Huskers Host Fall Classic at Bowlin Stadium

The Nebraska softball team will be joined by Wayne State, North Dakota State and Colorado State as they host the Big Red Fall Classic Sept. 13 and 14 at Bowlin Stadium in Lincoln, Neb.

In a round-robin tournament the Huskers will play the Colorado State Rams at 9 a.m. and 11:15 a.m., followed by the North Dakota State Bison at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday. On Sunday, the Huskers will take on the Bison at 1:30 p.m. with a final tournament game at 3:45 p.m. versus the Wayne State Wildcats.

Colorado State, 37-15 overall last season, concluded its 2003 season at the NCAA Regional Tournament with a loss to Cal State Northridge. The Rams have 12 players returning and are coached by Mary Yori (fourth year).

North Dakota State placed third last season at the NCAA Division II College World Series and won their fourth NCAA North Central Region title within the past five seasons. The Bison went 43-11 during the 2003 season and were second in home runs per game (1.07) in the North Central Conference.

Wayne State fell to Concordia in the Northern Sun Intercolliegate Conference Tournament last season. The Wildcats went 22-24 overall and 9-9 in the NSIC in 2003.

After ending the season in the NCAA Regional with a 2-1 loss to Iowa, the Huskers look to improve their record of 39-17 overall and 10-8 in the Big 12 Conference from last year.

Saturday, Sept. 13

9 a.m. Nebraska vs. Colorado State 11:15 a.m. Nebraska vs. Colorado State 1:30 p.m. Nebraska vs. North Dakota State 3:45 p.m. North Dakota State vs. Wayne State 6 p.m. North Dakota State vs. Wayne State

Sunday, Sept. 14

• 9 a.m. Colorado State vs. Wayne State
• 11:15 a.m. Colorado State vs. North Dakota State
• 1:30 p.m. Nebraska vs. North Dakota State
• 3:45 p.m. Nebraska vs. Wayne State

Tickets
All-day admission is $10; individual game tickets are $4 for adults and $2 for students and senior citizens.

2003-04 Husker Outlook
This September, the Huskers will participate in three tournaments. The first is the Husker Classic, Sept. 13-14, at Bowlin Stadium. The next weekend the Huskers will participate in the Utah Tournament in Salt Lake City, Utah, followed by the Augustana Tournament in Sioux Falls, S.D. the weekend after.

The Huskers will be without four players who completed their eligibility, including Amanda Buchholz, Amber Burgess, Kim Ogee, and Lisa Wangler. Buchholz collected a handful of honors last season including being named to the first-team All-Big 12, the National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-Midwest Region team, and the Academic All-Big 12 team. Finishing just below a .300 (.297) batting average last season, Buchholz was first on the team in RBI with 41. Burgess earned Academic All-Big 12 honors while batting .252 and hitting five home runs. Third on the team in batting (.318) and first in doubles, Ogee was named to the Academic All-Big 12 Team and the All-Big 12 Team. Wangler earned Fastpitch Coaches Association All-Midwest Region Team honors and ended her season second on the team with batting .347.

Head Coach Rhonda Revelle will look to the six returning starters to carry the team. The group includes senior pitcher Peaches James (Papillion, Neb.)senior first baseman Nicole Trimboli (Colorado Springs, Colo.), junior second baseman Anne Steffan (Mankato, Minn.), junior infielder Sheena Lawrick (Calgery, Alberta), sophomore outfielder Jessica Yoachim (Arkansas City, Kan.), sophomore Summer Tobias (Temecula, Calif.), and freshman Trisha Tannahill (Olathe, Kan.)

After concluding last season with 1.55 ERA, James will be looked upon to have another stellar season. James tallied a 23-13 record for the 2003 season in 243.2 innings pitched. James ranks on a number of all-time career charts, including fourth in victories (61), seventh in winning percentage (.678), fourth for innings pitched (619.0), fourth in strikeouts (551), fifth in shutouts (25), and tied at fifth for complete games (61).

Trimboli is the only returning player who started in all 56 games last season. The Colorado native was second on the team in stolen bases (15) and is third in RBI (32). Trimboli hit five home runs last season. In the April 6 game versus Baylor, Trimboli stole a season high of three bases.

Slap hitter Steffan was first on the team with a .362 batting average overall and a .405 batting average in Big 12 Conference games. During the 2003, season Steffan's batting average never fell below .307

Lawrick who was named to the Big 12 All-Tournament Team last season, started in 48 of 51 games played and batted .250. On March 30, Lawrick produced the game winning home run to bring in two runs against Texas. In all, Lawrick hit four home runs in 2003.

Yoachim started in 51 of 54 games played during the 2003 season. Playing at third base in lieu of injured Carmen Kier, Yoachim demonstrated promising strength as she assisted in 83 plays during 2003 season. Yoachim had a batting average of .257.

Tobias will look to add another impressive season as she went 15-4 with an ERA of 1.51 in the 2003 season. The right-handed pitcher threw 134.2 innings and struck out 95 batters as a freshman.

A freshman that saw a considerable amount of time on the field, Tannahill was a part-time starter. The speedy outfielder started in 31 of 40 games played last season. Tannahill finished fifth on the team in batting average (.287), hit one home run and 13 RBI.

Rounding out the roster are seven returning letterwinners, including senior catcher Brittney Yolo (Sebastopol, Calif.) senior outfielder Liz Lawhorn (Muscatine, Iowa), junior outfielder Kira Boerkircher (Renton, Wash.), sophomore outfielder KoKo Tacha (Manhattan, Kan.) and sophomore utility player Katie Linke (Lincoln, Neb.).

Freshman Carmen Kier (Renton, Wash.) will join the squad after having to medical redshirt her first year at Nebraska.

Four new faces will be on the Huskers roster this year. The 2003-04 recruiting class includes Devin Porter, Ashley DeBuhr and Jamie Waldecker. One additional newcomer to the team is Jocelyn Evans who is a transfer from Mount Sac Junior College.

The Huskers will begin their 2004 spring season Feb. 13-14 at the UNLV Classic in Las Vegas, Nev. The first home game is scheduled for April 3 against Big 12 Conference rival Baylor at Bowlin Stadium.

2003 Season Highlights
Nebraska achieved several successes in 2003, including:

? Earned a No. 3 ranking in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Division I Top 25 poll Feb. 19, their highest ranking since the poll was created in 1995. The Huskers were ranked in the top 10 for 10 consecutive weeks.

? Defeated No. 9 Cal State Fullerton at home March 14, to improve to 16-4 and secure the best 20-game start in school history. NU surpassed the previous mark by one win, as the 1986, 1987, 1995, 1996, 1998 and 2002 squads each went 15-5 in their first 20 games.

? Defeated 12 teams ranked in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches poll, including 2003 Women?s College World Series qualifiers Texas, Oklahoma and California.

? Led the the Big 12 Conference in batting average (.283) and on-base percentage (.408). NU was second in stolen bases (84) and ourth in staff ERA (1.44).

? Placed a player on the all-conference team for the 12th straight year and led the Big 12 with four players on the first-team.

? Had two players, junior pitcher Peaches James and senior outfielder Kim Ogee, invited to the ARCO Olympic Training Center.