TOPEKA, Kan. -- Washburn baseball will play its final road series of the season beginning in Thursday at 5 p.m. as they travel to face No. 19 Pittsburg State for three games. 
 

LEADING OFF

>> Washburn heads on the road for its final road series of conference play facing No. 19 Pittsburg State. 

>> The Ichabods will face the Gorillas in a three-game series scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. on Thursday, April 17 at Al Ortolani Field. If weather does not alter the schedule game two will be at 2 p.m. on Friday with the series finale at 1 p.m. on Saturday. 

>> Washburn fell to 21-21 overall and 14-15 inside the MIAA after losing 10-8 to No. 20 Fort Hays State in ten innings on Tuesday. 

>> 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.

>> Pittsburg State improved to 31-7 overall and 19-7 inside the MIAA after defeating Missouri S&T 17-12 on the road Tuesday evening, winning its 13th game in a row, a program record. 

BODS AND BITS

>> Washburn is scoring 8.67 runs per game while opponents are at 7.79.

>> The Ichabods are 11-7 at Falley Field this season while going 9-11 in road contests and 1-3 in neutral site games. 

>> At the plate the Ichabods are hitting .307 with a .411 OB% and a .527 SLG%. They have hit 74 home runs with 96 doubles and drawn 195 walks while striking out 291 times. 

>> The pitching staff has a 7.05 ERA with 293 strikeouts across 365.1 innings with a 1.80 WHIP. They allowed 397 hits and issued 259 walks. 

>> Washburn has a .962 fielding percentage on the year, turning 25 double plays with 58 total errors. 

>> On the basepaths the Ichabods have gone 39-52 in stolen base attempts while opponents are 74-84. 

>> Washburn is 6-2 in games against NCBWA nationally ranked opponents this season. 

STREAKS AND STATS

>> With a 12-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 23 games currently. Cash Jay and Hayden Priest each had 27 game streaks earlier in the season. 

>> Jett Buck leads the team with 15 games of recording multiple RBI, he has two games with five or more driven in. Easton Bruce is second with 13 games. 

>> When leading off an inning, Ichabod hitters have a .433 OB%, the number is at .410% when the bases are loaded. 

>> With two outs the Ichabod pitching staff is holding opponents to just a .253 average. With runners on base the average is .278. 

>> Washburn is outscoring opponents 60-28 in the fifth inning and 6-3 in extra innings. 

AROUND THE ORDER

>> Jett Buck is slashing .360 with a 1.158 OBS, a team-high, while starting in all 42 games. He has a team-high 17 home runs on the year with 58 RBI, also tops on the team. He ranks 2nd in the MIAA and 7th nationally in home runs. He is also 2nd in the conference in RBI, hits and total bases while ranking fourth in SLG%. He has multiple hits in each of the last five games. 

>> Hayden Priest is hitting .335 while starting in all 42 games. He has slashed seven home runs with 60 total hits for a .931 OPS. He has driven in 41 total and scored 39 runs. The senior ranks 4th in the MIAA in hits while ranking 10th in total bases.

>> Jackson Mervosh has played in all 42 games making 41 starts and is hitting .347 with a .982 OPS. He has seven home runs and has driven in 40 RBI along with going 6-6 on stolen base attepts. His 18 doubles are a team-high. He is 2nd in the MIAA and 7th in the nation in doubles, 5th in total bases and in hits. 

>> 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 7th in the MIAA in doubles.

>> Payton McHarg is slashing .301 on the year while starting in all 42 games. He has 11 home runs along with a team-high 31 walks for a .463 OB%. He has driven in 34 total and has a 1.038 OPS. He is 6th in the MIAA in home runs and 4th in walks. 

>> 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. 

>> Darian Duhon has played in 39 games, making 38 starts and is slashing .281 at the plate with a .880 OPS. He has 39 total hits with five home runs and a trio of triples. He has driven in 22 runs and has a .405 OB%.

>> Blake Scott is hitting .284 on the year while playing in 40 games and starting in 38. He has hit seven home runs with 21 RBI. He has a .455 OB% and a .964 OPS. His 30 walks are second most on the team and he is 4-5 in stolen base attempts. 

