TOPEKA, Kan. -- Due to forecasted weather conditions in Joplin, Washburn baseball will now open the MIAA Tournament in Pittsburg, Kan. as the No. 7 seed where they will face No. 10 Northeastern State at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, May 7.
LEADING OFF
>> Washburn begins the MIAA Tournament in the first round as the No. 7 seed taking on No. 10 Northeastern State.
>> The Ichabods face the RiverHawks at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, May 7 in Pittsburg, Kan. at Al Ortolani Field.
>> There is an adjusted schedule for the first two rounds of the MIAA Tournament due to weather in the Joplin area. Half of the opening two rounds will now be played in Pittsburg. The semifinals and championship are both set to be played in Joplin as scheduled.
>> Washburn improved to 26-24 and finished the regular season 18-18 in MIAA play with a three-game sweep over Newman.
>> 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.
>> Northeastern State wrapped up the regular season winning two of three games against Missouri Southern at home to improve to 16-34 overall and 13-23 in the MIAA.
>> With a win in the first round of the 10-team tournament the Ichabods will advance on to face the No. 2 seed, Pittsburg State at 12 p.m. on Thursday in Pittsburg.
ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS
>> Nine Ichabods earned All-MIAA honors earlier in the week led by first team selection Jett Buck at shortstop.
>> The second team included three players from Washburn with Hayden Priest getting a nod at catcher, Payton McHarg in a utility role and Jackson Mervosh at second base.
>> On the third team are Caleb Lunnon at starting pitcher and Easton Bruce in the outfield.
>> Cash Jay earned an honorable mention nod at third base as did Cooper Carlgren at starting pitcher.
>> Caden Bressler was also selected as the lone pitcher in the conference to the Gold Glove Team.
BODS AND BITS
>> Washburn is scoring 8.46 runs per game while opponents are at 7.68.
>> The Ichabods are 15-7 at Falley Field this season while going 10-14 in road contests and 1-3 in neutral site games.
>> At the plate the Ichabods are hitting .311 with a .408 OB% and a .534 SLG%. They have hit 87 home runs with 115 doubles and drawn 217 walks while striking out 343 times.
>> The pitching staff has a 7.09 ERA with 349 strikeouts across 431.2 innings with a 1.81 WHIP. They allowed 473 hits and issued 309 walks.
>> Washburn has a .964 fielding percentage on the year, turning 36 double plays with 65 total errors.
>> On the basepaths the Ichabods have gone 44-59 in stolen base attempts while opponents are 88-95.
>> Washburn is 7-5 in games against NCBWA nationally ranked opponents this season.
STREAKS AND STATS
>> Easton Bruce has the current longest hitting streak on the team at eight games. Cash Jay had the longest of any player this season at 17 games.
>> Connor Scott has reached base in 13 straight games, the longest current streak. Cash Jay, Hayden Priest and Jackson Mervosh have each had 27-game streaks earlier in the season.
>> Jett Buck leads the team with 16 games of recording multiple RBI, he has two games with five or more driven in. Easton Bruce and Jackson Mervosh are second with 14 games each.
>> When leading off an inning, Ichabod hitters have a .426 OB%, the number is at .418% when the bases are loaded.
>> With two outs the Ichabod pitching staff is holding opponents to just a .261 average. With runners on base the average is .277.
>> Washburn is outscoring opponents 68-36 in the fifth inning and 6-3 in extra innings.
AROUND THE ORDER
>> Jett Buck is slashing .363 with a 1.157 OBS, a team-high, while starting in all 50 games. He has a team-high 19 home runs on the year with 63 RBI, also tops on the team. He ranks 1st in the MIAA and 33rd nationally in hits he is 3rd in the conference and 12th in the nation in home runs. He is also third in the MIAA in RBI and fourth in SLG%.
>> Hayden Priest is hitting .333 while starting in all 50 games. He has slashed nine home runs with 71 total hits for a .919 OPS. He has driven in 45 total and scored 45 runs. The senior ranks 7th in the MIAA in hits.
>> Jackson Mervosh has played in all 50 games making 49 starts and is hitting .358 with a 1.033 OPS. He has ten home runs and has driven in 54 RBI along with going 6-6 on stolen base attepts. His 24 doubles are a team-high and lead the MIAA while ranking 3rd nationally. He is 4th in the MIAA in hits, 5th in total bases and 7th in RBI.
