Huskers Face Tigers in Pivotal Series

The Nebraska softball team (32-18, 8-8 Big 12) heads to Columbia, Mo., this weekend for a pivotal two-game series with the Missouri Tigers to wrap up the regular-season portion of the 2005 schedule.

At stake against the Tigers is a guaranteed spot in the Big 12 Tournament and a chance to finish the league schedule with a .500 record or better. More important than NU's conference record, however, is securing a place in next week's Big 12 Tournament. The top six teams automatically qualify for the Big 12 Tournament while the seventh, eighth, ninth and 10th place teams must compete in play-in games to qualify for the tournament.

Nebraska enters this weekend in sixth place following Kansas' loss to Missouri on Wednesday. The Huskers are a game behind the Tigers (9-7 Big 12) and one-half game ahead of KU (7-8). A sweep of Missouri this weekend would clinch the fifth seed for Nebraska, regardless of Kansas' outcome.

If NU is unable to get a pair of victories, it would need some help to avoid the play-in game. If the Huskers split with Missouri, NU would only fall to the seventh seed if Kansas were to sweep Iowa State. If Nebraska is swept by the Tigers, NU would finish in seventh place, unless Kansas is swept by the Cyclones.

In the nine-year history of the Big 12 Conference, NU has never participated in the play-in game and has never finished with a losing record in conference play.

Nebraska is coming off a 2-1 week that included a victory at 10th-ranked Oklahoma. After being no-hit against Oklahoma State, the Husker offense responded in a mid-week win at Iowa State and in the first game of the series with the Sooners.

Against Iowa State, NU pushed a run across in the top of the first inning, but the Cyclones responded with a four-run first frame and added another run in the second inning to take what appeared to be a commanding 5-1 lead. Needing five runs to win and despite scoring only five runs over its last three games, Nebraska chipped away with a three-run fourth inning and a one-run fifth inning to tie the game at five and force extra innings.

In the fourth inning, sophomore Devin Porter showed great timing in hitting the first home run of her career. Porter's blast came with two runners on and pulled the Huskers to within 5-4. In the next inning, junior Katie Linke lined a shot off of the Iowa State pitcher that scored senior Sheena Lawrick with the tying run.

In the eighth inning, the NU bats put an end to a frustrating 0-5 record in extra-inning contests this season by exploding with a six-run, two-out rally. Junior Elizabeth Rock tripled with the bases loaded to put the Huskers up 8-5. The triple was the first of her career and her three RBIs were also a career high. Lawrick then scored Rock with an RBI single and junior Trisha Tannahill capped the offensive explosion with a two-run home run that provided NU with the final 11-5 margin.

Nebraska rode the momentum of its 15-hit attack against Iowa State to produce six runs on 12 hits in taking the first game from 10th-ranked OU, 6-4. For the second straight game, NU fell behind early as Heather Scaglione put the Sooners up 1-0 with a solo home run in the bottom of the second inning. A one-out RBI single from sophomore Jamie Waldecker in the top of the fourth inning tied the game and a two-out RBI single off the bat of Porter gave the Huskers their first lead of the game.

Freshman Cassie Kleinsmith, who entered her 86th at bat of the season with just three RBIs, produced another clutch two-out hit in the inning, an opposite-field single that scored two to put NU up 4-1. Heather Scaglione cut the lead to 4-2 in the bottom of the frame with her second solo home run of the game. The game remained 4-2 until Nebraska added two runs in the seventh inning with the help of two Sooner errors and a two-run single from Tannahill.

The runs proved huge when Jamie Fox belted a two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh. Fox's homer pulled OU to with 6-4, but the Sooners would get no closer.

In game two of the series, Oklahoma All-American Kami Keiter silenced the Husker bats by tossing a complete-game, two-hit shutout in OU's 4-0 victory. Christina Enea provided Keiter with all the run support she would need with a two-run double in the first inning and a two-run home run in the fifth inning.