>> Connor Scott has started in 41 of 42 games he has played in, hitting .267 with three home runs and 28 RBI. He has a team-high nine stolen bases. 

>> Garrett Springer has played in 17 games, making seven starts, and is hitting .244 with a home run and 10 RBI. 

>> Chase Littrell has appeared in 17 games, making three starts. He has scored seven runs while hitting .250. 

>> Owen Laessig is hitting .269 with one home run and six RBI across 11 games with five starts. 

>> Trevor McCollum is hitting .233 with four RBI while playing in 15 games and starting in four. 

ON THE MOUND

>> Across ten starts Caleb Lunnon has thrown 50.2 innings. He is 4-0 with a 4.09 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP. He has 33 strikeouts on the year. He has allowed just two earned runs in his last 20 innings of work. He is 11th in the MIAA in ERA. 

>> Caden Bressler has made 13 appearances with five starts throwing 46.2 innings on the year. He is 2-3 with a 4.24 ERA, second best on the team. He has struck out 21 and allowed just 46 hits. 

>> Cooper Carlgren has started ten games, throwing a team-high 51.0 innings with 49 strikeouts, also a team high. He is 1-3 with a 6.53 ERA on the year. He is 13th in the MIAA in strikeouts. 

>> Max Clark has made 14 appearances out of the bullpen, throwing 14.2 innings with 15 strikeouts and a 5.52 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. 

>> Kai Bennett is 3-2 on the year in 14 appearances throwing 21.1 innings. He has a 5.91 ERA with 27 strikeouts and a 1.45 WHIP. 

>> Logan Bartlett has made 12 appearances out of the bullpen throwing 14.0 innings. He has struck out 10 and is 1-0 with a 7.07 ERA and one save. 

>> Keegan McDonald has a 6.94 ERA across 11.2 innings in 13 appearances with a 1-1 record. He has a 1.37 WHIP and has struck out 14 batters with one save. 

>> Griffin Huiatt has made 15 appearances, including four starts. He has thrown 33.1 innings with a 8.10 ERA and 24 strikeouts for a 3-4 record.

>> Cal Leonard has thrown in ten games, tossing 12.2 innings with a 2-0 record and a 7.82 ERA. He has struck out eight. 

>> Chase Torkelson has appeared in ten games, making four starts. He has thrown 24.0 innings with a 7.88 ERA and 15 strikeouts.  

>> Fidel Hatch has appeared in 13 games with one start and tossed 16.2 IP. He has a 7.02 ERA and struck out ten. 

IN THE FIELD

>>  Excluding first basemen and catchers, Connor Scott leads the team with 111 putouts in the field.

>>  Jett Buck has a team-high 121 assists from shortstop while also making 93 putouts, fourth most on the squad. He has also been part of 22 double plays. 

>> Jackson Mervosh is second on the team with 94 assists and has been part of 19 double plays. 

>> Blake Scott has a team-high 283 putouts while Hayden Priest is second at 267. 

>> 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 - 74 (1st MIAA / 4th nationally)

Slugging percentage - .527 (2nd MIAA / 19th nationally)

Hits - 461 (1st MIAA / 9th nationally)

Runs - 364 (1st MIAA / 15th nationally)

Doubles - 96 (1st MIAA / 14th nationally)

Scoring 8.7 - (2nd MIAA / 26th nationally)

Walks - 195 (3rd MIAA / 42nd nationally)

Batting average .307 (4th MIAA / 58th nationally)

Hits allowed per nine innings - 9.78 (8th MIAA / 96th 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 277-238 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

PITTSBURG STATE GORILLAS

>> Pittsburg State moved to 31-7 overall and 19-7 inside the MIAA with a 17-12 win over Missouri S&T on Tuesday for a program-record 13th straight win. 

>> They moved into the latest NCBWA National Poll and are ranked No. 19. 

>> Last season the Gorillas went 34-18 overall and 22-11 inside the MIAA, advancing to the MIAA Championship round before losing in two games. 

