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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The Washburn Ichabods will open their bid in the MIAA Softball Tournament on Thursday at 4 p.m. in Hays, taking on the No. 16-ranked Rogers State Hillcats.
Senior Jaden LaBarge (18) and Washburn softball will open postseason Thursday against Rogers State in the MIAA Tournament. [File photo/TSN]
The Ichabods and the Hillcats split their MIAA doubleheader during the regular season on March 8 in Claremore, Okla., with the Hillcats winning the first game 5-0 before the Ichabods won the second game 4-2 in 11 innings.
Washburn (31-20 overall, 13-11 MIAA) are coming off a 1-1 weekend, splitting their regular-season finale with Emporia State, taking the opening game 8-0 in five innings before falling 4-2 in the nightcap.
Rogers State is the No. 3 seed in the MIAA Tournament after going 35-12 in the regular season and 16-8 in MIAA play.
WU junior pitcher Sadie Walker is 16th in the nation in games started (27), 17th in appearances (34) and 24th in shutouts (5) while also ranking 54th in strikeouts (138). Jenna Sprague is 10th in the nation with five saves.
Erin Boles and Makenzie Sais lead the Ichabods with 15 multiple-hit games and Kaylee Wagner leads the team with 14 games of multi-runs batted in.
Boles has reached base in each of the last 14 games.
Jaden Labarge hit .406 while hitting 10 of her 12 home runs during MIAA play.
Abby Rogers leads Rogers State with a .487 batting average with 74 hits, 16 doubles and 46 RBI while Kaylee Lyon is batting .378 with 62 hits and a team-high 52 runs scored.
Jade Sanders leads the Hillcat pitching staff with a 2.16 earned run average, going 13-6 in 24 starts. Harley Culie has a 2.57 ERA with a 17-5 record and Torie Sandoval is 5-1 with a 2.62 ERA.
As a staff the Hillcats have a team ERA of 2.46.
The Hillcats lead the all-time series 11-6.
The winner of the Rogers State-Washburn game will face the winner of the Pittsburg State vs. the winner of the Missouri Western-Nebraska-Kearney game on Friday at 2:30 p.m.
The NCAA selection show will be televised on Monday, May 5, at 9 a.m. on ncaa.com.
Four Ichabods receive All-MIAA recognition
Washburn had four all-MIAA selections as announced Tuesday by the conference office with three second-team picks and a Gold Glove winner.
Boles, a junior, earned her first Gold Glove Award as an outfielder with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage in 67 chances. She recorded 62 putouts and five outfield assists with no errors.
At the plate she was second on the team with a .331 batting average and a team-high 15 doubles and was second in hits with 54 while scoring 27 runs and driving in 29.
Earning second-team honors were senior first baseman LaBarge, senior second baseman Alexis Tanguma and freshman outfielder Sais.
LaBarge leads the team with 12 home runs and 39 RBI while batting .318. In MIAA play, she batted .406 with 10 home runs and 26 RBI in 24 league games, recording a .966 slugging percentage.
Tanguma is batting .331 this season, collecting 45 hits with 11 doubles and 29 RBI while drawing 13 walks. She hit .324 in MIAA play. Tanguma was an honorable mention all-MIAA selection as a junior.
Sais was the team leader in batting average during the regular season with a .379 average. She enters the postseason leading the Ichabods with 55 hits and tied for the team lead with 24 walks. Sais also led the team with 17 stolen bases.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The Topeka Area Football Coaches Association along with Rebound Sports Performance will host the annual Junior Day Combine on Tuesday, May 6, at Shawnee Heights for next year's seniors interested in playing football at the collegiate level.
The combine, scheduled for 4 to 5:30 p.m., will be an opportunity for area high school athletes to get exposure in front of college coaches.
There will be representatives from NCAA Division II, NAIA and junior college programs in Kansas and the Midwest area at the combine and prospect information and combine results will be available to every college that recruits the Topeka area.
Players need to bring running shoes, cleats and water.
The cost for attending the combine is $10 and can be paid the day of the combine (cash or check to TAFCA) .
If you are planning to attend the combine, please scan the completed registration form and email the information to Shawnee Heights football coach Jason Swift at
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By TODD FERTIG
TopSports.news
The Seaman girls soccer team – led by an assortment of multi-sport athletes – took down a depleted Cair Paravel team 8-0 in a shortened affair at the Bettis Family Sports Complex Tuesday.
After tallying four scores in the first half, the Vikings scored four more in rapid succession following the intermission. With 22:15 remaining in the second half, the mercy rule was invoked, giving Seaman its sixth win of the season.
The Vikings are led by a number of athletes who have experienced great success in other sports. Having placed second in the Class 5A volleyball and basketball tournaments this school year, Seaman knows a thing or two about winning.
