• The Washburn Ichabods will be back in action for the first time in three weeks as they will play host to No. 16 Central Oklahoma on April 17 and Newman on April 18 at Gahnstrom Field.
• The Ichabods were not able to play the dates of April 2 and April 3 and April 9 and April 10 due to COVID protocols. Each of those series have been rescheduled.
• The rescheduled contests have set up the Ichabods to play the remainder of the 20 MIAA games in 14 days with half of those games being on the road.
• The Ichabods enter the weekend with a 19-4 overall record and a 5-1 mark in conference play after splitting a twin bill with Fort Hays State on March 26 and sweeping Nebraska-Kearney the following day.
• The Bronchos are 24-8 this season and 13-3 in the MIAA entering their weekend doubleheader with Emporia State on Friday night before facing the Ichabods the following day.
• The Jets are 6-23 and 4-14 in the MIAA before facing the Ichabods on Sunday and have lost their last five games.
• 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
• Marrit Mead led the Ichabods to a 3-1 record after splitting a doubleheader with Fort Hays State and sweeping Nebraska-Kearney batting .533 with team-highs of eight hits, six RBI, five runs scored, two home runs and 15 total bases. Mead hat three hits in each of the games against the Lopers including two home runs in the night camp driving in four runs in the contest. She had a sac fly and two hits in the opener against Fort Hays State.
• Ashton Friend and Jaycee Ginter each drove in three runs while Ginter tossed the first no-hitter at Washburn in the opener against Fort Hays State since 2011.
• Kimi Patterson, Ashton Friend, Ginter and Hadley Kerschen each had four hits over the weekend.
• Raegen Hamm was 1-1 during the week with a 2.71 ERA.
• Ashlie Thissen recorded a 0.00 ERA in 3 2/3 innings pitched in relief against Fort Hays State.
 
 Bods and Ends
• Brianna Fuchs will play her 100th game this weekend in a Washburn uniform.
• The Ichabods are 10-0 this season when scoring in the first inning and 18-1 when scoring first.
• The Ichabods lead the nation in sacrifice flies with 16 and Ashton Friend is second in the nation with four.
• Marrit Mead's 38 hits this season is ranked eighth in the nation and second in the MIAA.
• Washburn is 17-0 when out hitting its opponent this season.
• Washburn has 46 2-out RBI this season compared to 2 for its opponents.
• Marrit Mead is batting .500 (13 for 26) with runners in scoring position this season as is Maddie Stipsits who is 9 for 18.
• Hadley Kerschen is 9 for 18 (.500) batting with two outs this season.
• With the bases loaded this season, Kerschen and Autuymn Schreiner are both 3 for 3 batting.
• As team the Ichabods are batting .686 with a runner on third this season.
• In the March 22 NCAA rankings, the Ichabods were leading the nation in sacrifice flies.
• Washburn is outscoring their opponents 36 to 14 in the fourth inning this season and 15 to 4 in the first inning and 25 to 8 in the second inning … overall the Ichabods have outscored opponents 147 to 63 … the only inning the Ichabods are being outscored this season is the seventh where opponents have a 10 to 6 advantage.
 
 Opponent Quick Scout . . .
CENTRAL OKLAHOMA
• The Bronchos are 24-8 and 13-3 in the MIAA entering a doubleheader with Emporia State on Friday before facing the Ichabods the following day.
• Hazel Puempel leads the team with a .362 batting average and 34 base hits … Shayla Harper is batting .333 with 10 home runs and 23 RBI.
• Corrina Rivas is 12-4 in the circle with a 1.85 ERA in 91 innings pitched.
• The Ichabods and the Jennies have split their last two doubleheader dates …UCO leads the series 22-14.
 
NEWMAN
• The Jets are 6-23 and 4-14 in the MIAA and have dropped their last four games.
• The Ichabods have won three in a row and lead the series 10-2.
• Emma Eck leads the team with a .365 batting average with 31 hits and Anissa Ramos has 24 RBI with 11 doubles batting .344.
• Anna Veitien has four of the Jets' wins in the circle going 4-8 with a 6.61 ERA … as a team the Jets have a 6.93 ERA.
 
 Head Coach Brenda Holaday . . .
• is 128-88 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 1184-918-1 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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