NU Looks to Build on 2-1 Start

The 18th-ranked Nebraska softball team travels to Las Cruces, N.M., this weekend for five games in three days at the Troy Cox Classic, hosted by New Mexico State. NU is coming off its season-opening UNLV Desert Classic last weekend, where the Huskers posted a 2-1 record, including a 4-3 come-from-behind victory over 16th-ranked Oregon State.

The Troy Cox Classic runs Friday through Sunday and is a round-robin format. Each of the teams competing in the tournament - Colorado State (4-3), Loyola-Chicago (0-0), Nebraska, New Mexico (0-5), New Mexico State (6-5) and Texas-San Antonio (4-5) - will face each other once.

While the competition at this weekend's tournament may not be as stiff as what the Huskers faced last weekend when they faced two top 20 teams and three teams with a combined 13-3 record, NU is not taking the field lightly, especially considering CSU upset Nebraska during the fall season.

The Huskers enter the tournament riding a two-game winning streak after defeating Texas State 9-2 and 16th-ranked Oregon State 4-3 following a season-opening setback to All-American pitcher Monica Abbott and the 14th-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols.

The top of the Husker order led the charge in the 2-1 start. NU's first three hitters went a combined 12-for-28 (.429), while junior Trisha Tannahill, the No. 5 hitter batted a team-best .556 and Elizabeth Rock, the No. 9 hitter hit .375.

Sophomore Devin Porter batted .333 in two starts during the weekend and came through with the biggest hit of the tournament. Trailing by one with two outs in the top of the seventh inning, Oregon State intentionally walked freshman Cassie Kleinsmith to get to Porter, who made the Beavers pay by driving in the game-tying and game-winning runs with a single to right-center field.

In the circle, freshman right-hander Jordan Keen looks to build off an impressive debut weekend where she boasted a 2-0 record and a 0.68 ERA.

After giving up two runs (one earned) in her first inning at the collegiate level, Keen responded by tossing 9.1 consecutive scoreless innings.

Scouting the Field
The four teams Nebraska will face this weekend have a combined 14-18 record this season with Loyola-Chicago competing for the first time in 2005 this weekend. NU owns a 22-14 all-time series edge over the field, posting winning records over every team except New Mexico (5-8). When Nebraska and Loyola-Chicago square off on Saturday, it will mark the first-ever meeting between the two schools.

Colorado State (4-3)
Colorado State, coached by Mary Yori, the sister of NU women's basketball coach Connie Yori, is off to a 4-3 start this season.

The Rams are led by a solid pitching staff that has combined to post a collective ERA of 1.16. Opponents are hitting just .211 against the trio of Jessica Strickland, Genevieve Kelly and JayCee Wood. Kelly leads the team with a 3-2 record, 28 strikeouts and 20.2 innings pitched, while Strickland (1-1) leads the team with a 0.84 ERA.

Offensively, CSU is hitting .251 as a team and four players are hitting better than .315. Lauren Cusick leads the charge with a .381 average and eight hits. Strickland leads the team with four RBIs, while Stephanie Roberts has scored seven runs in seven games.

NU leads the all-time series with Colorado State, 11-4. The Huskers posted a 14-0 victory on March 26, 2001, in the last meeting between the schools.

New Mexico (0-5)
New Mexico has struggled in the circle through the first five games of the 2005 season. The Lobos' three pitchers, Caley Peterson, Ashley Perkins and Katie Gregg have a combined ERA of 5.35, with Peterson leading the way with a team-best 4.67 ERA. Opponents have hit .404 against Petereson and .324 against the staff as a whole.

Offensively, the Lobos are hitting just .217 as a team, but have three players hitting better than .300. Casssie Chavez leads the team with a .357 average, one home run, four RBIs, a .643 slugging percentage and a .471 on-base percentage. Kristi Schmallen and Amy Ray are hitting .333 and .308, respectively.

