TOPEKA, Kan. -- Washburn baseball is back on the road but won't travel far as they face Emporia State for a three-game series beginning Friday, April 11 at 6 p.m. They then return home to face No. 20 Fort Hays State on Tuesday, April 15 at 5 p.m. 

LEADING OFF

>> Washburn heads on the road for the Turnpike Tussle with Emporia State before taking on No. 20 Fort Hays State at home. 

>> The Ichabods will face the Hornets for three games beginning with a 6 p.m. Friday night contest. They host the Tigers at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, April 15.

>> Washburn improved to 19-19 overall and 12-13 inside the MIAA after defeating No. 2 Central Missouri 14-7 on Wednesday. 

>> The Ichabds are coming off a third straight 30-win season in 2024. They finished the campaign 32-21 overall and 21-12 in the MIAA, finishing fifth in the regular season and advancing to the MIAA Championship Tournament. 

>> They were picked to finish fifth in the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll.

>> Emporia State fell to 16-17 overall and 9-13 inside the MIAA after losing 8-1 to Fort Hays State at home on Wednesday. 

>> Fort Hays State improved to 24-9 on the year with an 18-4 record in conference play after beating the Hornets 8-1. They will face Northeastern State for three game at home before taking on the Ichabods. 

BODS AND BITS

>> Washburn is scoring 8.47 runs per game while opponents are at 7.47.

>> The Ichabods are 11-6 at Falley Field this season while going 7-10 in road contests and 1-3 in neutral site games. 

>> At the plate the Ichabods are hitting .299 with a .405 OB% and a .513 SLG%. They have hit 63 home runs with 86 doubles and drawn 182 walks while striking out 269 times. 

>> The pitching staff has a 6.75 ERA with 272 strikeouts across 329.1 innings with a 1.76 WHIP. They allowed 347 hits and issued 232 walks. 

>> Washburn has a .960 fielding percentage on the year, turning 22 double plays with 55 total errors. 

>> On the basepaths the Ichabods have gone 33-45 in stolen base attempts while opponents are 67-77. 

>> Washburn is 6-1 in games against NCBWA nationally ranked opponents this season. 

STREAKS AND STATS

>> With a eight-game hitting streak, Jackson Mervosh carries the longest current streak into the weekend. Cash Jay had the longest of any player this season at 17 games. 

>> Jackson Mervosh also has the highest on-base streak on the team at 19 games currently. Cash Jay and Hayden Priest each had 27 game streaks earlier in the season. 

>> Easton Bruce leads the team with 13 games with multiple RBI, Jett Buck has had 12 such outings. 

>> When leading off an inning, Ichabod hitters have a .418 OB%, the number is at .400% when the bases are loaded. 

>> With two outs the Ichabod pitching staff is holding opponents to just a .249 average. With runners on base the average is .266. 

>> Washburn is outscoring opponents 55-24 in the fifth inning and 6-1 in extra innings. 

AROUND THE ORDER

>> Hayden Priest is hitting a team-high .354 while starting in all 38 games. He has slashed seven home runs with a team-high 56 total hits for a .986 OPS. He has driven in 38 total and scored 35 runs. The senior ranks 2nd in the MIAA in hits while ranking 7th in total bases.

>> Jett Buck is slashing .325 with a 1.077 OBS, a team-high, while starting in all 38 games. He has a team-high 14 home runs on the year with 49 RBI, also tops on the team. He ranks 2nd in the MIAA and 18th nationally in home runs . He is also 2nd in the conference and 18th in the nation in RBI while sitting 5th in the MIAA in SLG%. 

>> Cash Jay has played and started in all 38 games and is hitting .315 with a .972 OPS. He has five home runs and has driven in 36 while working 25 walks for a .448 OB%. He is fourth in the MIAA in doubles and eighth in walks. 

>> Jackson Mervosh has played in all 38 games making 37 starts and is hitting .342 with a .999 OPS. He has seven home runs and has driven in 38 RBI along with going 5-5 on stolen base attepts. His 15 doubles are a team-high. He is 1st in the MIAA and 4th in the nation in doubles, 5th in total bases and 8th in hits. 

