• The Washburn Ichabod softball will return to Gahnstrom Field this weekend for its third and fourth doubleheaders against ranked teams as they will host No. 11-ranked Missouri Southern on Friday starting at 4 p.m. and No. 7-ranked Pittsburg State on Saturday starting at 1 p.m.
• The Ichabods enter the weekend with a 24-11 record with a 1-5 MIAA mark after being swept by No. 17-ranked Central Oklahoma on March 20 in an 8-0 and 6-0 loss..
• The Ichabods are looking for their fifth 30-win season in a row …Washburn has hit the 30-win mark for four-straight seasons dating back to the 2022 season …that is longest streak of 30 wins since a run between the 2002-07 seasons when the Ichabods recorded 30 wins six seasons in a row.
• The Washburn Ichabods were tabbed sixth in the MIAA Preseason Coaches poll that was released before the season started by the MIAA office
• Brenda Holaday is in her 10th season as the Ichabod softball head coach recording a 307-183 overall record going 136-79 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. • Makenzie Sais became the Ichabod single-season leader in stolen bases against Montana State Billings with her 34th … she enters the weekend with a nation-best 57 stolen bases, 20 ahead of the No. 2-ranked player on the chart … the MIAA single season record is 65 by Becca Alt from Missouri-Rolla (now Missouri S&T) set in 1997 as a junior … Sais' 57 stolen bases are second on the MIAA top-10 single season chart …Sais' 74 career stolen bases at Washburn are trailing on Torrie Beauchamp's 87 from 1996-1999 and Marrit Mead's 96 from 2021-24.
• Aspen Burgardt is 12th in the nation in walks per game at 0.83 per contest and 17th in the nation in assists with75.
• Dalaney Anderson is 13th in the nation with 40 RBI and she is 37th in home runs with eight.
• Sadie Walker is third in the nation in shutouts with five and she is 17th in strikeouts with 98 … Jenna Sprague is 26th in the nation in saves with two.
• Makenzie Sais leads the Ichabods this season with 13 multi-hit games and Dalaney Anderson has 11 … Anderson leads the ichabods with 11 multi-RBI games.
• As a team, the Ichabods are ranked 11th in the NCAA with 59 doubles while also ranking 16th in hits (288), 18th in RBI (189), 14th in shutouts (8), 11th in stolen bases per game (2.77), 15th in total runs (212) and third in stolen bases (97) and third in walks (145).
  EDMOND, Okla. - The Washburn Ichabod softball team was swept in an MIAA doubleheader at No. 17 Central Oklahoma on Friday.
Game 1 - UCO 8, WU 0 (5 innings)
Washburn was held to two hits in an 8-0 loss to No. 17 Central Oklahoma in the opening game of the MIAA series Friday at Pinkston Stadium.
Taylor Brees and Erin Boles accounted for Washburn's offense, each recording a single. Brees singled to left field in the first inning, while Boles added an infield single in the third.
In the circle, Sadie Walker earned the start for the Ichabods, working 4.0 innings before Jalin Lavers provided relief in the fifth. Washburn limited Central Oklahoma to seven hits, with the Bronchos capitalizing on extra-base hits and timely run production.
Game 2 - UCO 4, WU 0
Washburn dropped the second game falling 4-0 in the nightcap.
The Ichabods (24-11, 1-5 MIAA) were limited to three hits but put pressure on the basepaths throughout the contest, drawing three walks and being hit twice. Makenzie Sais reached base twice with a pair of walks and two stolen bases, while Taylor Brees also walked and stole a base in the opening inning as Washburn placed two runners in scoring position early.
Offensively, Madi Moore, Maddie McGee, and Taybor Moss each recorded a single for Washburn. Moore went 1-for-2 before exiting to a pinch runner in the fifth, while McGee added an infield single in the seventh.
In the circle, Jenna Sprague turned in a strong relief effort, allowing just one unearned run on five hits over 6.0 innings. She induced 10 groundouts and did not allow an extra-base hit. Kierra Goos was tagged with the loss after surrendering a three-run home run in the first inning.
Washburn threatened again in the fifth, loading the bases with two outs, but was unable to push across a run. MISSOURI SOUTHERN
• The Lions are 27-5 this season and 2-2 in the MIAA and ranked No. 11 in the latest NFCA Top 25 poll after being ranked No. 3 last week.
• The Lions went 2-2 last weekend splitting doubleheaders against Fort Hays and Nebraska-Kearney winning the second game each day before opening with a loss.
• Taylor Nuckolls leads the team with a .429 batting average … Bailey Dillon is batting .418 and is third in the nation in stolen bases with 33 swipes on 35 attempts.
• Emily Davis is 10-3 in the circle with a 1.69 ERA and Kiki Pickens is 10-2 with a 2.23 ERA.
• As a team, the Lions have a 2.22 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP with a .356 combined batting average holding opponents to a .227 batting average.
 
PITTSBURG STATE
• The Gorillas are 30-1 and 4-0 in the MIAA and have won their last 10 games … the lone blemish on the Pitt State schedule was on Feb. 28 against Winona State in an 8-4 defeat.
• The Gorillas swept Fort Hays State and Nebraska-Kearney in MIAA last weekend.
• Heather Arnett leads the team with a .577 batting average with 71 hits scoring 51 runs with 28 stolen bases in 29 attempts. Arnett is second in the nation in batting average leading the nation in hits and runs scored (51).
• Heather Arnett leads the team with a .577 batting average with 71 hits scoring 51 runs with 28 stolen bases in 29 attempts. Arnett is second in the nation in batting average leading the nation in hits and runs scored (51).
• Emma Crabb is 10-0 in the circle with a 1.47 ERA and a .84 WHIP with 57 strikeouts and 12  walks … Lexi Franklin is 7-0 with a 2.59 ERA and Ava Laurent is 8-1 with a 2.66 ERA.
• The Gorillas lead the nation in walks (158), sac flies (23), are second in runs scored (293), second in scoring average (9.45), first in RBI (273) and third in hits (337) and doubles (71) and second in batting average at .392.
  • is 307-183 in her 10th season as the Ichabod head softball coach and is the all-time winningest coach in program history.
• she has gone 137-79 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  1371-1004-1 in their 56th 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.