NU to Face Unfamiliar Foes in Houston

The 17th-ranked Nebraska softball team looks to build on a 9-3 start to the season this weekend when it travels to Houston, Texas, for the Hyatt Regency Classic hosted by the University of Houston. NU will play five games at the tournament, including two against teams the Huskers have never faced. In total, Nebraska has played only four games against this weekend's field.

Live stats for each game will be available on the Huskers.com Live Stats page the day of the game, or by clicking on the above link.

NU had a seven-game winning streak snapped last weekend at the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Columbus, Ga., where NU finished with a 2-2 record, including a 9-1 run-rule victory over 15th-ranked Georgia Tech.

The competition this weekend may not be as stiff as it was last weekend, but NU will still face several quality teams, including a Texas-San Antonio team that took leads of 3-0 and 6-3 against NU in an eventual 14-6 loss during the team's earlier meeting this season. Host Houston has also proven to be a quality opponent, as the Cougars are currently on a five-game winning streak and handed Big 12 foe Baylor a 4-3 loss, one of only three losses for the 11th-ranked Bears (20-3).

Western Michigan and Texas Southern, the Huskers' other two opponents, have a combined 0-6 record.

Nebraska enters this tournament hitting a blistering .336 as a team, while holding opposing hitters to a .235 average. The Huskers' pitching staff also has a collective 1.84 ERA compared to the 4.27 ERA of opponents.

Scouting the Field
Nebraska enjoys a 4-0 all-time series record against its four opponents this weekend. NU leads the all-time series with Texas-San Antonio 3-0-including a 14-6 win this year-and the all-time series with Houston 1-0. The Huskers have never faced Western Michigan or Texas Southern.

Western Michigan (0-2)
Western Michigan is 0-2 this season after having dropped games against Wichita State (6-0) and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (4-3) in its opening weekend. WMU is led offensively by Corey Andrzejewski, who went 3-for-3 last weekend with a run scored. Connie Kolokithas is hitting .333 with a team-high two RBIs.

In the circle, Kyla Sullivan and Tricia Vanderslik each got a start for the Broncos last weekend. Sullivan allowed four runs in a complete-game effort, while Vanderslik allowed six runs in six innings. The staff as a whole has a robust ERA of 6.43.

Texas Southern (0-4)
Texas Southern is 0-4 this season, dropping a pair of doubleheaders to Stephen F. Austin (8-0, 20-0) and to NAIA Houston-Baptist (4-3, 11-2). On the season, they have been outscored 43-5 in only 22 innings.

Texas-San Antonio (11-7)
Texas-San Antonio is led by a potent offense that has produced 117 runs in 18 games, an average of 6.5 runs per game. As a team, UTSA is hitting .318 with a whopping 31 home runs. The Roadrunners hit the most home runs of any Division I team in 2004.

Jennifer Davis is the Roadrunners' top average hitter, batting .414 with an on-base percentage of .433. Jessica Rogers is the top power hitter as she is hitting .379 with team highs of nine home runs, 24 RBIs and a .848 slugging percentage.

In the circle, Ursula Mares is 5-3 with a 3.24 ERA, while Amanda Nikolenko is 6-4 with a 3.89 ERA.

Nebraska and UTSA have met once this season with NU pounding out a season-high 17 hits and 14 runs in a 14-6 run-rule victory at the Troy Cox Classic in Las Cruces, N.M. on February 19.

In that game, junior Jessica Yoachim went 5-for-5 to establish the school record for hits in a game of seven innings or fewer. Senior Sheena Lawrick also set a school record by drawing four walks in the game, and she also hit a three-run home run in her only official at bat.

For Texas-San Antonio, Aimee Murray led the way with a 2-for-3 effort including a home run and four RBIs.

In the circle, freshman right-hander Ashley DeBuhr entered the game in the third inning with the Huskers trailing 6-5. She tossed four innings of scoreless relief, allowing only two hits to earn the win.

For the Roadrunners, Mares allowed 10 runs (nine earned) on 12 hits in 3.2 innings of work.

Houston (8-9)
Houston has compiled an 8-9 record this season while playing seven games against ranked teams, including five contests against ranked Big 12 teams.

The Cougars were swept in a three-game series by Texas to open the season and lost to Oklahoma before beating No. 11 Baylor 4-3. Currently, Houston is enjoying a five-game winning streak.

Offensively, Kristen Glowacz is one of only two players hitting .300 or better as she leads the team with a .373 average, six doubles, one triple, three home runs and 17 RBIs. As a team, the Cougars are hitting .232 while averaging 3.5 runs per game.

In the circle, Angel Shamblin has thrown the most innings (34.1) of any pitcher while compiling a 3-2 record with a 3.26 ERA. Cyrstal Briscoe (2-2, 2.08 ERA) and Barbie Love (1-3, 2.27 ERA) have also seen extensive action, each logging more than 24 innings. Carla Kennimer is just 2-2 with a 3.75 ERA this season, but made history last weekend when she became the first Cougar to throw back-to-back no hitters in consecutive starts.

