• The Washburn Ichabods will open the MIAA Tournament on Thursday at 4 p.m. in Hays, Kan. when they will take on the No. 16-ranked Rogers State Hillcats.
• The Ichabods and the Hillcats split their MIAA doubleheader during the season on March 8 in Claremore with the Hillcats winning the first game 5-0 before the Ichabods won the second game 4-2 in 11 innings.
• The Ichabods (31-20, 13-11 MIAA) are coming off a 1-1 weekend splitting their regular season finale with Emporia State taking the opening game 8-0 in five innings before falling 4-2 in the nightcap.
• Rogers State is the No. 3 seed in the MIAA Tournament while going 35-12 in the regular season and 16-8 in MIAA play.
• The Ichabods were ranked No. 8 in the NCAA Central Regional Poll that was released on April 23.
• 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 20 seasons with at least 30 wins with six 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 283-169 overall record going 136-74 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 … the Ichabods are 18th in the nation in doubles with 88, which also leads the MIAA … Washburn is also 24th in the nation in walks and 21st in shutouts.
• Sadie Walker is 16th in the nation in games started (27), 17th in appearances (34) and 24th in shutouts (5) while also ranking 54th in strikeouts (138).
• Jenna Sprague is 10th in the nation with five saves.
• Kaylee Wagner is 26th in the nation in throwing out base stealers with 11 this season.
  In 2025, Washburn is outscoring its opponents 40-19 in the sixth inning and 65-41 in the second inning but is being outscored 42-40 in the fourth inning and 37-32 in the third inning and 20-12 in the seventh inning … Washburn is 11-3 in shutouts … the Ichabods are 25-1 when leading after four innings, 20-1 when leading after five innings and 25-2 when leading after six innings … Erin Boles and Makenzie Sais lead the Ichabods with 15 multiple-hit games and Kaylee Wagner leads the team with 14 multi-RBI games … Erin Boles has reached base in each of the last 14 games … Jaden Labarge led the Ichabods in MIAA hitting at .406 hitting 10 of her 12 home runs during MIAA play this season … the 88 doubles by the Ichabods this season is tied for fourth on the program chart trailing the school record of 99 set in 2022. (April 26, 2025) TOPEKA, Kan. – The Washburn Ichabod softball team wrapped up the regular season splitting the final two games of the home slate at Gahnstrom Field with Emporia State winning 8-0 in five innings before falling 4-2 in eight innings.
Game 1 – WU 8, ESU 0 (5 innings)
In the opener, Jaden LaBarge made three trips to the plate and left with a school-record-tying three home runs and seven RBI in the game driving in 7 of Washburn's 8 runs in game one.
In the first inning, LaBarge connected on her first long ball of the game sending the first pitch she saw over the right center field fence scoring both Makenzie Sais who singled and Kaylee Wagner.
When LaBarge came up in the third inning after a single from Wagner, LaBarge hit another ball over the right field fence as Washburn stretched its lead to 5-0.
LaBarge's third at-bat of the day was a homer down the left field line scoring Wagner who started the inning with a walk as Washburn went up 7-0. The Ichabods closed out the run-rule win when Erin Boles and Dalaney Anderson both walked and then Maddie McGee's basehit scored Ashley Gaughan who entered as a pinch runner for the eighth run of the day and the 8-0 win.
LaBarge's three home day was the first by an Ichabod since Taylor Zimmerman had three at Lincoln on March 4, 2016. It is only the fourth time in program history an Ichabod had a three-homer day. Her seven RBI tied a school record since Taylor Kirk had seven at Lincoln on March 3, 2018. It was the eighth time an Ichabod had driven in seven in a single game.
In the circle, Sadie Walker improved to 15-8 striking out two scattering four hits in the win.
Sais had two hits and a walk reaching base in all three plate appearances.
Game 2 – ESU 4, WU 2 (8 innings)
The Hornets (30-22, 10-14 MIAA) scored two runs in the top of the second inning taking the early lead. Washburn jumped on the board with a solo run in the fourth inning when LaBarge hit her 12th home run of the season and the fourth in her fourth-straight at bat cutting ESU's lead to 2-1. The Ichabods (31-20, 13-11 MIAA) tied the score in the sixth inning off a pinch-hit sac fly by Danielle Schlader, driving in Gaughan who scored for Erin Boles after starting the inning with a single.
The Ichabods in the seventh inning left a pair of runners on but could not score the winning run. In the eighth, ESU scored two runs taking a 4-2 lead and the Ichabods went down in the eighth with three-straight fly outs.
Sais and Boles each had three hit of Washburn's seven hits in the game with LaBarge collecting the other.
Walker pitched four innings in relief allowing three hits and two earned runs in the eighth. ROGERS STATE
• The Hillcats are 35-12 going 16-8 in the MIAA finishing third in the conference race … they are No. 16 in the latest NFCA Top 25 coaches poll.
• Abby Rogers leads the team with a .487 batting average with 74 hits and 16 doubles with 46 RBI while Kaylee Lyon is batting .378 with 62 hits with a team-high 52 runs scored.
• Jade Sanders leads the pitching staff with a 2.16 ERA going 13-6 in 24 starts and Harley Culie has a 2.57 ERA with a 17-5 record. Torie Sandoval is 5-1 with a 2.62 ERA … as a staff the Hillcats have a team ERA of 2.46.
• The Hillcats lead the all-time series 11-6 … Washburn split a doubleheader in the last meetings in Claremore, Okla. earlier this season.
  • is 283-169 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 136-74 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 (.791) 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 1359-992-1 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.