¦ The Washburn Ichabod softball team will finally open its home slate - although with a different weekend schedule than planned - with six games starting Sunday at Gahnstrom Field for the annual Washburn Invitational.
¦ The Ichabods will start the weekend with former MIAA foe Missouri S&T at 3:30 pm on Sunday before hosting Minot State on Sunday at 7:30 pm. On Monday, the Ichabods will face Concordia-St. Paul at 3:30 pm and Minnesota-Crookston at 5:30 pm and on the final day, the Ichabods will entertain Wayne State at 12 pm and Northern State at 2 pm. All games will be streamed on the MIAA Network.
¦ The Ichabods were 2-0 in a weather-shortened Raising Cane's Festival in Oklahoma with a 12-8 win over Arkansas Tech and a 10-1 win over Oklahoma Baptist.
¦ Washburn is coming off their sixth NCAA appearance in program history last season finishing the year with a 37-17 record placing fourth in the MIAA standings with a 17-9 record.
¦ The Washburn Ichabods have recorded 19 seasons with at least 30 wins with five coming under head coach Brenda  Holaday.
¦ The Ichabods were tabbed No. 4 in the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll.
¦ Brenda Holaday is in her ninth season as the Ichabod softball head coach recording a 259-153 overall record going 113-59 in MIAA contests leading the Ichabods to two MIAA Regular Season titles (2018, 2022) and three NCAA Central Regional (2018, 2022, 2024). Holaday became Washburn's all-time winning coach with a 13-0 win over Illinois-Springfield on Feb. 8, 2025. ¦ In the national rankings, the Ichabods are one of only two teams to turn a triple play this season joining Tusculum … the Ichabods are ranked 24th in total runs (76) and 13th in shutouts (3) … Washburn is also 30th in the nation in doubles with 20 … individually, Sadie Walker is fifth in games started (7) and 32nd in strikeouts (35) … Kate Ediger is 13th in the nation in home runs with four.
¦ #1 Makenzie Sais - 3 for 3 in stolen base attempts this season and leads the team with 12 runs scored.
¦ #2 Kate Dolan - Has two hits in four  at-bats this season with 3 RBI.
¦ #3 McKinley Kruger - Appeared in one game this season.
¦ #6 Karlyn Bowman - Appeared in two games this season collecting a hit and an RBI scoring a run.
¦ #7 Dalaney Anderson -Has scored three runs in seven games this season.
¦ #8 Maddie McGee - Tied for second on the team with three doubles.
¦ #9 Ashlyn Gaughan - Has appeared in eight games this season scoring three runs.
¦ #12 Jenna Sprague - Has the Ichabods' only save this season.
¦ #13 Avery Wende - Has not appeared in a game this season.
¦ #14 Danielle Schlader - Has eight at-bats in seven games this season with 3 RBI.
¦ #15 Ellington Hogle - Leads the team with 16 RBI and third with nine runs scored.
¦ #16 Erin Boles - Third on the team with a .394 batting average with 13 hits and 11 runs scored.
¦ #17 Kaylee Wagner - Has reached base in all 11 games this season and is second on the team with a .400 batting average with 14 hits and 11 RBI.
¦ #18 Jaden LaBarge - Has 5 RBI playing in all 11 games.
¦ #19 Ava Bloyd - 2-2 this season in the circle.
¦ #20 Gracie Gallagher - Has five runs scored and a hit in eight games this season.
¦ #21 Sadie Walker - Has a team-high 34 strikeouts in 34 innings pitched.
¦ #22 Madi Moore  - Has not appeared in any games yet.
¦ #23 Mariah Wheeler - Has a double with five hits and 3 RBI in 11 games this season..
¦ #24 Alexis Tanguma - Leads the Ichabods with a .444 batting average and a team-high 16 hits.
¦ #25 Kate Ediger - Leads the Ichabods with four home runs and second with 12 RBI … four of 11 hits have been home runs this season.
  In 2025, Washburn is outscoring its opponents 18-9 in the sixth inning and 16-5 in the second inning but is being outscored 10-9 in the fourth inning … Washburn is 3-0 in shutouts … the Ichabods are 6-0 when leading after four innings, 4-0 when leading after five innings and 5-1 when leading after six innings. (Feb. 14, 2025) EDMOND, Okla. – The Washburn Ichabod softball pounded out 22 runs in two games in their only action in Oklahoma this weekend with a 12-8 win over Arkansas Tech and a 10-1 win over Oklahoma Baptist.
Game 1 – WU 12, Arkansas Tech 8
The Washburn Ichabods jumped out to a 4-2 before falling behind by three, but used a seven-run fourth inning, propelling themselves to a 12-8 win in the opener.
The Golden Suns (5-7) jumped out to a 1-0 lead in their first at bat before Ellington Hogle doubled scoring Gracie Gallagher. Kate Ediger singled scoring Hogle as the Ichabods went up 2-1.
ATU came back with a double of its own to tie the score in the bottom of the second at 2-2. Hogle then connected on her second double of the game driving in both Kaylee Wagner and Makenzie Sais as Washburn went up 4-2.
ATU scored five runs in the fifth to go up 7-4, but Washburn exploded for seven runs in the fourth. Maddie McGee's ground out started the scoring driving in Dalaney Anderson and Ashley Gaughan, who doubled and walked respectively. After Erin Boles walked, Anderson and Boles had a double steal sending Anderson home from third. Hogle reached on a fielder's choice scoring Sais and then Ediger hit her first grand slam as an Ichabod with a shot to left field putting Washburn up 11-7.
ATU got one back in the fifth, but Ediger hit her second home run of the game with a solo shot finishing off the scoring with the Ichabods in the top of the seventh leading 12-8.
Ediger finished with 6 RBI going 3 for 4 scoring two runs and Hogle drove in three runs with the two doubles.
Ava Bloyd tossed four innings in relief allowing on earned run striking out two and Jenna Sprague picked up her first save of the season recording the final two outs in the circle.
Game 2 – WU 10, Oklahoma Baptist 1 (5 innings)
The Ichabods (7-4) broke open a scoreless game in the second inning sending 12 batters to the plate scoring six runs rolling to a 10-1 win over Oklahoma Baptist.
Ediger led off the inning with a single, then a single by Jaden LaBarge, and a walk drawn by Anderson loaded the bases.
After Maddie McGee reached on an error, Boles drew a bases-loaded walk and then Kate Dolan was hit by a pitch scoring another Ichabod run. A single from Wagner drove in another and the Bison issued another free pass to Hogle scoring another and after a bases-loaded walk drawn by LaBarge, Washburn led 6-0 at the end of the second inning.
Washburn added three more in the third inning with RBI by Wagner, Alexis Tanguma and Hogle as Washburn led 9-0.
The Bison scored one in the third, but Washburn scored a solo run of its own taking advantage of a Bison error to go up 10-1.
Tanguma (1-0) tossed three innings for the win scattering four hits coming and Walker pitched the final two innings striking out two.
Wagner and Hogle each drove in two runs and Boles and Wagner had two hits for the Ichabods. Missouri S&T
¦ The Miners are 0-9 this season and have been outscored 64 to 20.
¦ As a team the Miners are batting .200 compared to .367 for their opponents.
¦ The Ichabods lead the all-time series 22-8 winning the last five games.
 