>> Easton Bruce has started 37 games all in left field with a .943 OPS. He is hitting .306 with nine home runs and 43 RBI. He has also scored 42 runs, most on the team while going 3-4 on stolen base opportunities. He is 5th in the MIAA in RBI, sixth in runs and 8th in home runs. 

>> Payton McHarg is slashing .277 on the year while starting in all 38 games. He has seven home runs along with tied for a team-high 27 walks for a .441 OB%. He has driven in 28 total and has a .937 OPS. He is 5th in the MIAA and 67th nationally in walks. 

>> Darian Duhon has played in 35 games, making 34 starts and slashing .274 at the plate with a .860 OPS. He has 34 total hits with four home runs and a trio of triples. He has driven in 20 runs and has a .400 OB%.

>> Blake Scott is hitting .265 on the year while playing in 36 games and starting in 34. He has hit six home runs with 19 RBI. He has a .441 OB% and a .902 OPS. His 27 walks are tied for a team-high and he is 4-5 in stolen base attempts. 

>> Connor Scott has started in 37 of 38 games he has played in, hitting .259 with two home runs and 19 RBI. He has a team-high eight stolen bases. 

>> Garrett Springer has played in 15 games, making six starts, and is hitting .257 with a home run and 10 RBI. 

>> Chase Littrell has appeared in 14 games, making one start. He has scored five runs while hitting .250. 

>> Owen Laessig is hitting .250 with one home run and four RBI across eight games with three starts. 

ON THE MOUND

>> Caden Bressler has made 12 appearances with four starts throwing 41.2 innings on the year. He is 1-3 with a 3.89 ERA, best among pitchers to make at least one start. He has struck out 20 with a .240 opponent batting average. He is eighth in the MIAA in hits allowed per nine innings at 7.99 and 10th in the MIAA. 

>> Cooper Carlgren has started nine games, throwing a team-high 46.2 innings with 45 strikeouts, also a team high. He is 1-2 with a 5.79 ERA on the year. He is 10th in the MIAA in strikeouts. 

>> Across nine starts Caleb Lunnon has thrown 43.2 innings. He is 3-0 with a 4.33 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP. He has 31 strikeouts on the year. He has not allowed a run in his last 13 innings of work. 

>> Logan Bartlett has a team-best 2.38 ERA across nine appearances out of the bullpen. He has struck out nine in 11.1 innings and is 1-0 with one save. 

>> Max Clark has made 13 appearances out of the bullpen, throwing 13.2 innings with 14 strikeouts and a 4.61 ERA. He is 1-1 on the year. 

>> Piercen McElyea has thrown 18.1 innings across five starts. He has19 strikeouts with an 0-1 record and a 5.40 ERA. 

>> Keegan McDonald has a 7.15 ERA across 11.1 innings in 12 appearances with a 1-1 record. He has a 1.41 WHIP and has struck out 14 batters with one save. 

>> Griffin Huiatt has made 14 appearances, including four starts. He has thrown 31.2 innings with a 7.11 ERA and 23 strikeouts. With a 3-3 record he is tied for the most wins on the squad. 

>> Cal Leonard has thrown in nine games, tossing 10.2 innings with a 2-0 record and a 7.59 ERA. He has struck out five. 

>> Kai Bennett is 3-2 on the year in 13 appearances throwing 19.2 innings. He has a 5.03 ERA with 25 strikeouts and a 1.42 WHIP. He is tied for the team-lead with three wins. 

>> Chase Torkelson has appeared in nine games, making four starts. He has thrown 23.0 innings with a 7.83 ERA and 14 strikeouts.  

>> Fidel Hatch has appeared in 11 games with one start and tossed 15.2 IP. He has a 7.47 ERA and struck out ten. 

IN THE FIELD

>>  Excluding first basemen and catchers, Connor Scott leads the team with 98 putouts in the field.

>>  Jett Buck has a team-high 107 assists from shortstop while also making 83 putouts, third most on the squad. He has also been part of 19 double plays. 

