NU Heads to Norman for Showdown with Sooners

The Nebraska softball team (31-17, 7-7 Big 12) will have its fourth chance of the season to move above .500 in the Big 12 Conference when it heads to Norman, Okla., this weekend for a two-game series with the 10th-ranked Oklahoma Sooners.

Fans can follow the team this weekend, as Saturday's 11 a.m. game will be televised nationally on ESPN2 and Sunday's 1 p.m. start can be seen on ESPNU. Both games can also be heard live on Huskers.com, with Nate Rohr providing play-by-play and Theresa Becker adding color commentary.

Each of the previous three times the Huskers have been at .500 in league play, NU was unable to get a victory in its next league contest. Nebraska hopes that will change this weekend as it fights for a top-six finish in the Big 12.

It will not be easy, however. Oklahoma (43-12, 11-5 Big 12) is currently second in the Big 12 after defeating Oklahoma State, 3-2 in nine innings on Wednesday. The Sooners have also advanced to the past five Women's College World Series.

The Huskers currently sit in fifth place in the league, one-half game ahead of Missouri and a full game ahead of Oklahoma State. 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.

This weekend's series is the second-to-last regular-season series for Nebraska. The Huskers wrap up the regular-season with a pair of games at No. 19 Missouri on May 7 and 8, before traveling to the Big 12 Tournament, May 11-14.

NU was able to even its conference record this week by scoring 10 unanswered runs in a wild, 11-6 come-from-behind victory at Iowa State on Wednesday.

Timely hitting propelled the Cyclones to a 5-1 lead after just two innings of play. NU sophomore Devin Porter then hit the first home run of her career, a three-run shot in the fourth inning that cut ISU's lead to 5-4. Junior Katie Linke then drove in senior Sheena Lawrick with a game-tying RBI single in the top of the fifth.

Neither team would score in the sixth or seventh inning, so the game headed to extra innings. In the top of the eighth, NU exploded for six runs, all with two outs. The Huskers loaded the bases with two outs and junior Elizabeth Rock recorded her first career triple to clear the bases and put Nebraska up 8-5. Lawrick then singled home Rock and junior Trisha Tannahill hit her career-best third home run of the season to provide the final 11-5 margin.

In the circle, sophomore right-hander Ashley DeBuhr tossed a complete game, allowing five runs on seven hits. After surrendering the five runs in the first 1.1 innings, DeBuhr came back to toss scoreless ball over the final 6.2 innings, including retiring 11 straight Cyclones at one point.

The win was the first extra-inning victory of the season for Nebraska. The Huskers are now 1-5 in extra-inning games this year.

Scouting No. 10 Oklahoma (43-12, 11-5 Big 12)
Oklahoma enters this weekend in second place in the Big 12 with a 43-12 record and an 11-5 mark in league play. The Sooners are led by a potent offense that is hitting .332, which ranks third in the nation. OU also ranks eighth in the nation in scoring, second in doubles per game, seventh in slugging percentage and 19th in stolen bases and home runs per game.

Kristin Vesely paces the Sooner offense with a .470 average, including 17 doubles, two triples, two home runs, 30 RBIs and 28 stolen bases. Four players have driven in 30 or more runs this season for OU, led by Jessica Leslie's 52 RBIs and Heather Scaglione's 51. In contrast, only one Husker has driven in more than 25 runs this season. Scaglione leads the team with 11 home runs and a .701 slugging percentage.

In the circle, OU boasts a collective staff ERA of 1.71, led by All-American Kami Keiter. Keiter is 25-5 this season with a 1.35 ERA in 176.1 innings. Opponents are hitting just .203 against her and just .211 against the entire staff.

OU is 19-3 at home this season, but has lost three straight in Norman.

Last Time We Met
Oklahoma and Nebraska met four times in 2004, with OU winning the first meeting and the Huskers taking the final three.

The teams' last meeting came at the Big 12 Championships. NU used a four-run third inning and a three-run fifth inning to earn a 7-0 win behind a perfect game from pitcher Peaches James.

James, who completed her eligibility last season, retired all 21 batters she faced, including nine strikeouts.

