TOPEKA, Kan. -- Washburn baseball continues its homestand this weekend as the Ichabods take on Rogers State for the first time in program history.
LEADING OFF
>> The series start was pushed back one day due to forecasted rain on Friday.
>> Washburn (10-17, 9-12 MIAA) is coming off a series win over Emporia State, taking two out of three games last weekend.
>> Rogers State has lost its last six games and holds a record of 12-13 (9-12 MIAA).
>> The Hillcats were picked seventh in the MIAA Preseason Poll and went 9-11 (0-6 MIAA) in the COVID-shortened 2020 season.
>> This is the 68th season in Washburn baseball program history.
GAME INFORMATION
>> The three-game series is now scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. on Saturday at Falley Field.
>> Sunday's doubleheader begins at 1 p.m. with the finale to follow.
>> 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 inside the facility.
>> All games will have live stats and be video streamed.
OFFENSIVE LEADERS
>> The Ichabods are third in the MIAA and ranked 23rd in Division II with 63 doubles.
>> Leadoff hitter Xavier De Leon leads the team in four statistical categories. He is batting .366 and 41 hits (ninth in MIAA), 20 runs scored and is tied for a team-best six stolen bases.
>> De Leon has 14 multi-hit games.
>> Catcher Kros Bay is hitting .341 with nine doubles and a triple. He has also scored 13 runs with 12 RBI. He went 3-4 at the plate in game one against ESU, including a solo home run.
>> Parker Dunn leads the team with seven home runs, 11 doubles, and a .667 slugging percentage. Overall, he has a .333 batting average.
>> Cole Emerson holds a .317 batting average with 20 hits and has scored 18 runs.
>> Out of his 23 hits, eight have gone for extra bases for Tyler Clark-Chiapparelli. He drove in the tying and go-ahead runs in the series finale over the Hornets.
PITCHING LEADERS
>> The Washburn pitching staff has a combined 6.53 ERA with 256 strikeouts.
>> Brock Gilliam received a no-decision in his eighth start of the season last time out, but holds a 4-2 record with a 3.72 ERA.
>> He is second in the conference and eighth in the nation with 70 strikeouts.
>> Sean McElwee has a 5.36 ERA after working 43.2 innings and has struck out 43 batters.
>> Rane Pfeifer earned his first win of the season in game one against the Hornets. He went five innings and gave up two runs on a homer and four total hits while striking out six.
>> For the season, Pfeifer is 1-4 with a 6.16 ERA and 41 strikeouts.
>> Zach Philbin has made seven relief appearances and has allowed seven unearned runs and eight hits and holds a 0.00 ERA after eight innings of work. He received the win in game three against Emporia, working two scoreless innings and allowing just one single.
>> Dalton Huggins picked up the save in game one against ESU tossing two clean innings and facing the minimum while striking out four-consecutive batters.
>> Joel Cassillas made two scoreless relief appearances against the Hornets. In three innings, he allowed just two hits and struck out five. He closed out game three and earned the save.
MILESTONE WATCH
>> Gilliam has 181 career strikeouts and is fifth on Washburn's all-time strikeout leader list. He will move up to third on the list in eight strikeouts.
>> Gilliam has already etched his name in the Washburn record book this season as he ranks in the top-10 of the most strikeouts in a single season. He is currently sitting in ninth in the program's history and looks to move up as the season continues.
>> Eric Hinostroza and Kros Bay both recorded their 50th career hit while at Washburn last weekend against Emporia State. Both players transferred to Washburn last season and have played 46 and 45 games, respectively.
>> Bowlin, who also joined Washburn last season, needs two more hits to reach the half century mark.
>> Pfeifer and McElwee are both approaching 50 strikeouts in their first season playing for the Ichabods. McElwee needs seven more strikeouts and Pfeifer needs nine more.
LAST TIME OUT
>> Washburn won the first and last game of the three game series against Emporia State.
>> WU hit .327 with six homers and eight doubles. Everyone who had an at bat had at least one hit.
>> On the mound, the Ichabods finished the series with a 5.33 ERA and 31 strikeouts while the Hornets had a 7.20 ERA with 19 Ks.
>> The Ichabods surrendered a two-run homer in the top of the second, but then scored five unanswered runs to take the opener, 5-2.
>> In the first doubleheader game on Saturday, Washburn held a 10-5 lead going into the ninth before allowing eight runs on five hits and three errors as Emporia State rallied for a 13-10 win.
>> It was the Ichabods' turn to rally in the third game as the home team came back from a 4-0 deficit in the fifth. Washburn scored two runs in the fifth and sixth innings and then the go-ahead run in the eighth.
SCOUTING ROGERS STATE
>> The Hillcats are on a six-game losing streak as they check in at 12-13 (9-12 MIAA) on the season.
>> As a team, RSU is batting .263 with a .368 slugging percentage. They have hit 39 doubles, two triples, and 14 homers.
>> Brandon Bradshaw has started all 25 games and leads the team with a .341 batting average (30-88). In addition to leading the team in hits, he also has a team-high in walks (19) and is second in RBI (18), home runs (three), and runs scored (18).
>> The Hillcats' pitching staff has a collective 4.79 ERA and has recorded 182 strikeouts.
>> Jordan Ewig has made 11 appearances out of the pen and has a 1.69 ERA with 19 strikeouts in 16.0 innings of work. He has a 1-0 record with three saves and allowed three earned runs.
>> Jackson Simonsgaard has struck out a team-best 42 batters in 40.1 innings with a 5.13 ERA.
HEAD COACH CRIS KLIMAS
>> Chris Klimas is in his seventh season as the head coach of Rogers State baseball and holds a record of 149-121.
>> He guided the Hillcats to four-consecutive seasons with 25 or more wins starting in 2016, just one season after he was hired.
>> Prior to joining Rogers State, he spent 13 years on staff at his alma mater, Oklahoma Baptist.
SERIES HISTORY WITH ROGERS STATE
>> This will be the first-ever meeting between these two teams.
>> Rogers State became an associate member of the MIAA after the 2018-19 school year.
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
>> After a seven-game homestand, the Ichabods return to the road next week at Fort Hays State (April 23-24).
