TOPEKA, Kan. -- Washburn baseball will not encounter any bears but they are set to face the Lions of Missouri Southern for three games on the road before returning home to take on the Tigers of Fort Hays State next Tuesday, March 17 as MIAA play continues. 
 

LEADING OFF

>> Washburn goes back on the road for a three-game series against Missouri Southern before coming back home to take on Fort Hays State in a mid week game.

>> The Ichabods face the Lions at Warren Turner Field on Friday, March 13 at 3 p.m. before 1 p.m. games on Saturday and Sunday to wrap up the series. They take on the Tigers at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, March 17 in Topeka.

>> Washburn fell to 8-12 overall and 5-3 inside the MIAA after falling 7-6 to No. 5 Central Missouri at home on Tuesday, March 10.

>> 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.

BODS AND BITS

>> Washburn is scoring 7.65 runs per game on the year while opponents are scoring 7.55 runs per game. 

>> They are 1-3 playing at home at Steve Anson Stadium, 6-7 in road games and 1-2 in neutral field meetings.

>> At the plate the Ichabods are hitting .270 with a .405 OB% and a .410 SLG%. They have tallied 14 home runs with 120 total walks.

>> The pitching staff has a 6.22 ERA with 170 strikeouts across 175.0 innings. They have allowed 198 hits and issued 113 walks. 

>> Washburn has a .965 fielding percentage as a team with 27 errors and seven turned double plays.

>> On the basepaths the Ichabods have gone 37-48 in stolen base attempts while opponents have gone 29-38. 

>> Washburn has returned 19 players from the 2025 roster with eight of them as  seniors, four juniors and seven sophomore. 

STREAKS AND STATS

>> Ian Luce enters the weekend riding an eight-game hitting streak, tied for the longest of any player this season with Jackson Mervosh, Trenton Barry and Brandt Beeby each reaching eight game streaks this season.

>> Ian Luce has reached base in all 20 games, the only player to do so. Trenton Barry has reached base in 17 consecutive games.

>> Washburn is reaching base at a .398 clip to lead off the inning. 

>> The Ichabods are hitting 4-16 (.250) when pinch hitting this season.

>> Washburn is outscoring opponents 15-7 in the ninth inning of games and 31-26 in the eighth inning. 

AROUND THE ORDER

>> Ian Luce has started in all 20 games hitting .376 with a 1.059 OPS, both team-highs. He has 11 extra-base hits including three home runs with 19 RBI and is 4-6 in stolen base attempts. He is 4th in the MIAA in hits, is the 6th toughest to strike out in the conference and is 7th in total bases.

>> Levi Risenhoover is hitting .278 while starting in all 19 games he has appeared in. He leads the team with five home runs and 20 RBI while carrying a .998 OPS. He is 3-5 in stolen base attempts. He is 7th in the MIAA and 80th nationally in home runs. 

>> Jackson Mervosh has played and started in all 20 games and is hitting .296 with a .800 OPS. He has six doubles while driving in 11 runs on the year. He has a .430 OB% and is 2-2 in stealing bases. He is 13th in the MIAA in walks and 16th in doubles. 

>> Brandt Beeby has played in 15 games making 11 starts and is hitting .327, second best on the team with a .938 OPS. He has driven in 12 runs while going 3-4 in stolen base attempts. He is 7th in the MIAA in doubles per game.

>> Chase Littrell is hitting .255 with a .798 OPS while playing in 18 games and making 16 starts. He has hit one home run with 12 RBI and is 7-8 stealing bases. He has a team-high 18 walks for a .465 OB%. He ranks 3rd in the MIAA and 39th nationally in walks per game.

>> Trenton Barry has played in 19 games making 17 starts hitting .274 with a .890 OPS. He has hit two home runs with 10 RBI and has a .438 OB% while going 8-9 in stolen bases, a team-high. He ranks 14th in the MIAA in stolen bases. 

>> Easton Wasinger has played in 13 games making 12 starts. He is hitting .261 with a .773 OPS. He has driven in 11 runs with one home run and has a .382 OB%.

>> Jack Borgmann has played in 19 games making 17 starts. He is hitting .250 with two home runs and 13 RBI while going 4-5 in stolen base attempts.