Defensively, NMSU has committed 11 errors in 152 chances for a .933 fielding percentage.

New Mexico is the lone team in this weekend's field that leads the all-time series vs. Nebraska. The Lobos enjoy a 8-5 advantage in the series, but Nebraska has won the last three meetings, including a 6-0 win on February 23, 2002.

Loyola-Chicago (0-0)
This weekend's Troy Cox Classic marks the opening of the 2005 season for the Loyola-Chicago Ramblers.

Loyola-Chicago finished 31-29 in 2004 including a 14-7 mark in the Horizon League.

Mia Pangere is the lone returning pitcher for the Ramblers. Pangere posted a 10-14 record and a 3.17 ERA in 2004. In 167.1 innings, Pangere recorded three shutouts and 16 complete games. She held opposing batters to a respectable .257 average and struck out 69 while surrendering only 22 walks.

Offensively, Allison Scanlin is the top returning hitter. In 60 starts last season, Scanlin batted .364 with 22 runs scored, 13 doubles, 24 RBIs and a .485 on-base percentage.

Saturday's game will mark the first-ever meeting between the two schools.

Texas-San Antonio (4-5)
Texas-San Antonio has started a respectable 4-5 this season with a schedule that included three games against Pac 10 power Arizona State and a pair of contests against Texas A&M, which finished second in the Big 12 Conference in 2004. The Roadrunners enter the tournament on a four-game winning streak.

UTSA is led by right-handed pitcher Ursula Mares and third baseman Jessica Rogers, who each earned Southland Conference Player-of-the Week honors for their play last week.

In the circle, Mares posted a 2-1 record, a 1.17 ERA and 25 strikeouts in three complete-game efforts last week. For the season, Mares is 2-2 with a 2.59 ERA and has held opponents to a meager .235 average. Amanda Nikolenko has also seen extensive time this season, posting a 3.50 ERA and a 2-3 record in 26 innings.

Offensively, Rogers is hitting .344 with a team-best five home runs and 13 RBIs this season. She went 9-for-22 (.409) last week, slugging four home runs and a double while driving in 12 runs. Krystal Gibson is Texas-San Antonio's leader with a .500 average and .625 on-base percentage.

The Huskers own a 9-3 lead in the all-time series, but the teams have not met since NU handed the Roadrunners a 1-0 loss on February 18, 1996.

New Mexico State (6-5)
New Mexico State, the host of the Troy Cox Classic, is 6-5 on the season, but is riding a six-game winning streak. Over the past six games, NMSU has been averaging nearly seven runs per game while holding opposing teams to just over one run per game. During the winning streak, the Aggies have outscored their opponents, 40-7.

Sarah Seagraves is NMSU's top pitcher as she leads the team with a 5-3 reocrd, 46.2 innings pitched, a 3.66 ERA and 52 strikeouts against only four walks. Stephanie Carrasco (1-2) has also seen significant time in the circle, posting a 4.91 ERA in 14.2 innings.

Offensively, Ashley Roszkos and Sarah O'Neill are batting .419 and .400, respectively. O'Neill leads the team with 14 hits, five doubles, 10 RBIs and a .629 slugging percentage, while Roszkos leads the team with a .457 on-base percentage. As a team, the Aggies are hitting .295 and have scored 51 runs in only 11 games.

Nebraska and New Mexico State have met six times before, with NU taking four of the six games. The teams last met on February 10, 2002, a 6-0 Husker victory.

Offensive Surge
The Husker offense started the season in grand fashion by hitting .310 over Nebraska's three games last weekend. The .310 average was especially high considering NU opened with just three hits against 2004 first-team All-American Monica Abbott of Tennessee.

Nebraska ended the tournament with back-to-back double digit hit games. Against Texas State, NU pounded out 11 hits and then collected 12 hits in a victory over 16th-ranked Oregon State. Nebraska also produced 13 runs in three games, an average of more than four runs per game despite being shut out in the season opener.

