Huskers Begin Season-Ending Road Trip

The Nebraska softball team (30-17, 6-7 Big 12) continues its quest to finish in the top six in the league standings with a mid-week game at Iowa State and a two-game set this weekend at No. 5 Oklahoma. The three games begin a season-ending six-game road trip through the Big 12 Conference for NU before the Big 12 Tournament begins on May 11.

Radio will be available for all three games on KKUL in Lincoln and on Huskers.com. Both games of the Oklahoma series will also be televised. Saturday's 11 a.m. game will be broadcast by ESPN2 and Sunday's 1 p.m. start will be carried bly ESPNU.

The Huskers are currently tied for sixth place in the Big 12 standings with Missouri at 6-7 in the league. Oklahoma State (7-8) and Kansas (5-7) are also competing to finish in the fifth and sixth spots and avoid the play-in round before to the Big 12 Tournament. The top six teams automatically qualify for the Big 12 Tournament and the seventh, eighth, ninth and 10th place teams must compete in play-in games to qualify for the tournament.

NU went 3-2 last week, but went just 1-2 in league games. Nebraska took game one of a two-game weekend series with Oklahoma State by drawing seven walks, including five in a two-run fourth inning that proved to be the difference. After leaving five runners on base in the second and third frames, NU loaded the bases again in the fourth, where RBI walks from juniors Jessica Yoachim and Katie Linke erased a 1-0 Cowgirl lead and lifted the Huskers to the 2-1 victory.

Sophomore right-hander Ashley DeBuhr (18-14) was brilliant in the circle. The reigning Big 12 Pitcher of the Week allowed one run on two hits in a complete-game effort. DeBuhr struck out 14, a career high for a seven-inning game, and just two shy of her career high of 16 in a nine-inning game against Creighton on March 23.

NU was no-hit for the first time since May 21, 2000, in dropping the second game of the series to OSU, 2-0. Earlier in the week, Nebraska swept a doubleheader from Northern Colorado to rebound from a tough 2-0 mid-week loss to Kansas

NU jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in both games of the doubleheader before UNC rallied to take a 2-1 lead. The Huskers responded in both games to put together a two-run inning and claim a pair of 3-2 victories.

Freshman right-hander Jordan Keen tossed a complete game to earn the victory in the first game of the doubleheader. Keen allowed two runs (one earned) on eight hits to post her ninth victory of the season. Offensively, freshman Cassie Kleinsmith tied a career high with two hits, finishing 2-for-2 at the plate. Senior Sheena Lawrick was one of four Huskers to record a multi-hit game and drove in all three runs.

In the second game, sophomore right-hander Jaime Borg threw a career-high six innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on only three hits. DeBuhr entered with the tying run on second and no outs in the seventh inning and struck out all three batters she faced to earn the first save of her career.

Before the two-game set with Northern Colorado, NU hosted Kansas on Wednesday with a chance to get above .500 in the Big 12. Jayhawks' starter Christina Ross limited the Huskers to just three hits and a home run from Destiny Frankenstein was all Ross would need in a 2-0 Kansas victory.

DeBuhr took the loss, allowing two runs on seven hits in seven innings of work.

Scouting Iowa State (16-27, 2-11 Big 12)
Iowa State sits in last place in the Big 12 Conference, but the Cyclones picked up their second conference victory with a 1-0 upset of third-ranked Texas last Sunday.

Offensively, ISU has only one player batting better than .190 in conference play and the Cyclones are hitting just .139 in league games.Overall, Katie Reichling leads the team with a .307 average and is one of five Cyclones to drive in at least 10 runs.

In the circle, Alyssa Ransom (10-15) has started eight of ISU's 13 Big 12 games. She is 2-6 in league play with a 3.21 ERA. Overall, Ransom has thrown 161 innings and has allowed 66 earned runs for a 2.87 ERA.

NU has won 12 straight in the series and 21 of the last 22 after blanking the Cyclones 2-0 on April 13.

