Our Story

May 16, 2020 A message from Coach Holaday: Gaining a perspective: Life can change quickly and sometimes those changes are so significant that you are impacted forever. The only thing I can compare the last few months to is 9/11. While that event happened over a few short hours, it impacted our country in so many ways and forever changed us. The devastation, uncertainty and insecurity 9/11 created, while in many ways was much different than COVID 19, it also draws some comparisons. Initially, as our state and country shut down with stay at home orders, we felt fear, insecurity and stress for ourselves and our nation. We came together and witnessed stories of heroism, courage and selflessness. We forgot about politics and we looked out for one another. Now, several weeks later, as a nation we have begun to mirror what happened after 9/11. Our unity and resolve to fight this pandemic together has turned to divisiveness, searching for truth and individually trying to find our ...

May 15, 2020 Meet Autymn Schreiner: My name is Autymn Schreiner and I am an incoming freshman utility player from Maple Hill, Kansas. I attended Wabaunsee High School and have recently just finished my last semester online. In high school, I was involved in twelve different clubs and sports including softball. I have been playing softball ever since I could hold a bat. In high school, I was a four-year starter and letter winner and helped lead the team to be the 2018 2-1A State Champions.  Why Washburn? When choosing a college I was really looking for a home away from home and as soon as I stepped on Washburn’s campus, I knew I had found the right place. I came from a small high school so I enjoy Washburn for its smaller class sizes. It was also hard for me not to fall in love with Washburn because of their amazing facilities.  Playing college softball: I have always had the dream of playing softball at the collegiate level. After committing to Washburn, I...

May 14, 2020 Meet Jaycee Ginter: Hi everyone! My name is Jaycee Ginter and I will be a freshman pitcher/outfielder this fall. I am from Berryton, KS and will graduate from Shawnee Heights. I was a four-year starter for the softball program, and I also played volleyball for four years and basketball for one. At Washburn, I plan to major in nursing. I enjoy helping others and I think it will be a good fit for me. Growing up with softball: I’ve been around softball my entire life, whether that was going to my cousin’s games, watching my mom’s slow pitch games, or playing myself. I have played softball since I was 5 years old, with baseball being my first season. As I grew up, I played many sports including basketball, volleyball, soccer, dance and softball. I always knew softball was something I wanted to continue with. I’ve played for the same club team my entire life, and I am really hoping to get to play my final season with them this summer. My teammates are very fun to...

May 13, 2020 Meet Skylar Darnell: My name is Skylar Darnell and I will be an incoming transfer from Cowley County Community College. I was born in Jacksonville, NC, but raised in Mulvane, KS. I am a catcher/outfielder. At Cowley my freshman year I received 2 nd team, All Conference honors at catcher. Recently, I just graduated from Cowley County with my Associate of Arts degree. At Washburn I will continue my studies in Accounting. Trying to find a new normal: This time off was a struggle for me at first. I’m a super outgoing person, so being around my teammates or having something to do all day was a fit for me. When everything was cancelled, I was very lost on what to do with my time. Luckily, I found a full-time job to keep myself busy. If I am not working, I am usually working out or meal prepping. Things I have learned: During this time off I’ve learned a lot about myself. I have tried to focus on becoming a better ‘me’, physically and mentally. I’ve been...

May 12, 2020 Meet Marrit Mead My name is Marrit Mead and I am an incoming freshman infielder from Overbrook, KS. I attended Santa Fe Trail High School and  just finished my last semester of high school. There I was a four-year starter for the softball program.  I also played volleyball, basketball, and competed in track.  I play travel softball for Top Gun Academy- Angels. I am incredibly grateful to be given the opportunity to be a part of an organization with so much love for the game. I have the best coaches and teammates who have helped me become the player I am today.  Why Washburn? Washburn felt like home the minute I stepped on campus. The people are very welcoming. The campus is beautiful with improvements constantly being made.  Plus, the chance to play college ball so close to my home is a dream come true. I can't wait to be on Washburn's campus in August! I am so excited to get to know all my new teammates and coaches while playing th...

