TOPEKA, Kan. -- Washburn baseball will wrap up its 11-game homestand this weekend welcoming in No. 11-ranked Missouri Southern.
LEADING OFF
>> The series opener against the Lions is now set for Friday at 3 p.m.
>> Saturday's game is currently to be determined. If temperatures are too cold, a doubleheader will be played following the noon game on Sunday.
>> The Ichabods (16-8, 9-1 MIAA) have won 15 of their last 16 games and are coming off a 9-8 walk-off midweek win against Northwest Missouri.
>> Washburn is currently first in the MIAA standings and is a game ahead of Missouri Southern and Central Missouri.
>> The Lions are 17-6 (8-2 MIAA) and have won four in a row, including a sweep over then-ranked No. 5 Central Oklahoma last weekend.
>> Last season, the Ichabods took two out of three at Missouri Southern to win the regular season series. Washburn fell in the opener in extra innings, 10-9, before winning game two 8-7 and the rubber match 8-4.
>> The Ichabods were picked fifth in the 2023 MIAA Coaches Preseason Poll and the Lions were selected right behind in sixth after going 29-23 (17-16 MIAA) last year.
>> In 2022, Washburn reached its first NCAA postseason and finished the season 33-22 (19-14 MIAA).
>> 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 11-1 at home this season and has played 12 of its last 15 games at home.
WALK-OFF WASHBURN
>> The Ichabods have had five walk-off victories this season.
>> Feb. 19 (WU 5, CSP 4): Trey Adams hit a single to score Caden Bressler in the bottom of the seventh of an originally-scheduled seven inning contest.
>> Feb. 25 (WU 13, FHSU 7): The Ichabods scored six runs on six hits in the top of the 10th at Fort Hays.
>> March 4 (WU 3, NU 2): Adams hit a sacrifice fly to score Seger Holman in the bottom of the ninth.
>> March 6 (WU 6, NU 5): Easton Bruce singled down the right field line to bring home Trevor McCollum in the bottom of the ninth.
>> March 14 (WU 9, NWMSU 8): McCollum hit a sacrifice fly to center field that scored Watkins in the bottom of the ninth.
>> The Ichabods had one walk-off win in 2022.
NATIONAL NUMBERS
>> Shortstop Cal Watkins heads into the weekend ranked third in all of Division II and first in the MIAA in hits with 43 on the year.
>> Watkins is also 20th in DII in runs scored (31) and 22nd in doubles (nine).
>> Pitcher Casey Steward is ranked fourth overall with 51 strikeouts.
>> As a team, the Ichabods rank sixth in the nation in hits with 268 so far this season.
>> The team also ranks fourth in DII in walks drawn with 129.
>> On the base paths, the Ichabods have stolen 60 bases to rank 11th in the nation.
>> Defensively, the squad has turned 18 double plays to rank eighth 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.
>> Washburn's opponent this weekend, Missouri Southern, is also in both rankings as the Lions are ranked No. 29 in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper rankings and top the NCBWA Central Region rankings. In the NCBWA DII national rankings, the Lions jumped into the top-25 at No. 11.
MIAA HITTER OF THE WEEK
>> Trevor McCollum was named the MIAA Hitter of the Week on Monday 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 24 games, Washburn is hitting .315 with 45 doubles, eight triples, and 20 homers.
>> Watkins is first among MIAA players in hits and second in runs scored and doubles. He is hitting .410 (fourth in MIAA) and has successfully swiped 11 bases out of 12 attempts.
>> Ike Book leads the team batting .412 to go with 28 hits, 20 runs driven in, and 13 runs scored.
>> McCollum is up to a .393 batting average and has landed 22 hits and scored 15 times.
>> Adams has 19-game streak of reaching base and is tied with Watkins for the most multi-hit games this season with 12. Overall this year, Adams is hitting .356 with 32 hits, 24 runs scored, 19 RBI, and five doubles.
