By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The Washburn Ichabod softball team will wrap up its regular season with a trip to Emporia State on Saturday for a 2 p.m. MIAA doubleheader
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The Ichabods are 33-18 this season overall and 10-12 in the MIAA after splitting with Missouri Western on April 17 and then sweeping Northwest Missouri the following day.
Sophomore second baseman Dalaney Anderson is one RBI away from tying Washburn softball's single-season record. [File photo/TSN]Washburn is currently in a tie for eighth with Northwest Missouri in the conference race at 10-12 while Emporia State is in fourth in the MIAA standings with a 28-15 overall record and a 14-8 MIAA mark after sweeping Central Missouri on Wednesday in Warrensburg. The top 10 teams in the MIAA will advance to the postseason conference tournament.
The Hornets were ranked 10th in the latest NCAA Central Regional Softball rankings released on April 29.
Washburn has hit the 30-win mark for five 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.
Washburn sophomore Makenzie Sais became the Ichabod single-season leader in stolen bases against Montana State Billings with her 34th and she broke the MIAA single-season steals record with her 66th against Northwest Missouri on April, 18 breaking the previous record of 65 by Becca Alt from Missouri-Rolla (now Missouri S&T) set in 1997 as a junior.
Sais' 83 career stolen bases at Washburn trail Torrie Beauchamp's 87 from 1996-1999 and Marrit Mead's 96 from 2021-24.
Sais has reached base in each of the last 17 games and leads the Ichabods this season with 22 multi-hit games.
Sais leads the NCAA D-I, D-II and D-III levels in stolen bases and she is ranked 10th in the nation in hits with 65. Sais is batting .441 in MIAA games.
Anderson leads the Ichabods with 18 multi-RBI games.
Senior Sadie Walker is ninth in the nation in shutouts with seven and she is 40th in strikeouts with 137.
Walker has surpassed the 500 career strikeout mark and has 526 entering this week, ranking second on the Ichabod career chart.
The Ichabods are outscoring their opponents 288-167 this season.
The 188 walks this season by the Ichabods is a school single-season record. Washburn's .399 on base percentage is tops on the Ichabod single-season chart.
Washburn wrapped up the home slate with a senior day sweep over Northwest Missouri with wins of 2-0 and 6-3.
Silver Lake product Taryn Burkhardt leads Emporia State with a .380 batting average and a team-high 29 stolen bases.
Brooke Flewelling is batting .361 for the Hornets with 15 home runs, 52 overall hits, 38 runs scored and 42 RBI.
Hannah Butterbaugh is 12-5 in the circle with a 2.30 ERA
The MIAA Tournament is scheduled for May 6-10 in Emporia. The bracket will be released at the conclusion of the MIAA regular season.