>> Brooks Richardson has played in 17 games making 16 starts. He is hitting .261 with five RBI and has a .433 OB%.

>> Owen Laessig has started in 15 games and played in 17. He is hitting .224 and has driven in nine runs.

>> Jarrett Herrmann has played in 12 games making six starts. He is hitting .286 with a .444 OB%. He is 3-4 in stolen base attempts.

ON THE MOUND

>> Maclane Finley leads team throwing 26.2 innings across his five starts this season. He has struck out 18 batters and has a 4.72 ERA and 2-2 record, tied for a team-high in victories. Opponents are hitting just .247 against him. He is 9th in the MIAA in hits allowed per nine innings. 

>> Kai Bennett has thrown 22.2 innings over his five starts. He is leading the team with 26 strikeouts while holding opponents to a .224 batting average. He has a 4.76 ERA and is 1-2 on the year. He is 5th in the MIAA in strikeouts per nine innings and 6th in hits allowed per nine innings.

>> Caleb Lunnon has made five starts for the Ichabods throwing 21.2 innings on the year. He has struck out 23 batters with a 1-1 record and 7.48 ERA. He is 9th in the MIAA in strikeouts per nine innings. 

>> Fidel Hatch has played in seven games out of the bullpen throwing 13.1 innings. He has struck out seven batters and has a 4.05 ERA with a team-high one save. 

>> Max Strash has appeared in eight games out of the bullpen for the Ichabods throwing 8.0 innings. He has eight strikeouts and has a 2.25 ERA.

>> Mark Hoffmann has pitched in seven games making a pair of starts. He has thrown 16.2 innings with 15 strikeouts and a 3.78 ERA. He is tied for a team-high two wins with a 2-0 record.

>> Gavin Wilhelm has pitched in five games out of the bullpen. He has a 1-0 record across 7.2 innings with ten strikeouts and an ERA of 4.70.

>> Carter Poole has made five appearances out of the bullpen throwing 3.1 innings. He has three strikeouts and a 5.40 ERA.

>> Keegan McDonald has appeared in five games out of the bullpen throwing 6.0 innings with six strikeouts and a 6.00 ERA.

>> Max Clark has made six appearances out of the bullpen throwing 8.1 innings. He is 0-1 on the year with 11 strikeouts.

IN THE FIELD

>>  Excluding first basemen and catchers, Levi Risenhoover leads the team with 43 putouts followed by Chase Littrell with 38.

>> Trenton Barry has the most assists on the team with 56, while Jackson Mervosh is second with 48. 

>> Brooks Richardson has a team-high 126 putouts from behind the plate while Jack Borgmann has 118 at first base.

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  - 120 (4th MIAA / 26th nationally)

Doubes per game - 2.15 (4th MIAA / 45th nationally) 

Strikeouts per nine innings - 8.7 (4th MIAA / 63rd nationally)

Sacrifice flies - 10 (7th MIAA / 70th nationally)

Stolen bases per game - 1.85 (5th MIAA / 88th nationally) 

Triples per game  - 0.30 (6th MIAA / 78th nationally)

Scoring - 7.7 runs per game (5th MIAA / 85th nationally) 

Hits - 187 (8th MIAA / 92nd 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 his eleven plus season, Douglas carries an all-time record of 292-254 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

MISSOURI SOUTHERN LIONS

>> Missouri Southern was swept in a three-game series by Northwest Missouri last time out, falling to 9-10 overall and 4-5 in MIAA play. 

>> Last season the Lions went 28-25 overall and 18-18 inside the MIAA, they fell in the semifinal round of the MIAA Tournament.

>> Bryce Darnell is in his 19th season as the head coach at Missouri Southern where he has a 560-383 career record.

>> Missouri Southern is scoring 6.42 runs per game while opponents are scoring 5.16 runs per outing.

>> The Lions offense is hitting .279 as a team with a .380 OB% and a .436 SLG%. They have 18 home runs and have tallied 77 total walks with 112 strikeouts.

>> They rank 2nd in the conference in sacrifice flies and are 8th in doubles and home runs.

>> Brayden Luikart has played and started in all 19 games hitting .392 with a 1.117 OPS, both team-highs. He has three home runs with 12 RBI while going 7-9 in stolen base attempts. He is 4th in the MIAA in doubles and 9th in SLG%.

