TOPEKA, Kan. -- The Ichabods continue their conference postseason run this week back in Edmond, Okla. as one of the final four teams in the double-elimination MIAA championship tournament, presented by Mammoth Sports Construction. Washburn will take on the top-seeded and No. 4 nationally ranked Central Missouri Mules on Thursday at noon.
TOURNAMENT INFO
>> The remainder of the MIAA Tournament will be hosted by Central Oklahoma in Edmond, Okla. at Wendell Simmons Field.
>> Tickets are available to purchase online here.
>> A single game ticket is $10 and a tournament pass is $25.
>> The link for the live stats can be found here.
>> The link for the video stream can be found here.
FULL SCHEDULE
Thursday, May 12
Game 1 | Noon | No. 1 Central Missouri vs. No. 5 Washburn
Game 2 | 4 p.m. | No. 2 Northeastern State vs. No. 3 Pittsburg State
Friday, May 13
Game 3 | 11 a.m. | Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2
Game 4 | 3 p.m. | Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2
Game 5 | 7 p.m. | Winner of Game 4 vs. Loser of Game 3
Saturday, May 14
Game 6 | Noon | Winner of game Game 3 vs. Winner of game 5
Game 7 | (if necessary)
LEADING OFF
>> No. 5 seed Washburn (31-18) swept No. 4 Central Oklahoma on its home field in the best-of-three quarterfinal series to advance on in the tournament.
>> The Ichabods were the only lower seed to advance to the MIAA semifinals.
>> Top-seeded Central Missouri (39-6) posted a 2-1 game one win over No. 8 seed Emporia State before run-ruling the Hornets in game two, 15-5.
>> These two teams played each other at Falley Field at the beginning of April. No. 4 UCM won game one, 9-3, before Washburn ended the Mules' 19-game winning streak with a convincing 15-4 triumph.
>> Central Missouri won the rubber match game, 5-3, and was aided by a two-out, two-run pinch hit home run in the top of the ninth.
>> The Ichabods are 4-0 in neutral site games and are coming off two victories this past weekend at Wendell Simmons Field while the Mules are 2-2 in neutral games this year.
>> This is the 70th season in Washburn baseball history.
WASHBURN'S LAST TIME OUT
>> The Ichabods advanced to the double-elimination bracket in the MIAA Tournament for the first time since 2016 after posting two wins at Central Oklahoma.
>> WU jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning on Quinn Waterbury's two-run shot in game one before back and forth scoring ensued and UCO tied up the game at 2-2 and then later at 5-5 in the bottom of the eighth.
>> The Ichabods got to work in the ninth as Cal Watkins hit a leadoff single and then scored on Brett Ingram's double to center field.
>> A sacrifice bunt by Waterbury moved Ingram into scoring position and he scored on Zion Bowlin's single on an 0-2 pitch to put Washburn up, 7-5.
>> John Cross closed out the game and struck out the side to secure the victory.
>> In game two, the Bronchos got a run across in the second inning after a walk, back-to-back hit by pitches, and then a third hit by pitch with the bases loaded scored the first run of the game.
>> The Ichabods went in front 3-1 in the third and never trailed again. WU tacked on a run in the fourth before UCO trimmed the deficit in half in the fifth.
>> Washburn added a pair of insurance runs in the top of the ninth and Dalton Huggins retired the side in order to clinch the 6-2 victory.
>> Braden Babcock earned the win after he threw four and 2/3 innings and allowed just one unearned run on three hits with one walk and four strikeouts.
>> In the series, Watkins went 4-8 with three runs scored and two RBI.
>> Ingram was 3-7 with a double, two RBI, and four runs scored.
>> Waterbury drove in four runs and also had three hits, one of which was a homer.
>> That was the first time since 1988 that Washburn had won two games in a series in Edmond.
WASHBURN IN THE MIAA TOURNAMENT
>> Washburn has made the conference tournament 16 times since its first year of eligibility in the 1991 season after joining the NCAA and MIAA in 1989-90.
>> The Ichabods are 23-29 overall in MIAA postseason play.
>> Washburn has played Central Missouri 11 times in the MIAA Tournament and have gone 4-7.
>> These two teams last faced in the conference tournament in 2016.
>> This is the fourth squad Washburn head coach Harley Douglas has led to the MIAA Tournament.
RECORD BREAKER
>> Dalton Huggins became Washburn's all-time career saves leader after he earned his 11th career save since joining Washburn in 2020 and fourth of the season in game two at Central Oklahoma on Saturday.
>> He passed Don Huss (1987, '89) on the all-time list, who had 10 career saves.
ALL-MIAA HONORS
>> Eight Ichabods earned all-MIAA honors last week with four picking up the first conference accolades of their Washburn careers.
>> Ingram, Huggins, and Casey Steward all earned a spot on the second team.
>> Tyler Clark-Chiapparelli and Parker Dunn received third team honors for the second-straight season while Zion Bowlin, who was an honorable mention last year, was also a third team pick.
>> John Cross and Cal Watkins both earned a nod at Honorable Mention.
>> There have been seven or more Ichabods to earn all-MIAA honors in each of the last three full seasons.
THIRTY AND OVER
>> After their wins at UCO, the Ichabods have become the 11th team in program history to eclipse 30 wins in a season.
>> Coach Douglas recorded back-to-back 30+ wins in his first two seasons as head coach (2015 & 2016).