Although NU was unable to complete the sweep of Oklahoma, it was still a successful week. The Huskers entered the week in seventh place in the Big 12 with a 6-7 record and finished the week with an 8-8 mark in league play and a tie for sixth place in the conference standings. The game one win over Oklahoma also marked the first time this season that NU crept above the .500 mark in Big 12 play and was also the 975th victory in the history of Nebraska softball.

Scouting Missouri (37-10, 9-7 Big 12)
Missouri enters this weekend as the fifth- place team in the Big 12 Conference after blanking Kansas 3-0 on Wednesday.

The Tigers are led offensively by Micaela Minner who is hitting .409 with 15 home runs and 50 RBIs. MU has three players with double-digit home run totals, while NU has none. Missouri has hit 68 homers as a team, while the Huskers have hit just 17. The Mizzou offense is hitting .312 as a team, bolstered by seven starters hitting .300 or better.

In the circle, the Tigers' staff boasts a collective 1.53 ERA, led by Erica Peterson. Peterson is 16-2 on the season with a 1.01 ERA in 118.1 innings pitched. Jen Bruck (14-3) has seen the most action behind Peterson, compiling a 1.76 ERA in 103.1 innings. Erin Kalka (6-5), who ranks in the top 10 in six career pitching categories at Missouri and was a 2004 first-team All-Big 12 selection, has thrown only 79.1 innings, posting a 2.21 ERA.

Last Time We Met
Missouri swept the regular-season series from Nebraska last season, one weekend after the Huskers captured the Big 12 regular-season championship. The two teams met again in the Big 12 Tournament title game, with NU defeating MU, 1-0, to sweep the league titles.

In the first regular-season meeting, Ashley DeBuhr received the first Big 12 start of her career and allowed four runs (three earned) in six innings of work and Nebraska scored three runs with the help of four Missouri errors. In the second meeting, a second-inning solo home run from Alicia Kennewell powered the Tigers to a 1-0 win to spoil Nebraska's senior day.

In the Big 12 championship game, Peaches James tossed a complete-game shutout and struck out 16. James also scored the game's only run off an RBI double from Devin Porter as the Huskers held on for a 1-0 victory.

Nebraska leads the all-time series, 44-27, but is just 11-12 in Columbia. In the last five meetings, each team has been shutout twice.

The Race is On
With only one weekend left in the regular-season, the seeds for next week's Big 12 Tournament are becoming more clear. Texas A&M clinched the outright Big 12 regular-season championship when the Huskers upset 10th-ranked Oklahoma last Saturday.

The Aggies will be the top seed for the tournament, while Oklahoma will be the No. 2 seed, Texas will be the No. 3 seed and Baylor will be the fourth seed.

The five, six and seven seeds will be determined this weekend based on the outcome of the Missouri-Nebraska and Kansas-Iowa State series. MU, NU and KU could each finish anywhere from fifth to seventh.

Oklahoma State will be the eighth seed, while the ninth and 10th seeds will be determined by how Iowa State fares this weekend.

Below is a look at how each possible scenario involving the potential five, six and seven seeds would play out:

If NU sweeps and KU sweeps: 5. Nebraska (10-8), 6. Kansas (9-8), 7. Missouri (9-9)
If NU sweeps and KU splits: 5. Nebraska (10-8), 6. Missouri (9-9), 7. Kansas (8-9)
If NU sweeps and KU is swept: 5. Nebraska (10-8), 6. Missouri (9-9), 7. Kansas (7-10)
If NU splits and KU sweeps: 5. Missouri (10-8), 6. Kansas (9-8), 7. Nebraska (9-9)
If NU splits and KU splits: 5. Missouri (10-8), 6. Nebraska (9-9), 7. Kansas (8-9)
If NU splits and KU is swept: 5. Missouri (10-8), 6. Nebraska (9-9), 7. Kansas (7-10)
If NU is swept and KU sweeps: 5. Missouri (11-7), 6. Kansas (9-8), 7. Nebraska (8-10)
If NU is swept and KU splits: 5. Missouri (11-7), 6. Kansas (8-9), 7. Nebraska (8-10)
If NU is swept and KU is swept: 5. Missouri (11-7), 6. Nebraska (8-10), 7. Kansas (7-10)

Healthy Hitting
With back-to-back games with at least 10 hits last week, the Huskers raised their team average in Big 12 games by .027 percentage points, despite being two-hit by Oklahoma on Sunday.

