NU Looks to Continue Momentum

Lincoln -- Despite clinching the Big 12 Conference regular-season championship with a two-game sweep against No. 23 Texas A&M over the weekend, the 13th-ranked Nebraska softball team still has plenty to play for when Missouri comes to town for a pair of games this weekend at Bowlin Stadium.

With a sweep of the Tigers, NU would improve its Big 12 record to 16-1, tying the school record for conference wins set in 1998 and matched in 2001. The Huskers are also looking to continue momentum that has seen them win 20 of their last 22 games. Sunday will also mark the last regular-season home game for Husker seniors Peaches James, Liz Lawhorn, Nicole Trimboli and Brittney Yolo.

Nebraska (38-13, 14-1 Big 12) went 4-1 last week, dropping its first Big 12 game of the season, but rebounding by taking two games from Texas A&M, which entered the weekend as the top team in the league. Against the Aggies, Nebraska needed eight and 10 innings, respectively, to win on Saturday and Sunday.

NU used bases-loaded singles from senior Liz Lawhorn on Saturday and freshman Jamie Waldecker on Sunday to close out the Aggies and claim the school's first Big 12 regular-season championship since 2001.

Senior right-hander Peaches James earned both victories, setting a school record in the process. James struck out her 287th batter of the season on Saturday, breaking Lori Sippel's single-season strikeout record of 286. James also passed Sippel for second place on the career strikeout chart and needs only 15 strikeouts to claim the most career strikeouts in school history.

The Huskers opened the week with a Tuesday doubleheader against Northern Colorado. NU swept the Bears, winning the first game 9-1 in five innings before taking the nightcap, 8-2. Nebraska dropped a 3-0 decision to Kansas on Wednesday, its first loss in the Big 12 Conference.

In the two games against Northern Colorado, NU outscored the Bears 17-3 while hitting .426 as a team. The first four hitters in the Husker lineup led the way, finishing a combined 15-for-27 (.556) with nine runs scored and five RBIs. Sophomore Jessica Yoachim went 5-for-8 in the double dip, sophomore Trisha Tannahill went 4-for-7 with two runs scored and two RBIs, and senior Nicole Trimboli finished the two games 4-for-5 with a home run and two RBIs.

Redshirt freshman Carmen Kier had a career day in game one of the doubleheader, finishing 2-for-2 with her first career home run, two runs scored and two RBIs. Kier also hit a game-tying home run against Texas A&M last Sunday.

Freshman right-hander Ashley DeBuhr picked up the first home victory of her career with a complete-game, one-hitter in the first game. Sophomore Summer Tobias evened her record at 6-6 by picking up the win in the night cap.

Against Kansas, Nebraska struggled offensively. KU starter Kassie Humphreys held the Huskers to five hits in a complete-game shutout. Steffan and senior Liz Lawhorn each had two hits apiece.

Huskers Clinch Big 12 Title
Nebraska clinched its first Big 12 Conference regular-season championship since 2001 by sweeping a two-game series with Texas A&M last weekend at Bowlin Stadium. After suffering its first conference loss of the season last Wednesday against Kansas, NU entered the weekend series in second place in the league standings, one half-game behind the first-place Aggies.

The Huskers regained first place on Saturday with a thrilling 5-4, eight-inning victory over A&M. The win pushed Nebraska’s Big 12 record to 13-1 and dropped the 23rd-ranked Aggies’ conference record to 13-2. Also on Saturday, third-place Missouri suffered its fourth conference loss of the season, eliminating the Tigers from title contention.

Down to a two-team race, NU headed into Sunday’s game with a chance to clinch the Big 12 regular-season championship. Extra innings were needed again as Texas A&M fought to keep its title hopes alive. The Aggies used a pair of solo home runs in the sixth inning to erase a one-run deficit. Trailing by one, redshirt freshman Carmen Kier belted a game-tying home run to right field off a 1-2 pitch to tie the game in the bottom of the sixth.

The game headed into the bottom of the 10th inning with the game tied at 3-3. The Huskers loaded the bases with only one out for first baseman Jamie Waldecker. The freshman from Garden Grove, Calif., promptly delivered by singling to center on an 0-1 pitch to give NU the regular-season championship. With the win, Nebraska joined Oklahoma as the only program to win three regular-season championships since the Big 12 was formed in 1996.

Huskers to Host Regional
The University of Nebraska has been selected as one of eight regional host sites for the 2004 NCAA Division I Women’s Softball Championship, the NCAA Division I Women’s Softball Committee announced May 3. NU’s selection marks the second consecutive year and eighth time in school history that it has served as a regional host site. Nebraska has advanced to the NCAA Women’s College World Series in six of the seven previous years in which it has hosted a regional.

With two regular-season games remaining, Nebraska is 38-13 overall and 14-1 in the Big 12 Conference. The Huskers captured the Big 12 regular-season championship with a 4-3, 10-inning win over second-place Texas A&M on Sunday.