>> Will Doherty has played and started in 18 games. He is hitting .274 with a .758 OPS. He is tied for a team-high with three home runs and has driven in a team-high 17 runs. 

>> The pitching staff has a 5.23 ERA as a team across 155.0 innings. They have struck out 158 batters while walking 76 and allowing 144 total hits.

>> The Lions rank 2nd in the conference in strikeouts per nine innings, third in hits allowed per nine innings and are 4th in WHIP.

>> Owen Schneider has made six starts throwing a team-high 34.2 innings. He has a 2.34 ERA with 31 strikeouts and a 4-0 record on the year with opponents hitting just .221. He is 15th in the nation in victories while ranking 5th in the MIAA in WHIP and 4th in total strikeouts.

>> Michael Mulhollon has appeared in eight games for the Lions making three starts. He has tossed 23.0 innings with a team-high 32 strikeouts. He is 1-2 on the year with one save and a 4.30 ERA. He is 2nd in the MIAA in strikeouts per nine innings and total strikeouts.

>> Missouri Southern leads the all-time series between the two teams 71-43. The Ichabods are 13-45 against the Lions in Joplin.

>> The first meeting of the series came on March 20, 1990 with a 11-2 win for Missouri Southern in Joplin. Washburn swept the season-series last season winning all three games in Topeka. 

FORT HAYS STATE TIGERS

>> Fort Hays State improved to 7-13 on the year overall and 4-6 in the MIAA after sweeping Arkansas-Fort Smith in a three-game home series last time out.

>> Last season the Tigers went 32-16 overall and 26-10 inside the MIAA. They lost in the quarterfinal round of the MIAA Tournament to Northwest Missouri.

>> Justin Wichert is in his fourth season as the head coach for Fort Hays State where he has a 84-85 record. 

>> Fort Hays State is scoring 7.6 runs per game while opponents are scoring 9.1 per outing.

>> The Tigers offense is hitting .300 as a team with a .403 OB% and a .483 SLG%. They have 25 home runs and have tallied 95 total walks with 153 strikeouts.

>> They rank 2nd in the MIAA and 28th in the nation in home runs, and are 4th in the conference in total hits.

>> Derek Woolwine has played in 18 games making 17 starts and is hitting a team-high .422 with a 1.365 OPS. He has seven home runs with 25 RBI on the year, both team-highs. He is 2nd in the MIAA and 23rd in the nation in home runs, is also 2nd in the conference in SLG% and 3rd in batting average. 

>> Antonio Avila has played and started in all 20 games hitting .369 with a 1.061 OPS. He has three home runs with 18 RBI while going 8-9 in stolen base attempts, a team-high. He is 3rd in the MIAA and 8th nationally with 11 doubles.

>> The pitching staff has a 8.61 ERA as a team across 169.1 innings. They have struck out 144 batters while walking 121 and allowing 225 total hits.

>> The Tigers are 8th in the conference in strikeouts per nine innings and 10th in WHIP.

>> Tucker Russell has appeared in six games making three starts throwing 21.1 innings. He has a team-best 5.48 ERA while striking out 13 and has a 1-1 record.

>> Brett Jacobs has thrown a team-high 34.1 innings in seven appearances with six starts. He has struck out 26 and has a 6.82 ERA with a 1-2 record.

>> Fort Hays State leads the all-time series between the two teams 104-88. The Ichabods are 45-45 against the Tigers in Topeka. 

>>The first meeting came on May 5, 1966 with a 7-3 win for Washburn in Omaha, Neb. Washburn won 13-8 in the first meeting this season on Feb. 24 in Hays.

MILESTONE MARKERS

>> Griffin Huiatt is 3rd in program history with 59 career appearances. He ranks tied for 5th among all players with seven career saves. 

>> Jackson Mervosh is tied for 26th in Washburn history with 30 doubles. With a .340 batting average his career number ranks 35th best in program history.

>> Fidel Hatch is tied for 16th in program history with four career saves. 

WASHBURN BASEBALL HISTORY

>> The 2026 season will be the 74th year of Washburn Baseball.

>> The Ichabods have a 1395-1325-3 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

>> Washburn stays at home for a three-game series with Northwest Missouri State beginning on Friday.

>> 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.