TOPEKA, Kan. -- Washburn baseball begins its home schedule with three games at the Steve Anson Classic against the University of Sioux Falls and MSU Denver starting on Friday, Feb. 13 at 2 p.m.
LEADING OFF
>> Washburn opens up the 2026 season at Steve Anson Stadium with three games at the Steve Anson Classic against Sioux Falls and No. 23 MSU Denver.
>> The Ichabods begin the tournament against Sioux Falls at 2 p.m. on Friday. They face MSU Denver at 1 p.m. on Saturday in a Valentine's Day contest before finishing off against the Cougars again at 2 p.m. on Sunday.
>> Washburn begins the season 1-3 on the year after playing four road games in south Florida. They finished the trip losing 6-0 to Barry on Feb. 9.
>> The Ichabods are coming off a fourth straight winning season in 2025 going 28-25 overall and 18-18 inside the MIAA. They finished 7th in the regular season and won two games in the MIAA Tournament before falling in the semifinal round.
>> They were picked to finish fifth in the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll for a second straight year.
STEVE ANSON CLASSIC
>> The Steve Anson Classic runs from February 13-15 at Steve Anson Stadium in Topeka, Kan. Joining the host Ichabods are Emporia State, MSU Denver and the University of Sioux Falls.
>> Live stats can be found through the Washburn Athletics website.
>> Live video for all games will be through the MIAA network via a paid subscription.
>> There is no gate fee for games.
>> Games may begin early if running ahead of schedule.
BODS AND BITS
>> Washburn is scoring 7.5 runs per game on the year while opponents are scoring 9.0 runs per game.
>> They are 1-3 on the year in road games, Friday will be the home-opener and they have not played a neutral field game.
>> At the plate the Ichabods are hitting .209 with a .394 OB% and a .333 SLG%. They have tallied three home runs with 31 total walks, including a program-record 17 against Palm Beach Atlantic.
>> The pitching staff has a 7.99 ERA with 30 strikeouts across 32.2 innings. They have allowed 50 hits and issued 16 walks.
>> Washburn has a .966 fielding percentage as a team with 5 errors and have not turned a double play.
>> On the basepaths the Ichabods have gone 3-6 in stolen base attempts while opponents have gone 5-7.
>> Washburn has returned 19 players from the 2025 roster with eight of them as seniors, four juniors and seven freshmen.
STREAKS AND STATS
>> Trenton Barry and Jarrett Herrmann each have the highest hitting streak entering the weekend at two games.
>> Owen Laessig, Ian Luce and Chase Littrell have all reached base in all four games this season.
>> Levi Risenhoover had the longest hitting streak of any Ichabod this year at three games.
>> Washburn is hitting 3-7 (.429) with the bases loaded this season.
>> The Ichabods are reaching base at a .457 clip when leading off an inning.
>> Right-handed hitters are hitting more than .100 points worse than left handed hitters when facing the Ichabods.
>> Washburn is outscoring opponents 21-14 over the final two innings of games.
AROUND THE ORDER
>> Levi Risenhoover has started all four games for the Ichabods in the outfield and is hitting .235 with a .350 OB% for a .938 OPS. He leads the team with two home runs and 6 RBI. He is 4th in the MIAA and 46th nationally in home runs and is 94th in the nation in RBI.
>> Jarrett Herrmann has played in three games making two starts. He has a team-high 1.045 OPS and is hitting .375. He has walked three times with a .545 OB% with one RBI.
>> Easton Wasinger has played in three games, starting in all of them. He has a .300 average and a .862 OPS with one RBI.
>> Brooks Richardson has played and started in three games at catcher. He is hitting .286 with a .929 OPS. He has driven in one and has a .500 OB%. He is 13th in the MIAA in walks per game.
>> Ian Luce has started in all four games hitting .214 with a .960 OPS. He has three extra-base hits with one home run and has drove in three runs.
>> Trenton Barry has played in all four games amking three starts. He is hitting .200 with two RBI and has a team-high two stolen bases.
>> Chase Littrell is hitting .200 on the year while starting in all four games. He has a team-high five walks for a .500 OB%.
>> Owen Laessig has started all four games this year hitting .200 with three RBI.
>> Jack Borgmann has started in three games and played in all four hitting .182 with a pair of RBI.
>> Jackson Mervosh has started all four games in the infield hitting .143 with two RBI.
ON THE MOUND
>> Maclane Finley has thrown a team-high 6.0 innings in his one start. He has a 1.50 ERA with a pair of strikeouts and a 1.33 WHIP. He is 10th in the MIAA in ERA.
