• After a short stint at Gahnstrom Field, the Washburn Ichabods return to the road with doubleheaders at Fort Hays State on Friday and at Nebraska-Kearney on Saturday continuing MIAA play.
• The Ichabods (28-11, 10-2 MIAA) have won their last eight games coming off a 4-0 weekend of MIAA play sweeping both Missouri Western on April 1 and Northwest Missouri on April 2.
• After the sweeps over Missouri Western and Northwest Missouri, the Ichabods improved to 18-0 in home games this season at Gahnstrom Field …the 18-game winning streak is tied for the fourth-longest in the nation entering this week's action … additionally, the 18 wins is the most by an Ichabod team at home since recording 19 during the 2002 season when the Ichabods were 18-2.
• Brenda Holaday is in her sixth season as the Ichabod softball head coach recording a 161-112 overall record going 77-41 in MIAA contests leading the Ichabods to their first MIAA Regular Season title in her second year in 2018 and an NCAA Central Regional berth, the fourth in school history.
  • The Ichabods were 4-0 last week with sweeps over Missouri Western and Northwest Missouri last weekend.
• Jaycee Ginter was 2-0 with a save and a 0.91 earned run average in 15 1/3 inning pitched as Washburn was 4-0 during the week striking out 24 with four walks scattering five hits holding opponents to a .100 batting average while also batting .692 with a 1.154 slugging percentage going 9 for 13 at the plate with four doubles and 10 RBI scoring three runs. In the opening game against Missouri Western Ginter struck out 13 in an 8-1 win giving up two hits and an earned run walking one. In the nightcap against the Griffons she pitched 1 1/3 in relief getting the save retiring all four batters she faced striking out two. In the opener she broke the Washburn single-season strikeout record with her 183rd. Against Northwest, she tossed a complete six-inning game allowing two hits and an earned run striking out eight. In the second game, in a non-save situation she finished out the game tossing an inning in relief striking out one.
• Paige Robbins was 11 for 15 during the week with a .733 batting average while driving in six runs and scoring a team-high seven runs compiling a .750 on base percentage and a .867 slugging percentage as the Ichabods were 4-0 during the week. For the two-game series against the Griffons, Robbins was 7 for 7 with five runs scored and a walk with 2 RBI reaching base in all eight plate appearances. In the second game against Missouri Western, she had a career-high four hits. Against the Bearcats, Robbins was 4 for 8 in the series with two doubles and 4 RBI and a stolen base.
• Marrit Mead batted .500 going 7 of 14 with six runs scored, 4 RBI and four stolen bases.
• Washburn outhit its opponents .378 to .172 outscoring them 31 to 11.
• Raegen Hamm was 2-0 with a 1.05 earned run average in two appearances.
  • Jaycee Ginter leads the nation with 19 wins season entering the weekend and ranked third in total strikeouts … she already owns the Ichabod single-season strikeout mark with 194 entering the road trip this weekend … in MIAA play Ginter is batting .476 with 22 RBI going 20 for 42 with 11 runs scored and a slugging percentage of .810.
• In the past six games, the current MIAA Hitter of the Week, Paige Robbins is batting .591 going 13 of 22 with eight runs scored and an on base percentage of .625 … Robbins is leading the team in MIAA play hitting .485 going 16 for 33.
• Ashton Friend is ranked sixth in the nation in home runs with 12 and leads the MIAA in the category … she is also ranked 28th in RBI.
• Marrit Mead is ranked third in the nation in doubles with 17 and 11th in the nation with 55 hits.
• Autymn Schreiner leads the MIAA and is second in the nation in getting hit by a pitch  with 13 and Maddie Stipsits is 19th with nine.
• As a team the Ichabods lead the nation in being hit by a pitch … Washburn has had 52 batters reach base after getting plunked.
• Washburn is also ninth in fielding percentage, ninth in the nation in hits, seventh in doubles and 20th in home runs.
• Ashton Friend is batting .833 (10 for 12) this season with less than two outs and a runner on third.
• Hadley Kerschen leads the team with 17 2-out RBI this year … Marrit Mead and Jaycee Ginter each have 16.
• Hadley Kerschen also leads the team with 21 hits (21 for 46 - .457) batting average when batting with two outs. • Marrit Mead leads the Ichabods with 17 multi-hit games and Hadley Kerschen is second with 14 multi-hit games … Ashton Friend and has 11 multi-hit games and Autymn Schreiner and has 10.
• Jaycee Ginter is tied for the team lead with 12 multi RBI games.
• Marrit Mead has hit safely in the last 13 games.