>> Payton McHarg is slashing .297 on the year while starting in all 50 games. He has 13 home runs along with a team-high 35 walks for a .447 OB%. He has driven in 41 total and has a 1.007 OPS. He is 5th in the MIAA in walks, sixth in home runs and 12th in runs.
>> Darian Duhon has played in 47 games, making 46 starts and is slashing .293 at the plate with a .902 OPS. He has 49 total hits with six home runs and a trio of triples. He has driven in 28 runs and has a .405 OB%.
>> Cash Jay has played and started in all 38 games he has played in 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%.
>> Easton Bruce has started 41 games with a .923 OPS. He is hitting .302 with nine home runs and 46 RBI. He has also scored 45 runs while going 3-4 on stolen base opportunities.
>> Blake Scott is hitting .257 on the year while playing in 48 games and starting in 46. He has hit seven home runs with 23 RBI. He has a .417 OB% and a .855 OPS. His 33 walks are second most on the team and he is 4-5 in stolen base attempts. He ranks eighth in the MIAA in walks.
>> Connor Scott has started in 49 of 50 games he has played in, hitting .257 with four home runs and 28 RBI. He has a team-high 11 stolen bases.
>> Owen Laessig is hitting .367 with three home runs and 12 RBI across 18 games with 11 starts. He has a 1.058 OPS and has scored 14 runs.
>> Chase Littrell has appeared in 22 games, making five starts. He is hitting .318 and scored 10 runs with one home run and five RBI.
>> Trevor McCollum is hitting .216 with six RBI while playing in 21 games and starting in six.
>> Garrett Springer has played in 18 games, making eight starts, and is hitting .233 with a home run and 10 RBI.
ON THE MOUND
>> Across 12 starts Caleb Lunnon has thrown 60.1 innings. He is 4-0 with a 4.48 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP, best both on the team for pitchers making at least one start. He has 45 strikeouts on the year and has thrown just two wild pitches.
>> Caden Bressler has made 15 appearances with seven starts throwing 58.0 innings on the year. He is 3-3 with a 4.50 ERA, second best on the team among starters. He has struck out 26 and allowed just a .256 batting average.
>> Cooper Carlgren has started 12 games, throwing a team-high 63.2 innings with 61 strikeouts, also a team high. He is 2-4 with a 6.36 ERA on the year. He is 14th 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.
>> Kai Bennett is 4-2 on the year in 17 appearances throwing 25.1 innings. He has a 5.33 ERA with 28 strikeouts and a 1.50 WHIP.
>> Piercen McElyea has thrown 19.0 innings across five starts and six appearances. He has 20 strikeouts with an 0-1 record and a 6.16 ERA.
>> Logan Bartlett has made 13 appearances out of the bullpen throwing 14.1 innings. He has struck out 10 and is 1-0 with a 6.91 ERA and one save.
>> Keegan McDonald has a 7.24 ERA across 13.2 innings in 15 appearances with a 1-1 record. He has a 1.32 WHIP and has struck out 14 batters with one save.
>> Griffin Huiatt has made 19 appearances, including five starts. He has thrown 40.2 innings with a 8.85 ERA and 33 strikeouts for a 3-5 record. He leads the team with three saves.
>> Cal Leonard has thrown in 14 games, tossing 16.0 innings with a 3-0 record and a 6.19 ERA. He has struck out nine.
>> Chase Torkelson has appeared in 12 games, making four starts. He has thrown 29.0 innings with a 7.14 ERA, 20 strikeouts and one save.
>> Fidel Hatch has appeared in 15 games with one start and tossed 19.2 IP. He has a 6.41 ERA and struck out 11.
IN THE FIELD
>> Excluding first basemen and catchers, Connor Scott leads the team with 122 putouts in the field.
>> Jett Buck has a team-high 139 assists from shortstop while also making 107 putouts, fourth most on the squad. He has also been part of 29 double plays.
>> Jackson Mervosh is second on the team with 112 assists and has been part of 29 double plays.
>> Blake Scott has a team-high 340 putouts while Hayden Priest is second at 321.
>> Priest has also thrown out a team-high ten 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 - 87 (1st MIAA / 4th nationally)
Slugging percentage - .534 (3rd MIAA / 19th nationally)
Hits - 551 (1st MIAA / 21st nationally)
Runs - 423 (3rd MIAA / 32nd nationally)
Doubles - 115 (2nd MIAA / 13th nationally)
Scoring 8.5 - (3rd MIAA / 32nd nationally)
Walks - 217 (7th MIAA / 98th nationally)
Batting average .311 (3rd MIAA / 47th 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 282-241 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
NORTHEASTERN STATE RIVERHAWKS
>> Northeastern State finished the regular season on a two-game winning streak over Missouri Southern to move to 16-34 overall and 13-23 inside the MIAA.
