TOPEKA, Kan. – Washburn baseball will begin its MIAA schedule this weekend with three games at Fort Hays State starting with a doubleheader on Saturday. 
 
Washburn will play the MIAA opener at Larks Park in Hays, Kan. on Saturday at noon with the second game of the doubleheader set to begin at 3 p.m. The series finale will be Sunday beginning at 1 p.m. In the 2023 MIAA Coaches Preseason Poll, the Ichabods were selected fifth and Fort Hays was voted 12th.
 
The Ichabods are on a five-game winning streak and are now 6-7 on the year. Washburn opened its home schedule last weekend with a four-game sweep over Concordia-St. Paul. In the four games, the Ichabods outscored the Golden Bears, 38-25, and hit seven homers, six doubles, and three triples. 
 
After 13 games, the Ichabod offense is batting .290 with 12 home and 23 doubles. Cal Watkins leads the team batting .426 with 23 hits, 18 runs scored, and five doubles. Ike Book has a .407 batting average with 11 hits and a team-high 14 RBI. In the series finale against CSP, Book was a perfect 4-4 with a walk, home run, and triple while driving in six RBI. Trey Adams has landed 18 hits and scored 11 times and driven in 13 runs. 
 
On the mound, the Ichabods have a collective 5.97 ERA with 111 strikeouts. Cole Warner is 2-0 with a minuscule 0.68 ERA in 13 1/3 innings of work. In the third game against the Golden Bears, Warner tossed 5 1/3 innings in relief for the win and allowed just one run on three hits with a couple of strikeouts. Casey Steward leads the team with 25 strikeouts  in 15 1/3 innings and is 1-0 with a 2.93 ERA. 
 
Fort Hays State has already surpassed its win total from last year where the Tigers went 4-41 (3-21 MIAA). So far this season, FHSU is 7-5 under new head coach, Justin Wichert, and have outscored its opponents 131-95. At the plate, the Tigers are hitting .376 with 17 homers, 30 doubles, and five triples. Five from FHSU have played in 10 or more games this season with 28+ at bats and are hitting above the .400 mark. Elliott Herrmann has a .457 batting average and leads the team in hits (21), home runs (five), and RBI (27) to go with 17 runs scored.
 
On the bump, FHSU has a 7.92 ERA with 92 strikeouts. Jake Campbell is 1-0 in two appearances and 6 1/3 innings of work with a 1.42 ERA. Connor Holle is 1-1 with a team-best 14 strikeouts.
 
These two programs have played each other 190 times since 1966 and Fort Hays leads the series, 105-85. The Ichabods have won nine of the last 10 and swept the Tigers in Topeka in 2022.
 
After this weekend, the Ichabods will return home to Falley Field to host Missouri Western for a non-conference midweek game on Feb. 28 at 2 p.m.