Last Time We Met
Sophomore right-hander Ashley DeBuhr tossed the third perfect game in school history when NU defeated Iowa State on April 13 at Bowlin Stadium. DeBuhr retired all 21 hitters she faced on just 81 pitches. She struck out 10 and allowed only two balls to leave the infield.

Offensively, junior Trisha Tannahill went 2-for-2 and freshman Cassies Kleinsmith produced the only RBI of the game.

The game was delayed nearly an hour and a half due to a scheduling conflict with the umpires.

Leading Off
Entering this weekend, Nebraska has excelled at getting the leadoff hitter on base this season. Batters leading off the inning have recorded a hit 103 times in 284 at bats for a .363 average. Leadoff hitters have also drawn 24 walks this season. Overall, a Nebraska hitter leading off an inning reaches base 50 percent of the time.

DeBuhr Sets Record
Sophomore right-hander Ashley DeBuhr struck out 31 batters in four games last week to increase her season total to 241. With her 236th strikeout against Oklahoma State on Saturday, DeBuhr moved into fifth on the single-season record list and broke Jenny Voss' sophomore record of 235, set in 1998. DeBuhr also has a chance to become only the second player in school history to record 300 strikeouts in a season. Peaches James became the first last season when she struck out a school-record 394 batters.

Huskers Reach 30 Wins
With Saturday's victory over Oklahoma State, NU improved to 30-16 on the season, marking the eighth straight season the Huskers have won at least 30 games in a season.

Sacrifices
Junior Elizabeth Rock leads the team with 19 sacrifices this season, a number that ranks fourth on the Nebraska single-season list. She currently leads the Big 12 Conference and ranks fourth in the nation with an average of .38 sacrifice hits per game.

Career First for DeBuhr
Sophomore right-hander Ashley DeBuhr picked up the first save of her career in Nebraska's win over Northern Colorado on Thursday. DeBuhr entered the game in the top of the seventh with the Huskers' leading 3-2 and a runner on second base and no outs. She made quick work of the three hitters she faced, striking out all three to pick up the save.

Career Best for Borg
Sophomore right-hander Jaime Borg enjoyed perhaps the best start of her career against Northern Colorado on Thursday. Borg threw a career-high six innings and allowed only one earned run on three hits. The six innings topped her previous career high of 4.1 and the one earned run was her career-low in a start. Borg also picked up the third victory of her career in the game.

Happy Fielding
Nebraska struggled with its fielding as it experimented with several different alignments earlier this season, but has been solid defensively since Big 12 play began. The Huskers, who were fielding at a .955 clip during the non-conference season, boast a .975 fielding percentage in league games. NU ranks seventh in the Big 12 in fielding percentage over all games, but is third in conference games only.

Stolen Base Duo
Senior Anne Steffan and junior Jessica Yoachim have become a lethal base-stealing duo at the top of the Huskers' order. Steffan (29 steals) and Yoachim (23 steals), who hit 1-2 in NU's lineup, both rank in the top eight in stolen bases in single-season school history. The 52 combined stolen bases have tied the school record for most stolen bases by teammates in a season, matching Kim Ogee (31) and Lisa Wangler (21), who stole 52 bases combined during the 2002 season.

Kleinsmith Stepping Up
Freshman Cassie Kleinsmith, who has started 29 games this season, started four of Nebraska's five games in left field last week in place of the injured Carmen Kier.

Kier, who left NU's game with Texas Tech on April 17 in the bottom of the second inning, is expected to miss 2-4 weeks. In the meantime, it appears Kleinsmith will be asked to step up for Nebraska.

Kleinsmith showed she is ready for the increased role as she hit safely in three of her four starts, posting a team-best .444 average (4-for-9) for the week. She also added the first two doubles of her career in back-to-back games against Northern Colorado and Oklahoma State.