Nebraska faced Houston for the first time ever last season at the Crown Plaza Classic. NU defeated the Cougars 2-0 as Peaches James tossed a no-hitter. Senior Anne Steffan and junior Trisha Tannahill were the only current Huskers to record a hit in the win.

Last Time Out
The 17th-ranked Nebraska softball team got off to a slow start at the 10th annual NFCA Leadoff Classic last weekend, but finished on a strong note.

On the opening day of pool play, the Huskers saw their seven-game win streak snapped in a 7-2 loss to Cal-State Northridge. NU took a 1-0 lead in the game in the fifth inning, before the Matadors answered back with four runs in the bottom of the fifth. A bases-loaded error kept the inning alive long enough for CSUN to hit a three-run home run. All four runs of the inning were unearned. Cal-State Northridge added three more runs in the sixth inning aided by another Husker error. Nebraska scored its final run in the seventh inning. Senior Anne Steffan and juniors Elizabeth Rock and Jessica Yoachim each finished with two hits for NU and Yoachim added the Huskers' lone RBI.

The Huskers next faced 16th-ranked Georgia and were hurt by the long ball in a 4-1 loss to the Bulldogs. Sophomore right-hander Ashley DeBuhr threw well in the loss, tossing a complete game and allowing only seven hits. Two home runs, however, produced three of Georgia's four runs as NU dropped its second straight game of the tournament. Freshman Cassie Kleinsmith hit her first career home run to account for Nebraska's lone run.

Happy to put Friday behind them, the Huskers rallied with a pair of victories on Saturday. In the final game of pool play, Nebraska was solid in a 3-1 victory over UMass. Senior Sheena Lawrick went 3-for-3 with a home run, two doubles and two RBIs, while Steffan finished 2-for-4.

DeBuhr did not allow an earned run in a complete-game effort for her her fourth victory of the season.

Nebraska was placed in the bronze bracket and matched with 15th-ranked Georgia Tech. The Huskers exploded for nine runs against the Yellow Jackets in a 9-1, five-inning victory. A five-run fourth inning sealed the run-rule victory, which was capped bay a three-run home run by sophomore Jamie Waldecker, her first of the season.

NU pounded out 10 hits against Tech, scoring in every inning except the third. Waldecker and Lawrick each finished with three RBIs and freshman right-hander Jordan Keen tossed a complete game in the victory. Keen did not allow an earned run while allowing only six hits and striking out a career high six.

Rain washed out the final day of the tournament as NU finished with a 2-2 record at the Classic and improved to 9-3 overall.

Lawrick Named to All-Tournament Team
Senior Sheena Lawrick was named to the NFCA Leadoff Classic All-Tournament team as the first baseman. One of 15 players named to the team, Lawrick hit .455 with three doubles, a home run and 11 RBIs while posting a slugging percentage of 1.000 and an on-base percentage of .538. She was also perfect in the field in 30 chances.

Winning Ways
A 7-2 loss to Cal-State Northridge last Friday ended a seven-game win streak for Nebraska. After another setback to 16th-ranked Georgia, the Huskers finished the weekend with a two-game win streak, including a run-rule victory over 15th-ranked Georgia Tech.

At 9-3, NU is off to its best start since beginning the 2003 season 11-1. The Huskers' 9-3 start is the third-best 12-game start in the 12 years NU has been guided head coach Rhonda Revelle.

Offensive Surge
Through three tournaments and 12 games, Nebraska is hitting a blistering .336 as a team and has produced an average of nearly five runs per game.

Nebraska has recorded at least 10 hits in six games this season after totaling only 13 double-digit hit games in 62 games last season.

Two players are hitting .500 or bettere this season, while another two are hitting .400 or better and another two are hitting .300 or better. Senior Sheena Lawrick leads the team with a whopping .515 average.

For the year, Nebraska's average is .101 points higher than its opponents.

Lawrick on a Tear
Senior Sheena Lawrick is off to a tremendous start in her final year as a Husker. She has reached base safely in each of Nebraska's 12 games this season and has recorded at least one hit in every game but one. She leads the team with an astonishing .515 average (17-for-33) and also leads the team with six doubles, three home runs, 17 RBIs, a .970 slugging percentage, 11 walks, a .636 on-base percentage and is second with four stolen bases.

Lawrick has also recorded a team-high five multi-RBI games. Two times this season, Lawrick has reached base safely on seven consecutive at bats.

Timely Hitting
Time and again this season NU has come up with a big hit when it needed one most. The Huskers, hitting .336 as a team, are even better with runners on base.

With runners on base, Nebraska is batting .364 (63-for-173) and has seven players hitting .350 or better, led by senior leadoff hitter Anne Steffan, who is hitting a whopping .600 (9-for-15) with runners on base. Fellow senior Sheena Lawrick has also excelled with runners on base, hitting .578 (11-for-19) with nine walks. She has posted an on-base percentage of .714 and a slugging percentage of 1.158 with runners on base.