>> Jackson Mervosh is second on the team with 85 assists and has been part of 18 double plays. 

>> Hayden Priest has a team-high 247 putouts while Blake Scott has 244 at first base. 

>> Priest has also thrown out a team-high eight would be base-stealers.

ICHABODS AROUND THE COUNTRY

>> Washburn's 45-man roster consists of players from nine different states.

>> There are 17 players on the roster who are from the Sunflower State.

>> The state producing the second most Ichabods is Oklahoma with 9. 

>> Washburn has four players coming from each of the remaining three border states, Nebraska, Colorado and Missouri. 

>> Two players each come from Texas and Illinois. Two Ichabods also utilize their passports coming south from Canada. 

>> One Ichabod hails from Iowo and Louisiana each to round out the roster. 

NUMBERS AROUND THE NATION

>> As a team in 2025 Washburn has had strong seasons in several categories to be near the top in the conference and national ranks including...

Home runs - 63 (1st MIAA / 4th nationally)

Slugging percentage - .513 (3rd MIAA / 27th nationally)

Hits - 401 (2nd MIAA / 20th nationally)

Runs - 322 (1st MIAA / 21st nationally)

Doubles - 83 (3rd MIAA / 17th nationally)

Scoring 8.5 - (4th MIAA / 36th nationally)

Walks - 182 (3rd MIAA / 43rd nationally)

Batting average .299 (4th MIAA / 84th nationally)

Hits allowed per nine innings - 9.48 (6th MIAA / 78th nationally)

HEAD COACH HARLEY DOUGLAS

>> Former Washburn All-MIAA outfielder Harley Douglas enters his 11th season at the helm of the Washburn baseball program in 2025.

>> In nine seasons, Douglas carries an all-time record of 275-236 with six appearances in the MIAA Tournament and led the program to its first-ever NCAA Tournament in 2022.

>> He has also coached a total of 63 all-MIAA selections, including the MIAA Player and Pitcher of the Year in 2016.

>> Prior to returning to his alma mater in 2012 he was the head coach at St. Marys HS from 2003-06 and at Rossville HS from 2007-10. 

>> Douglas is a two-time Washburn graduate, receiving his Exercise Physiology degree in 2002 before earning an Education degree in 2004. He also earned a Master's Degree in Adaptive Special Education from Emporia State in 2010. 

ASSISTANT COACHES

>> Connor Crimmins is in his seventh season with the Ichabods after spending the prior two seasons on Brad Hill's Kansas State staff serving as a graduate assistant

>> While at Washburn, Crimmins played both football and baseball, finishing his career on the diamond top 10 in sacrifice flies (4th/11), doubles (6th/38) and RBI (t-7th/132), while having the 12th-most at-bats (575).

>> He graduated from Washburn in 2016 with his bachelor's and earned his master's in college student development and counseling from K-State.  

>> Rane Pfeifer is in his second season on the coaching staff after finishing his playing career with the Ichabods in 2023. 

>> He finished his career second all-time in opponent batting average (.218), third in games started (36), fourth in strikeouts (210) and 19th in innings pitched (165.2)

>> Pfeifer graduated from Washburn with a bachelor's degree in business management in May 2022

SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION

EMPORIA STATE HORNETS

>> Emporia State fell to 16-17 on the year with a 9-13 record in MIAA play after losing a fifth straight game, 8-1 to Fort Hays State on Wednesday. 

>> Last season the Hornets went 21-29 overall with a 11-22 conference record, missing out on the MIAA Tournament. 

>> This year they are 6-5 when playing at Trusler Sports Complex, 6-9 on the road and 4-3 in neutral field games. 

>> As a team they hit .272 with a .373 OB% and a .462 SLG%. They have tallied 48 home runs with 137 walks and 264 strikeouts. 

>> They rank fourth in the MIAA in home runs and seventh in both slugging percentage and sacrifice flies. 

>> Noah Steele leads the team in batting average at .385 while playing in 32 games and making 31 starts. He also has team-highs with 10 home runs, 36 RBI and a 1.158 OPS. He is fifth in the MIAA in home runs and fourth in SLG%. 

