Huskers Wrap Up Tournament Schedule This Weekend

Huskers Wrap Up Tournament Schedule This Weekend
  The 18th-ranked Nebraska softball team (17-5) heads west to Fullerton, Calif., this weekend for its third straight appearance in the Kia Klassic, widely regarded as one of the top tournaments in the nation.
  The Klassic field consists of four pools with four teams in each pool. The tournament will feature a round-robin format during pool play on Thursday and Friday and teams will then be seeded for bracket play on Saturday and Sunday.
  In Pool B with Nebraska are DePaul, Penn State and 15th-ranked Washington. The entire Kia Klassic field features five teams that advanced to the 2004 Women's College World Series, including the Huskies, NU's opening opponent.
  NU posted a 3-2 record at last year's Kia Klassic, including a 1-0 upset over then-No. 5 Florida State. The Huskers went 2-1 in pool play, but suffered a tough 1-0 loss to Oklahoma in the first round of bracket play. Nebraska finished with a winning record at the tournament after defeating UNLV in a wild 10-8 game on the final day of the tournament.
  The Huskers enter this weekend coming off possibly their best weekend of the season. NU went a perfect 5-0 at the Shocker Invitational in Wichita, Kan., last weekend, outscoring its opponents by an overwhelming margin of 32-3.
  Nebraska hit a whopping .398 as a team last weekend, while the Husker pitching staff limited opponents to a meager .139 average. Five players hit better than .400 last weekend, with four players hitting at least .500. NU also drew 13 walks in the tournament's five games and stole 12 bases in 13 attempts.
  Senior Anne Steffan went 10-for-17 at the plate last weekend and hit safely in each of Nebraska's five games to push her hitting streak to 19 straight games, tying Ali Viola's school record. When the Huskers face Washington on Thursday, Steffan will be looking to become the first player in school history to hit safely in 20 consecutive games.
  In the circle, freshman Jordan Keen and sophomore Ashley DeBuhr each picked up a complete-game shutout, the first by Nebraska pitchers this season. DeBuhr was outstanding in earning all-tournament honors, finishing with a 3-0 record and a 0.37 ERA while surrendering just five hits in 19 innings.

Scouting the Field
This weekend's field is a combined 30-22 this season with only DePaul, which hasn't played a game in more than two weeks, posting a losing record.

No. 15 Washington (14-7)
  Washington, ranked 15th last week, is 14-7 this season led by a potent offense. Kristen Rivera was hitting .477 before last weekend with eight home runs, 22 RBIs, 49 total bases, 22 walks, a 1.114 slugging percentage and a .657 on-base percentage, all team highs. As a team, the Huskies are hitting .285 and have two players hitting .439 or better and four hitting .300 or better. UW has also shown plenty of speed this season, stealing 34 bases in 39 attempts.
  In the circle, Caitlin Noble and Ashley Boek have combined for a 1.98 ERA. Boek (8-4 before last weekend) has logged the most innings (69) and has recorded 87 strikeouts while posting a 2.13 ERA. In 55 innings, Noble has tossed three shutouts and has struck out 97, while limiting opposing hitters to a .190 average. She was 4-3 with a 1.78 ERA entering last weekend.
  Washington leads the all-time series with Nebraska, 4-2, and has won the last four meetings.

Penn State (10-7)
Penn State is 10-7 this season and, like Washington, is led by an offense that boasts a .307 team average.
Ashley Esparza leads the team with a .400 average, but four other players are hitting .315 or better. Meghan Wolfer and Jen Williams have scored 14 runs each to tie for the team lead. Wolfer has also added two steals, while Williams leads the team with nine steals.
In the circle, Missy Beseres has seen the most action, but Jenn Reynolds and Esparza have also seen time. In 51.1 innings, Beseres is 5-4 with a 1.50 ERA. Reynolds (2-2) has a 1.46 ERA in 33.2 innings, while Esparza (3-1) has tossed 28 innings allowing seven earned runs en route to a 1.75 ERA.
Nebraska defeated Penn State twice last season by scores of 3-0 and 8-0, in the only meetings between the two schools.

