TOPEKA, Kan. -- The Ichabods will make their final road trip of the regular season this week as they head to Rogers State for a three-game series starting Thursday afternoon in Claremore, Okla.
LEADING OFF
>> The series start has been bumped up one day because of expected rain on Sunday.
>> Thursday's game will begin at 3 p.m., Friday will have a 2 p.m. first pitch, and the finale on Saturday is set for 1 p.m.
>> Washburn is coming off a series victory at Emporia State last weekend to improve its record to 27-14 (17-10 MIAA).
>> The Hillcats (21-21, 13-14 MIAA) posted a 15-14 non-conference win at Southeastern Oklahoma on Tuesday.
>> These two teams met for the first time in program history last season and the Ichabods came away with a series win, taking two out of three.
>> Washburn is 11-8 when playing away on the road while Rogers State is 13-10 on its home field.
>> The Ichabods checked in at No. 7 in the most recent NCBWA Central Region poll.
>> WU is also earning votes in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper top-30 rankings.
>> This is the 70th season in Washburn baseball history.
WASHBURN'S LAST TIME OUT
>> The Ichabods took the Turnpike Tussle series at Emporia State last week.
>> After allowing a pair of two-run home runs in the first inning of game one, Washburn defeated ESU in run-rule fashion for the second time this season with a 15-4 win.
>> The Hornets won game two, 5-1.
>> In the rubber match, Emporia State held a 1-0 lead in the seventh when Brett Ingram broke up the no-hitter with a single and advanced to second on an error.
>> Easton Bruce hit a bloop single to score Ingram as the tying run.
>> Ingram hit a one out double in the top of the ninth and traded places with Tyler Clark-Chiapparelli on his double to give the Ichabods the 2-1 advantage.
>> The Ichabods secured the win with a game-ending double play, their third of the day.
MIAA POSTSEASON PICTURE
>> The top-eight teams in the MIAA standings at the end of the regular season will compete in the MIAA Tournament quarterfinal, which will be a best two-out-of-three game series played at the campus sites of the top-four seeded teams.
>> Central Missouri has already clinched the regular season title with a 26-1 mark in conference play. The Mules' lone loss came against the Ichabods on April 2.
>> The Ichabods are in a three-way tie for second place as they join Northeastern State and Pittsburg State with a 17-10 MIAA record.
>> Central Oklahoma is close behind at 16-11.
>> Missouri Southern (15-12) is currently sixth. Rogers State (13-14) and Newman (12-15) round out the top-eight heading into this weekend.
>> The four teams that win the quarterfinal round will advance to Edmond, Okla. for the double-elimination bracket on May 12-15.
BY THE NUMBERS
>> Washburn has had four run-rule victories this year with two occurring against Emporia State.
>> The Ichabods have won six of their nine MIAA series this season.
>> When scoring first, Washburn is 15-3.
>> WU has hit 56 home runs so far this season, the most since the 2016 team hit 69.
>> Washburn is 27-0 when outscoring its opponents this season.
MILESTONE WATCH
>> Parker Dunn needs just one more RBI to reach the 100 RBI milestone in his time at Washburn.
>> Dalton Huggins needs seven more strikeouts to eclipse 100 in his Ichabod career. He has recorded 66 this season.
>> Huggins' 10 career saves is tied for first in Washburn's all-time record book. Don Huss (1987, 1989) had 10 combined saves.
QUICK HITS
>> Washburn is second among MIAA teams in doubles with 97, which also ranks 10th in Division II.
>> The team is also second in the league with 446 hits.
>> Bruce has recorded at least one hit in each of the six games he's played since returning to the lineup from an injury. He is batting .390 and is on a nine-game hitting streak.
>> Ingram has been a consistent leader for the Washburn offense as he holds a .349 average and leads the squad in hits (59/seventh in MIAA), runs (42), doubles (14/fourth in MIAA), and is second in home runs (10) and RBI (39).
>> He played a major role in Saturday's come-from-behind 2-1 win at Emporia State as he had two hits and scored both runs.
>> Trevor McCollum has started 22 games of the 23 games he's played and has 22 hits, 23 runs, and 15 RBI on the year. In WU's 15-4 win at ESU, he scored three times and drove in three runs.
>> Parker Dunn is in the top-10 in the MIAA in RBI (47/fourth) and home runs (13/seventh). He leads the team with 12 multi-RBI games.
FOR STARTERS
>> Washburn is third in the MIAA with a 5.09 earned run average and leads the league with 412 strikeouts.
>> Casey Steward is now 5-0 in 11 starts and has won his last four-consecutive outings. He has an even 5.00 ERA and 64 strikeouts after logging a team-high 54 innings on the mound.