>> Kai Bennett has made one appearance this year throwing 5.0 innings. He has allowed just one run for a 1.80 ERA and has three strikeouts with a WHIP of just .80. He is 3rd in the MIAA and 30th nationally in hits allowed per nine innings while ranking 7th in the conference in WHIP.
>> Caleb Lunnon started one game on the year throwing 4.0 innings with a 4.50 ERA. He has struck out three while not allowing a walk. He is tied for the nations lead in strikeout per walk ratio and walks allowed per nine innings.
>> Fidel Hatch has made one appearance out of the bullpen throwing 2.2 scoreless innings with a strikeout.
>> Max Strash has struck out four batters in his one appearance out of the bullpen throwing 2.0 innings without allowing a run.
>> Mark Hoffmann has thrown 2.1 innings on the year allowing four runs with three strikeouts.
>> Griffin Huiatt has made two appearances making one start throwing 2.0 innings. He has a strikeout and is 0-1 on the year.
>> Keegan McDonald has appeared in two games out of the bullpen throwing 2.0 innings with a strikeout and four earned runs.
>> Gavin Wilhelm is 1-0 on the year throwing 1.0 scoreless inning in his only appearance with a strikeout.
IN THE FIELD
>> Excluding first basemen and catchers, Chase Littrell leads the team with 10 put outs in the field. Levi RIsenhoover is second on the team with eight.
>> Trenton Barry has the most assists on the team with 12, while Owen Laessig is second on the squad with nine.
>> Brooks Richardson has a team-high 24 put outs from behind the plate while Jack Borgmann has 18 at first base.
ICHABODS AROUND THE COUNTRY
>> Washburn's 47-man roster consists of players from eight different states.
>> There are 21 players on the roster who are from the Sunflower State.
>> Nebraska and Missouri are producing the second most Ichabods with seven each coming from the two bordering states.
>> Washburn has five players from Oklahoma and four from Colorado moving one state to join the Ichabod roster.
>> One player comes from each of Texas, Iowa and Wisconsin to round out the roster.
MIAA PRESEASON POLL
>> In the 2026 MIAA Coaches Preseason Poll, the Ichabods were picked fifth, the same place they were picked to finish in the 2025 preseason poll as well. They earned 93 total points in the poll.
>> Central Missouri was picked to repeat as the regular season champion, earning 12 of 13 first-place votes with 144 total points.
>> Pittsburg State and Central Oklahoma are picked to finish second and third respectively.
>> Missouri Southern was slotted at No. 4 and earned the final first-place nod.
NUMBERS AROUND THE NATION
>> As a team in 2026 Washburn stacks up to the rest of the nation and conference well in several areas...
Walks allowed per nine innings - 4.41 (5th MIAA / 45th nationally)
Walks - 31 (7th MIAA / 61st nationally)
Strikeout-to-walk ratio - 1.88 (5th MIAA / 51st nationally)
Fielding percentage - .966 (8th MIAA / 60th nationally)
Scoring - 7.5 runs per game (7th MIAA / 66th nationally)
Strikeouts per nine innings - 8.3 (9th MIAA / 81st nationally)
HEAD COACH HARLEY DOUGLAS
>> Former Washburn All-MIAA outfielder Harley Douglas enters his 12th season at the helm of the Washburn baseball program in 2025.
>> In eleven full seasons, Douglas carries an all-time record of 285-245 with seven appearances in the MIAA Tournament and led the program to its first-ever NCAA Tournament in 2022.
>> He has also coached a total of 72 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 eighth season with the Ichabods on the coaching staff.
>> He began his coaching career 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 third 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
>> Caden Bressler moves from the starting rotation to the coaching staff for the 2026 season in his first as a coach.
>> He finished his three-year career with the Ichabods in 2025where he appeared in 62 games as a hitter and 32 on the mound. He throw 113.2 total innings with a 6-6 record and three saves.
>> Bressler graduated with his bachelor's degree in kinesiology from Washburn in 2025.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
SIOUX FALLS COUGARS
>> Sioux Falls will open the 2026 season in Topeka against the Ichabods.
>> Last season the Cougars went 32-28 overall and 25-15 inside the NSIC. They fell in the championship game of hte NSIC Tournament.
>> Grant Hieb is entering his 9th season leading the Sioux Falls baseball program where he has a 167-243 career record.
>> Sioux Falls averaged 6.95 runs per game while opponents scored 7.25 runs per game.
>> The Cougars offense last year hit .303 as a team with a .394 OB% and .467 SLG%. They hit 58 home runs and tallied 236 walks.
>> Last year they finished 35th in the nation in total hits, 58th in home runs and 62nd in doubles per game.