May 11, 2020 Meet Jordan Hausher Hi, my name is Jordan Hausher. This fall I will be a sophomore. I’m from Owasso, Oklahoma. I am majoring in history education and plan to become a government or history teacher. I want to also coach high school softball. My parents were shocked I wanted to be a teacher. I had a great experience with my high school teachers and coaches. I could talk to them about anything, they’d help me out, and they didn’t look at me as a kid which helped me want to learn more. I want to do the same for the future kids I will teach and coach.   The negatives and positives of coming home : Some negatives are classes being moved online. It is hard to motivate myself to do online homework. I also like being able to interact with my professors in person. That in person communication is easier than over email. The positives are I get to see my family. I moved over 3 hours from home and it was hard on me. I missed my family so much. Of course, as I becam...

May 10, 2020 Meet Jenna Moore: Hello, my name is Jenna Moore and I am a freshman infielder. I have lived in Topeka my entire life. I am majoring in Accounting and thinking about double majoring in management. I recently switched to accounting because I have always liked business. I took some business classes in high school and accounting was one of my favorites. Life Changes: I have struggled with trying to stick to a schedule after everything was cancelled. Luckily, I figured it out fairly quickly. My dad owns Hoyt’s Truck Center which is an essential business. I was able to work there filing papers and helping organize anything they needed. I have also started cooking more for me and my parents. I used a pressure cooker for the first time and it was a little intimidating but I got it figured out. Spending more time with my parents has also been fun because I did not come home that much while I was living in the campus dorms. Missing Washburn: During this time, ...

May 9, 2020 Meeting Kamryn Garvie: My name is Kamryn Garvie and I will be a freshman infielder from Edmond, Oklahoma. Growing up, baseball and softball ran in my family. My dad played college baseball, and my brother currently plays for Pitt State. I realized from a very young age that I wanted to do whatever it took to play at the next level. I graduated from Edmond North High School where I was a four year starter for the Huskies. Also, I play travel softball for the Oklahoma Exclusive organization where I am surrounded by the best coaches and teammates. They constantly push me to become a better player and person. A little shoutout to my travel ball coach, Trey Baxter, who unselfishly stays hours after practice to throw to me, because he is the best soft tosser I have ever met.  Why Washburn? I get asked this question a lot and I never run out of answers because that is how much I have fallen in love with this university. Growing up in a suburb right outside of Ok...

May 7, 2020 Meet Kimi Patterson: Hello! My name is Kimberly Patterson and I am a freshman infielder at Washburn. I grew up in McLouth, Kansas. I am majoring in Nursing with a minor in Leadership. The medical field seems like a good fit for me because I find joy in being able to help others and know that I will be impacting many lives.    Runs in the family: Softball has been a huge part of my life and my entire family. I have three older sisters who also played softball so I pretty much grew up at the softball fields. I looked up to my sisters growing up both on and off the field. They set the bar high for me and I always strive to be as successful as they are.  My dad has also coaches softball and gives lessons and my mom is our biggest supporter. Letting go of the stress: During this time away I have learned to not worry about the things I cannot control. There are a lot ...

May 6, 2020 Meet Assistant Coach Taylor Zordel Hi my name is Taylor Zordel and this was my first season as an assistant coach for the WU softball program. I primarily work with infielders as well as putting together most of our conditioning workouts – talk about the girls having a love-hate relationship with me! I played softball and graduated from ESU with a Bachelor’s in Health Promotion. I just recently graduated a year ago from KU Med and am a Physical Therapist at Restore Physical Therapy here in Topeka. Fun fact about me – I name all of my animals after major league baseball players. I have a Great Dane/German Shepherd mix named Whitley (after Whit Merrifield) and a cat named Tulo (after Troy Tulowitzki). In my free time I am still a super softball nerd and I play traveling slow pitch as much as I can. Everything happens for a reason: I’m probably speaking for most of you, but I truly never thought something like this would happen in my lifetime. Regardless of ...

