TOPEKA, Kan. -- After a schedule change due to soggy field conditions in Maryville, Mo., Washburn will now remain at home and host Northwest Missouri on Tuesday at 3 p.m.
LEADING OFF
>> The midweek contest against the Bearcats will be an MIAA game and the next two games of the series (March 28 and April 11) will both be played at Northwest Missouri.
>> The Ichabods took two out of three against Northeastern State last weekend and are now 15-8 (8-1 MIAA).
>> Washburn is currently first in the MIAA standings with a game lead over Missouri Southern and Central Missouri.
>> The Bearcats lost their series to Pittsburg State, 2-1, and are now 4-16 (2-7 MIAA) on the year.
>> Last season, Washburn claimed the series over Northwest Missouri ... the Ichabods won 10-1 at home and lost 7-0 in Maryville. WU clinched the series win with a 7-5 decision in Topeka.
>> The Ichabods were picked fifth in the 2023 MIAA Coaches Preseason Poll and the Bearcats were selected eighth after going 19-27 (13-20 MIAA) last year.
>> In 2022, Washburn reached its first NCAA postseason and finished the season 33-22.
>> The 2023 season is the 71st year of Washburn Baseball.
THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
>> Falley Field has been the home of the Ichabods since 1990.
>> At home over the past 33 years, Washburn has a record of 414-283.
>> The Ichabods went 13-8 at home last year.
>> Washburn is 10-1 at home this season and has played 11 of its last 14 games at home.
NATIONAL NUMBERS
>> Shortstop Cal Watkins is ranked fourth in all of Division II and first in the MIAA in hits with 41 on the year.
>> Watkins is also 19th in DII in runs scored with 29.
>> Pitcher Casey Steward is ranked fourth overall with 51 strikeouts.
>> As a team, the Ichabods rank sixth in the nation with 254 hits so far this season.
>> The team also ranks fourth in DII in walks drawn with 125.
>> On the base paths, the Ichabods have stolen 57 bases to rank 10th in the nation.
>> Defensively, the squad has turned 17 double plays to rank 13th in Division II.
IN THE RANKINGS
>> Washburn entered the national rankings of the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper this week, checking in at No. 27 overall.
>> In the National Collegiate Baseball Writer's Association (NCBWA) Central Region poll, the Ichabods are currently No. 7.
MIAA HITTER OF THE WEEK
>> Trevor McCollum was named the MIAA Hitter of the Week after leading the Ichabod offense in four games last week.
>> He finished the week batting .563 (9-16) with two walks, eight runs scored, and was a perfect 5-5 in stolen bases.
>> He also only struck out once in his 16 at bats.
>> McCollum becomes the second Ichabod this season to win MIAA Baseball Athlete of the Week honors as Casey Steward was tabbed the conference Pitcher of the Week on Feb. 13.
QUICK HITS
>> In 23 games, Washburn is hitting .312 with 43 doubles, eight triples, and 18 homers.
>> Watkins is first among MIAA players in hits and second in runs scored and in stolen bases. He is hitting .410 (fourth in MIAA) and has successfully swiped 11 bases out of 12 attempts.
>> Ike Book is also above the .400 mark batting .406 with 26 hits, 19 RBI, and a .578 slugging percentage.
>> McCollum is up to a .396 batting average and has landed 21 hits and scored 14 times.
>> Andrew Schmidtlein has made the most of the 13 games he's played, batting .346 with nine hits, four of which have gone for extra bases, 10 RBI, and 10 runs scored.
>> Trey Adams has reached base in each of the last 18 games and is tied with Watkins for the most multi-hit games this season with 11. Overall this year, Adams is hitting .341 with 29 hits, 21 runs scored, 18 runs driven in, and five doubles.
>> Cale Savage leads the team in RBI with 24 total. He has landed 26 hits, 10 extra base hits, and scored 18 times.
>> Easton Bruce is tied with Savage for the team-lead in home runs with four. He has a .284 batting average with 25 hits, 20 RBI, five doubles, and has scored 22 runs. He's also tied with Caden Bressler for the team-lead in walks drawn at 16.
ON THE MOUND
>> The Ichabod pitching staff has a 5.35 ERA and currently ranks first among MIAA teams for the most strikeouts with 218.
>> Steward leads the conference in strikeouts with 43 and has struck out eight or more in five of his last six starts. He leads the team in innings pitched (32 2/3) and holds a 4.13 ERA.
>> Rane Pfeifer carried a no-hitter through the first 5 1/3 innings against Northeastern State and finished his seven-inning outing allowing just one run on two hits with a career-high 13 strikeouts.