NU pounded out 15 hits against Iowa State on Wednesday and then recorded 12 hits against the 10th-ranked Sooners on Saturday. Nebraska went 27-for-67 in that two-game stretch for a whopping .403 team average.

The Huskers are now hitting .222 in Big 12 play, after entering last week with a .195 average.

Timely Hitting
Nebraska has struggled with timely hitting in Big 12 play this season. In a two-game stretch against Iowa State and No. 10 Oklahoma last week, NU reversed that trend, producing two victories behind 17 runs on 27 hits.

In those two games, the Huskers went 14-for-44 (.318) with runners on base and 9-for-28 with (.321) with runners in scoring position.

In contrast, Nebraska entered last week just 23-for-137 (.168) with runners on base and 16-for-95 (.168) with runners in scoring position.

Above Average
Senior Anne Steffan and junior Elizabeth Rock both are on pace to post season averages that would rank in the top five in school history. Rock, who dipped below the .400 mark for the first time last week, is hitting .393, while Steffan boasts an average of .426. The two are leading the way for Nebraska to have the third-best team batting average in school history.

If the season were to end today, Steffan, Rock and junior Jessica Yoachim would each finish with averages ranking in the top 20 in school history. That would mark just the second time in school history three teammates finished in the top 20 in the same season, joining the 1995 trio of Ali Viola, Tobin Echo-Hawk and Gloria Von Rentzell.

Senior Sheena Lawrick sits just outside the top 20 with a .343 average. If she were to raise her average by .004 points, the 2005 Cornhuskers would become the first team in school history to have four teammates post top-20 averages.

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 112 times in 304 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 Oklahoma on Saturday, five of the seven NU hitters leading off an inning recorded a hit.

DeBuhr Sets Record
Sophomore right-hander Ashley DeBuhr struck out 19 batters in four games last week to increase her season total to 260. With her 236th strikeout against Oklahoma State on April 24, DeBuhr broke Jenny Voss' Nebraska sophomore strikeout 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 to top 300 strikeouts last season when she struck out a school-record 394 batters. DeBuhr currently ranks fourth on the NU single-season strikeout chart.

Huskers Reach 30 Wins
With a victory over Oklahoma State on April 23, NU improved to 30-16 on the season, marking the eighth straight season the Huskers have won at least 30 games in a season. Nebraska is just three wins shy of posting its eighth consecutive 35-win season.

Sacrifices
Junior Elizabeth Rock recorded two sacrifices against Oklahoma last Saturday to increase her team-leading total to 21. With her first sacrifice against the Sooners, Rock became only the fifth player in school history to record 20 sacrifices in a season. Rock currently ranks second on the Nebraska single-season list, just one shy of Deanne Carr's school record of 22. She currently leads the Big 12 Conference and ranks third in the nation with an average of .42 sacrifices per game.

Tale of Four Games
Over its last four games, Nebraska has seen polar opposite results in its wins and losses. In its two losses during that stretch, the Husker offense has failed to produce a run and has recorded only two hits, including being no-hit by Oklahoma State on April 24.

In its two win over that stretch, however, NU recorded back-to-back games with more than 10 hits in producing 17 runs on 27 hits.

Power Surge
The Huskers belted two home runs against Iowa State on April 27, 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 April 13. NU then produced six runs on 12 hits against 10th-ranked Oklahoma in its next game, before being shut out in its last game.