May 5, 2020      Who is Ashton Friend ? Hi everyone, my name is Ashton Friend. I am a junior outfielder. Before coming to Washburn, I graduated from Collinsville High School in Collinsville, OK. After high school I attended Cowley County Community College and played softball. At Cowley I earned my Associates of Science degree. I remember playing Washburn in a Fall scrimmage during my sophomore year and instantly fell in love with the campus. I am currently on the path to receive my Bachelors of Exercise Science & Rehabilitative Science Degree. With this I plan on becoming an Exercise Physiologist. Staying Positive: Since the canceling of all Spring sports I have returned home for the time being. Although this has been a draining and stressful time, I am doing my best to find the positives. When my time isn’t being spent on homework it’s being spent with my family and helping around the house. There are a lot of small projects going on, so I never have m...

May 4, 2020 Meet Maddie Stipsits: Hi everyone! Happy Star Wars day! My name is Maddie Stipsits and I am a sophomore outfielder at Washburn. I’m currently majoring in Kinesiology, concentrating in Exercise and Rehab Science. After receiving my bachelor's, I plan on attending graduate school in order to earn my Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) so I can work as a physical therapist. Physical therapy is something that I’ve always been very passionate about, that passion has only grown through the opportunities that Washburn has provided me. It’s all about Family Time: Since the canceling of our season, I’ve been spending a lot of time with my family. I have two younger sisters (ages 17 and 12) who also got their softball season cancelled. We’ve spent a lot of time with our dad in the side yard or at the fields working on softball. In an attempt to stay positive, we are trying to use this quarantine as a time to improve, so we’re even more ready for softball to start ba...

May 3, 2020 Who is Coach P? Hi there! As some of you may not know, my name is Simone Patterson, but the girls call me Coach P. I am in my second season with the Washburn Softball Program, as a part of their coaching staff. I work mainly with the outfielders, focusing on explosion, footwork, and quick release. I was an outfielder myself as a collegiate athlete at Butler Community College, and Southeast Missouri State University, which is why this coaching position is close to my heart. At the beginning of my coaching career I coached alongside Aryn McCoy at my alma mater Topeka High School. I was head of the Junior Varsity squad for three seasons, before being recruited to Washburn University. Softball has always been a part of my life, as I have been playing a mix of fastpitch and slow pitch for going on 24 years. Life without the girls at Washburn has been a roller coaster filled with emotions. I truly believe that seeing and interacting with the team everyday acted as a st...

May 2, 2020 Who is Cassidy Greer? Hello, my name is Cassidy Greer and I am a junior catcher for Washburn! I graduated from high school in 2017 from Gardner Edgerton in Gardner, Kansas. After graduating from Gardner, I decided to go to Highland Community College. When I graduated from Highland, I received my Associate of Arts degree. I then decided to go to Washburn and continue playing softball while majoring in communications.  After I graduate from Washburn, I would like to start taking classes learning sign language to become an interpreter!  My new life: After I found out that the season was cancelled and all classes were to be moved online, I decided to go back home and be with my family during these times. I realized that I couldn't just sit around all day so I decided to get a job. I now work at Walmart Distribution Center from 5 am to 3 pm throughout the week. After I get home from work, I do homework. I do homework from the time I get home to about th...

May 1, 2020   Who is Cailey Oldemeyer Hi everyone! My name is Cailey Oldemeyer and I am a freshmen outfield/infielder at Washburn. I plan to major in Health Sciences and get an Associate’s Degree in Radiologic Technology. When I first got to Washburn I had no idea what I wanted to major in, but then after almost completing a year here and after doing some research, I knew that I wanted to be able to get a job somewhere in the health field because I love to help others who are in need. Life in the mountains I am from Parker, Colorado and I have two brothers. Their names are Carson and Connor and we are triplets! Carson attends college at Colorado State University, and Connor has decided to take a semester off of school and start working. Being back home with them is for the most part fun, but it is a struggle sometimes because we were all so used to living our own separate lives back at school. However, I wouldn't trade the extra time I get to be home with them ...