• The Ichabods have outscored their opponents 256 to 142 this season and 59 to 34 in the first inning, 41 to 12 in the fourth inning and 41 to 12 in the fifth inning.
• Washburn is 17-3 when scoring in the first inning and 25-1 when leading after the fourth inning.
• The Ichabods are 18-0 at home this season.
  The Washburn Ichabod softball team was tabbed sixth in the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll that was released prior to the start of the season by the league office. 
The Ichabods picked up 117 total points trailing Missouri Western in fifth with 118 and Missouri Southern in fourth with 124. Central Oklahoma was the preseason favorite with eight first-place votes and 162 total points and Central Missouri had 158 points with six first-place votes. Rogers State was third with 142 points.
  TOPEKA, Kan. -- The Washburn Ichabods wrapped up a 4-0 weekend improving to 18-0 at home as they swept Northwest Missouri 9-1 and 8-4 moving to 28-11 on the season and 10-2 in MIAA play. The Ichabods will be in action next weekend with a road swing at Fort Hays State and Nebraska-Kearney starting Friday.
Game 1 - WU 9, NWMSU 1 (6 innings)
The Washburn Ichabods scored four runs in the second and four in the sixth cruising to a 9-1 run-rule victory in the opener. In the second, Ashton Friend was hit by a pitch, one of eight times the Ichabods were plunked on the afternoon, as Kimi Patterson was hit in the next Ichabod at bat. With a single by Autymn Schreiner, the bases were loaded and then Maddie Stipsits was hit scoring Patterson. Marrit Mead then cleared the bases with a triple to right center as the Ichabods went up 4-0.
The Bearcats scratched one across in the top of the third, but the Ichabods came back with a solo run of their own in the fifth when Mead singled and then scored on a single up the middle by Jaycee Ginter.
The Ichabods finished off the game with four in the bottom of the sixth as Rylee Seymour had a pinch-hit single and then Schreiner, Jaden LaBarge both singled. After Ellington Hogle reached on a fielder's choice, Mead singled scoring Schreiner and Paige Robbins finished off the scoring with a single up the middle as Washburn picked up the 9-1 win.
Mead tied a career-high with 4 RBI going 3 of 4 with a run scored. Schreiner had two hits and scored twice and Robbins drove in two.
Ginter moved to 19-3 in the circle striking out eight allowing two hits and one earned run.
Game 2 - WU 8, NWMSU 4
The Ichabods jumped out to a 4-0 lead after their first at bat as Mead was hit by a pitched and then stole second. After Robbins singled and then stole second, Ginter doubled to left center scoring both Mead and Robbins. Kerschen was plunked and then a single by LaBarge set up Patterson's single to center scoring Kerschen as the Ichabods sent nine to the plate in the opening frame.
After the Bearcats (6-29, 0-10) scored a pair of runs in the top of the second, Washburn came back with two of its own on back-to-back doubles by Mead, Robbins and Ginter putting the Ichabods up 6-2.
Washburn platted two more in the third taking advantage of a Bearcat error as Robbins' double to center scored Patterson and then Mead, who was hit, came around to score on a sac fly by Ashton Friend.
The Bearcats scored a solo run in the sixth on a solo home run to wrap up the scoring on the afternoon as the Ichabods secured the 8-4 win and the sweep.
Raegen Hamm tossed 4 1/3 innings striking out six improving to 8-6 on the season allowing an earned run scattering three hits.
Robbins finished with three hits pacing the Ichabod 10-hit output. Ginter drove in three runs and Robbins had two.
On the afternoon, Mead was 5 for 6 with four runs scored and 4 RBI. Ginter drove in four as did Robbins.
  FORT HAYS STATE
• The Tigers are 16-19-1 this season and 2-6 in MIAA entering the contests with the Ichabods.
• Fort Hays State was swept by Missouri Southern last time out on April 2.
• Sarah Tiffany leads the team with a .344 batting average with 32 hits and 12 runs scored … Loren Beggs has 33 hits with a .333 batting average scoring 20 runs.
• The Ichabods lead the all-time series 44-37 after splitting the last two MIAA doubleheaders.
 
NEBRASKA-KEARNEY
• The Lopers are 18-14 and 8-2 in the MIAA after sweeping Pittsburg State last time out.
• The Lopers will face Emporia State on April 8 before facing the Ichabods the following day.
• Carlee Liesch leads the team with a .392 batting average scoring 21 runs this season … Sydney Thomason is batting .367 with 40 hits and 22 runs scored.
• UNK leads the series with the Ichabods 30-25 with Washburn winning the last three and eight of the last nine.
  • is 161-112 in her sixth season as the Ichabod head softball coach.
• coached 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. • The Ichabods are 1234-934-1 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.