DePaul (6-8)
DePaul is just 6-8 this season, but has picked up some key victories, including a 4-1 win over Oklahoma. Entering this tourney, the Blue Demons have not played a game in more than two weeks.
The Blue Demons are hitting just .183 as a team. Dana Kenney, Ashley Parker and Saskia Roberson are all hitting .310 or better, but only one other player is hitting above .190. Kenney leads the team with a .382 average, while Roberson leads the team with six runs scored, four doubles, three home runs and six RBIs.
In the circle, Megan Huitink and Tracie Adix are DePaul's top pitchers. Huitink is 2-6 this season with a 2.27 ERA, but opponents are hitting just .215 against her. Adix (4-2) has a 3.07 ERA but has struck out 33 in 43.1 innings against just four walks.
Nebraska defeated DePaul 10-2 in six innings last year. The win was the Huskers' first against the Blue Demons, who lead the all-time series 5-1.

Last Time Out
 Nebraska went a perfect 5-0 last weekend to claim the Shocker Invitational in Wichita, Kan.
 The Huskers opened the tournament by blanking Valparaiso, 8-0, in six innings. Freshman right-hander Jordan Keen recorded the first shutout by a Nebraska pitcher this season and the first four hitters in the Nebraska went a combined 9-for-13 as NU outhit the Crusaders, 13-4.
 Senior Kira Boerkircher tied her career high with two RBIs in the win and five Huskers finished with at least two hits.
 In the second game of the tournament, NU defeated host Wichita State, 7-1. Sophomore right-hander Ashley DeBuhr allowed just one run on two hits. Juniors Elizabeth Rock and Trisha Tannahill, along with sophomore Devin Porter, each had two RBIs in the win, while senior Anne Steffan finished with three hits.
 Nebraska blasted Missouri-Kansas City, 11-1, in five innings in the third game of the tournament. Sophomore right-hander Jaime Borg picked up her second career victory, allowing just one run in four innings of work. Offensively, four Huskers enjoyed multi-hit days, again led by the first four in the order who finished a combined 9-for-9 with seven runs scored.
 The Huskers got their first taste of Big 12 action in the fourth game of the tournament when they faced Texas Tech. DeBuhr was brilliant against the Lady Raiders, tossing her first shutout of the season. She surrendered two first inning singles to Tech, but did not allow a hit the rest of the way in a complete-game effort. Steffan recorded her eighth straight multi-hit game to lead the Huskers offensively, finishing 2-for-4 with two runs scored.
 Nebraska overcame an early 1-0 deficit to defeat Wichita State for the second time in the final game of the tournament. Trailing 1-0, Tannahill drove in senior Sheena Lawrick with a one-out single to tie the game. That set the stage for Porter, who picked up her fourth game-winning RBI of the weekend with a two-out triple that scored junior Katie Linke with the winning run in the sixth inning. DeBuhr picked up a win in relief, allowing no runs on just one hit in five innings.
 
Three Make All-Tournament Team
 Seniors Sheena Lawrick and Anne Steffan, junior Elizabeth Rock and sophomore Ashley DeBuhr were each named to the Shocker Invitational All-Tournament team for their performances last weekend.
 Lawrick hit .583 (7-for-12) with two doubles, three RBIs and four walks. She reached base at a .706 clip and added a stolen base.
 Steffan hit safely in each game, including recording four multi-hit games. She tied the school record by extending her hitting streak to 19 games in the final game of the tournament. Steffan finished the weekend hitting .588 (10-for-17). She led the team with 10 hits, eight runs scored, two doubles, 12 total bases, four stolen bases and was second with a .706 slugging percentage and .632 on-base percentage.
 Rock led the team at the Invitational with a .667 average (8-for-12) and added four runs scored and four RBIs. She also stole two bases and and added a team-high six sacrifices.
 DeBuhr went 3-0 in the circle to earn all-tournament honors. She allowed just one earned run in 19 innings for a 0.37 ERA. She picked up her first shutout of the year in Nebraska’s 4-0 win over Texas Tech. DeBuhr posted 21 strikeouts against just four walks. She allowed only five hits all weekend in limiting opposing hitters to a meager .081 average.

