• The Washburn Ichabod softball team returns to the road with four road games over three days at the Alvy Early Memorial Classic in Bentonville, Arkansas. The event has been moved to a four-game classic as the final scheduled game on Feb. 11 against Harding has been canceled due to expected weather in the area.
• Washburn is scheduled to play its first 15 games on the road before opening up Gahnstrom Field on Feb. 23 with Southwest Baptist at the Washburn Invitational.
• The Ichabods will play six games at the Washburn Invitational and then head to the McKendree Invitational for six more games before opening MIAA at Central Oklahoma on March 8.
• The Ichabods finished the 2023 season with a 37-16 record going 15-11 in MIAA play.
• Washburn was picked in the No. 4 spot in the MIAA preseason coaches poll trailing Central Oklahoma, Rogers State and Missouri Southern.
• The 2024 Washburn schedule features seven teams who reached their NCAA Regional, two more NCAA Super Regional teams, and two teams who reached the NCAA D2 Softball World Series … Ichabods open their home slate on Feb. 23 with the Washburn Invitational.
• Brenda Holaday is in her eighth season as the Ichabod softball head coach recording a 218-134 overall record going 104-52 in MIAA contests leading the Ichabods to two MIAA Regular Season titles (2018, 2022) and NCAA Central Regional berths in those years as well, the fourth and fifth in school history. Holaday trails Lisa Carey as the all-time winningest coach by victories at 256. • #1 Marrit Mead - Season high three hits against Central Washington last time out.
• #2 Autymn Schreiner - Had a season-high two hits against Texas A&M International.
• #3 Hailey Neira - Two hits this season with a walk and a run scored.
• #4 Molly Gilbert - Has yet to appear in a game.
• #5 Ashlynn Wolff - Appeared in one game this season.
• #7 Riley Stephens - Drove in a run against Central Washington.
• #8 Sheyenne Cheek - Has yet to appear in a game this season.
• #10 Zoe Quinn - Appeared in one game this season.
• #11 Rylee Moore - Has yet to appear in a game this season.
• #12 Jaycee Ginter - Has 17 strikeouts and two walks with a 0.41 ERA this season.
• #14 Danielle Schlader - Had two hits and an RBI against Central Washington last time out.
• #15 Ellington Hogle - Batting .500 with seven hits scoring five runs this season.
• #16 Erin Boles - Has two hits this season.
• #17 Kaylee Wagner - Has a hit this season.
• #18 Jaden LaBarge - Had a run scored with a double against Central Washington.
• #19 Allie Stipsits - Has yet to appear in a game this season.
• #20 Gracie Gallagher - Has appeared in three games this season.
• #21 Sadie Walker - Is 1-1 this season with a 0.44 ERA with 13 strikeouts.
• #22 Madi Moore - Has one hi and 25 putouts this season with two assists.
• #23 Mariah Wheeler - Has two hits in two games played this season.
• #24 Alexis Tanguma - Has one hit and an RBI this season in four games.
• #25 Kinlei Boley - Has yet to appear in the game this season.
  • Marrit Mead enters her senior season within reach of several Ichabod offensive categories …her career batting average of .411 is the best in school history … she needs 30 runs scored for the career record of 188 and needs 28 base hits for the career record of 258 … Mead is within 163 of the total bases record and 16 stolen bases from the career mark.
• Jaycee Ginter is 36 RBI from the school's all-time record of 167 … her 70 career wins … Ginter also needs two saves for the career mark and 21 more appearances will break Washburn's all-time record … with 142 innings pitched, Ginter will have thrown the most innings in a Washburn career … Ginter opens her senior season already holding the career strikeout record with 650, which sits 200 more than the second-place holder. CONROE, Texas – The Washburn Ichabods wrapped up the NCAA D2 Fastpitch Invitational with a 6-0 win over Central Washington on Sunday. Washburn will be back in action next week starting Friday at the Alvy Early Memorial Classic with six games over three days in Bentonville, Ark.
Washburn (3-2) jumped out to a 1-0 lead after Ellington Hogle doubled down the left field line and then Marrit Mead followed with a double of her own scoring Hogle.
In the fourth, Jaden LaBarge doubled and scored on Danielle Schlader's single as Washburn took a 2-0 lead.
Washburn added one more in the fifth after Autymn Schreiner singled and after a Jaycee Ginter walk, Riley Stephens' ground out scored Schreiner.
The Ichabods broke the game open in the bottom of the sixth with three runs after Hailey Neira singled to start the inning. After a Schlader double, Hogle hit her second double of the game scoring Neira. Mead then singled scoring Schlader. Washburn's final run of the game came on a sac fly by Schreiner scored Hogle staking Washburn to a 6-0 lead.
Ginter (2-1) pitched the first four innings striking out seven allowing one hit giving way to Sadie Walker who tossed the final three innings striking out three for the save.
Mead had three hits for the Ichabods driving in two and Hogle had two doubles adding an RBI.
  SOUTHWEST BAPTIST
• The Bearcats are playing their first games this weekend.
SOUTHEASTERN OKLAHOMA 
• Southeastern Oklahoma State is 1-3 this season
SOUTHERN ARKANSAS
• SAU is 3-1 this season.
WAYNE STATE (NEB.)
• The Wildcats are playing their first games this season.
  • is 218-134 in her eighth season as the Ichabod head softball coach.
• In seven seasons, Washburn has had 34 all-MIAA picks, one MIAA Player of the Year, one MIAA Pitcher of the Year, two MIAA Freshmen of the year and 17 all-region selections and six All-American picks and three members of the MIAA Gold Glove team.
• 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 1291-956-1 in their 54th 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.