored twice and drove in two runs.
>> Kros Bay got his first hit of the season out of the way and added six more in the series as he went 7-10, with no strikeouts, and had two RBI.
>> Zion Bowlin hit .500 with six hits, including one triple, and finished with three RBI and two runs scored.
GEMS ON THE MOUND
>> Starters Brock Gilliam and Sean McElwee both tossed gems last Saturday to earn their first wins of the season.
>> Gilliam went six innings and did not allow a Griffon runner on base until the fifth as he allowed just one walk and one single in the frame.
>> He finished with a career-high 12 strikeouts and faced six batters combined in the second and third innings and struck out five of them.
>> McElwee followed up Gilliam's stellar performance with one of his own as he went seven innings and gave up five hits and one unearned run while recording seven strikeouts.
OFFENSIVE LEADERS
>> Leadoff man Xavier De Leon has a team-high 10 hits and seven runs scored so far this season.
>> Five of Parker Dunn's hits have gone for extra bases as he has four doubles and a homer. His seven RBI leads the team and he has also scored five runs.
>> Eric Hinostroza is batting .500 with five hits and two RBI and runs scored.
>> Brett Ingram has played in all seven games this season with six starts and holds a .381 batting average. He has totaled eight hits and scored four runs to go with four RBI.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION - MISSOURI SOUTHERN LIONS
>> After a 16-5 (3-3 MIAA) record last year, the Missouri Southern Lions have won all nine of their games this season and bat .273 as a team and their pitching staff has a 2.25 ERA.
>> Henry Kusiak has a .378 batting average and leads the team with 14 hits and eight runs scored.
>> Troy Gagan is right behind hitting .353 so far this year and out of his 12 hits, nine of gone for extra bases with six doubles and three homers. He also has scored seven times and recorded a team-best 12 RBI.
>> Two-time MIAA Pitcher of the Week Will Bausinger leads the pitching staff with a 3-0 record and has a 2.29 ERA. After last weekend, he is now Missouri Southern's all-time strikeout leader and has fanned 31 this season.
>> Zach Parish also has 31 strikeouts and has allowed just two earned runs and three walks in 20.1 innings pitched for a 0.89 ERA.
>> Chase Beiter has made four appearances out of the bullpen and recorded one save in 3.2 innings pitched without allowing an earned run.
HEAD COACH BRYCE DARNELL
>> Bryce Darnell is in his 14th season as the head coach at his alma mater.
>> He holds a career record of 375-281 and has coached 15 All-Region honorees and nine All-America selections.
>> Darnell played three seasons for the Lions after a year at the University of Minnesota.
>> He was drafted after his junior season by the St. Louis Cardinals and then the Arizona Diamond back after his senior year.
SERIES HISTORY WITH MISSOURI SOUTHERN
>> Missouri Southern holds a 62-37 series advantage and has won 12 of the last 13 meetings.
>> These two teams faced four times last year with Missouri Southern taking all four games.
>> Last year's series against Missouri Southern was the final games Washburn would play in the COVID-shortened 2020 season.
>> Peter Shearer went 3-4 in the series and scored three runs.
>> Dunn was 5-12 and hit three doubles, scored four runs and collected three RBI.
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 returns to the road and will head to Pittsburg State for three games starting on Friday, March 12, at 3 p.m.
