•   The No. 24-ranked Washburn Ichabod softball team return to Gahnstrom Field this weekend hosting Northwest Missouri on Friday and Missouri Western in a pair of MIAA doubleheaders.
•   Washburn enters the weekend with a 26-10 overall and 7-5 in the MIAA after going 3-1 last week splitting a doubleheader with Central Missouri and sweeping Lincoln.
•   The Ichabods' doubleheader with Northwest Missouri will start at 4 p.m. on Friday.
•   The Bearcats are 16-16 this season and 5-3 in the MIAA.
•   On Saturday the Ichabods will host Missouri Western starting at noon.
•   The Griffons are 19-9 and 5-3 in the MIAA entering the weekend.
•   On Saturday, the Ichabod softball team will be hosting its annual Alumni Day and will be recognized between games.
•   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 241-142 overall record going 113-59 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. •   Washburn has the fifth-toughest remaining schedule in the country with opponents having a combined winning percentage of .641 (286-160).
•   The Ichabods are ranked second in the nation with 79 doubles hitting a total of seven last weekend … Washburn is also ranked fourth in the nation in doubles per game (2.19), ninth in hits (312), 11th in earned runs average (1.63) and seventh in shutouts (10).
•   Individually, Sadie Walker is fourth in the nation in wins (15) and is second in appearances (26), Jaycee Ginter is 30th in the nation in wins (11) and she is 34th in hits (45) … Autymn Schreiner is 13th in the nation in sac flies with four and Marrit Mead is 18th in the nation in stolen bases (22).
•   #1 Marrit Mead - Ranks fourth in NCAA Division II and nine in all NCAA divisions in career batting average at .396 and she is ranked fourth in rush scored in active division II players with192.
•   #2 Autymn Schreiner - Ranked 26th in NCAA DII ranks in being hit by a pitch with 28.
•   #3 Hailey Neira - Raised her batting average 37 points last weekend after batting .583 going 7 for 12 with four runs scored.
•   #4 Molly Gilbert - Has gone 4 for 5 in five games this season.
•   #5 Ashlynn Wolff - Has three runs scored in 14 games making two starts this season.
•   #7 Riley Stephens - Has scored three runs adding four hits in 16 games played.
•   #8 Sheyenne Cheek - Struck out five batters in three games last week in five innings of work.
•   #10 Zoe Quinn - Has four runs scored in 12 games this season.
•   #11 Rylee Moore - Has appeared in one game this season.
•   #12 Jaycee Ginter - Drove in two runs scoring three runs last week.
•   #14 Danielle Schlader - Has 10 hits and 6 RBI in 26 games this season.
•   #15 Ellington Hogle - Batting .305 tied for the team lead with nine doubles.
•   #16 Erin Boles - Batted .571 last week going 4 for 7 with two triples and a 1.143 slugging percentage.
•   #17 Kaylee Wagner - Batting .333 with 25 hits and 14 runs scored driving in 24.
•   #18 Jaden LaBarge - Two of three hits last week were doubles.
•   #19 Allie Stipsits - Has scored a run in eight games played this season.
•   #20 Gracie Gallagher - Has six runs scored in 24 games going 4 for 5 in stolen bases.
•   #21 Sadie Walker - Leads the team with 15 wins and 103 strikeouts with a 0.93 ERA.
•   #22 Madi Moore - Hit first collegiate home run against Lincoln on Saturday.
•   #23 Mariah Wheeler - Fourth on the team in batting with a .362 average.
•   #24 Alexis Tanguma - Leads tam in MIAA play batting .529 going 18 for 34 with a .676 slugging percentage, eight RBI and five doubles.
•   #25 Kinlei Boley - Has appeared in give games adding two hits and three runs scored.
  •   Marrit Mead, who broke the Ichabod program stolen bases record earlier this year of 87 (raising her career total of 93 entering the weekend) is on the cusp of several other school records … her career batting average of .398 is the fourth-best mark in school history trailing Torrie Beauchamp's .405 average … last weekend she broke the program record of 188 runs scored (now had 192) and needs one double to break the school record of 56.
•   Jaycee Ginter is 10 RBI from tying the school's all-time record of 167 … her 79 career wins is the most all-time at Washburn … Ginter also needs two saves to break the career mark and two more appearances will break Washburn's all-time record of 137 … Ginter already holds the Ichabods record for career strikeouts with 736, which sits 287 more than the second-place holder. JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The No. 23-ranked Washburn Ichabod softball team rolled to a pair of run-rule wins over Lincoln winning its 17th and 18th games in a row over the Blues Tigers on Saturday afternoon winning 11-1 and 9-0.