>> Peyton Lewis is second on the team hitting .311 while starting in 26 games and playing in 29. He has five home runs with 18 RBI and is 7-7 in stolen base attempts. 

>> Cooper Schwindt has started all 32 games he has played in hitting .279 with six home runs and 26 RBI. 

>> The Hornets pitching staff has a 6.46 ERA across 282.2 innings with a 1.52 WHIP. They have 224 strikeouts while allowing 327 hits and 101 walks. 

>> They rank second in the MIAA in walks allowed per nine innings and third in the MIAA in strikeout to walk ratio. 

>> Cade Barton has made nine appearances with eight starts, throwing 43.2 innings with 26 strikeouts and just one walk. He has a team-best 2.89 ERA, 4-1 record and a .85 WHIP. He leads the MIAA and nation in strikeout to walk ratio, and is second in the MIAA and third nationally in WHIP. 

>> Seth Stover has made nine starts on the year throwing a team-high 51.1 innings. He leads the team with 33 strikeouts and has a 3-3 record with a 3.16 ERA. He is second in the MIAA in walks allowed per nine innings and sixth in ERA. 

>> Ryan Sauter has made 10 appearances out of the bullpen throwing 15.2 innings. He has 12 strikeouts, a 1-1 record and a 4.60 ERA. 

HEAD COACH

>> Former Hornet Brad Hill is in his second year at the helm of Hornet Baseball and is just the fifth head baseball coach in the last 50 years.

>> The 1984 Emporia State graduate has won 992 games in 27 years as a head coach with a career record of 907-511-3 in 24 seasons as a head coach at the four year level at the University of Central Missouri, Kansas State University and Emporia State.

>> A native of Galva, Kan, Hill has more than 30 years of service as a head coach or assistant at the collegiate level, including stints at Hutchinson Community College and Kansas prior to his time at Central Missouri and K-State.

SERIES HISTORY

>> Emporia State leads the all-time series with Washburn 153-78-1. 

>> The Ichabods are 28-71 against the Hornets in Emporia. 

>> The series began on April 22, 1958 with a 3-1 home win for Washburn. 

>> Last season the Ichabods won three of the four meetings, including two of three in a road series. 

>> The Ichabods average 4.73 runs per game all-time against Emporia State. 

FORT HAYS STATE TIGERS

>> Fort Hays State improved to 24-9 overall and 18-4 in the MIAA after defeating Emporia State 8-1 on Wednesday. They will face Northeastern State for three games before facing the Ichabods. 

>> Last season the Tigers went 25-26 overall with a 12-21 record inside the MIAA. They lost in two games in the first round of the MIAA Tournament to No. 2 Central Missouri. 

>> This year they are 15-5 when playing in Hays, Kan. with a 9-4 road record and have not played a neutral field game. 

>> As a team they hit .298 with a .392 OB% and a .484 SLG%. They have tallied 47 home runs with 121 walks and 215 strikeouts. 

>> They rank first in the MIAA in sacrifice bunts, fifth in batting average and fifth in home runs. 

>> Elliott Herrmann is hitting .321 while starting 30 games with a 1.073 OPS. He has slugged nine home runs with 28 RBI. He is eighth in the MIAA in home runs and 9th in SLG%. 

>> Trey DeGarmo is hitting .364 on the year while starting in all 33 games. He has a 1.105 OPS with a team-high 11 home runs and 42 RBI. He ranks fourth in the MIAA in home runs and seventh in RBI. 

>> Tony Moore has played in 25 games making 23 starts and is hitting a team-high .385 with a 1.044 OPS. He has a pair of home runs with 23 RBI and is 4-6 on stolen base attempts. He is 4th in the MIAA in batting average. 

>> The Tigers pitching staff has a 5.35 ERA across 281.0 innings with a 1.46 WHIP. They have 267 strikeouts while allowing 275 hits and 134 walks. 

>> They rank fourth in the MIAA in ERA and hits allowed per nine innings while ranking fifth in strikeouts per nine.

