By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Ichabod softball will return to Gahnstrom Field this weekend for its third and fourth doubleheaders against ranked teams.
The Ichabods 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 and a 1-5 MIAA mark after being swept by No. 17-ranked Central Oklahoma on March 20, 8-0 and 6-0.
Washburn sophomore Makenzie Sais leads the nation in stolen bases entering Friday's twinbill with Missouri Southern. [File photo/TSN]
Washburn sophomore Makenzie Sais is the Ichabod single-season leader in stolen bases and enters the weekend with a nation-best 57 steals, 20 ahead of the No. 2-ranked player on the chart.
The MIAA single-season stolen base record is 65 by Becca Alt from Missouri-Rolla (now Missouri S&T) set in 1997. Sais' 57 stolen bases are second on the MIAA single-season chart.
Sais' 74 career stolen bases at Washburn trail Torrie Beauchamp's 87 from 1996-1999 and Marrit Mead's 96 from 2021-24.
Seaman product Aspen Burgardt is 12th in the nation in walks per game at 0.83 per contest.
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.
Missouri Southern is 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.
Taylor Nuckolls leads the Lions 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.
Pittsburg State is 30-1 overall and 4-0 in the MIAA and has won its 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 and 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 57 strikeouts. Lexi Franklin is 7-0 with a 2.59 ERA and Ava Laurent is 8-1 with a 2.66 ERA.
The Ichabods are 1371-1004-1 in their 56th year of softball.
The Ichabods are back on the road next week, starting an eight-game roadtrip with Fort Hays State and Nebraska-Kearney April 3-4.
Washburn returns home on April 17-18 for their final home games of the season with Missouri Western and Northwest Missouri.