Anna Becker (9) and Ryin Miller are part of a large group of multi-sport athletes who are playing a major role for the Seaman soccer team, which shut out Cair Paravel 8-0 Tuesday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]tg
Utilizing multi-sport athletes is both a blessing and a curse, Seaman coach Kyle Seevers said.
“They’ve all chosen track, basketball, volleyball, whatever,” said Seevers. “But they still love (soccer) so when they come out here, it’s like every year we wait … as soon as basketball is over, we can have all our players. But they are a lot of fun because they compete at the highest level at everything they do.”
Seevers said he has to be patient with players who have put so much into other sports throughout the school year. By the time they arrive on the soccer field, their skills aren’t sharp, and they are worn down by the intensity of competition.
“Our practice may not always be crisp. But when the whistle blows, they’re going to give it their all,” Seevers said. “I could get upset with it, but then we wouldn’t have some of the best athletes (go out for soccer).”
“It’s kind of preached at our school that we want to have multi-sport athletes and that’s a good thing,” said senior Anna Becker, who is committed to play basketball at Drake University. “We have a lot of athletic girls, and I think at our school we know how to win. So, it helps having that core of a lot of different girls who play different sports.”
Seevers said Seaman banks on significant improvement throughout the course of the soccer season as the players regain their touch and feel for the game. The Vikings advanced to the 5A state quarterfinals last year with many of the same players.
Junior Maya Martin had a pair of assists in Tuesday's 8-0 Seaman soccer win over Cair Paravel. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
“I think we had our ups and downs in the first half, but we are looking for a big second half,” Becker said. “We have three big games this week and we’re looking for three wins.”
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Hayden's girls soccer team was coming off a loss entering Tuesday's Centennial League road game against Topeka High.
But that 1-0 defeat to undefeated Class 5A power St. James Academy actually seemed to provide momentum for the Wildcats, who bounced back with a 3-0 shutout win over the Trojans at Hummer Sports Park.
Hayden junior Reese Huscher (14) battles for a loose ball in Tuesday's 3-0 win over Topeka High. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
"I think we did some good things (against St. James) and I think we worked on it a little bit and I think they saw the result of some of the effort and I think they took it on themselves,'' Hayden coach Klaus Kreutzer said. "And credit to us, we had three freshman starting today, so I liked that.''
Hayden freshman Sawyer Wrench (17) defends Topeka High senior Alexa Aguirre (13) in Tuesday's 3-0 Wildcat win. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Hayden, which improved to 4-4-0 overall and 2-0-0 in the Centennial League, got the only goal it would need with 5:59 left in the opening half when junior Carsyn Broxterman scored off an assist from junior Reese Huscher.
Junior Ella Foster (1) celebrates her second-half goal with teammates in Tuesday's 3-0 Centennial League soccer win over Topeka High. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
The Wildcats added a pair of insurance goals in the second half, with junior Ella Foster finding the back of the net with 28:27 left and junior Avey Uhl scoring the final goal of the night at the 21:45 mark
Junior Lauren Borjon picked up the shutout in goal for Hayden while Topeka High fell to 4-6-1 overall and 0-3-0 in the league.
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By TODD FERTIG
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural slowed the roll of the red-hot Shawnee Heights girls soccer team Monday, putting an end to the T-Birds’ five game win streak, winning 4-0 at the Junior Blues’ McElroy Field.
Washburn Rural senior Destiny Higgs (24) scored a pair of goals in Monday's 4-0 soccer win over Shawnee Heights. [File photo/TSN]
Washburn Rural senior Kate Hinck (9) had a pair of second-half goals in Monday's 4-0 soccer win over Shawnee Heights. [File photo/TSN]
Seniors Destiny Higgs and Kate Hinck netted two goals apiece to lead the Junior Blues to their eighth victory of the season while senior goalkeepers Madison Lemke and Hailey Davin combined for the shutout.
The T-Birds had overcome a slow start to the season to improve to 5-3-1 prior to Monday’s meeting with Washburn Rural. But they fell behind early and were unable to mount an offensive threat in response.
The friendly rivalry with the T-Birds, who left the Centennial League in 2019, gives the Junior Blues a chance to maintain their claim to city bragging rights.
“We’re happy that even though some of these teams are no longer in our league, we still play them,” Washburn Rural coach Brian Hensyel said. “These kids play club together and they all want to play against each other. We always have it as a goal to be the best in the city.”
“Shawnee Heights has always been a tough team to beat,” added Higgs. “We all know each other. It’s kind of nice to be able to brag about when we get with them and talk about it.”
Higgs put the Junior Blues up early, then added a second score midway through the first period, both coming against a strong wind from the south.
Once the T-Birds had to play into the wind in the second half, they could muster little offense. Meanwhile, Washburn Rural's Hinck tallied two insurance goals in the second half.
