• The Washburn Ichabod softball team returns to action for the first time since March 11 when they will continue MIAA play against Lincoln and Central Missouri hosting the two doubleheaders starting on Friday with the Blue Tigers starting at 4 p.m. The Ichabods will then host the Jennies on March 25 at 1 p.m.
• The Ichabods (23-5, 2-2 MIAA) are coming off a weekend split of a doubleheader with Newman and then No. 6-ranked Central Oklahoma March 10 and 12 in Topeka. The loses to Central Oklahoma snapped a 13-game winning streak by the Ichabods.
• Brenda Holaday is in her seventh season as the Ichabod softball head coach recording a 201-121 overall record going 93-45 in MIAA contests leading the Ichabods to their first two MIAA Regular Season titles (2018, 2022), and NCAA Central Regional berths in those years as well, the fourth and fifth in school history.
• The Ichabods finished the 2022 season with a 45-15 mark going 24-2 in the MIAA winning their fourth MIAA regular season title while earning an at-large bid for their fifth NCAA postseason tournament with a runner-up finish at the MIAA Championship Tournament.
• Washburn was tabbed second in the MIAA Preseason Coaches poll behind the defending NCAA Division II Champion Rogers State, who finished second in the MIAA regular season standings and topped the Ichabods in the MIAA Tournament Championship game.
• In 2022, the Ichabods recorded their first 40-win season since 2002 when the Ichabods went 48-11 giving the Ichabods four seasons with at least 40 wins - 41 (1999), 48 (2002) and 50 (1986) and 2022's 45 wins. • Marrit Mead is ninth in the nation in hits with 42.
• Jaycee Ginter is third in the nation with 16 wins in the circle, she is third in strikeouts with 148. Ginter also leads the nation in pitching appearances with 25.
• The Ichabods have gone 6-0 when hitting at least one home run
• This season the Ichabods have outscored opponents in every inning except the seventh where they have been outscored 9-3. Overall Washburn has outscored opponents 149-68
• When Washburn scores first they are 16-2
• When the Ichabods lead after the fourth inning they are 18-0 and 14-0 when leading after the fifth inning and 16-0 when leading after the sixth inning. • The Ichabods were 2-2 in their first weekend of MIAA play after sweeping Newman 7-4 and 11-3 with the second game finishing in five innings. Washburn then fell to No. 6-ranked Central Oklahoma 12-10 and 10-2.
• Hadley Kerschen led the Ichabods in the four games with a .615 batting average going 8 for 13 with seven runs scored.
• Jaycee Ginter drove in seven runs with two home runs and a 1.091 slugging percentage.
• Jaden LaBarge drove in a team-high eight runs. TOPEKA, Kan. -- No. 18 Washburn (23-5, 2-2) lost back-to-back games for the first time this season on Sunday afternoon against No. 6 Central Oklahoma (18-3, 4-0), falling 12-10 in game one and 10-2 in the second game.
Game one: Central Oklahoma 12, Washburn 10
Jaycee Ginter got the start in the circle for the Ichabods and tossed 137 pitches over five plus innings. She finished allowing nine runs with eight walks and three strikeouts. 
Paige Robbins led off the bottom of the inning with a double into left field, Hadley Kerschen walked to put two on base. Ginter gave herself some run support with an opposite field home run over the left field wall. Marrit Mead walked and stole second base to put herself in position to be driven home by Danielle Schlader on a line drive down the right field line to make it 4-0 after one. 
The Bronchos got the runs back quickly in the second, beginning with a leadoff home run from Jacee Minter. Three walks loaded the bases and a single brought one more run in. The fourth walk of the inning scored another run. Central Oklahoma took the lead on a grand slam home run by Amelya Huggins, giving the Bronchos seven runs in the inning. 
History repeated itself in the bottom of the fourth inning which began with a leadoff single by Autymn Schreiner. Kerschen singled with one out and once again Ginter hit a three-run blast over the left field wall to tie the game at seven. 
In the top of the fifth Central Oklahoma was able to pick up two runs, both coming on a single hit up the middle with two outs in the inning after the bases were loaded. 
Washburn got one run back on the bottom of the inning on a home run off the top of the scoreboard by Schlader to pull the Ichabods within one. 
