Huskers Host Big Red Tournament This Weekend

The 16th-ranked Nebraska softball team continues its 10-game homestand this weekend when it hosts the inaugural Big Red Tournament this Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Bowlin Stadium. Joining the Huskers in the round-robin format are Akron and North Dakota State.

Each team will play two games each day, with the exception of Sunday when Nebraska will play two games, while Akron and NDSU will play just one. On both Friday and Saturday every team will face each other, while on Sunday NU will face both the Zips and Bison.

Nebraska is currently riding a four-game winning streak after sweeping a doubleheader with Northern Colorado on Tuesday. The Huskers used a seven-run fourth inning to run-rule the Bears in the first game, 8-0, behind a one-hit shutout from junior Ashley DeBuhr that included 13 strikeouts.

Pitching again led NU to the doubleheader sweep, as freshman right-hander Molly Hill allowed just one run in a complete-game effort that included a career-high 17 strikeouts in the Huskers' 3-1 win.

With the pair of victories, Nebraska is now 4-0 at Bowlin Stadium this season and the Huskers' 18-4 overall record marks the best start in the 31-year history of the program.

Scouting Akron (6-7)
Akron is 6-7 on the season, but has lost four of its last five games. The Zips and Huskers share one common opponent, St. John's. Akron defeated the Red Storm, 8-7, in their season opener, while NU topped SJU, 11-7, last Friday at the Florida State Invitational in Tallahassee, Fla.

Cali Stratton paces the Zips offense with a .326 average with one home run and a team-high seven RBIs. As a team, Akron is hitting. 222 and is average just over three runs per game.

In the circle, Megan MacKenzie (3-6) is Akron's ace. In 61 innings, MacKenzie has struck out 71 and compiled a 2.36 ERA.

Nebraska and Akron will meet for the first time on Friday.

Scouting North Dakota State (4-16)
In its second year at the Division I level, North Dakota State is 4-16 on the 2006 season and has lost eight straight games.

The Bison and Huskers share two common opponents this season, Nevada and No. 25 North Carolina. NDSU is 0-3 against the Wolfpack and 0-1 versus the Tar Heels and has been outscored 34-6 in those losses. Nebraska is 1-0 against Nevada (3-0) and 0-1 against UNC (1-3).

North Dakota State is led offensively by Allison Bakke, who is hitting a team-high .250. The Bison are hitting just .175 as a team and have scored just 35 runs in 20 games.

In the circle, Amber Garrett (3-4) has logged the most innings, allowing 24 earned runs in 60.2 innings while compilining a team-low 2.77 ERA.

Nebraska leads the all-time series with North Dakota State, 6-0, including a doubleheader sweep last season by a combined score of 15-0.

Program Records 1,000th Victory
Husker softball became the first women's sport at the University of Nebraska to reach the 1,000-win plateau with a 1-0 victory over Kent State on Sunday at the Florida State Invitational.

Nebraska is the fifth Big 12 school to reach the milestone as Kansas became the fourth league school to win 1,000 games during the 2005 season. NU narrowly became the fifth school as Missouri, sitting on 999 all-time victories, suffered a loss on the same day Nebraska recorded the mark.

The milestone was even more special to NU Head Coach Rhonda Revelle and Associate Head Coach Lori Sippel. Both coaches also played at Nebraska and together they have combined to be a part of 832 of NU's 1,000 victories (83 percent).

Fastest Start in School History
After a 4-2 record at the Florida State Invitational last weekend, the Huskers owned a 16-4 record 20 games into the 2006 season. That mark matched the 2003 team for the best record through the first 20 games of a season in the 31-year history of Nebraska softball. The 2006 Huskers have since added two straight victories to claim the best 22-game start in school history as the 2003 squad was 17-5 after 22 games.