Setting the Table
The leadoff combination of senior Anne Steffan and junior Jessica Yoachim, along with No. 9 hitter junior Elizabeth Rock have created many scoring opportunities for the Husker offense through the first three games.

Steffan and Yoachim are each hitting .400 while batting 1-2 for NU, while Rock is hitting .375 out of the No. 9 spot. Each player has also posted an on-base percentage of at least .400, with Steffan leading the way reaching base at a .455 clip.

In Nebraska's 9-2 victory over Texas State, each player came to the plate in the same inning in three different innings. Of those three innings, at least two of the three reached base safely in each inning and all three reached base safely in one inning. In the game, the three scored seven of NU's nine runs. On the season, the trio have combined to score eight of the Huskers' 13 runs.

Clearing the Table
With senior Anne Steffan and junior Jessica Yoachim, who hit 1-2 in the Husker lineup, along with junior slapper Elizabeth Rock, NU's No. 9 hitter, consistently reaching base, plenty of RBI opportunities have opened up for the middle of Nebraska's lineup.

Senior Sheena Lawrick, who bats third in the lineup, has had plenty of chances to drive in Steffan and Yoachim. Lawrick has come through, producing five RBIs in only eight at bats through the first three games. Sophomore Jamie Waldecker, who hit cleanup for the Huskers' first two games, also produced, driving in two runs during Nebraska's 2-1 opening weekend.

Porter Comes Through
Sophomore Devin Porter produced just the second game-winning RBI of her young career in the Huskers' 4-3 come-from-behind victory over 16th-ranked Oregon State. Trailing by one in the top of the seventh with runners on second and third, OSU elected to intentionally walk freshman Cassie Kleinsmith to load the bases for Porter.

Porter laid off the first two pitches before connecting on a 2-0 pitch into right-center field for a two-run single that scored junior Jessica Yoachim from third with the game-tying run and junior Trisha Tannahill from second with the game-winning run. Porter now has two RBIs in three games after recording 10 RBIs in 60 games as a freshman in 2004.

A Keen Debut
Freshman right-handed pitcher Jordan Keen had an impressive debut weekend at the Louisville Slugger UNLV Desert Classic in Las Vegas last weekend.

Keen finished the weekend with a 2-0 record, a 0.68 ERA and allowed only five hits in 10.1 innings, holding opposing hitters to a .152 average.

In her first inning, Keen allowed two runs (one earned) against Texas State. Since that inning, Keen has pitched 9.1 scoreless innings and has allowed no hits over her last 6.2 innings and only one hit over her last eight innings.

For the season, only seven of the 33 batters Keen has faced have reached base safely.

Revelle Wins 475th Game
Head Coach Rhonda Revelle won her 475th game at Nebraska on Sunday when Nebraska erased a one-run deficit in the top of the seventh to post a 4-3 victory over 16th-ranked Oregon State at the Louisville Slugger UNLV Desert Classic in Las Vegas, Nev.

Revelle's 475th victory also marked the 950th win in the history of Nebraska softball, with Revelle collecting exactly half of NU's all-time victories.

15 NCAA Bids and Counting
Nebraska softball is in an elite class when it comes to postseason play. The Huskers are one of nine teams to appear in the past 10 NCAA Tournaments. Nebraska also has a strong history of earning high seeds in the tournament. For the past eight seasons, Nebraska has earned a No. 2 seed or higher in the NCAA Regional. The only other teams to accomplish that feat are Arizona, Michigan, Oklahoma and Washington.

Overall, NU has earned 15 NCAA Tournament bids, tying Texas A&M for the most NCAA berths of any Big 12 school. The Huskers have also advanced to the College World Series seven times. Nebraska's success has allowed the Huskers to host an NCAA Regional in each of the past two seasons.

Tough Schedule Ahead
Nebraska has grown accustomed to playing one of the toughest schedules in the nation, and 2005 will be no exception. NU will play at least 19 games against teams that earned 2004 NCAA Tournament bids.

