By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
When Brenda Holaday accepted the job as Washburn University's softball coach in the summer of 2016 after a Hall of Fame career at Washburn Rural, she had a list of things she wanted to accomplish with the Ichabods, but Holaday had nary a thing on that list about any personal achievements.
Brenda Holaday is two wins away from becoming Washburn University softball's all-time career wins leader. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
But along with team success comes individual milestones, and the veteran coach is on a verge of a biggie this weekend.
Holaday is 255-151 after opening her ninth season as the Ichabod head coach with a 3-2 mark last weekend in Youngsville, La. and needs just one win in this weekend's five games in Bentonville, Ark. to pull even with her former Rural star, Lisa Carey, as the all-time WU wins leader at 256 and can take ove the No. 1 spot outright with two wins.
"What I wanted when I came here was to make Washburn a winner and I felt that there was opportunity there, just being close enough to see it from a distance,'' Holaday said. "I felt like there would have to be a lot work done on facilities and a lot of work done on recruiting and building the program and that's been my goal from Day 1.''
After Washburn went 25-30 in Holaday's Ichabods have posted eight straight winning seasons, with four seasons of at least 37 victories and a career-best 45-15 season in 2022.
"It hasn't happened just because of me,'' Holaday said. "I mean there's so many people who have contributed to that success, but in terms of any kind of a legacy or how long I want to coach and how many wins I need to get, it just doesn't cross my mind.''
"I think when you're in a head coaching position there's a thousand other things that you have to take care of before that and I think that's all just a result of surrounding yourself with the right people and having some good things happen. I was fortunate for that to happen out at Washburn Rural after several years, but it didn't start that way, and I didn't do things by myself out there either.''
As is the case in most any profession, Holaday said a major priority for her is to continue to enjoy what she's doing.
"I love it,'' Holaday said. "And to be honest with you I have such a good staff right now that I'm probably enjoying it more than I ever have because I'm able to hand some things off to some other people so that my life is a little more manageable.
"I think I'm enjoying it more now because a lot of things have been put in place with a lot of hard work from a lot of people. I also have a staff and a group of players who buy in to what we're doing, who want to take on more, who want to learn, who want to be great and, man, if you can't enjoy that why are you in this business?''
Washburn will compete this weekend at the Alvy Early Memorial Classic with five games over three days.
The Ichabods' 3-2 start to their season last weekend included a 10-7 win over preseason No. 12-ranked Mississippi College.
WU senior Kaylee Wagner ranks eighth in the NCAA D2 ranks in runs batted with eight over the opening weekend while senior Ellington Hogle has six RBI.
Junior Erin Boles leads the Ichabods with seven runs scored and is 7 for 14 at the plate this season.
Wagner has at least one hit in each game this season while Boles and senior Alexis Tanguma have also reached base in each of the five games this season.
The Ichabods will open their weekend against 0-5 Upper Iowa at 11 a.m. Friday, followed by a 1:30 p.m. Friday game against Southeastern Oklahoma State.
On Saturday Washburn will face Illinois-Springfield at 11 a.m. and Missouri-St. Louis at 1:30 p.m.
WU will close out the weekend at 11 a.m. Sunday against Arkansas-Monticello.
