•   The Washburn Ichabod softball team, who for the fourth week in a row was just outside of the NFCA Top 25 Coaches Poll at No. 26, returns to Gahnstrom Field for a pair of MIAA doubleheaders hosting No. 3 Rogers State on Friday followed by Northeastern State on Saturday.
•   Washburn enters the weekend with a 21-7 record after splitting its MIAA opening weekend after being swept by No. 12 Central Oklahoma before sweeping Newman on Sunday.
•   The Ichabods will host Rogers State on Friday starting at 4 p.m.
•   The Hillcats are ranked No. 3 in the nation at 18-4 and 2-0 in the MIAA after sweeping Northeastern State last weekend.
•   The Ichabods will face Northeastern State on Saturday starting at noon.
•   The RiverHawks are 5-14 this season and 0-2 in the MIAA.
•   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 236-139 overall record going 108-56 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. •   The Ichabods lead the nation with 67 doubles hitting a total of 10 last weekend … Washburn is also ranked tops in the nation in doubles per game (2.39), fourth in hits (259), sixth in earned runs average (1.51), fifth in shutouts (8) and 13th in total runs scored (180).
•   Individually, Sadie Walker leads the nation in games started (16) and is third in appearances (20), fifth in wins (11) and ninth in complete games (9) … Jaycee Ginter is 14th in the nation in hits (39) and she is eighth in the circle in pitching wins with 10 … Autymn Schreiner is sixth in the nation in sac flies with four and Marrit Mead is seventh in the nation in stolen bases (20).
•   #1 Marrit Mead - Was 4 for 5 in stolen bases last week becoming Washburn's all-time leader in stolen bases.
•   #2 Autymn Schreiner - Was 5 for 14 last week with 5 RBI.
•   #3 Hailey Neira - Scored two runs last week.
•   #4 Molly Gilbert - Did not appear in any games last week.
•   #5 Ashlynn Wolff - Scored a run playing in two games last week.
•   #7 Riley Stephens - Appeared in one game last week.
•   #8 Sheyenne Cheek - Struck out two in two innings of work last week.
•   #10 Zoe Quinn - Played in one game last week.
•   #11 Rylee Moore - Has appeared in one game this season.
•   #12 Jaycee Ginter - Drove in five runs last week with a .643 slugging percentage scoring two runs.
•   #14 Danielle Schlader - Had a hit and scored a run last week.
•   #15 Ellington Hogle - Had three hits driving in two last week.
•   #16 Erin Boles - Had one hit and a sac hit last week.
•   #17 Kaylee Wagner - Had two doubles with 2 RBI last week.
•   #18 Jaden LaBarge - Had two home runs and drove in five last week.
•   #19 Allie Stipsits - Played in one game last week.
•   #20 Gracie Gallagher - Scored two runs in three games last week.
•   #21 Sadie Walker - Struck out 13 in two innings last week going 1-1 in the circle.
•   #22 Madi Moore - Appeared in three games last week.
•   #23 Mariah Wheeler - Batted .400 last week with a double and a runs scored.
•   #24 Alexis Tanguma - Was 7 of 10 last week with two doubles and 3 RBI with a .900 slugging percentage.
•   #25 Kinlei Boley - Recorded a pinch hit and scored a run driving in one more run last week.
  •   Marrit Mead, who broke the Ichabod program stolen bases record last week of 87 (raising her career total of 91 entering the weekend) is on the cusp of several other school records … her career batting average of .405 is the tied for the highest mark in school history … she needs two runs scored to break the career record of 188 and needs two base hits to break the career record of 258 …  also needs one double to break the school record of 56.
•   Jaycee Ginter is 12 RBI from tying the school's all-time record of 167 … her 78 career wins is the most all-time at Washburn … Ginter also needs two saves to tie the career mark and seven more appearances will break Washburn's all-time record of 137 … with 85 innings pitched, Ginter will have thrown the most innings in a Washburn career … Ginter already holds the Ichabods record for career strikeouts with 709, which sits 259 more than the second-place holder. WICHITA, Kan. – The Washburn Ichabod softball team evened its MIAA record at 2-2 after sweeping Newman winning 16-3 and 4-3 winning their 10th and 11th games in a row over the Jets.