>> This year they are 19-3 when playing at Al Ortolani Field, 9-4 on the road and 3-0 in neutral field games. 

>> As a team they hit .322 with a .434 OB% and a .547 SLG%. They have tallied 49 home runs with 195 walks and 246 strikeouts. 

>> They rank first in the MIAA in batting average, OB%, runs per game and triples. 

>> Alex Rodgers leads the way with a .399 average across all 38 games. He had two home runs and six triples with 26 RBI and is 27-29 on stolen base attempts. He leads the MIAA in runs, stolen bases and OB% while ranking second in batting average. 

>> Dagen Brewer is hitting .350 on the year across 31 games with 30 starts and has a team-high 1.247 OPS. He leads the Gorillas with 14 home runs and 54 RBI. He is second in the MIAA in SLG%, third in RBI and fourth in home runs. 

>> Rickey Sanchez has played in all 38 games making 37 starts and is hitting .373 with a 1.044 OPS. He has four home runs on the year with 35 RBI and has a .474 OB%. 

>> The Gorillas pitching staff has a 4.19 ERA across 362.2 innings with a 1.24 WHIP. They have 335 strikeouts while allowing 308 hits and 95 walks. 

>> They rank first in the MIAA in WHIP, ERA, shutouts, strikeout to walk ratio and walks per nine innings. 

>> Kolby Dougan has made 10 starts throwing 62.0 innings with 102 strikeouts to 16 walks and a .150 opponent batting average. He is 7-0 with a 2.03 ERA, 0.77 WHIP and one complete game. He is first in the nation in strikeouts and also first in the MIAA and 2nd in the nation in hits allowed per nine innings. 

>> Maddox Thornton has started 10 games throwing 60.1 innings with 51 strikeouts and just eight walks. He has a 8-1 record with a 2.98 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP. He is first in the MIAA in victories, second in strikeout to walk ratio and fifth in the MIAA in ERA. 

>> Brady Pacha had made 11 appearances with three starts on the year throwing 30.2 innings. He has a 5-1 record with a 2.93 ERA and one save while striking out 28 and allowing opponents to hit just .150. 

HEAD COACH

>> Bob Fornelli enters his seventh season as head baseball coach at Pittsburg State University in 2025.

>> Fornelli ranks fourth among active NCAA Division II coaches in victories (1,078) and 10th in winning percentage (.691) with a 1,078-483 record in 28 seasons as a collegiate head coach.

>> Fornelli came to Pitt State from MIAA rival Emporia State University where he fashioned a 599-266 (.692) record in 15 seasons leading his alma mater (2004-18). Fornelli guided the Hornets to 13 trips to the NCAA Division II National Tournament, two appearances in the D2 World Series and a national runner-up finish in 2009.

>> Prior to ESU, Fornelli compiled a 306-113 (.730) record in seven seasons at Fort Hays State University.

SERIES HISTORY

>> Washburn leads the all-time series with Pittsburg State 67-61. 

>> The Ichabods are 36-36 against the Gorillas in Pittsubrg. 

>> The series began on April 20, 1963 with a 6-5 win for Washburn on the road. 

>> Last season the Ichabods took two games out of three with Pittsburg State at Falley Field. 

>> The Ichabods average 5.78 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 3rd in Washburn history with 32 home runs, with 101 RBI he is tied for 24th.

>> Griffin Huiatt is tied for 13th in program history with five saves and is tied for 14th 14th in Ichabod history with 47 total appearances. 

>> With nine career triples Connor Scott is tied for fifth in program history. After sealing 45 career bags he is 13th among all Ichabods. 

>> Jett Buck is 6th in program history with 31 home runs. With 110 RBI he is 19th in program history. 

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

>> 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 1380-1309-3 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 returns home for one game taking on Northwestern Oklahoma State in a non-conference contest on Tuesday, April 22 at 3 p.m. 

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

>> The single elimination MIAA Tournament will begin in Joplin, Mo. at Warren Turner Field on May 7 and run through May 10.