>> Mitch Iliff returns after leading the team with a .378 batting average a season ago. He started in 55 games and played in 56 hitting 11 home runs with 50 RBI. He added eight stolen bases.
>> Nolan Drossel is back after playing in 59 games and starting 55 a season ago. He hit .337 on the year with 20 RBI. He went 11-12 in stolen base chances.
>> The pitching staff as a team had a 7.27 ERA across 464.1 innings pitched. They struck oiut 400 total batters while allowing 64 home runs and walking 262.
>> They ranked 30th in the nation with a .972 fielding percentage and were 90th in the nation with 7.8 strikeouts per nine innings.
>> Jake Ammann appeared in 14 games making 13 starts a season ago throwing 66.0 total innings, a team-high. He led the team with 74 strikeouts while finishing with a 6-4 record and 7.91 ERA.
>> Myles Rees returns after throwing 29.0 innings across 14 bullpen appearances last season. He went 2-0 with a 3.31 ERA while striking out 17 and picking up two saves.
>> Washburn is 4-0 in the all-time series between the two teams, winning all four at home.
>> The first meeting came on Feb. 26, 1999 in a 5-1 win for the Ichabods in Topeka. The most recent meeting coming on March 5, 2000 where Washburn won 5-2.
METROPOLICAN STATE UNIVERSITY OF DENVER ROADRUNNERS
>> MSU Denver is an undefeated 7-0 to begin the season after sweeping a four-game series over Newman last time out, finishing the series on Feb. 8.
>> They are ranked No. 23 in the latest NCBWA national poll.
>> Last season the Roadrunners went 33-24 overall and 22-10 inside the RMAC, they advanced to the championship game of the RMAC Tournament and played in two NCAA Tournament games.
>> They are 3-0 when playing at home in Denver, 4-0 on the road and have not played a neutral field game.
>> Ryan Strain is in his 7th season as the head coach at MSU Denver where he has a 236-157 career record.
>> MSU Denver is averaging 10.71 runs per game while opponents are scoring 4.57 per game.
>> The Roadrunner offense is hitting .346 as a team with a .461 OB% and .581 SLG%. They have 11 home runs and 44 total walks on the year.
>> Metropolitan State is 4th in the conference with 3.14 doubles per game, 8th in the nation in home runs and are 19th in the nation in batting average.
>> Erubiel Ortiz has started in six games and is hitting a team-high .450 on the year with a .656 OB%. He has a team-high nine RBI with one home run. He is 26th in the nation in OB% and 83rd in RBI.
>> Gavin Schmeh has started in all seven games and is hitting .423 with a 1.323 OPS. He has six RBI and is tied for a team-high with two home runs. He is tied for 50th nationally in home runs and 59th in runs scored.
>> The pitching staff has a 4.13 ERA across 61.0 innings pitched. They have fanned 69 total batters and allowed three home runs while walking 27 total.
>> They rank 20th in the nation in both WHIP and strikeout-to-walk ratio while ranking 27th nationally with 10.2 strikeouts per nine innings.
>> Nolan Livsey has made two starts throwing 9.2 innings with a 3.72 ERA and a 2-0 record. He has struck out six in that time and has a .241 opponent batting average. He is tied for the nations lead in wins.
>> Brayden McCollough has started two games for MSU Denver throwing 9.0 innings. He has a 1-0 record, 4.00 ERA and a team-high 15 strikeouts. He is 14th in the nation in strikeouts and 93rd nationally in WHIP.
>> MSU Denver has a 1-0 lead in the all-time series.
>> The first and only meeting came on March 6, 2003 and was a 4-2 win for the Roadrunners in Topeka.
MILESTONE MARKERS
>> Griffin Huiatt is tied for 5th in program history with seven career saves. He is tied for 4th in Washburn history with 55 career appearances.
>> Jackson Mervosh has the 31st highest batting average in program history at .343. He is tied for 42nd among all Ichabods with 25 doubles.
WASHBURN BASEBALL HISTORY
>> The 2026 season will be the 74th year of Washburn Baseball.
>> The Ichabods have a 1388-1316-3 record in program history.
>> There have been 35 seasons with 20+ wins; 25 seasons with 25+ wins; and 13 seasons with 30+ wins.
>> Washburn has earned 34 All-Region selections and 14 All-America awards.
ON DECK
>> MIAA play begins with a three-game series against Newman in Wichita from Feb. 20-22.
>> Senior day for the Ichabods will be on the regular season finale May 2 against Pittsburg State at 1 p.m.
>> The single elimination MIAA Tournament will be held in Edmond, Okla. at Wendell Simmons Field between May 6-10.