>> Last season the RiverHawks went 20-30 overall and 11-22 inside the MIAA, missing out on the conference tournament.
>> In 2025, they are 6-17 at Rousey Field, 9-13 in road games and 1-4 in neutral field contests.
>> Northeastern State is hitting .265 as a team with a .374 OB% and a .397 SLG%. They have 42 home runs with 379 strikeouts and 213 walks.
>> They are 2nd in the MIAA in stolen bases and second in the conference getting hit by 111 pitches on the year.
>> Gage williams played in 34 games making 33 starts and is hitting .376 with a team-high 1.229 OPS. He also has a team best 10 home runs with 33 RBI and a .520 OB%. He is 8-10 in stolen base attempts.
>> Colton Ayres is hitting .338 on the year while starting in 42 games and playing in 45. He has a .967 OPS with four home runs and 24 RBI while stealing 12 bases, tied for a team-high.
>> Diego Murillo leads the team with 35 RBI while playing and starting in all 50 games. He is hitting .288 with four home runs and also has 12 stolen bases.
>> The pitching staff has a 8.42 ERA across 411.2 innings with 318 strikeouts and 280 walks.
>> They are first in the MIAA at creating double plays and are in the bottom four in the league for WHIP, ERA and runs allowed.
>> Braxton Jones has appeared in 14 games making 13 starts and has thrown a team-high 75.2 innings. He also leads the team with 75 strikeouts and five victories, going 5-7 with a 5.71 ERA. He is fifth in the MIAA in strikeouts.
>> Izac Sizemore has started in seven games and appeared in 16 total, throwing 58.2 innings. He has a team-best 4.91 ERA with 47 strikeouts. He is 3-3 on the year with two saves, a team-high.
>> Holden Yaksick appeared in a team-high 23 games with two starts throwing 59.1 innings. He went 1-6 on the year with 33 strikeouts and a 7.13 ERA.
HEAD COACH
>> Sunny Golloway is in his second season as the head baseball coach at Northeastern State University.
>> Before Golloway was hired as the head coach at Northeastern State, he was the head coach at East Central University for one year where he guided the Tigers to the program's most wins since 2017.
>> He was the head coach at Auburn University for two years, leading them to an NCAA Tournament appearance. Golloway also spent eight seasons as head coach at the University of Oklahoma, where he led the Sooners to seven NCAA Regional berths, four NCAA Super Regionals and the 2010 College World Series.
>> He attended Northeastern Oklahoma A&M Junior College in Miami, Oklahoma, for one year before transferring to Oklahoma Christian College where he received his bachelor's degree in business in 1984.
SERIES HISTORY
>> Northeastern State leads the all-time series with Washburn 23-21.
>> The Ichabods are 2-4 against the RiverHawks in neutral field games.
>> The series began on March 19, 1990 with a 8-2 win for Northeastern State in the first of two games on that day.
>> Earlier this season Washburn fell in two out of three games to the RiverHawks on the road between March 14-16. In all three games the home team scored at least 10 runs while the Ichabods tied a season-high with 21 runs in game two.
>> Washburn averages 8.59 runs per game against NESU.
MILESTONE MARKERS
>> Cash Jay holds the 31st 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 3rd in Washburn history with 34 home runs, with 108 RBI he is tied for 21st.
>> Griffin Huiatt is tied for 5th in program history with seven saves and is tied for 9th in Ichabod history with 51 total appearances.
>> With ten career triples Connor Scott is tied for fourth in program history. After sealing 47 career bags he is tied for 12th among all Ichabods. He also ranks tied for sixth with 39 doubles.
>> Jett Buck is 4th in program history with 33 home runs. With 115 RBI he is tied for 14th in program history.
>> Chase Torkelson is tied for 12th in program history with 14 career wins.
>> Easton Bruce is tied for 13th in program history with 20 home runs and is tied for 14th with 115 RBI.
>> With 24 doubles this season Jackson Mervosh set a new program record for most in a single season.
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 1385-1312-3 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
>> With a win, Washburn would advance into the quarterfinal round and would face the No. 2 seed Pittsburg State at 12 p.m. on Thursday at the home of the Gorillas.
>> The championship game for the tournament is set for Saturday, May 10 at 1 p.m. in Joplin, Mo.