The scoring didn't stop in the sixth inning, with Sheyenne Cheek replacing Ginter in the circle after a leadoff walk. The next two batters walked as well to load the bases. Washburn got one out on a fielders choice at home, but an error on the second part of the attempted double play resulted in the Bronchos scoring one. A single up the middle followed putting Central Oklahoma up 11-8. 
The Ichabods kept pace in the bottom of the sixth, with a walk from Kerschen before she advanced to second and was brought home by a Mead single up the middle. Jaden LaBarge made it back-to-back with an infield single, scoring Mead from second to pull back within one. 
The Bronchos hit a third home run of the game in the top of the seventh, coming from Emily Deramus over the center field wall. Cheek finished the inning and ended with a final line of one earned run over two innings with three strikeouts. 
After scoring the three innings prior Washburn was unable to get any runs across in the seventh, dropping game one 12-10. Ginter took the loss moving to 16-2. At the plate she finished with six RBI and two hits. 
Game two: Central Oklahoma 10, Washburn 2
Sadie Walker started in the circle for Washburn and began the game with two scoreless innings. She finished the game allowing four runs on four hits with four walks and four strikeouts. 
The Ichabods took an early lead once again on a sacrifice fly from LaBarge in the first inning, scoring Kerschen who hit a one-out single. 
Central Oklahoma tied it in the top of the first with a leadoff homer by Mikayla Rutland. With two outs two consecutive Bronchos reached base on walks before a triple scored them both. A wild pitch scored a fourth run and Cheek entered in relief again, finishing the inning. 
Washburn went down 1-2-3 the next two innings. In the fifth Central Oklahoma got a leadoff double and scored on an error in the field. A double and a single back-to-back each brought home one more run to make it 7-1. 
In the sixth Rutland once again led off an inning with a solo home run. A one-out double put another runner on before Huggins hit her second home run of the day for Central Oklahoma, giving the Bronchos 10 runs. 
Washburn pushed across a run in the bottom of the sixth, a single by Hailey Neira scoring Mead who had singled. That was all the Ichabods could muster with the game ending on run rule. Cheek finished her outing allowing four earned runs in 3.1 innings with one walk and one strikeout. Walker took the loss moving to 3-3. Kerschen and Schreiner each had two of Washburn's six hits.  
  LINCOLN
• Lincoln is 4-14 this season and 1-3 in the MIAA entering the weekend.
• The Blue Tigers were swept by Pittsburg State and split their MIAA doubleheader with Missouri Southern.
• Lincoln is coached by Jason Ollison in his first season. Ollison, a 2000 Lincoln graduate, was an all-MIAA shortstop for the Blue Tiger baseball team before serving as the team's hitting coach following graduation in the 2001 and '02 seasons. Ollison has been coaching for 20 years and has spent the last six years working at Versailles High School. He has been the Tigers' head baseball and boys basketball coach since 2017 and has been the leader of the Versailles softball program since 2020.
• The Ichabods are 37-6 all-time against the Blue Tigers.
• Washburn has won the last 14 games against Lincoln.
• Lincoln's last win over the Ichabods came in a doubleheader sweep on April 25, 2014 in Jefferson City.
 
CENTRAL MISSOURI
• The Jennies are 16-9 and 2-2 in the MIAA after being swept by Augustana on Monday in Warrensburg.
• Prior to the games with the Vikings, the Jennies had won four in a row.
• In MIAA games, the Jennies swept Pittsburg State and were swept by Missouri Southern.
• The Jennies lead the all-time series with the Ichabods 53-48.
• The Ichabods swept a doubleheader from the Jennies on March 26, 2022 in their last meeting winning 10-2 and 5-3.
• Topeka native Susan Anderson is the Jennies head coach in her 17th season. Anderson is 475-360 at UCM and 667-536 in her 25th season overall as a head coach.
  • is 201-121 in her seventh season as the Ichabod head softball coach.
• in six seasons under Holaday, Washburn has had 29 all-MIAA picks, one MIAA player of the year, one MIAA Pitcher of the Year, two MIAA Freshmen of the year and 14 all-region selections and five All-American picks.
• 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 1,270-942-1 in their 53rd year of softball.
• The Ichabods have made five NCAA Tournament appearances (1999, 2006, 2008, 2018, 2022).
• Washburn won the 2002, 2018 and 2022 regular season MIAA titles.