April 30, 2020 Meet Brianna Fuchs: Hello Ichabod family. My name is Brianna Fuchs. I am a senior outfielder for Washburn. Out of high school I attended Cowley County Community College.  I went on a visit to Washburn and immediately loved how beautiful the campus was and all the people I passed by with bright smiles, it made everything feel like home. I committed for my last two years. I am majoring in Kinesiology and striving to find a career path I will be successful in.  Always find the positive: Every morning I wake up and remind myself to quit worrying about what life is going to be like after this quarantine and live in the moment. I live by something my dad always used to say ,“it is what it is”. Sometimes I find myself worrying too much about things I cannot control.  No matter how many negatives I have come across through this tough time, I always find a positive in the negative.  I lost my dad two years ago to Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma canc...

April 29, 2020 Getting to Know Assistant Coach Taylor Kirk Hey everyone! My name is Taylor Kirk and I am the assistant softball coach at Washburn. I grew up in a small town called Rossville, KS, not far from Topeka. I went on to play college softball at Johnson County Community College for 2 yeas and finished my last two years at Washburn, ending my eligibility in May of 2019. I just became a full-time assistant coach at the beginning of the year after graduating in December with my Bachelor of Arts in Communications. I am hoping to pursue my Master’s in Communication and Leadership within the next semester or two. Learning more about my passion for softball in a different way (as in coaching instead of playing) has made me realize how much I truly enjoy the sport. Life Changes Since the quarantine has started, we have had to transition to working from home. With all the different NCAA COVID-19 regulations, we haven’t been able to recruit or have any sort of practices fo...

April 28, 2020   Who is Ashlie Thissen? Hi! My name is Ashlie Thissen and I am a freshman pitcher/outfielder at Washburn. I am currently majoring in Nursing with a minor in Leadership. My plan is to be in nursing school by my junior year and graduate with my BSN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing). My goals are to start as a Registered Nurse in the Emergency department then, go back to school to get my master's degree to become a Nurse Practitioner. A huge goal of mine is to get involved in a mission trip to a foreign country that is in need of medical professionals.    Life Changes Since I’ve been back home in Wichita, I spend most of my time working on my online classes. Almost all my classes have Zoom sessions or prerecorded videos in the morning. Something fun I have been doing in between my classes is looking at Pinterest for ideas to use on our rental house next year in Topeka with my roommates; Hadley, Jenna,...

April 27, 2020 Who is Hadley Kerschen? Hello friends! My name is Hadley Kerschen and I am a freshman at Washburn. I am planning to major in Nursing with a minor in Leadership. My parents are both in the medical field, so by being around them I have always had a special interest in helping people and making a difference in their lives. I have four siblings (ages 20, 14, 9, and 4) and they are my best friends. Throughout this pandemic, we have all grown a lot closer and I wouldn’t trade these days I am sharing with them and my parents for the world. We have kept each other busy and “sane” with things like: school time, sleepovers, building a garden, “P.E” - as my mom likes to call it - where we all exercise, and making masks for people. I just learned to sew and it has been a blast! Memories and Life Lessons This past season, even though it was heartbreakingly cut short, provided me with some of the best memories and experiences that I have ever had. I have played so...

April 26, 2020 Who is Bailey Zuniga? Hi, I am Bailey Zuniga a sophomore pitcher. I graduated from St. Thomas Aquinas and I am from Shawnee, KS. I’m currently majoring in elementary education and hoping to teach kindergarten! I have always wanted to be a teacher and have an impact on younger kids. Something we do as athletic department is our Bods Care program. We get to go out to the schools and offer support to elementary students. It’s helped me to realize this is something I am going to love when I become a teacher. My Current Life: I am spending quarantine back at home with my parents and siblings. It is nice spending all this time with them after they spent the last couple months traveling and coming to my games. My online classes take up most of my day, but I have started and finished some Netflix shows. I also go on walks/runs with my mom and sometimes my sister’s dog gets to come along.   Personal Reflection: This time has made me truly apprec...