>> After a rocky first inning at Emporia State, Steward locked in and held the Hornets to just one single over the next five innings. He recorded a career-high 11 strikeouts in the contest.
>> Jack Brimacombe (2-3) has thrown 45.2 innings in 10 starts and has struck out 39 batters and holds a 5.32 earned run average.
>> John Cross made his first start for the Ichabods on Saturday and went 4.2 innings and allowed one run on six hits and two walks to go with a season-high seven strikeouts.
>> Cross has primarily thrown out of the bullpen and is 1-1 with a save in 22.2 innings of work. He also has 37 strikeouts and a 1.99 earned run average.
WHAT A RELIEF
>> Huggins has made a team-high 20 apearances and leads the team with 66 strikeouts, which is third in the league.
>> He is 3-0 with three saves and a 3.56 ERA in 48.0 innings pitched.
>> He picked up the win in the rubber game at Emporia last week as he took over in the fifth and threw 3.1 scoreless innings in a tie ballgame and surrendered just one single while striking out four.
>> Cole Warner struck out the side in the seventh inning of the run-rule game one win at ESU. He has recorded 14 strikeouts in five appearances and 13.1 innings pitched.
>> Julian Zamora tossed two scoreless innings in game two and allowed just one hit and one walk and had three strikeouts. For the season, he is 2-0 in 11 appearances and also has 14 strikeouts in 13.1 innings.
>> Rane Pfeifer earned the save in the finale at Emporia State. After getting the first out of the ninth, the Hornets reached base on a bunt single before Pfeifer got a ground ball for a game-ending 4-6-3 double play.
>> Pfeifer holds a 6.57 ERA and 49 strikeouts in 38.1 innings.
HEAD COACH HARLEY DOUGLAS
>> Former Washburn All-MIAA outfielder Harley Douglas is in 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.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
ROGERS STATE HILLCATS
>> The Hillcats have now surpassed their win total from last season where they went 20-22 (14-19 MIAA).
>> As a team this season, RSU is hitting .286 with 22 home runs and 84 doubles.
>> Jesse Holguin is in the top-10 in the MIAA in four categories as he is batting .376 (sixth), has 64 hits (third), 51 RBI (third), and 16 doubles (second). He also leads the team with six home runs.
>> Gavin Mestas has scored a conference-best 54 runs this season and has landed 51 hits.
>> The Hillcat pitching staff has a 6.83 ERA with 323 strikeouts.
>> Octavio Sanchez has a team-low 4.05 ERA and is 2-0 with six saves in 19 relief appearances. He has struck out 30 in 26.2 innings pitched.
>> Jordan Ewig (5-4) leads the team with 55 strikeouts and is second in the conference in innings pitched after working 69.1 innings. He has a 4.93 ERA and has thrown three complete games while playing a part in all three of RSU's shutout wins.
HEAD COACH CHRIS KLIMAS
>> Chris Klimas is in his eighth season leading the Hillcats and compiled a career head coaching record of 169-143 heading into 2022.
>> He has guided the team to 20+ victories in six of his seven full seasons, excluding the COVID-shortened 2020 season.
>> Prior to taking over the program at RSU, Klimas was the assistant coach at his alma mater of Oklahoma Baptist from 2002-10 before being promoted to associate head coach from 2010-14.
>> Klimas was a two-year starting catcher for the Bison from 1999-2001 and graduate with a bachelor's in communication studies.
SERIES HISTORY WITH ROGERS STATE
>> These two programs faced each other for the first time ever last season on April 17-18 and the Ichabods went 2-1 against the Hillcats at Falley Field.
>> The Ichabods trailed in both the first and second games before winning 8-3 and 11-4.
>> The Hillcats won the finale, 10-8, after scoring three unanswered runs after the sixth inning.
>> The Ichabods hit .343 while the Hillcats had a .262 average in the series.
>> WU also led in home runs (4-3), triples (3-1), and doubles (4-2).
>> Clark-Chiapparelli went 7-9 with two home runs, four runs scored, and six RBI.
>> Zion Bowlin hit .700 in the series with a home run, two triples, a double, seven runs scored, and four RBI as well as two walks.
>> Ingram led the team with eight hits over the three games and hit .667 with six runs scored.
>> The Washburn pitching staff had a 5.67 ERA as Rogers State finished the series with a 9.36 ERA.
>> Zach Philbin earned a win in his two appearances as he struck out five and allowed one run on two hits with one walk in 3.1 innings of work.
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.
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 the regular season at home against Pittsburg State, April 29-May 1. The 13 Washburn seniors will be recognized on Sunday afternoon before the game.