In the Clutch
 Sophomore Devin Porter has provided several clutch hits for the Nebraska softball team this season. Porter recorded the game-winning RBI in four of the Huskers' five games last weekend and leads the team with six game-winning RBIs this season. On the season, Porter ranks second on the team with 12 RBIs.
 Last season Porter had only two game-winning RBIs and 10 total RBIs.

Good Times in the Circle
 The Nebraska pitching staff enjoyed its best weekend of the tournament season as it boasted a collective ERA of 0.66 in five games last weekend. The Huskers’ right-handed trio of sophomores Ashley DeBuhr and Jaime Borg and freshman Jordan Keen allowed just one earned run apiece in a combined 32 innings of work.
 DeBuhr especially excelled last weekend. She posted a 3-0 record with a 0.37 ERA. She notched her first shutout of the season and allowed just five hits in 19 innings to limit opposing batters to a paltry .081 average. DeBuhr also posted an impressive strikeout-to-walk ratio of greater than 5-to-1 (21 strikeouts, four walks).
 Keen went 1-0 over the weekend and picked up the first shutout by a Nebraska pitcher this season in the Huskers’ 8-0 win over Valparaiso to open the tournament. She allowed just one earned run in two starts to post a 0.78 ERA. In nine innings, she surrerendered just eight hits to limit opposing hitters to a .242 average.
 In just her third career start, Borg picked up her second career victory by allowing just one run in four innings of work in Nebraska’s 11-1 run-rule victory over Missouri-Kansas City. Borg allowed just two hits in her only appearance while recording a 1.75 ERA.

Nearly Error-Free
 After committing 29 errors in 462 chances through their first 17 games, the Huskers committed just one error in 126 chances at the Shocker Invitational last weekend.
 Nebraska appears to have settled on its defensive alignment after experimenting with several different lineups through the first four tournaments of the season. Junior Jessica Yoachim - who was slated to start in the outfield, then started the season at second base, before moving to left field - has settled in at third base, where she was the everyday starter in 2004. Senior Anne Steffan and sophomore Devin Porter have also moved back to their positions from a year ago. Steffan, who started the season at shortstop, has moved back to second and Porter has moved back to shortstop after beginning the year at third base.
 In left field, freshman Cassie Kleinsmith has started 12 games, but junior KoKo Tacha has also seen time at the position, starting three games in left.
 The Huskers are 5-0 this season when they have not committed an error.

Offensive Surge
 Through five tournaments and 22 games, Nebraska is hitting a blistering .338 as a team and has produced an average of nearly 5.5 runs per game.
 Nebraska has recorded at least 10 hits in 10 games this season - including four games last weekend - after totaling only 13 double-digit hit games in 62 games last season.
 Four players are hitting .400 or better this season. Senior Anne Steffan leads the team with a .525 average, while junior Elizabeth Rock (.477) and senior Sheena Lawrick (.468) also boast incredible averages.
 For the year, Nebraska's average is .127 points higher than its opponents (.211).

Tannahill Records 100th Hit
 Junior Trisha Tannahill went 5-for-16 (.313) at last weekend's Shocker Invitational in Wichita, Kan. Her fourth hit of the tournament, a one-out single in the second inning against Wichita State on Sunday, marked the 100th hit of her career.
 Fellow junior Jessica Yoachim and senior Sheena Lawrick are also nearing the 100-hit plateau. Lawrick needs just five hits to reach 100, while Yoachim needs 11.
 Senior Anne Steffan recorded the 100th hit of her career earlier this season.

Stat of the Week
 Nebraska recorded 11 sacrifice hits as a team in just five games last weekend at the Shocker Invitational. With senior leadoff hitter Anne Steffan hitting safely in each game, juniors Jessica Yoachim and Elizabeth Rock were asked to advance Steffan on a regular basis. Yoachim laid down four sacrifices, while Rock led the team with six sacrifices. Sophomore Devin Porter had the Huskers’ other sacrifice of the weekend.

