PITTSBURG, Kan. -- Washburn baseball will continue in the MIAA Tournament at the Pittsburg location taking on the host Gorillas on Thursday at noon from Al Ortolani Field.
LEADING OFF
>> Washburn, the No. 7 seed in the tournament, will face the No. 15 nationally ranked and No. 2 seed Pittsburg State.
>> The Ichabods face the Gorillas at 12 p.m. on Thursday, May 8 in the MIAA Tournament Quarterfinals in Pittsburg, Kan.
>> Both semifinal games along with the championship on Saturday are still expected to be played in Joplin as originally scheduled.
>> Washburn improved to 27-24 overall with a 16-6 7-inning win over Northeastern State in the first round on Wednesday afternoon.
>> The Ichabods 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 is 39-9 on the year, finishing the regular season 27-9 in MIAA play. They are on a six-game winning streak after sweeping Arkansas-Fort Smith in three games to wrap up the regular season.
>> With a win in the quarterfinals, the Ichabods would face the winner of the game between No. 3 Fort Hays State and No. 6 Northwest Missouri at 4 p.m. on Friday in Joplin.
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 8.61 runs per game while opponents are at 7.64.
>> The Ichabods are 15-7 at Falley Field this season while going 10-14 in road contests and 2-3 in neutral site games.
>> At the plate the Ichabods are hitting .314 with a .412 OB% and a .536 SLG%. They have hit 88 home runs with 119 doubles and drawn 228 walks while striking out 347 times.
>> The pitching staff has a 7.08 ERA with 356 strikeouts across 438.2 innings with a 1.82 WHIP. They allowed 483 hits and issued 315 walks.
>> Washburn has a .964 fielding percentage on the year, turning 36 double plays with 68 total errors.
>> On the basepaths the Ichabods have gone 45-61 in stolen base attempts while opponents are 83-96.
>> 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 nine games. Cash Jay had the longest of any player this season at 17 games.
>> Connor Scott has reached base in 14 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 17 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.
>> Washburn is outscoring opponents 72-37 in the fifth inning and 6-3 in extra innings.
AROUND THE ORDER
>> Jett Buck is slashing .367 with a 1.182 OBS, a team-high, while starting in all 51 games. He has a team-high 20 home runs on the year with 65 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 .327 while starting in all 51 games. He has slashed nine home runs with 71 total hits for a .906 OPS. He has driven in 45 total and scored 46 runs. The senior ranks 7th in the MIAA in hits.
>> Jackson Mervosh has played in all 51 games making 50 starts and is hitting .365 with a 1.043 OPS. He has ten home runs and has driven in 55 RBI along with going 7-7 on stolen base attempts. 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 .294 on the year while starting in all 51 games. He has 13 home runs along with a team-high 35 walks for a .442 OB%. He has driven in 43 total and has a .998 OPS. He is 5th in the MIAA in walks, sixth in home runs and 12th in runs.
>> Darian Duhon has played in 48 games, making 47 starts and is slashing .298 at the plate with a .907 OPS. He has 51 total hits with six home runs and a trio of triples. He has driven in 31 runs and has a .410 OB%.
>> Cash Jay has started in all 39 games he has played in and is hitting .329 with a 1.011 OPS. He has five home runs and has driven in 41 while working 27 walks for a team-high .463 OB%.
>> Easton Bruce has started 42 games with a .935 OPS. He is hitting .309 with nine home runs and 46 RBI. He has also scored 47 runs while going 3-5 on stolen base opportunities.
>> Blake Scott is hitting .260 on the year while playing in 49 games and starting in 47. He has hit seven home runs with 24 RBI. He has a .422 OB% and a .860 OPS. His 34 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 50 of 51 games he has played in, hitting .254 with four home runs and 29 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 and one bullpen appearances Caleb Lunnon has thrown 62.1 innings. He is 5-0 with a 4.62 ERA and a 1.49 WHIP, best both on the team for pitchers making at least one start. He has 48 strikeouts on the year and has thrown just two wild pitches.
>> Caden Bressler has made 16 appearances with eight starts throwing 62.1 innings on the year. He is 3-3 with a 4.62 ERA, tied for the best on the team among starters. He has struck out 28 and allowed just a .267 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 18 appearances throwing 25.2 innings. He has a 5.26 ERA with 29 strikeouts and a 1.48 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 20 appearances, including five starts. He has thrown 41.0 innings with a 8.78 ERA and 34 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 123 putouts in the field.
>> Jett Buck has a team-high 142 assists from shortstop while also making 108 putouts, fourth most on the squad. He has also been part of 29 double plays.
>> Jackson Mervosh is second on the team with 114 assists and has been part of 29 double plays.
>> Blake Scott has a team-high 347 putouts while Hayden Priest is second at 328.
>> Priest has also thrown out a team-high eleven 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 Iowa and Louisiana each to round out the roster.
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 283-241 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
PITTSBURG STATE GORILLAS
>> Pittsburg State swept Arkansas-Fort Smith to finish the regular season on a six-game winning streak and with a 39-9 record including going 27-9 in the MIAA.
>> They moved are ranked No. 15 in the latest NCBWA national poll.
>> 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 24-4 when playing at Al Ortolani Field, 12-5 on the road and 3-0 in neutral field games.
>> As a team they hit .323 with a .434 OB% and a .544 SLG%. They have tallied 64 home runs with 251 walks and 303 strikeouts.
>> Alex Rogers is second on the team with a .386 batting average and with a 1.116 OPS across 46 starts. He has four home runs with 30 RBI and is 29-32 in stealing bases.
>> Dagen Brewer is hitting .371 on the year with a 1.301 OPS. He has a team-high 20 home runs to go along with 68 RBI and 17 doubles.
>> The Gorillas pitching staff has a 4.41 ERA across 414.1 innings with a 1.27 WHIP. They have 393 strikeouts while allowing 407 hits and 117 walks.
>> 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.
>> Maddox Thornton has started 13 games, throwing a team-high 80.1 innings. He is 9-1 with a 3.14 ERA and 67 strikeouts.
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 68-63.
>> The Ichabods are 37-38 against the Gorillas in Pittsburg.
>> The series began on April 20, 1963 with a 6-5 win for Washburn on the road.
>> Earlier in the season Pittsburg State won two out of three games in a home series on April 17-18.
>> The Ichabods average 5.85 runs per game all-time against the Gorillas.
MILESTONE MARKERS
>> Cash Jay holds the 24th highest career batting average in program history at .348. In home runs he is tied for 13th with 20 and in doubles he is tied for 8th with 38 career two-bag hits.
>> Payton McHarg is tied for 3rd in Washburn history with 34 home runs, with 110 RBI he is alone at 20th.
>> Griffin Huiatt is tied for 5th in program history with seven saves and is 9th in Ichabod history with 52 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 tied for 3rd in program history with 34 home runs. With 117 RBI he is 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 15th 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 1386-1312-3 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 semifinal round of the MIAA Tournament where they would head to Joplin, Mo. to face the winner of the game between No. 3 Fort Hays State and No. 6 Northwest Missouri on Friday.
>> The championship game for the tournament is set for Saturday, May 10 at 1 p.m. in Joplin, Mo.
