TOPEKA, Kan. -- Washburn baseball opens conference play at home with three games against Fort Hays State this Saturday-Monday.

LEADING OFF
>> The series start was pushed back a day due to freezing temperatures and now the series opener will be at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
>> Sunday and Monday are both set for a 1 p.m. first pitch.
>> The Ichabods (8-4) won three out of four games against Northern State last week and have now won eight of their last 10 games.
>> The Tigers are 1-11 on the early season and are 0-4 in road games so far.
>> Saturday's game will be the 196th game between these two programs.
>> The Ichabods have won six of the last seven games against the Tigers and took two out of three last season in Hays.
>> Washburn was 20-22 (18-15 MIAA) overall last season and finished fifth in the conference standings.
>> The Ichabods went 9-8 in home games last year.
>> This is the 70th season in Washburn baseball history.

WASHBURN'S LAST TIME OUT
>> The Ichabods went 3-1 against Northern State in the series that took place Feb. 19-21
>> Washburn won the series opener, 10-2, in a neutral site game at K-State's Tointon Family Stadium. The Ichabods put the game away with five runs in the eighth inning.
>> WU split the Sunday doubleheader with a 5-3 win before falling in the night game, 5-2.
>> The Ichabods bounced back with a 7-3 victory on Monday.
>> In the four-game series, Washburn hit .287 with six home runs and 14 doubles.
>> The Ichabod pitchers recorded 41 strikeouts.

DOUBLES UP
>> The Ichabods have hit 33 doubles so far this season, which ranks sixth in Division II.
>> Connor Scott is in a three-way tie for first among MIAA players with seven doubles. He is also tied for fourth nationally.
>> The Ichabods have hit at least one double in every game this season and have had three games with five doubles.
>> Nine of the 13 Ichabods who have had an at bat this season have had a two-base hit.

QUICK HITS
>> Scott leads the team with 17 hits and 10 have gone for extra base. He also leads the team with 11 runs scored.
>> Easton Bruce is off to a solid start in his freshman campaign as he leads the team hitting .389 and has 14 hits and driven in seven runs.
>> Tyler Clark-Chiapparelli is on a seven-game hitting streak and holds a .311 batting average. He has landed 14 hits, five of which went for doubles.
>> He is also is 7-for-7 on the base paths to lead the team in stolen bases.
>> Parker Dunn and Brett Ingram have reached base in 11-consecutive games. The duo is also tied for the team-lead in home runs with three apiece.
>> Dunn leads the team in RBI (15) and walks (eight).

FOR STARTERS
>> Rane Pfeifer got his second-straight win after going five innings against the Wolves and allowed just two runs on three hits with a pair of walks while striking out nine.
>> On the season, Pfeifer has a 2-1 record and has struck out 19 in 12.1 innings.
>> Casey Steward earned his first win of the season in game one of the DH against NSU. He tossed five scoreless innings and surrendered only three hits and four walks while striking out four.
>> Steward has made three starts and holds a 2.57 ERA in 14.0 innings pitched. He has aso totaled 11 strikeouts.
>> Charlie Kiefer won his first start in a Washburn uniform in the finale against Northern State. He went four innings and allowed three runs, two of which were earned, and allowed four hits. He also struck out three in the victory.

WHAT A RELIEF
>> Huggins continues to lead the way in the bullpen with zero runs allowed and just three hits in 12.0 innings scattered across five appearances. He leads the pitching staff with 22 strikeouts and has a 1-0 record to go with one save.
>> Huggins struck out the side to close out the ninth inning in game four against the Wolves.
>> Trevor Marreel pitched a clean inning to cloe out the series opener and struck out two.
>> Joel Casillas earned his second save of the year after he closed out the ninth inning in the game on of the DH.
>> Jake Schroeder worked one inning against the Wolves on Sunday and struck out two. He now has eight strikeouts in three innings pitched.
>> John Cross made his second relief appearance for Washburn in Monday's game as he worked two innings and allowed just one single and a walk and struck out a couple.

HEAD COACH HARLEY DOUGLAS
>> Former Washburn All-MIAA outfielder Harley Douglas enters his eighth season at the helm of the Washburn baseball program in 2022.
>> In seven seasons, Douglas carries an all-time record of 161-152 with three appearances in the MIAA Tournament.
>> He has also coached a total of 39 all-MIAA selections, including one MIAA Player and Pitcher of the Year.

MIAA PRESEASON POLL
>> For the second-consecutive season, the Ichabods were picked sixth in the MIAA Baseball Coaches Preseason Poll.
>> Central Missouri was voted the favorite earning 10 first-place votes and totalling 120 points.
>> Pittsburg State racked up 103 points and one first-place votes and Northeastern State received the final first-place vote and was tabbed third with 94 points.
>> Central Oklahoma (92 points) and Missouri Southern (86 points) rounded out the top-five.

SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
FORT HAYS STATE TIGERS
>> The Tigers went 11-26 (11-22 MIAA) last year and finished 10th in the conference standings.
>> Through 12 games, FHSU is hitting .233 with seven home runs.
>> The Tigers have played in some high-scoring games so far and have been outscored, 119-49.
>> Jenner Kehe leads the offense with a .385 batting average and a team-best 15 hits.
>> Grant Schmidt has hit three bombs and four doubles to collect a team-high 10 RBI on the young season.
>> The Tigers' pitching staff holds a 10.40 earned run average with 68 strikeouts.
>> Sammy Sanchez earned the win against Regis last Saturday after going 6.1 innings and allowing two runs on seven hits. He leads the team with 16 strikeouts in three appearances on the mound.
>> Defensively, the Tigers have turned 10 double plays which ranks 12th-most in Division II.

HEAD COACH JEROD GOODALE
>> Jerod Goodale is in his fourth season coaching at his alma mater and held a three-year record of 25-79 (13-60 MIAA) heading into this season.
>> Prior to joining the Tigers, Goodale was the head coach at Colorado School of Mines for seven seasons and compiled a record of 180-160.
>> He also served as an assistant coach at Angelo State (2010-11), Wichita State (2007-09), and Fort Hays State (2005-06).
>> He was a two-time all-conference catcher in his four years playing for the Tigers.

SERIES HISTORY WITH FORT HAYS STATE
>> These two programs first faced each other in 1966 and Fort Hays leads the all-time series, 107-88.
>> The 2018 season was the last time the Tigers came to Topeka. The Ichabods posted a 16-0 and a 9-5 victory at Falley Field and lost the middle game, 8-7.
>> Washburn has gone 12-3 against Fort Hays during Coach Douglas' tenure.

PRO BOD
>> There have been five Washburn players since 1965 that played for a Major League Baseball team and eight total players have signed a professional contract.
>> At the conclusion of his collegiate career, Brock Gilliam was signed by the Kansas City Monarchs on July 23, 2021.
>> He appeared in 13 games making one start and finished with a 3-1 record in 22.2 innings pitched with 21 strikeouts.
>> He helped the Monarchs to the American Association championship title.

TAKE A LOOK AHEAD
>> The Ichabods will close out their eight-game homestand with a non-conference game against Emporia State on Tuesday, March 1.