>> Ty Riley has made 10 starts throwing 60.2 innings with a team-high 79 strikeouts. His ERA of 2.82 is the lowest on the team and he has a 7-1 record with opponents hitting just .184. He is 2nd in the MIAA and 4th nationally in strikeouts, 4th in the MIAA in both ERA and WHIP. 

>> Brandon Chavez has made 15 appearances out of the bullpen throwing 32.2 innings while striking out 39 with a .86 WHIP. He has a 5-0 record with a 3.03 ERA has eight saves. He is 2nd in the MIAA in seventh in the nation in saves. 

>> Cade Flaherty has made nine starts throwing 52.0 innings with 40 strikeouts. He is 3-1 on the year with a 4.15 ERA and 1.23 WHIP. He has two complete games on the year. 

HEAD COACH

>> Justin Wichert is entering his third season as head baseball coach at Fort Hays State University in 2024-25

>> Coach Wichert joined the Tiger staff after a four-season stint as head coach at Trinidad State College in Trinidad, Colo. The Stillwater, Okla. native led the Trojans to a record of 112-83 from 2019 until 2022

>> Before starting his head coaching career at TSC, Wichert served as assistant coach at three different institutions - University of Arkansas-Fort Smith, Pittsburg State University and Northeastern Oklahoma A&M.

>> A right-handed pitcher in his playing days, Wichert played two seasons at Cowley Community College in 2002-03 before he was drafted in the 44th round of the 2003 MLB Draft by the San Diego Padres. He then went on to pitch at William Jewell College in Liberty, Mo. from 2004-06

SERIES HISTORY

>> Fort Hays State leads the all-time series with Washburn 103-87. 

>> The Ichabods are 45-44 against the Tigers at Falley Field. 

>> The series began on May 5, 1966 with a 7-3 win for Washburn in Omaha, Neb. 

>> Fort Hays State has won both meetings between the two teams this season, both on comebacks in the ninth inning. 

>> The Ichabods average 5.33 runs per game all-time against Fort Hays State. 

MILESTONE MARKERS

>> Cash Jay holds the 30th highest career batting average in program history at .343. In home runs he is tied for 13th with 20 and in doubles he is tied for 11th with 36 career two-bag hits. 

>> Payton McHarg is tied for 5th in Washburn history with 28 home runs, with 95 RBI he is tied for 27th.

>> Griffin Huiatt is tied for 15th in program history with four saves and is 15th in Ichabod history with 46 total appearances. 

>> With nine career triples Connor Scott is tied for fifth in program history. After sealing 44 career bags he is tied for 13th among all Ichabods. 

>> Chase Torkelson is tied for 17th in program history with 13 career wins. 

>> Jett Buck is tied for 5th in program history with 28 home runs. With 101 RBI he is tied for 23rd in program history. 

>> Easton Bruce is tied for 13th in program history with 20 home runs and is tied for 18th with 112 RBI.

PRO BODS

>> Washburn baseball has a presence in the pro ranks with 2023 All-MIAA second-team pitcher Casey Steward being in the Philadelphia Phillies minor league system. In 2024 he split time at the A and A+ level finishing the year with an 8-5 record and 3.42 ERA and 101 strikeouts in 102.2 innings. 

>>Steward became the second Ichabod to have his name called under head coach Harley Douglas after being selected in the 19th round with the 583rd pick in the 2023 MLB Draft. 

WASHBURN BASEBALL HISTORY

>> The 2025 season is the 73rd year of Washburn Baseball.

>> The Ichabods have a 1378-1307-3 record in program history. 

>> There have been 34 seasons with 20+ wins; 24 seasons with 25+ wins; and 13 seasons with 30+ wins.

>> Washburn has earned 30 All-Region selections and 11 All-America awards.

ON DECK

>> Washburn is back on the road for another three-game series beginning on Thursday, April 17 against Pittsburg State. 

>> Senior day for the Ichabods will be on Sunday, April 27 against Newman with first pitch set for 1 p.m. 

>> The double elimination MIAA Tournament will begin in Joplin, Mo. at Warren Turner Field on May 7 and run through May 11.