• The Washburn Ichabods are back in action for a set of MIAA doubleheaders starting Sunday with the Central Missouri Jennies starting at 1 p.m. and Newman the following day starting at 2 p.m. The games were pushed back because of anticipated weather in the area.
• The Ichabods (24-15, 6-6 MIAA) are coming off a 2-2 weekend sweeping Fort Hays State and getting swept by Nebraska-Kearney.
• 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 276-164 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. • The Ichabods lead the nation in the triple plays recording their second one of the season in Branson … Washburn is also 11th in the nation in walks this season.
• Sadie Walker is fourth in the nation in games started (21), seventh in appearances (27) and 18th in shutouts (4) while also ranking 37th in strikeouts (107).
• Jaden LaBarge and Ellington Hogle are fifth in the nation in sac flies with four each.
  In 2025, Washburn is outscoring its opponents 35-18 in the sixth inning and 54-33 in the second inning but is being outscored 37-25 in the fourth inning and 33-18 in the third inning … Washburn is 4-1 in shutouts … the Ichabods are 18-0 when leading after four innings, 15-0 when leading after five innings and 20-1 when leading after six innings … Erin Boles leads the Ichabods with 11 multiple-hit games and Kaylee Wagner leads the team with 11 multi-RBI games … Boles leads the Ichabods in MIAA play with a .350 batting average … Jaden LaBarge went over the 100-RBI mark for her career at Washburn with 103. (March 29, 2025) TOPEKA, Kan. – The Washburn Ichabod softball team was on the wrong end of a doubleheader sweep at the hands of Nebraska-Kearney falling 3-2 and 8-5 on Saturday at Gahnstrom Field.
Game 1 – UNK 3, WU 2
All five runs in the game came in the fourth inning as the Lopers took advantage of an Ichabod error scoring three unearned runs.
In the fourth, Makenzie Sais walked to start the inning and after a Kaylee Wagner single, Sais moved to third. Ashlyn Gaughan came in as a pinch runner and the Ichabods pulled off a double steal scoring Sais.
Erin Boles then drove in Alexis Tanguma cutting the Loper lead to 3-2.
However, the Ichabods were limited to one hit the rest of the way in the loss.
Washburn was held to four hits with four different Ichabods collecting one leaving four runners on base.
Sadie Walker tossed five innings allowing three unearned runs.
Game 2 – UNK 8, WU 5
Washburn (24-15, 6-6 MIAA) scored two runs in the its first at bat after Ellington Hogle started the game with a single and then Wagner's 2-run homer staked the Ichabods to the early lead.
UNK came back with one run in the top of the second, but the Ichabods went back up 3-2 on a sac fly from Hogle that scored Jaden LaBarge.
In the third, UNK hit a 2-run homer of its own tying the score at 3-3.
In the fourth, UNK scored three runs on four hits to go up 6-3. A lead off homer by LaBarge in the bottom of the fourth on a two-strike pitch pulled the Ichabods within two at 6-4.
Boles began the sixth inning with a solo home run of her own trimming the Loper lead to 6-4, but UNK scored two more in the top of the seventh and the Ichabods were shutout in the inning as the Lopers closed out the win.
Boles, Wagner and LaBarge each had two of the Ichabods' nine total hits. Tanguma took the loss in the circle. CENTRAL MISSOURI
• The Jennies are 19-13 this season entering the weekend going 6-6 in MIAA play.
• Taylor Thompson leads the team with a .370 batting average with a team-high 33 RBI and 37 hits.
• Brooke Weimer is 8-6 in the circle with a 2.22 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP in 88 innings of action.
• Washburn trails in the all-time series 51-55 to the Jennies.
• The two teams split a doubleheader last season in Warrensburg winning the nightcap 5-1.
 
NEWMAN
• The Jets are 6-30 this season and 1-11 in the MIAA.
• AJ Borja leads the team with a .337 batting average with 30 hits and 11 doubles in 30 games.
• Paola Zamacona has a team-best 5.25 ERA with a 2-6 record … as a team the Jets have a 7.19 ERA.
• Washburn leads the all-time series 20-2
• The Ichabods have won the last 11 games against the Jets … Washburn's last loss to the Jets came on Feb. 5, 2017 in Magnolia, Ark. in a 12-10 defeat.
  • is 276-164 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 1352-987-1 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.