Yoachim Streaking
Junior Jessica Yoachim has hit safely in seven of her last eight games, including three multi-hit games over that stretch. In five games last week, Yoachim went 5-for-12 (.417) with two RBIs and one run scored. Yoachim needs only one more run to reach 100 in her career.

In Big 12 play, Yoachim is hitting a team-best .316 with 10 runs scored and five stolen bases. She has also been perfect in the field in 31 chances in league games.

Steffan Joins Elite List
Senior Anne Steffan, who has already etched her name into several categories in Nebraska's record books, joined another elite list last week. Against Northern Colorado on Thursday, Steffan recorded her 70th hit of the season. She is just the seventh player in school history to record 70 hits in a season, and she has accomplished the feat twice. Steffan recorded 74 hits in 2004 and with back-to-back 70-hit seasons, Steffan joins Ali Viola and Tobin Echo-Hawk as the only Huskers to accomplish that feat.

RPI Simulation
The National FastPitch Coaches Association (NFCA) released a simulated Rating Percentage Index (RPI) on April 22. NU came in at No. 23 on the RPI bolstered by a schedule that ranked as the 11th-toughest in the nation.

The simulated RPI is designed to predict the official RPI the NCAA uses to determine selection and seeding for the NCAA Tournament.

Nearing History
Senior Anne Steffan has 29 stolen bases this season, tying her career high and is just two shy of the school record. Kim Ogee currently holds the single-season school record with 31 stolen bases in 2002. With one more stolen base, Steffan would join Ogee as the only Huskers in school history to steal 30 bases in a season.

Perfection
Sophomore right-hander Ashley DeBuhr tossed her first career perfect game and only the third in school history in the Huskers' 2-0 victory over Iowa State on April 13.

Following an hour and a half delay due to a scheduling problem with the umpires, DeBuhr made quick work of the Cyclones, retiring all 21 batters she faced on just 81 pitches.

She allowed only two balls to leave the infield and racked up 10 strikeouts, including a punch-out of Jessica Quade with two outs in the seventh inning to complete the perfect game.

DeBuhr's Career Week
Sophomore right-hander Ashley DeBuhr pitched every inning of Nebraska’s four games the week of April 13, posting a 3-1 record for the week, including a perfect 3-0 mark in Big 12 Conference games. Against Iowa State on April 13, DeBuhr recorded the first perfect game of her career and only the third in school history. She retired all 21 batters she faced in the Huskers’ 2-0 victory, including 10 via the strikeout. She finished the week recording double-digit strikeouts in three of the four games.

For the week, DeBuhr posted a microscopic 0.72 ERA, allowing just three earned runs in 29.1 innings. She also finished with one shutout and four complete games. Perhaps most impressive was DeBuhr’s strikeout-to-walk ratio. DeBuhr racked up 37 strikeouts while walking just three to finish with a whopping 12-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Opponents hit just .133 against her that week, managing only 13 hits in 98 at bats.

In league games only, DeBuhr went 3-0 with a 0.67 ERA and struck out 25 in 21 innings. Her only loss of the week came in a 1-0 nine-inning defeat to 22nd-ranked Creighton, although DeBuhr only surrendered four hits in the loss, including three infield singles.

For her efforts, DeBuhr was named the Big 12 Pitcher of the Week, the first honor of her career.

Steffan Reaches Another Milestone
Senior Anne Steffan went 1-for-5 against ninth-ranked Baylor on April 10 to record the 200th hit of her career.

With the hit, Steffan became just the seventh player in school history to record 200 career hits. She is currently in sixth place on the all-time NU hit list.

Steffan is also one of just six players in NU history to record 200 hits and 100 runs scored in a career. She has scored 125 runs to date, which is tied for seventh place all-time at Nebraska.

