TAHLEQUAH – Northeastern State makes its final regular-season road trip Sunday and Monday, where they will face the Turnpike Tussle in Kansas.  

The RiverHawks (23-20) meet Washburn to open the trip Sunday at 2:30 p.m. and then play Emporia State on the following day at 1 p.m. 

With eight MIAA contests left in the schedule, the RiverHawks are tied for fourth place with an 11-7 mark, three games up on the cut line for the postseason tournament. 

Northeastern State will face a red-hot Washburn team that has won its last 16 games and is receiving votes in the NFCA poll.  The Ichabods are second in the MIAA with an 18-2 record and seventh in the NCAA Central Region Poll.  Washburn is second in the MIAA in batting (.340 BA), with starter Jaycee Ginter leading all Association pitchers with 23 wins inside the circle.  This season, batters are hitting .203 against Ginter, and she has struck out 229. 

The RiverHawks lead the all-time series with Washburn 18-16.

Emporia State is 11-9 in MIAA play and will face Rogers State before hosting NSU.  The Hornets are in the middle of a 12-game homestand to close out its regular season and have split its previous two MIAA doubleheaders.  Statistically, they are right in the middle of the MIAA in offense and pitching but overwhelmingly lead the field in stolen bases with 119, over 50 more than the second-place team. 

The Hornets lead the series 18-17 over the RiverHawks and hold a 5-4 record over NSU in Emporia. 

The RiverHawks are 13th nationally in home runs (52), with Chloe Bohuslavicky fourth in the MIAA with 11 homers.  Gail Young is ranked ninth across all divisions of NCAA softball with 742.7 innings pitched and fifth with 82 complete games.