The Huskers had 23 base runners in the game against ISU and had the leadoff hitter reach in five of the eight innings. NU's 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 versus the Cyclones, 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.

In the Oklahoma game, Nebraska produced a four-run fourth inning with timely hitting and added more timely hitting in a two-run seventh inning that proved to be the difference. NU leadoff hitters recorded a hit in five of the seven innings to pace the Huskers' 12-hit attack.

Yoachim Scores 100th Career Run
Junior Jessica Yoachim, who earlier this season recorded the 100th hit of her career, reached another career milestone against Iowa State on April 27. When Yoachim scored the Huskers' seventh run of the game in the top of the eighth inning, it not only proved to be the game-winning run, but 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 six games, with both coming during a four-game stretch. 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 April 27. 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 April 27, including the first intentional pass of her career. Prior to that game, Steffan had never drawn more than one walk in 215 career games.

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 second in conference games only. The Huskers have committed only four errors in their last eight league games.

Senior Sheena Lawrick (first base), juniors Jessica Yoachim (third base) and Elizabeth Rock (right field) and sophomore Jamie Waldecker (catcher) have started every Big 12 game this season and have not commited an error.

Stolen Base Duo
Senior Anne Steffan and junior Jessica Yoachim have become the most lethal base-stealing duo ever to play at Nebraska. Steffan (30 steals) and Yoachim (25 steals), who hit 1-2 in NU's lineup, each rank in the top eight in stolen bases in single-season school history. The 55 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.

Kleinsmith Stepping Up
Freshman Cassie Kleinsmith, who has started 33 games this season, has started the Huskers' last six 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 the second inning, is expected to possibly miss another week. In the meantime, Kleinsmith has stepped up in her absence.

Kleinsmith immediately showed she was ready for the increased role as she hit safely in three of her four starts after the injury, posting a team-best .444 average (4-for-9) for the week of April 20. She also added the first two doubles of her career in back-to-back games against Northern Colorado and Oklahoma State.

Although she went just 1-for-10 last week, Kleinsmith provided a clutch two-out, two-run single on Saturday against Oklahoma that proved critical in the Huskers' 6-4 upset victory over the No. 10 Sooners.

Yoachim On a Roll
Junior Jessica Yoachim has hit safely in 10 of her last 11 games, including four multi-hit games over that stretch. In three games last week, Yoachim went 4-for-12 (.333) after posting a .417 average (5-for-12) the week before.

In Big 12 play, Yoachim is hitting a team-best .320 with 11 runs scored and seven stolen bases. She has also been perfect in the field in 36 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 April 21, 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 May 4. NU came in at No. 28 on the RPI bolstered by a schedule that ranked as the 17th-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 joined Ogee as the only Huskers in school history to steal 30 bases in a season.

NU vs. Ranked Teams
NU is 5-9 this season against ranked teams after splitting a pair of games with 10th-ranked Oklahoma over the weekend. 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, in addition to a 6-4 victory over the Sooners on Saturday.

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.

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, topping her previous high of 4.1. She allowed only one earned run on three hits. The one earned run was her career-low in a start. Borg also picked up the third victory of her career in the 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 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.

Stealing an Advantage
Nebraska has enjoyed a decisive advantage in stolen bases over its opponents this season. Nebraska has stolen 86 bases in 101 attempts (85 percent). While the Huskers have swiped 86 bases, opponents have only stolen 13 bases in 24 attempts (54 percent). Last week, NU was 4-for-4 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 .365 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 13 walks in 13 innings during a two-game series with Oklahoma State April 23 and 24.

Hit Parade
Five Huskers have recorded 10 or more multi-hit games this season. Senior Anne Steffan leads the team with 24 multi-hit performances through 50 games. Juniors Elizabeth Rock (17), Jessica Yoachim (15) and Trisha Tannahill (13) 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 101 multi-hit games this season. A season-high five Huskers recorded multi-hit games at Iowa State on April 27.