Offensively, current Huskers Anne Steffan and Jessica Yoachim each went 2-for-4 with two runs scored to set the table at the top of the NU lineup.

Nebraska was also aided by four Sooner errors that led to six unearned runs. Kami Keiter took the loss for OU, allowing four runs (one earned) on six hits in three innings.

In the four games against Oklahoma last season, Yoachim put up the best offensive numbers, finishing 6-for-13 (.462) with three runs scored.

Nebraska leads the all-time series 34-28, including a 10-7 record in Norman.

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 107 times in 291 at bats for a .368 average. Leadoff hitters have also drawn 25 walks this season. Overall, a Nebraska hitter leading off an inning reaches base 52 percent of the time. Against Iowa State on Wednesday, the leadoff hitter reached in each of the first five innings, including four singles and a walk.

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 a victory over Oklahoma State last Saturday, 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, which 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 .40 sacrifices per game.

Tale of Two Games
Nebraska's last two games have been polar opposites. Against Oklahoma State last Sunday, NU was no-hit for the first time since the 2000 season in a 2-0 loss. The Huskers responded Wednesday at Iowa State by producing six runs on 15 hits, which tied a season-best for hits in a game.

Power Surge
The Huskers belted two home runs against Iowa State on Wednesday, marking the first time this season they had hit more than one home run in a game. Sophomore Devin Porter hit her first career home run in the win and junior Trisha Tannahill added her career-high third of the season. Tannahill entered the year having hit only two career home runs.

Offensive Explosion
After being shut out in two of its previous three Big 12 contests, the Nebraska offensive exploded for 11 runs on 15 hits in an 11-5 eight-inning comeback victory at Iowa State on Wednesday.

The Huskers had 23 base runners in the game and had the leadoff hitter reach in five of the eight innings. NU's 15 hits tied a season high and the six-run fifth inning represented the second most runs the Huskers have scored in any inning this season.

Nebraska also recorded back-to-back-to-back hits in three different innings on Wednesday, highlighted by a three-run triple, an RBI single and a two-run home run with two outs in consecutive at bats in the eighth.

NU also produced a season-high with five Huskers recording multi-hit games and four adding multi-RBI games against the Cyclones.

Yoachim Scores 100th Career Run
Junior Jessica Yoachim, who earlier this season recorded the 100th hit of her career, reached another career milestone on Wednesday. When Yoachim scored the Huskers' seventh run of the game in the top of the eighth inning, it was the 100th run of her career. Yoachim joined senior teammate Anne Steffan as the only active Huskers to score 100 career runs.

Triple Your Pleasure
After recording only one triple through the first 43 games, Nebraska has legged out two triples in the past four games. Junior Trisha Tannahill tripled against Northern Colorado in the second game of a doubleheader on April 21 and fellow junior Elizabeth Rock hit the Huskers' first triple in a Big 12 game this season on Wednesday. Rock's triple against Iowa State proved to be the game winner, as she drove in three runs to break a 5-5 tie in the eighth inning with her first career triple.

Steffan Draws Walks
Senior Anne Steffan, who had drawn only eight walks through the first 47 games, coaxed a career-high three against Iowa State on Wednesday, including the first intentional pass of her career. Prior to Wednesday's game, Steffan had never drawn more than one walk in 215 career games.

Linke Delivers
Nebraska has struggled to get production out of its designated player this season, but junior Katie Linke stepped up against Iowa State on Wednesday. Linke posted her first career three-hit game, finishing 3-for-4 with a run scored and drove in the game-tying run.

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 .977 fielding percentage in league games. NU ranks seventh in the Big 12 in fielding percentage over all games, but is first in conference games only. The Huskers have committed only two errors in their last six league games.

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 (30 steals) and Yoachim (24 steals), who hit 1-2 in NU's lineup, both rank in the top eight in stolen bases in single-season school history. The 54 combined stolen bases are a school record for most stolen bases by teammates in a season, topping Kim Ogee (31) and Lisa Wangler (21), who stole 52 bases combined during the 2002 season. Steffan and Yoachim each stole a base in the win over Iowa State on Wednesday to break the record.