QUICK HITS
>> Washburn is hitting .301 and has outscored its opponents, 385-311, and also led in hits (517-421), doubles (111-76), and home runs (62-46) this year.
>> Ingram has been a consistant force for Washburn this season as he has started all 49 games and leads the team while ranking in the top-10 in the MIAA with a .371 batting average (ninth), 75 hits (fourth), 48 runs, 18 doubles (fifth), and 25 multi-hit games.
>> He is also second on the team with 45 RBI and 11 home runs.
>> Easton Bruce has a .354 average with 35 hits and 21 runs scored in his freshman campaign. He is on a five-game hitting streak.
>> Waterbury has come on strong down the stretch as he has started six of the last seven games and during that time has hit .440 (11-25) with three home runs, two doubles, four runs scored, and 12 RBI with a .880 slugging percentage. He has also had multiple hits in four of those six games played.
>> For the season, Waterbury has a .346 batting average with 18 hits, five home runs, three doubles, 21 RBI and 12 runs scored in 18 total games played.
>> Bowlin returned to the lineup last weekend after missing a month due to injury. He had two hits in his first game back and for the season, he's hitting .333 with 45 hits, 31 RBI, and 29 runs scored.
>> Dunn leads the squad with 14 home runs and has driven in 53 runs. He has landed 51 hits and scored 39 times this season.
>> Watkins has started all 49 games at short stop and has recorded 58 hits and scored 47 runs while hitting .294.
FOR STARTERS
>> The Ichabods are third among MIAA teams with a 5.40 ERA and second in total strikeouts with 487.
>> Steward is 5-2 in 14 starts and has thrown a team-high 68 and 1/3 innings. He has a 5.93 ERA and 74 strikeouts (seventh in MIAA) while holding opponents to a .245 batting average (sixth in MIAA).
>> Stewared earned the win against Central Missouri on April 2 after he worked six innings and allowed four runs, three earned, on three hits, two walks, and three hit by pitches while striking out two.
>> In 12 starts, Jack Brimacombe is 2-4 with a 5.82 ERA and 42 strikeouts in 51.0 innings.
WHAT A RELIEF
>> Huggins has turned in an impressive senior season on the mound for the Ichabods as he ranks in the top-10 among MIAA pitchers in 11 different stat categories.
>> He is 5-1 with four saves and has a 3.29 ERA to go with a team-leading 82 strikeouts (fourth in MIAA), including 22 strikeouts looking (sixth). He's held opponents to a .226 batting average (third) and a conference-low 51 hits and 27 runs in 63 innings on the mound
>> Cross entered the first game against Central Oklahoma out of the bullpen in the eighth inning and shut them down. He struck out four of the six batters he faced and allowed just one hit and zero runs.
>> He is 2-1 in 14 appearances, including three starts, and has a 3.06 earned run average and 53 strikeouts after 32 and 1/3 innings.
>> Babcock picked up the win in game two at UCO for his first victory at Washburn. He has an overall 3.46 ERA in 13 innings pitched with 13 strikeouts.
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 47 all-MIAA selections, including one MIAA Player and Pitcher of the Year.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
CENTRAL MISSOURI MULES
>> The Mules have won the last three MIAA tournament championships and are on a six-game winning streak heading into the weekend.
>> Central Missouri only lost three conference games this season; one against the Ichabods and two against Central Oklahoma.
>> As a team, the Mules are hitting a conference-best .352 while limiting opponents to a .229 batting average. They also outscore their opponents, 464-202.
>> Brennen vanBreusegen has played and started 37 games and leads the league with a .454 batting average and a .822 slugging percentage to go with 59 RBI (sixth in MIAA) and a team-leading 69 hits, 59 RBI, and 15 stolen bases. He is also second on the team with 13 home runs.
>> John Prudhom has started all 45 games and is batting .377 with 15 homers, 63 hits, 55 runs scored, 57 RBI, and 13 stolen bases.
>> UCM also leads the league with a 3.81 ERA and has struck out 360 batters.
>> Collin Jones has been their game one starter and ace this year as has not suffered a loss and is 9-0 in 13 starts with a 3.17 ERA (second in MIAA). He's thrown 71 innings and had one complete game, one shutout, and 59 strikeouts.
>> Brady Gavin is 3-1 with six saves in 13 appearances out of the bullpen. He has worked 23 innings and allowed just two runs on 11 hits with 27 strikeouts for a 0.78 ERA.
HEAD COACH KYLE CROOKES
>> Heading into his eighth season leading the Mules, Kyle Crookes has compiled a record of 256-99 (167-57 MIAA) with three trips to the NCAA World Series.
>> He has led the team to three MIAA regular season titles, four MIAA tournament championships, and three NCAA Central Region titles.
SERIES HISTORY WITH CENTRAL MISSOURI
>> The Mules have won six of the last eight meetings and lead the all-time series, 92-27.
>> The last time these teams faced in a neutral site game was the 2016 MIAA Tournament.
>> When playing at a neutral site, the record is tied at 4-4.
>> Against UCM earlier this season, Washburn hit .309 while holding Central Missouri to a .223 batting average.
>> WU also led in hits (29-21), runs (21-18), home runs (4-1), and doubles (7-4).
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
>> A win on Thursday would mean Washburn would play at 11 a.m. on Friday against the winners of the Northeastern State vs. Pittsburg State game. If the Ichabods lose, they would play Friday at 3 p.m. against the loser of the NSU/PSU game.