The Huskers will also play at least three regular-season contests against teams that advanced to the 2004 NCAA Women's College World Series, including Washington and Oklahoma (twice).

Finally, Nebraska will play at least 14 regular-season games against eight teams ranked in the preseason 2004 USA Today/NFCA Coaches poll, including No. 6 Oklahoma (twice), No. 7 Washington, No. 15 Oregon State, No. 18 Tennessee and No. 19 Baylor (twice).

Big 12 Dominance
By capturing both the Big 12 regular-season and tournament crowns in 2004, the Nebraska softball program has claimed the most conference championships of any of the 10 league schools.

The Huskers have captured six overall titles, one more than Oklahoma and Texas. NU has won three regular-season championships and three tournament titles, both of which also tied for tops in the conference.

Nebraska is also the only school to boast a perfect record in league play since the Big 12 was formed in 1996. The Huskers went 16-0 in 1998. NU started 12-0 during last season's championship run before finishing 14-3.

Ranking Near the Top
Nebraska finished the 2004 season with a No. 14 final ranking in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches poll. The final ranking marked the 10th consecutive season the Huskers ended the year in the rankings in the 10-year history of the poll. Nebraska is one of only six teams in the nation - and one of only two in the Big 12 Conference - to be ranked in the final poll all 10 seasons.

Huskers in the Pros
Five former Huskers played in the National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) league last summer.

Former Huskers Peaches James (2001-04), Nicole Trimboli (2001-04), Kim Ogee (2000-03), Amanda Buchholz (2000-03) and Leigh Ann Walker (1999-2001) all played in the six-team league.

James and Trimboli were each named to the 28-player NPF All-Star team. Only Arizona had more former players (four) named to the All-Star team than Nebraska.

James pitched for the Texas Thunder and finished the year with a 13-3 record and a microscopic 0.88 ERA. Trimboli hit .266 with a team-high 25 RBIs for the Akron Racers.

Among all NCAA softball programs, NU ranks second in producing professional players. Five former Huskers played in the NPF last season, one more than UCLA and Pacific. Arizona led all collegiate programs with nine former players appearing on NPF rosters.

Senior Anne Steffan was recently selected in the NPF Senior Draft. Steffan, a native of Mankato, Minn., was taken by the Chicago Bandits with the 17th overall pick.

Olympic Connections
Senior Sheena Lawrick was selected to the 2004 Canadian Olympic Team despite recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament when the team was announced. Lawrick's knee healed a few weeks before Canada opened play in Athens, Greece. A native of Calgary, Alberta, Lawrick started two games for the Canadians, who finished the Olympics with a 3-4 record, which tied for the country's best showing ever.

Associate Head Coach Lori Sippel joined Lawrick at the Olympics as a broadcaster for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Sippel, who pitched for the Huskers from 1985 to 1988, was a member of the 1996 Canadian National Team that also went 3-4 in the inaugural softball competition at the Olympic Games in Atlanta, Ga.

Home Sweet Home
The Husker softball team continued to receive tremendous fan support in 2004. Nebraska ranked fourth in the nation in Division I softball attendance with an average of 955 fans per game. The average was up 340 fans from the 2003 season, marking the highest increase in the nation.

Nebraska also finished third in overall attendance after drawing 19,103 fans in 20 home games last season. NU drew more than 1,000 fans for a game on seven occasions in 2004, including a season-high 1,585 fans for Nebraska's opening NCAA Tournament game against Lehigh.

NU was one of only 14 schools to total more than 10,000 fans for the entire season and was one of only three schools to draw more than 15,000.

Head of the Class
Nebraska leads all Division I softball programs with 22 CoSIDA Academic All-America awards won by 15 players.

NU is the only school with more than 20 academic All-America awards, and the only Big 12 school ranked in the top 10.