>> In Tuesday's game against Northwest Missouri, Adams was 3-5 with a home run and scored three times.
>> Cale Savage leads the team in RBI (26) and home runs (five). He was a triple shy of hitting for the cycle against the Bearcats, finishing 3-4 with a home run, RBI double, and two runs scored.
>> This season, Savage is batting .322 and has recorded 29 hits, including 12 extra base hits, and has scored 20 times.
>> Bruce is right behind Savage in home runs with four and has 26 hits, 22 RBI, 22 runs scored, and five doubles with a .283 batting average.
ON THE MOUND
>> The Ichabod pitching staff has a 5.46 ERA and currently ranks first among MIAA teams for the most strikeouts with 224.
>> Chase Torkelson improved to 4-1 on the year after getting the win against Northwest Missouri. This season, he has a 5.74 ERA and 17 strikeouts in 15 2/3 innings across nine relief appearances.
>> Steward leads the conference in strikeouts with 51 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.
BODS AND ENDS
>> Washburn has scored in the first inning in the last three games and has scored in the opening frame in 13 games.
>> WU is 10-4 when scoring first.
>> Four Ichabods have had multi-hit games in 10 or more contests so far.
>> The Ichabods' 9-1 start in conference play is the best since 2015 when WU also started 9-1 through the first 10 MIAA games.
>> Washburn will be looking for its first win against a ranked opponent this weekend after falling to No. 2 Southern Arkansas and No. 22 Nova Southeastern last month.
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 MISSOURI SOUTHERN
>> Missouri Southern has won eight of its last 10 games and holds a record of 17-6 (8-2 MIAA).
>> The power-hitting Lions lead all of Division II in home runs with 50 so far this season and have the fourth-best slugging percentage at .588. Overall, they are hitting .323 and are ranked ninth with 54 doubles.
>> Nate Mieszkowski is in the top-five among MIAA players in multiple categories, including runs scored (33/first), home runs (nine/T-first), batting average (.429/second), slugging percentage (.786/second), hits (42/second), and RBI (31/fourth).
>> Teammate Matt Miller has also hit nine homers this year and is hitting .349 and is second on the squad in RBI with 29.
>> On the mound, the Lions have a 5.81 ERA and have recorded 190 strikeouts.
>> Cole Woods leads the pitching staff with a 4-1 record in six starts with a 3.89 ERA and 39 strikeouts in 34 2/3 innings pitched. Out of his 39 strikeouts, he has struck out an MIAA-best 13 looking.
>> He was named the MIAA Pitcher of the Week on Monday after carrying a no-hitter into the ninth inning against No. 5 Central Oklahoma last week. He issued only one walk in the first eight innings.
>> Laif Hultine as made 12 relief appearances and is 1-1 with three saves in 11 2/3 frames.
HEAD COACH BRYCE DARNELL
>> Bryce Darnell is in his 16th season as the head coach at his alma mater.
>> He holds a career record of 437-317 and has coached 19 All-Region honorees and eight All-America selections.
>> Darnell played three seasons for the Lions after a year at the University of Minnesota.
>> He was drafted after his junior season by the St. Louis Cardinals and then the Arizona Diamond back after his senior year.
SERIES HISTORY WITH MISSOURI SOUTHERN
>> These two programs have played each other 102 times since 1989 and Missouri Southern leads the all-time series, 63-39.
>> The Ichabods' series win against the Lions last year was the first series victory against MSSU since the 2016 season.
>> In the 8-7 game two win at MSSU last season, the Ichabods rallied with six runs in the top of the ninth and then held on to win.
>> In the series finale, Washburn outscored Missouri Southern 7-1 from the fifth inning on to win, 8-4.
>> Watkins was 4-5 with a double, RBI, and two runs scored in that game.
>> Coach Douglas is 8-21 against MSSU.
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
>> After playing 15 of the last 18 games at home, the Ichabods will hit the road for the next 11 games starting at Missouri Western March 24-26.