RBI Parade
Senior Sheena Lawrick and sophomore Jamie Waldecker have combined for 21 multi-RBI games in 50 contests this season. Even more impressive is the fact that as a team, NU has produced 44 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 April 27.

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.

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 NU's only run scored against the Longhorns.

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

Tough Losses
Nebraska has lost five times in its last 16 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. CU managed just four hits, while the Huskers left 10 on base in a nine-inning loss.

The Huskers are 31-2 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 an eight-inning victory over Iowa State on April 27 being the Huskers' lone extra-inning win.

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 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 when she went deep four times. A proven run producer, Waldecker 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 582 of NU's 975 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 738 of the program's 975 victories.

Big Innings
Nebraska has been prone to producing big innings this season. In total, NU has scored in 102 innings in 2005 and has produced three or more runs in 29 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 April 27 against Iowa State.

Superb Seniors
Senior Sheena Lawrick is enjoying a tremendous senior season. She has reached base safely in 44 of Nebraska's 50 games this season. She is fourth on the team with a .343 average while pacing NU with 12 doubles, six home runs, 45 RBIs, a .552 slugging percentage and 30 walks and ranks second with a .458 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 three categories. She ranks second in the league with 30 walks, seventh with a .458 on-base percentage, and seventh with 45 RBIs. Lawrick also ranks 24th in the league with a .343 average.

Senior Anne Steffan is also having a fine senior season. Steffan leads the team with a .426 average, 30 stolen bases and 75 hits and ranks second with 38 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 24 multi-hit games.

Steffan ranks in the top five in the conference in four offensive categories. She is second in average (.426) and hits (75), third in stolen bases (30) and is sixth in on-base percentage (.466).

Career Year for Lawrick
Senior Sheena Lawrick is enjoying a career season in 2005. Lawrick, who is fourth on the team with a .343 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 .343 average, .552 slugging percentage and .458 on-base percentage would also be career highs. Lawrick also hit safely in a career-high eight games earlier this season.

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 15 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.

Sippel Named Head Coach of Canadian National Team
Nebraska Associate Head Softball Coach Lori Sippel was named head coach of the Canadian National Team, Softball Canada announced on March 14.

The position extends from the spring of this year until Nov. 1, 2008, however Sippel will remain Associate Head Coach at Nebraska. The majority of Team Canada’s competitions will take place during the summer months.

Sippel was a four-time All-Big Eight and two-time second-team All-American selection during her playing career at Nebraska from 1985 to 1988. A four-time Big Eight champion, Sippel was also named the 1988 GTE Academic All-American of the Year, as well as being a Honda Broderick award nominee.

Sippel has had plenty of experiencing with the Canadian National Team. She was a member of the team for 16 years, including participating in the 1996 Summer Olympic Games, softball’s debut as an Olympic sport. After her playing days, Sippel has continued to be involved with Softball Canada, most recently serving as a color commentator for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s telecasts of the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.

For her service to the Canadian National Team, Sippel’s No. 16 was retired by Softball Canada in 1999 and she was inducted into Softball Canada’s Hall of Fame in 2000.

Sippel will first lead the Canadian National Team at the Pacific Rim Summit in Seattle, Wash., from June 6-13. At the tournament, Sippel will join senior Sheena Lawrick as Huskers with connections to the Canadian National Team.

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.

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.

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, going 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.

Tough Schedule
Nebraska has played the 17th-toughest schedule in the nation, according to the lastest RPI projections, released by the NFCA on May 4. The Huskers will play at least 16 games against opponents ranked in the top 25 at the time of the game.

NU has played 14 games against ranked teams this season and finishes the regular season with a pair of games at No. 19 Missouri. The Huskers have also played 11 games against teams currently ranked in the top 11. In those 11 games, NU has posted a 3-8 record, recording wins over co-No. 11 Baylor and Oklahoma and seventh-ranked Oregon State.

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.