The Huskers have defeated 10 ranked teams this season, including top-10 teams Michigan, Florida State and California. Nebraska has won 20 of its last 22 games and has been ranked in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll all season. The Huskers are currently ranked 13th.

The eight regional sites, with host institutions, are as follows: Tuscon, Ariz. (University of Arizona); Waco, Texas (Baylor University); Los Angeles, Calif. (University of California, Los Angeles); Tallahassee, Fla. (Florida State University); Athens, Ga. (University of Georgia); Ann Arbor, Mich. (University of Michigan); Lincoln, Neb. (University of Nebraska, Lincoln); and Stanford, Calif. (Stanford University).

Offensive Explosion
Redshirt freshman Carmen Kier enjoyed the best week of her short career in the Huskers’ five games last week. Kier started four games last week and went 3-for-9 with three runs, three RBIs and two home runs. Prior to last week, Kier had appeared in 19 games and collected only one hit in 27 at bats.

The Renton, Wash., native was also searching for her first career extra-base hit before belting two home runs last week. Kier also drove in three runs after recording only one RBI in her first 19 games. Interestingly enough, three of Kier’s four starts last week came as the designated player. NU Head Coach Rhonda Revelle cited improvement in practice as the main reason for turning to the redshirt freshman for an offensive punch, despire her past struggles.

James Breaks Record
Senior right-hander Peaches James, already one of the most decorated athletes in school history, etched her name in the NU record books with a six-strikeout performance against Texas A&M last Saturday. The Papillion, Neb., native struck out the Aggies’ Jana James in the top of the sixth inning for her 286th strikeout in 2004, a single-season school record. Lori Sippel, James’ pitching coach, had held the school record with 285 strikeouts in 1988.

James also has her eyes set on Nebraska’s all-time strikeout record. The right-hander passed Sippel for second place on the all-time charts with the 839th stikeout of her career in Saturday’s game against the Aggies. After striking out 10 over the weekend, her career total now stands at 844, only 14 strikeouts shy of tying Leigh Ann Walker’s school record of 858.

James also needs only seven more strikeouts to become the first pitcher in school history and only the 10th in Big 12 history to record 300 strikeouts in a single season. With Sunday’s win, the All-America candidate improved her season record to 30-6 and became only the second pitcher in school history to win 30 games in a season.

Leading Off
Part of Nebraska’s offensive success in Big 12 games can be attributed to getting the leadoff hitter on base. In 101 innings in league games, NU’s leadoff hitter has reached base safely 41 times (41 percent).

Junior Anne Steffan, the Huskers' true leadoff hitter, has reached base to lead off the game in nine of the Huskers' 15 conference games.

Yoachim on a Roll
Sophomore third baseman Jessica Yoachim has been on a tear since the start of the Huskers’ Big 12 Conference schedule. Before Nebraska faced off against Texas A&M on March 14, Yoachim was just 8-for-30 at the plate (.267 average). Now, 25 games later, the Arkansas City, Kan., native is hitting .330 (30-for-91). Over that stretch, Yoachim is 22-for-61, good enough for a .361 average.

In Big 12 games only, Yoachim is the second-leading hitter in the league with a .438 average (14-for-32). She has already surpassed last season’s hit total of 26 in 10 fewer at bats. In the Huskers’ doubleheader against Northern Colorado last Tuesday, Yoachim went a combined 5-for-8 with four runs scored.

Since moving to the No. 2 spot in the lineup 10 games ago, Yoachim is 14-for-31 (.452) with nine runs scored. Yoachim has reached base safely in all 15 of Nebraska’s league games and has totaled four multi-hit games in league play.

Excelling With Runners on Base
Sophomore third baseman Jessica Yoachim, the second-leading hitter in the Big 12 Conference (league games only), has put up astounding numbers this season with runners on base.

The Arkansas City, Kan., native leads the team with a .488 average (20-for-41) with runners on base and reaches base at a .512 clip with runners on. Yoachim has also totaled a team-best seven sacrifice hits with runners on base.

With runners on base and two outs, Yoachim has been even better. In 14 at bats, Yoachim has collected seven hits to post a .500 average. With runners in scoring position and two outs, Yoachim is hitting a whopping .545 and has driven in four of her six RBIs this season with runners in scoring position and two outs.

Nebraska vs. Ranked Teams
Nebraska, 38-13 overall, is 10-5 against top-25 teams and has won six consecutive games against ranked foes after sweeping No. 23 Texas A&M in a two-game set last weekend. NU is 2-0 against top-five teams and 3-2 against top-10 teams in 2004.
The Huskers opened the season with three games against ranked teams, falling to then top-ranked UCLA before posting back-to-back victories over then-No. 12 DePaul and then-No. 10 Michigan. Nebraska faced Michigan again at the NFCA Leadoff Classic, dropping a 5-1 extra-inning decision to the Wolverines, who were ranked seventh at the time. NU posted its biggest win of the season the following day, blanking No. 3 California, 3-0.

At the prestigious Kia Klassic, NU defeated then-No. 4 Florida State, 1-0, but fell to then-No. 7 Oklahoma (1-0) and then-No. 23 Arizona State (6-3).

