TOPEKA, Kan. -- Washburn baseball will travel to Edmond, Okla. this week for three games at Central Oklahoma starting Thursday and going through Saturday.

LEADING OFF
>> First pitch for Thursday's game is set for 6 p.m. and Friday's game will start at 3 p.m. The finale will be Saturday at 1 p.m.
>> The Ichabods (21-13, 14-6 MIAA) averaged 10 runs per game at No. 24 Central Missouri last weekend, but lost two out of three games in the series.
>> The Bronchos are coming off a 26-7 non-conference win over Oklahoma Christian on Tuesday to improve their record to 23-11. UCO is also just behind WU in the MIAA standings with a conference mark of 11-9.
>> Central Oklahoma has a 13-6 record at home this year and Washburn is 8-8 in true road games.
>> These two teams faced each other five times last year - three times at Falley Field and two in the first round of the MIAA Tournament.
>> The Bronchos took two out of three games against the Ichabods in the regular season.
>> Washburn won the best-of-three MIAA Tournament quarterfinal series with a 7-5 and 6-2 victories in Edmond on May 6-7, 2022.
>> The Ichabods were picked fifth in the 2023 MIAA Coaches Preseason Poll and the Bronchos were voted just ahead in fourth after going 29-21 (20-13 MIAA) last season.
>> 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.

NATIONAL NUMBERS
>> Shortstop Cal Watkins enters the weekend ranked 12th in all of Division II and third in the MIAA in hits with 58 on the year.
>> Pitchers Casey Steward and Rane Pfeifer rank in the top-15 in the nation in strikeouts. Steward is tied for first among MIAA pitchers and eighth in DII with 69 strikeouts and Pfeifer is third in the conference and 15th in the nation with 66 strikeouts.
>> As a team, the Ichabods currently rank 18th in the nation in walks drawn with 180 so far this season.
>> WU is also ranked 11th in DII and second in the MIAA in triples with 13.

QUICK HITS
>> Through 34 games, Washburn is hitting .304 with 64 doubles, and 22 homers.
>> Watkins has reached base in 16-straight games and leads the team in hits as well as runs scored as he's crossed home plate 40 times. For the season, he's batting .392 and is tied for the team-lead in doubles with 11.
>> Trevor McCollum leads the league with a .529 on base percentageand ranks second with a .409 batting average. He has landed 38 hits and is 14-of-16 in stolen bases to lead the team.
>> Ike Book is hitting .357 with 35 hits, 27 RBI, and 16 runs scored.
>> Cale Savage turned in a 10-RBI weekend at No. 24 Central Missouri on five hits. He is seventh in the conference with 43 RBI, leads WU with eight home runs, is second on the team with 43 hits and with eight doubles, as well as ranking tied for third on the squad in runs scored (28).
>> Trey Adams has drawn a team-best 22 walks and is batting .310 with 39 hits, six doubles, 29 runs scored, and 22 RBI. He is also a perfect 9-9 in stolen bases.
>> Easton Bruce is tied with Watkins for the most doubles and overall has landed 35 hits, scored 28 times, and driven in 26 runs.

ON THE MOUND
>> The Ichabod pitching staff has a 5.59 ERA and ranks second in the MIAA in strikeouts with 303.
>> Washburn's game one pitcher Casey Steward is 2-2 in nine starts with one complete game. He leads the team with 69 strikeouts, 51 2/3 innings pitched, and has a 4.18 ERA.
>> Pfeifer is 3-1 with a 4.15 ERA after throwing 47 2/3 frames in nine starts. He leads the league in opponent batting average at a low .181 and has allowed the fewest hits with 30.
>> Chase Torkelson made his first start of the season at Central Missouri last weekend and is 5-2 on the year in 23 2/3 innings across 12 appearances. He has a 6.46 ERA and 24 strikeouts.
>> Charlie Kiefer has earned a save in three of his last four appearances and is 1-1 with three saves in 27 1/3 innings and 12 games. He has struck out 21 and has a 4.61 ERA.
>> Cole Warner pitched a clean eighth inning against the Mules in the finale. This season, he is 3-1 in 10 trips out of the bullpen and has a 5.19 ERA and 21 strikeouts.

BODS AND ENDS
>> Washburn is two games back from first-place in the MIAA standings ... Missouri Southern and Central Missouri are tied with a conference record of 16-4 and Pittsburg State is just ahead of WU with a 15-5 MIAA record.
>> Savage's grand slam on March 31 was the first Ichabod grand slam since Parker Dunn hit one on April 22, 2022 at Rogers State.
>> Savage has been a triple shy of hitting the cycle in four games this spring.
>> The Ichabods have scored in the first inning in 16 games.
>> McCollum and Watkins both have a 12-game hitting streak.
>> When hitting one home run, the Ichabods are 10-2.
>> In the National Collegiate Baseball Writer's Association (NCBWA) Central Region poll, the Ichabods are currently No. 8.

MILESTONE WATCH
>> Watkins is four runs shy of having scored 100 runs since joining the Ichabods last season.
>> Pfeifer needs 14 more strikeouts to eclipse 200 since joining the Ichabods in 2021.
>> Steward is 15 strikeouts away from tying his season-high 84 strikeouts from last season ... he made 16 starts last year and has made nine so far in 2023.

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 CENTRAL OKLAHOMA
>> The Bronchos started out the season 14-2 and are now 23-11 (11-9 MIAA).
>> After 34 games, UCO is batting .311 with 76 doubles, a nation-leading 17 triples, and 31 home runs.
>> Jaden Parsons has played in 30 games and leads the team with 44 hits and a .361 batting average. He has scored 31 times and knocked in 23 runs.
>> Noah Olson has cranked out nine home runs, 11 doubles, and three triples in his 40 hits and has recorded 29 RBI and 35 runs scored.
>> The UCO pitching staff is second in the MIAA with a 4.62 ERA and third in strikeouts with 301.
>> Aiden Bagwell is 5-0 in 14 appearances and three starts. He has a 3.32 ERA in 21 2/3 innings with 18 strikeouts.
>> Jacob Bailey leads the team with 33 strikeouts and five saves to go with a 1-2 record and 3.33 ERA in 16 relief appearances and 27 innings.

HEAD COACH JOHN MARTIN
>> John Martin is in his eighth season at Central Oklahoma and entered the year with a career record of 213-129-1.
>> He led the Bronchos to four-consecutive seasons with 30+ victories to start his tenure at UCO.
>> Prior to joining Central Oklahoma, he was the head coach at Coffeyville Community College.
>> As a catcher, Martin played one year at Hutchinson Community College before transferring to Emporia State

SERIES HISTORY WITH CENTRAL OKLAHOMA
>> These two programs have played each other 60 times since 1985 and UCO leads the all-time series, 35-25.
>> Washburn went 3-2 against Central Oklahoma last season.
>> When playing in Edmond, WU is 14-27.

WASHBURN BASEBALL HISTORY
>> The 2023 season will be the 71st year of Washburn Baseball.
>> The Ichabods have gone 1314-1257-3 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 will close out their 11-game road trip at Northwest Missouri on Tuesday, April 11.