Tough Losses
Nebraska has lost four times in its last 13 games, but two of those losses could have easily been NU victories. The Huskers' lost three one-run leads, including two in extra innings, in a 6-3 defeat to No. 9 Baylor on April 10. NU also dropped a 1-0 setback at No. 22 Creighton on April 14. The Bluejays managed just four hits, including three infield singles, while the Huskers left 10 on base in a nine-inning loss.

The Huskers are 29-2 this season when they out-hit their opponents with the losses coming to Baylor and Creighton. Nebraska is 0-5 this season in extra inning games.

Stealing an Advantage
Nebraska has enjoyed a decisive advantage in stolen bases over its opponents this season. Nebraska has stolen 82 bases in 97 attempts (85 percent). While the Huskers have swiped 82 bases, opponents have only stolen 12 bases in 22 attempts (55 percent). Last week, NU was 6-for-6 in stolen bases, while opponents were just 1-for-2.

Patient Hitting
Nebraska has drawn 122 walks this season, an average of more than two-and-a-half per game. The walks total has helped NU post an impressive .359 on-base percentage. Although complete on-base percentage statistics are unavailable, this year’s Huskers would rank third in school history in on-base percentage. NU drew seven walks, including five in a two-run fourth inning, on Saturday against Oklahoma State. In the two-game series against the Cowgirls, NU drew 13 walks in 13 innings.

Hit Parade
Five Huskers have recorded 10 or more multi-hit games this season. Senior Anne Steffan leads the team with 23 multi-hit performances through 47 games. Juniors Elizabeth Rock (16) and Jessica Yoachim (14), Trisha Tannahill (12) and senior Sheena Lawrick (13) have also reached double-digits in the category. In all, 11 of Nebraska’s 12 position players have recorded a multi-hit game and as a team, NU has recorded 92 multi-hit games this season.

RBI Parade
Senior Sheena Lawrick and sophomore Jamie Waldecker have combined for 19 multi-RBI games in 47 games this season. Even more impressive is the fact that as a team, NU has produced 37 multi-RBI games and 10 of the Huskers’ 12 position players have recorded a multi-RBI game this season.

School-Record Streak Ends
Senior Anne Steffan went 0-for-4 on March 25 against Texas A&M to end her school-record 26-game hitting streak. She quickly responded by going 2-for-3 in the series finale and has hit safely in 41 of 47 games this year.

Revelle Earns 500th Victories
Head Coach Rhonda Revelle won her 500th career game on March 19 when the Huskers blanked Cal-State Fullerton 8-0 at the Kia Klassic. Revelle is one of 38 active coaches to reach the milestone. She also earned her 500th victory at Nebraska in the Huskers' 3-2 win over Texas Tech on April 17.

Earlier this season, 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.

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.

Power Surge
Sophomore Jamie Waldecker, Nebraska’s cleanup hitter, hit more home runs in a 10-game stretch from March 17 to March 30 than she did in her first year and a half as a Husker. A proven run producer, Waldecker has homered four times in her last 14 games and is second on the team with a career-high five round-trippers this season.

Senior Sheena Lawrick and junior Trisha Tannahill, who each homered at No. 9 Baylor, have also set single-season career highs in home runs this season. Lawrick leads the team with six home runs, while Tannahill has belted two round-trippers this season, after hitting one in each of her first two seasons.

100-Hit Club
Junior Jessica Yoachim recorded the 100th hit of her career against Texas on April 2. The hit was not only a milestone for Yoachim, but proved to be the only hit the Huskers would muster off All-American Cat Osterman. Yoachim also became just the second left-handed hitter to get a hit off Osterman in 94 at bats this season.

Senior Sheena Lawrick also recorded her 100th hit against North Dakota State on April 6.

Junior Trisha Tannahill reached the milestone earlier this season, singling in the second inning against Wichita State on March 13, marking the 100th hit of her career. Senior Anne Steffan entered the season with 137 hits in her career.