In Big 12 Conference play, the Huskers swept then-No. 19 Baylor on April 3-4 and swept then-No. 17 Oklahoma on April 17-18.

NU Single-Season Records Watch
Junior Anne Steffan
Steffan, who is currently hitting a team-best .351, will finish with the 16th-best single-season average if she can maintain her current pace.

Steffan also has 174 at bats and is projected to finish the season with at least 195 at bats, just 10 shy of ninth place on the single-season chart.

Steffan is also challenging to put her name on the single-season hit list. The Mankato, Minn., native has 61 hits this season and at that pace would finish with 69 hits, including two-game stints at the Big 12 Championship and NCAA Regionals. Sixty-nine hits would put her in a tie for 10th place on the chart.

Finally, one of the fastest players in school history, Steffan is in sixth place on the single-season list with 25 steals. At her current pace, Steffan would finish with 28 stolen bases, three shy of the school record.

Junior Sheena Lawrick
Although Lawrick’s season is over, she did enough in her time to leave her mark on the record book. In only 36 games, Lawrick drew 28 walks, which is ninth on the single-season chart.

Senior Nicole Trimboli
Trimboli, who has driven in the second-most runs in school history, has 40 RBIs in 2004 and is projected to finish with 45 RBIs, which would put her in a tie for ninth place on the single-season chart.

Senior Peaches James
James, who is enjoying one of the best seasons in school history, has already set school records in shutouts and single-season strikeouts. The right-hander is just seven strikeouts away from becoming the first pitcher in school history to record 300 strikeouts in a single season.

James’ 30 victories so far in 2004 have put her in second place on the single-season chart. She has also logged 230.1 innings, placing her fifth all-time. James is also challenging in complete games and having already thrown 31 complete games, is in third place on the single-season chart.

Big Innings
Nebraska has been prone to big innings this season. NU has scored in 106 innings this year and has scored more than one run in 58 of those 106 innings (55 percent).

On 25 different occasions, the Huskers have scored three or more runs in a single inning. On March 27 at Oklahoma State, Nebraska exploded for its biggest inning of the year, a 10-run fourth. NU has also produced two nine-run innings.

Fast Starts
Nebraska has gotten off to some fast starts this season, as the Huskers have scored a run in the first inning in 25 of 51 games (49 percent). Last weekend against 23rd-ranked Texas A&M, NU scored a run in the first inning in both wins over the Aggies to improve to 24-1 on the season when it scores a run in the first inning.

The 57 first-inning runs that Nebraska has scored are the most runs of any single inning. In the first frame, NU has outscored its opponents by an overwhelming margin of 57-15. Twenty-five percent of the Huskers’ total runs have come across the plate in the first inning (57/231).

Included in these numbers are a pair of nine-run, first-inning outbursts. NU scored nine runs in the first inning against Manhattan College on Feb. 21, and duplicated that feat March 7 against Utah in a 12-0 win.

Nebraska has plated more than one run in 13 of the 25 games in which it has scored in the first inning. In two games this season, the Huskers’ lone run of the game has come in the first, including March 18 against fourth-ranked Florida State. In all, 12 of the 32 game-winning RBIs have come in the first inning, more than any other inning.

Trimboli Leaving Mark at NU
Senior Nicole Trimboli’s time at Nebraska may be drawing to a close, but her legacy will live on in the Husker record book. The former left fielder and current starter in center already ranks among the top 10 in nine career offensive categories and is poised to enter the top 10 in three other categories.

Trimboli is currently in second place for career RBIs with 165. The Colorado Springs, Colo., native has averaged almost 42 RBIs in her first three seasons and at that pace would finish with 167 RBIs. Currently, Trimboli is second in the Big 12 with 40 RBIs.

Capable of hitting for power, Trimboli is currently sixth on the all-time home run chart with 26 round trippers. She is also fifth on the all-time hit list with 223, is eighth with 119 runs scored, ranks fifth all-time in total bases with 344, is third in at bats with 731, seventh in doubles with 33 and is eighth in games played with 233.

Trimboli needs just three hit by pitches and two stolen bases to crack the top 10 in each category. She also ranks 13th all-time with a .305 career batting average.

Home Sweet Home
In 2004, Nebraska has drawn 10,960 fans through its first 12 home games, an average attendance of 913 fans per game. After drawing 2,167 fans in two games last weekend, NU topped the 10,000 mark in total attendance for the second consecutive season.

Against Oklahoma on April 17, NU drew a season-high 1,523 fans. The attendance was the largest regular-season crowd and the second largest crowd overall in the history of Bowlin Stadium.

The Husker softball team also received tremendous fan support in 2003. Nebraska ranked seventh in the nation in Division I softball attendance with an average of 615 fans per game.

NU was one of only eight schools to total more than 10,000 fans for the entire season. Among these eight schools, Nebraska was the only school to total more than 10,000 fans in less than 20 home games. The Huskers totaled 11,074 fans in 18 home games.