MINOT STATE
¦ The Beavers are 7-2 this season winning their last five games.
¦ Washburn won the only meeting between the two schools on Feb. 24, 2024 in a 7-1 win in Topeka.
                                                                                                                                                      
Concordia-St. Paul
¦ The Golden Bears are 1-3 this season.
¦ Washburn leads the all-time series 9-5 and have won the last four games.
 
Minnesota-Crookston
¦ The Golden Eagles are 4-6 this season and will play five MIAA schools this weekend.
¦ Washburn is 5-0 all-time against the Golden Eagles winning the last meeting 8-0 in Topeka.
 
Wayne State
¦ The Wildcats are 4-0 this season after sweeps over Dordt on Feb. 5 and Briar Cliff on Feb. 12.
¦ The Ichabods are 24-12 all-time against the Wildcats and have won the last six in the series.
 
Northern State
¦ The Wolves are 4-0 this season with two wins over Valley City State and solo victories over Mary and over Montana State-Billings.
¦ Washburn leads the all-time series 6-2 and the two teams have not played since a 6-5 Washburn win on March 17, 2018 in St. Joseph, Mo.
  ¦ is 259-153 in her ninth season as the Ichabod head softball coach and is the all-time winningest coach in program history.
¦ in nine seasons Holaday has gone 123-63 in MIAA contests leading the Ichabods to two MIAA regular season championships in 2018 and 2022 while leading the program to three of its six NCAA postseason in 2018, 2022 and 2024.
¦ In 2022, the Ichabods won their third MIAA Championship going 24-2 in the MIAA reaching the MIAA Tournament Championship game and the NCAA postseason as Holaday was named the MIAA Coach of the Year for the second time in her tenure at Washburn.
¦ Overall in nine seasons, Washburn has had 39 all-MIAA picks, one MIAA Player of the Year, one MIAA Pitcher of the Year, two MIAA Freshmen of the Year and 18 all-region selections and six All-American picks and five 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. ¦ The Ichabods are 1335-976-1 in their 55th year of softball.
¦ The Ichabods have made six NCAA Tournament appearances (1999, 2006, 2008, 2018, 2022).
¦ Washburn won the 2002, 2018 and 2022 regular season MIAA titles.