Kleinsmith Stepping Up
Freshman Cassie Kleinsmith, who has started 30 games this season, has started the Huskers' last four games in left field 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 last week, 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 On a Roll
Junior Jessica Yoachim has hit safely in eight of her last nine games, including four multi-hit games over that stretch. In five games last week, Yoachim went 5-for-12 (.417) with two RBIs and one run scored. She continued her hot hitting by finishing 2-for-5 against Iowa State on Wednesday.

In Big 12 play, Yoachim is hitting a team-best .326 with 11 runs scored and six stolen bases. She has also been perfect in the field in 32 chances in league games.

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 April 21. 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 April 21. 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.

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 28. NU came in at No. 30 on the RPI bolstered by a schedule that ranked as the 18th-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 30 stolen bases this season setting her career high and is now just one shy of the school record. Kim Ogee currently holds the single-season school record with 31 stolen bases in 2002. Steffan has already joined Ogee as the only Huskers in school history to steal 30 bases in a season.

Stealing an Advantage
Nebraska has enjoyed a decisive advantage in stolen bases over its opponents this season. Nebraska has stolen 85 bases in 100 attempts (85 percent). While the Huskers have swiped 85 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 126 walks this season, an average of more than two-and-a-half per game. The walks total has helped NU post an impressive .362 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, last Saturday against Oklahoma State. In the two-game series against the Cowgirls, NU drew 13 walks in 13 innings. Nebraska has drawn at least four walks in each of its last three games.

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 48 games. Juniors Elizabeth Rock (17), Jessica Yoachim (15) and Trisha Tannahill (12) and senior Sheena Lawrick (14) 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 97 multi-hit games this season. A season-high five Huskers recorded multi-hit games at Iowa State on Wednesday.

RBI Parade
Senior Sheena Lawrick and sophomore Jamie Waldecker have combined for 20 multi-RBI games in 48 contests this season. Even more impressive is the fact that as a team, NU has produced 41 multi-RBI games and 10 of the Huskers’ 12 position players have recorded a multi-RBI game this season. A season-high four Huskers recorded multi-RBI games at Iowa State on Wednesday.

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.

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 14 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 30-2 this season when they out-hit their opponents with the losses coming to Baylor and Creighton. Nebraska is 1-5 this season in extra inning games, with Wednesday's eight-inning victory over Iowa State being the Huskers' lone extra-inning victory.

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 42 of 48 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 Stretch
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 three 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.

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 581 of NU's 974 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 737 of the program's 974 victories.

Superb Seniors
Senior Sheena Lawrick is enjoying a tremendous senior season. She has reached base safely in 43 of Nebraska's 48 games this season. She is third on the team with a .360 average while pacing NU with 12 doubles, six home runs, 45 RBIs, a .581 slugging percentage, 30 walks and a .476 on-base percentage. Lawrick has also recorded a team-high 13 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, fourth with a .476 on-base percentage, is tied for 10th with 12 doubles and seventh with 45 RBIs.

Senior Anne Steffan is also having a fine senior season. Steffan leads the team with a .420 average, 30 stolen bases and 71 hits and ranks second with 37 runs scored. On pace to put her name on several single-season school charts, 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 second in average (.420), stolen bases (30) and hits (71), and is eighth in on-base percentage (.462).

Career Year for Lawrick
Senior Sheena Lawrick is enjoying a career season in 2005. Lawrick, who is fourth on the team with a .360 average, has already set single-season career highs in total bases (79), home runs (6), RBIs (45), runs scored (29) and stolen bases (8). Her six home runs are two more than she had in each of the 2003 and 2004 seasons. Lawrick’s 45 RBIs are 21 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 29 runs scored are also a career high, six 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 .360 average, .581 slugging percentage and .476 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 100 innings in 2005 and has produced three or more runs in 28 of those frames. When the Huskers score a run in an inning, 28 percent of the time they add at least two more runs in that frame. Nebraska has also added eight innings where five or more runs have crossed the plate, including a six-run eighth inning on Wednesday against Iowa State.

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. She needs just three runs and two RBIs 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.