Game 1 – WU 11, LU 1 (5 innings)
The Ichabods (26-10, 7-5 MIAA) scored in four of the five innings rolling to an 11-1 win in the opener using an 11-hit attack in the win taking advantage of three Blue Tiger errors in the win.
Washburn got on the board in its first at bat as Erin Boles led off the game with a triple and then scored on a sac fly by Alexis Tanguma. In the second, Washburn added three more when Jaden LaBarge starting things off with a double and then moved to third on a passed ball. After a double by Mariah Wheeler that scored LaBarge, Marrit Mead drew a walk and stole second and then scored on a double by Hailey Neira putting Washburn up 4-0.
After a scoreless third, Washburn scored five runs after singles by Boles and Neira and Tanguma loaded the bases. A sac fly by Kaylee Wagner scored Boles, Autymn Schreiner's single to left scored both Tanguma and Neira. Starting pitcher Jaycee Ginter drew a walk and would come around to score on a single by Wheeler after Schreiner scored on a wild pitch.
In the fifth, the Ichabods added two more runs when Boles led off the inning with a walk and then scored on an error by the Blue Tigers (9-19, 1-9 MIAA). Washburn's final run of the opener Wagner drove in Neira with a single to left.
Ginter improved to 11-5 in the circle striking out seven scattering four hits and Sheyenne Cheek tossed the final inning striking out two.
Boles, Neira and Wheeler each had two hits and Wagner and Wheeler each drove in two. Boles also scored three runs.
Game 2 – WU 9, LU 0 (5 innings)
Washburn tied the Ichabod single game record with three triples in a game – something that had not happen since March 31, 2001 – in a 9-0 win to sweep the doubleheader.
The Ichabods took the early 1-0 lead in their first at bat when Neira scored on a double by Tanguma after hitting a single to left.
A scoreless second inning turned into a six-run third inning as the Ichabods went up 7-0. Mead started the frame off with a walk and then after a Boles' triple that scored Mead, Neira hit a triple of her own scoring Boles. Tanguma singled scoring Neira. After a single by Wheeler that moved Tanguma to second, both came around to score on Ginter's triple, the third in the inning for the Ichabods, that cleared the bases. Ginter scored on an error by Lincoln putting Washburn up 7-0.
The Ichabods finished off their final at bat against Lincoln as a member of the MIAA on a two-run homer by Madi Moore, her first collegiate home run, scoring Wagner who walked earlier in the inning.
Sadie Walker moved to 15-5 on the season striking out two giving up two hits to the Blue Tigers and Cheek pitched the final inning facing four batters striking out one.
Tanguma had three hits in the nightcap driving in two runs. Ginter and Moore also had two RBI in the game.
  NORTHWEST MISSOURI BEARCATS
•   The Bearcats (16-16 overall, 5-3 MIAA) sit in a three-way tie for fourth place in the MIAA standings.
•   Head coach Naomi Tellez's team is batting .309 this season. Northwest is 15-5 when it out-hits the opposition and 1-9 when the opponents out-hit the Bearcats. Northwest has enjoyed a 26-7 scoring advantage in the fifth inning of games. Northwest has scored 149 runs, while allowing 156 runs in 2024.
•   Lillie Filger leads the squad and ranks No. 3 in the MIAA with a .457 batting average. Filger leads the Bearcats with 53 hits, 30 runs scored and 65 total bases. Filger ranks No. 2 in the MIAA in hits (53). She also leads the team with 17 multi-hit games this season.
•   Sophomore pitcher Jadyn Streigle is 6-5 on the season with a 2.13 earned run average. She has allowed only seven extra-base hits out of her 61 hits allowed.
•   The Ichabods have won the last four games played in Topeka and lead the all-time series 59-37.
 
MISSOURI WESTERN GRIFFONS
•   The Griffons are 19-9 overall and 5-3 in the MIAA.
•   Mackenzie DeVine leads the team with a .379 batting average with team-highs of 26 RBI and eight doubles.
•   Sydney Rader is 10-4 in the circle with a 2.32 ERA..
•   Washburn leads the all-time series 54-52 winning six of the last seven overall …the Ichabods have won the last three meetings played in Topeka.
  •   is 241-142 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 1317-965-1 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.