NU has been nearly as good with runners in scoring position. Hitting .346 (44-for-127) as a team, junior Jessica Yoachim leads six batters hitting .375 or better with runners in scoring position. Yoachim, who is hitting .533 (8-for-15) in those situations, is also one of four Huskers hitting at least .500 with runners in scoring position.

Record-Setting Day
On Saturday, Feb. 19, two Nebraska single-game records fell in the same game as NU defeated Texas-San Antonio 14-6 in six innings.

Senior Sheena Lawrick hit a three-run home run in her first at bat and then drew four consecutive walks. The four walks were a single-game Nebraska record, breaking the previous mark of three.

Not to be outdone, junior Jessica Yoachim went 5-for-5 against the Roadrunners to set the mark for the most hits in a game of seven innings or fewer. Yoachim broke the previous mark of four.

In the Clutch
The Huskers have taken control of games in the late innings this season. In the first three innings, opponents have outscored Nebraska 19-18, but from the fourth inning on, NU has overwhelmed opponents by a score of 40-16.

Through 12 games this season, the Huskers have outscored opponents 17-5 in the fourth inning, 10-6 in the fifth frame, 9-4 in the sixth inning and 4-1 in the seventh.

Career Fair
Senior Sheena Lawrick and junior KoKo Tacha are rapidly approaching single-season career highs in several categories only 12 games into the season.

Lawrick is just one shy of her career high for doubles (seven) and home runs (four) and has already established a career high with four stolen bases this season.

Tacha has already tied her career high of eight hits and one home run and needs just two at bats, two starts, two walks and three RBIs to reach her career high in each respective category.

Career Firsts
Sophomore Ashley DeBuhr and freshman Cassie Kleinsmith each recorded career firsts last weekend at the NFCA Leadoff Classic.

DeBuhr, a right-handed pitcher, saw the first at bats of her career on Saturday against Massachusetts. DeBuhr finished 0-for-3.

Kleinsmith, an infielder/outfielder from Omaha, hit her first career home run to spoil a shutout in the Huskers' 4-1 loss to Georgia on Friday.

Stealing an Advantage
Through 12 games this season, Nebraska is 15-for-20 in stolen base attempts after successfully stealing three bases in three attempts last weekend.

NU enjoys a remarkable edge in stolen bases over its opponents.

While Nebraska has stolen 15 bases, opponents have stolen only two bases in five attempts this season.

Steffan Reaches Milestones
Senior Anne Steffan reached a pair of milestones in Nebraska's 4-2 win over New Mexico State on Feb. 20.

Steffan went 3-for-4 at the plate and her third hit was the 100th of her career. Steffan also scored one run in the game, the 150th run scored of her career, which ranks 10th all time in school history.

Revelle Wins 475th Game
Head Coach Rhonda Revelle won her 475th game at Nebraska on Feb. 13 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.

Nine Huskers Make Honor Roll
Nine members of the Nebraska softball team and two former players were among 257 NU student-athletes named to the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll for the Fall 2004 semester.

Six Huskers made repeat appearances on the list, led by senior Kira Boerkircher who was honored for the fifth time in her career, and junior KoKo Tacha who also made the list for the fifth time in her career. Tacha has carried a perfect 4.0 grade-point average through her first five semesters of college.

Juniors Trisha Tannahill and Jessica Yoachim each earned their fourth appearance on the list, while sophomore Jaime Borg has appeared on the Honor Roll in each of her first three semesters. Senior Sheena Lawrick made the list for the second time in her career.

Junior Elizabeth Rock, a transfer this season from Mt. San Antonio College, and freshmen Jordan Keen and Cassie Kleinsmith were each honored for the first time in their career in their first semester of eligibility.

Former Huskers Peaches James and Liz Lawhorn, who completed their eligibility in 2004, were also named to the Honor Roll.

Huskers on Radio and TV
At least 11 Nebraska softball games will be carried by the Pinnacle sports Network on Lincoln station KKUL 105.3 and two Husker games will be televised by NET Sports (formerly NETV) and College Sports Television (CSTV), NU announced on Wednesday.

Nebraska’s radio schedule features nine regular-season games, including road games at Creighton, Iowa State and a pair of games at 2004 Women’s College World Series qualifier Oklahoma. The first two days of the Big 12 Tournament in Oklahoma City, Okla., will also be carried on KKUL.

A marquee matchup with Texas on Saturday, April 2 highlights the Huskers’ television schedule. The Texas game and NU’s game on Sunday, April 24 with Oklahoma State will be televised live by NET Sports and CSTV.

10,000th Hit
When junior KoKo Tacha singled in the second inning of Nebraska's 7-3 win over Loyola on Feb. 19, it marked the 10,000th hit in the history of Nebraska softball.

Husker softball began in 1976, but complete records are only available since the 1977 season.

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.