>> In 29 1/3 innings pitched, Pfefier has limited opponents to a league-low .155 batting average and a conference-low 15 hits. He is 2-0 in six starts with a 3.68 ERA (eighth in MIAA) and is right behind Steward in the league-leaders for strikeouts with 43.
>> Jayden Payne improved to 2-0 after a win in the series opener against Northeastern State. In 10 appearances out of the bullpen, he has a 2.84 ERA and eight strikeouts in 12 2/3 innings.
BODS AND ENDS
>> Washburn has been on the attack early in games this year, scoring in the first inning in 12 contests.
>> In the opening frame, the Ichabods have outscored opponents, 25-15.
>> Washburn won its only other Tuesday game it has played this year, defeating Missouri Western, 10-5, on Tuesday, Feb. 28.
>> The Ichabods have scored 10+ runs in seven contests this year.
>> Washburn's 13-game winning streak was tied for the second-longest in program history.
MIAA PRESEASON POLL
>> In the 2023 MIAA Coaches Preseason Poll, the Ichabods were picked exactly where they finished a season prior in fifth place.
>> Central Missouri repeated as the conference favorite, earning 11 first-place votes.
>> Pittsburg State checked in at No. 2, Northeastern State was No. 3 and earned the final first-place vote.
>> Central Oklahoma and Washburn rounded out the top-five.
HEAD COACH HARLEY DOUGLAS
>> Former Washburn All-MIAA outfielder Harley Douglas enters his ninth season at the helm of the Washburn baseball program in 2023.
>> In eight seasons, Douglas carries an all-time record of 161-152 with four appearances in the MIAA Tournament and led the program to its first-ever NCAA Tournament in 2022.
>> He has also coached a total of 47 all-MIAA selections, including the MIAA Player and Pitcher of the Year in 2016.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
NORTHWEST MISSOURI BEARCATS
>> The Bearcats are 4-16 so far this year with wins over Southeastern Oklahoma, Minnesota State-Mankato, Missouri Southern, and Pittsburg State.
>> Through 20 games, the offense is batting .250 with 26 doubles and 11 home runs.
>> Ryan Koski leads the team in nearly offensive category including hits (21), RBI (16), runs scored (12) doubles (six), and home runs (four) while batting .323.
>> The Bearcat pitchers have a combined 5.34 ERA and 151 strikeouts.
>> Jacob Gajic is 2-0 in six relief appearances and has a 2.13 ERA and 20 strikeouts in 12 2/3 innings of work.
HEAD COACH DARIN LOE
>> Head Coach Darin Loe has been at Northwest Missouri since 2000 and has accumulated a career record of 558-586 in his time there.
>> Prior to leading the Bearcats, Loe served as the head coach at Baker for three seasons and began his coaching career at Missouri Valley College.
>> Combined between his time at Northwest Missouri, Baker, and Missouri Valley College, Loe has a 714-720
SERIES HISTORY WITH NORTHWEST MISSOURI
>> These two programs have played each other 138 times since 1971 and Washburn leads the all-time series, 73-65.
>> The Ichabods have won the last four home games against Northwest Missouri.
>> Coach Douglas is 15-9 against NWMSU.
PRO BODS
>> At the conclusion of his collegiate career, Gilliam was signed by the Kansas City Monarchs on July 23, 2021 and has been with them since.
>> After a season and a half as a Monarch, he has appeared in 40 games and has a 9-5 record with 88 strikeouts in 88.1 innings pitched.
>> In the 2022-23 offseason, Gilliam joined the Perth Heat in the Australian Baseball League ... he made 10 starts and had a 5-1 record, a 3.04 ERA, and 36 strikeouts.
>> Tyler Clark-Chiapparelli, who graduated from Washburn in 2022, spent the summer playing for the Trois-Rivières Aigles, an independent professional baseball team located in Quebec, Canada and in the Frontier League.
>> Clark-Chiapparelli resigned to play with Trois-Rivières in the 2023 season.
>> Joel Casillas, also a graduate of the 2022 Washburn baseball team, signed to play the 2023 season with the Sultanes de Monterrey in the Mexican Baseball League in Monterrey, Mexico.
WASHBURN BASEBALL HISTORY
>> The 2023 season will be the 71st year of Washburn Baseball.
>> The Ichabods have gone 1312-1253-3 in that time.
>> There has been 31 seasons with 20+ wins; 21 seasons with 25+ wins; and 11 seasons with 30+ wins.
>> Washburn has earned 24 All-Region selections and nine All-America awards.
TAKE A LOOK AHEAD
>> The Ichabods finish out their 11-game homestand this weekend hosting Missouri Southern, March 17-19.