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 at the Shocker Invitational March 11-13 and leads the team with six game-winning RBIs. On the season, Porter ranks third on the team with 19 RBIs. Porter drove in the game-tying run in the fourth inning against fifth-ranked Texas before NU eventually fell 3-1. It was the only run scored against the Longhorns.

Last season Porter had only two game-winning RBIs and 10 total RBIs.

NU vs. Ranked Teams
NU is 4-8 this season against ranked teams after losing to No. 22 Creighton on April 14. The Huskers have posted victories over then-No. 14 Washington, then-No. 16 Oregon State, then-No. 15 Georgia Tech and then-No. 9 Baylor.

Connected to the Program
Head Coach Rhonda Revelle, who is in her 13th year in charge of the Husker program, and Associate Head Coach Lori Sippel, who is in her 16th year, have been integral in the history of Nebraska softball. As both a player and coach, Revelle has been a part 580 of NU's 973 all-time victories. Throw in Sippel's four-year playing totals and four years she coached before Revelle arrived, and Revelle and Sippel have been a part of 736 of the program's 973 victories.

Superb Seniors
Senior Sheena Lawrick is enjoying a tremendous senior season. She has reached base safely in 42 of Nebraska's 47 games this season. She is fourth on the team with a .348 average while pacing NU with 11 doubles, six home runs, 43 RBIs, a .568 slugging percentage, 30 walks and a .473 on-base percentage. Lawrick has also recorded a team-high 12 multi-RBI games. Two times this season Lawrick has reached base safely on seven consecutive at bats.

Lawrick ranks in the top 10 in the Big 12 in five categories. She ranks second in the league with 30 walks, fifth with a .473 on-base percentage, is tied for 10th with 11 doubles and seventh with 43 RBIs.

Senior Anne Steffan is also having a fine senior season. Steffan leads the team with a .419 average, 29 stolen bases and 70 hits and ranks second with 35 runs scored. On pace to put her name on several single-season school records, Steffan has hit safely in all but four games this season. She had her school-record 26-game hitting streak snapped against Texas A&M. Steffan leads the team with 23 multi-hit games.

Steffan ranks in the top five in the conference in four offensive categories. She is third in average (.419) and stolen bases (29), second in hits (70), and is 10th in on-base percentage (.452).

Career Year for Lawrick
Senior Sheena Lawrick is enjoying a career season in 2005. Lawrick, who is fourth on the team with a .348 average, has already set single-season career highs in total bases (75), home runs (6), RBIs (43), runs scored (27) and stolen bases (8). Her six home runs are two more than she had in each of the 2003 and 2004 seasons. Lawrick’s 43 RBIs are 19 more than she had in 36 games last season, and her eight stolen bases are seven more than her previous career high and six more than her three-year career total before this season. Her 27 runs scored are also a career high, four more than she had last season.

Lawrick has also drawn a career-high 30 walks this season to become only the eighth player in school history to record 30 walks in a season.

In addition, her .348 average, .568 slugging percentage and .473 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 96 innings in 2005 and has produced three or more runs in 26 of those frames. When the Huskers score a run in an inning, 27 percent of the time they add at least two more runs in that frame. Nebraska has also added seven innings where five or more runs have crossed the plate.

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. None were intentional.

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 juniors Katie Linke and KoKo Tacha have already established single-season career highs in several categories.

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 115 starts, 43 at bats and five RBIs are more than her previous three seasons combined. Her four hits are a new single-season high, as are her four total bases. She also needs just one walk to set her career high for walks in a season.

Linke has drawn a career-high 10 walks this season and has hit a career-high two doubles, which tied her previous career total. Linke is also nearing career highs in several categories. She needs just four runs, three RBIs and two total bases to set career highs in each respective category.

Tacha has set career highs of 19 starts, 57 at bats, 11 hits, one home run, 15 total bases, five walks, nine put outs and one assist, and her eight RBIs are just one shy of matching her career high.

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 and her third hit was the 150th of her career. Steffan also scored one run in the game, the 100th run scored of her career.