Superb Seniors
 Senior Sheena Lawrick is off to a tremendous start in her final year as a Husker. She has reached base safely in 21 of Nebraska's 22 games this season and has recorded at least one hit in every game but three. She is third on the team with a .468 average (22-for-50) and leads the team with eight doubles, five home runs, 29 RBIs, an .839 slugging percentage, a .588 on-base percentage and 17 walks. Lawrick has also recorded a team-high eight multi-RBI games. Two times this season, Lawrick has reached base safely on seven consecutive at bats.
 Senior Anne Steffan is also enjoying a fast start to the 2005 season. Steffan leads the team with a .539 average, 25 runs scored and 17 stolen bases, in addition to ranking second with a .563 on-base percentage . On pace to put her name on several single-season school records, Steffan has hit safely in all but one game this season, including a curent 19-game hitting streak that has tied the NU school record. She leads the team with 15 multi-hit games this season and has had at least two hits in 14 of the last 16 games. She drew a walk in the only game where she failed to record a hit, meaning she has reached base safely in each of the Huskers' 22 games this season.

Career Year for Lawrick
 Senior Sheena Lawrick is enjoying a career season through only 22 games in 2005. Lawrick, who is third on the team with a .468 average, has already set single-season career highs in home runs (5), RBIs (29) and stolen bases (7). Her five home runs are one more than she had in each the 2003 and 2004 seasons. Lawrick’s 29 RBIs are five more than she had in 36 games last season and her seven stolen bases are six more than her previous career high, and are five more than her three-year career total before this season.
 Lawrick, who missed half of last season after suffering a torn ACL, is on pace to set career highs in nearly every category. She needs just one run, two hits, two total bases and 10 walks to break her previous highs, all set last season.
 In addition, her .468 average, .839 slugging percentage and .588 on-base percentage would also be career highs. Lawrick also hit safely in a career-high eight games earlier this season.

Big Innings
 Nebraska has been prone to producing big innings this season. In total, NU has scored in 54 innings in 2005 and has produced three or more runs in 19 of those frames. When the Huskers score a run in an inning, 35 percent of the time they add at least two more runs in that inning. Nebraska has also added five innings where five or more runs have crossed the plate, including a six-run fourth inning against UMKC on Saturday.

Record-Setting Day
 On 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 hits.

Career Fair
 Senior Kira Boerkircher and junior KoKo Tacha have already established single-season career highs in several categories only 22 games into the year.
 Boerkircher has not only surpassed her previous career highs, but has also surpassed some of her previous career totals, as she has seen the most playing time of her career in 2005.
 Her nine starts, 28 at bats and five RBIs are more than her previous three seasons combined. Her four hits are a new single-season career high, as are her four total bases. She also needs just one walk to tie her career high for walks in a season.
 Tacha has set career highs of 11 starts, 36 at bats, nine hits, one home run, 12 total bases, six put outs and one assist, and needs just three walks and four RBIs to reach her career highs in each respective category.

Stealing an Advantage
 Through 22 games this season, Nebraska is 40-for-46 in stolen base attempts after going 12-for-13 in stolen bases last weekend.
 NU enjoys a remarkable edge in stolen bases over its opponents. While Nebraska has stolen 40 bases, opponents have stolen just four bases in only eight 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 Nears 500th Win
 Head Coach Rhonda Revelle won her 475th game at Nebraska on Feb. 13 when NU defeated 16th-ranked Oregon State, 4-3, at the Louisville Slugger UNLV Desert Classic in Las Vegas, Nev. Revelle has since added 15 more victories, giving her 498 career victories, just two shy of 500.
 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  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 FM and two Husker games will be televised by NET Sports (formerly NETV) and College Sports Television (CSTV).
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.
Nate Rohr will handle play-by-play duties, while Theresa Becker will add color commentary for most games.
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 with a 14-3 record.

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.

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.