Game 1 – Washburn 16, Newman 3 (5 innings)
The Ichabods (21-7, 2-2 MIAA) pounded out 14 hits as six different Ichabods recorded at least two in the five-inning win scoring in four of the five innings of the game.
Washburn scored three runs in the first at bat and Jaycee Ginter started things off with a home run to center. A single by Kaylee Wagner and a single by Jaden LaBarge set the table for Alexis Tanguma's double scoring both as the Ichabods jumped out to a 3-0 lead.
In the second inning, a Marrit Mead single to center with two outs put her at first and after she stole second base to become the Ichabods' all-time leader in stolen bases with 88 breaking Torrie Beauchamp's career record of 87 that has stood since 1999. Mead came around to score on Ginter's single and then Ginter scored on Wagner's double as Washburn went up 5-0.
Washburn added four more runs in the third taking advantage of three Jet errors building a 9-0 lead. Autymn Schreiner singled and then moved to second on the Jets' first error of the frame and Ellington Hogle's double scored Scrheiner. An RBI single by Mead scored Neira, who reached on an error. After Mead swiped second, Ginter drove in both Mead and Hogle as Washburn led 9-0.
The Jets got two back in the bottom of the third, but Washburn sent 11 to the plate in the top of the fourth going up 16-2. Tanguma doubled to start the inning and after Danielle Schlader walked and Schreiner was hit by a pitch, Neira drew a bases-loaded walk. Hogle singled as everyone moved up 60 feet and Mead then drew a bases-juiced walk. Ginter recorded her fifth RBI of the game with a ground out and then LaBarge doubled driving in Mead and Hogle and a sac fly by Tanguma scored Wagner as the Ichabods would lead 16-2.
The Jets added one in the top of the fifth to make the final score 16-3.
Mead scored three runs and Hogle, Ginter, Wagner, Schriener and Neira each scored two runs and Hogle, Mead, Ginter, Wagner, LaBarge and Tanguma all had two hits. Ginter finished with her 5 RBI and Tanguma had three.
Ginter picked up the win in the circle moving to 10-3 striking out here allowing two hits in three innings of work.
Game 2 – Washburn 4, Newman 3
The Jets scored three runs in the first inning jumping out to the early lead against the Ichabods. Washburn got on the board in the fourth inning when LaBarge led off the inning with a home run cutting the lead to 3-1.
Neither team would score until the top of the sixth when Mead doubled scoring Mariah Wheeler who drew a one-out walk as the Ichabods trailed 3-2 heading to the seventh.
In the seventh when the Ichabods rally started with a home run by LaBarge with one out. Tanguma singled to center and Gracie Gallagher came in as a pinch runner. With two outs, Schreiner doubled scoring Gallagher as the Ichabods went in front 4-3. In the bottom of the seventh, the Jets had a one out double and Ginter replaced Sadie Walker in the circle. After a hit-by-pitch putting runners at first and second with one out. The Jets lined into a double play ending the game with the 4-3 win for the Ichabods.
Mead led the Ichabods with three hits and LaBarge had two (both home runs) and Tanguma also had two hits.
Walker (11-4) picked up the win striking out six allowing three runs scattering eight hits. Ginter picked up the save throwing eight pitches.
  ROGERS STATE HILLCATS
•   The Hillcats are 18-4 and 2-0 in the MIAA after sweeping Northeastern State last weekend.
•   RSU is batting .264 as a team and has a team ERA of 1.51.
•   Rogers State softball holds tight at No. 3 in the latest National Fastpitch Coaches Association Top 25 Coaches Poll, the organization announced on Tuesday for the second week in a row.
•   Rogers State leads the all-time series 7-5.
•   Washburn won the last meeting in Claremore on April 22, 2023 taking the second game of a doubleheader 4-1 after losing the opener 6-0.
 
NORTHEASTERN STATE RIVERHAWKS
•   The RiverHawks are 5-14 and 0-2 in the MIAA after being swept by Rogers State last weekend.
•   The RiverHawks are batting .224 as a team while opponents are batting .284 against NSU.
•   NSU has a team ERA of 3.75.
•   The RiverHawks lead the all-time series 17-16 … The Ichabods won the last meeting in 11 innings in a 7-5 win on April 21 after falling 4-3 in eight innings … three of the last four meetings have gone to extra innings … Washburn has won four of the last five overall.
  •   is 236-139 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 1309-961-1 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.