Leading Off

• Nebraska's 18-4 record is the best start in school history
• Nebraska is 15-0 when out-hitting the opponent
• Nebraska is averaging more than five runs per game
• NU is 15-1 when holding the opponent to two runs or less
• Five Huskers are hitting .300 or better
• Six Huskers have homered through the first 22 games
• Six Huskers hit a home run in the entire 2005 campaign
• Nebraska has 17 home runs as a team, two shy of the entire 2005 total over 59 games
• Nebraska is 41-of-46 in stolen base attempts after going 16-for-16 last weekend
• Lizzy Aumua leads the team with a whopping .487 average (38-for-78)
• Aumua tied an NU single-game record with a 5-for-5 effort against Illinois
• Devin Porter has produced both a 5-RBI and 6-RBI game this season
• Jamie Waldecker produced a career-high 6 RBIs vs. Illinois, including her first career grand slam
• Crystal Carwile also has a 5-RBI game this season
• Senior KoKo Tacha has already set single-season career highs in hits, doubles, triples, home runs and RBIs
• The Husker pitchers have allowed just one earned run in the last 45.2 innings
• Right-hander Ashley DeBuhr has thrown three consecutive shutouts
• In those shutouts, DeBuhr has tossed a pair of one-hitters and one two-hitter
• Right-hander Molly Hill is 10-1 with a 1.20 ERA in her Husker career
• Hill and DeBuhr combined to record 30 strikeouts out of a possible 36 outs in Tuesday's wins
• Nebraska has already matched its save total (1) from the entire 2005 season
• NU has already hit twice as many triples in 2006 (6) than it did in the entire 2005 season (3)

Monumental Weekend
Last weekend proved to be a monumental three days for the 2006 Nebraska softball team and the history of the Husker program.

With a 3-0 win over Florida A&M on Saturday, the 2006 squad became the fastest team to score 100 runs in the 31-year history of NU softball.

In the final game of the tournament on Sunday, the Huskers captured the consolation championship of the Gold Bracket with a 1-0 victory over Kent State.

That win marked the 1,000 all-time victory in program history, making softball the first women's sport at Nebraska to reach the 1,000-win plateau.

The victory also gave the 2006 Huskers a 16-4 record after 20 games, tying the 2003 squad for the best 20-game start in the history of Nebraska softball.

Scoring Clip
A 3-0 win over Florida A&M that followed an 11-6 victory over St. John's gave the Huskers 100 runs scored in 17 games, making this year's team the fastest squad in school history to score 100 runs.

It took NU just seven games to total 50 runs as the 2006 Huskers tied the school record for the fewest number of games before reaching the 50-run plateau. The 1995 squad finished with 51 runs in seven games.

This season marks only the fourth year in school history that NU scored 100 runs in fewer than 20 games. In contrast, twice in the 31-year history of Nebraska softball the Huskers have taken 30 or more games before they scored 100 total runs on the season.

In the Zone
Nebraska pitchers dominated the Northern Colorado lineup in the Huskers' doubleheader sweep on Tuesday. Junior right-hander Ashley DeBuhr tossed a one-hit shutout and struck out 13 in a five-inning win in the opener and freshman right-hander Molly Hill struck out 17 while allowing just one run in the nightcap.

In 12 innings, DeBuhr and Hill posted 30 strikeouts, an average of 2.5 strikeouts per inning. Thirty-six outs were recorded in the two games, with 30 of those outs coming via the strikeout (83 percent).

Husker Power
Although Nebraska did not hit a home run in Tuesday's doubleheader, the Huskers have still hit 17 home runs in 22 games this season. In comparison, NU hit just 19 dingers in 59 games a year ago.

Freshman Crystal Carwile leads the way with six home runs, including the lone homer last weekend. She also has a two-home run game, becoming the first Husker since Peaches James in 2004 to hit more than one home run in a game. Junior Devin Porter ranks second with a career-high four home runs, while fellow junior Jamie Waldecker has three homers. Seniors KoKo Tacha and Trisha Tannahill and junior Carmen Kier each have one roundtripper on the year.

NU had 12 home runs through seven games to open 2006, after taking 32 games in 2004 and 33 games in 2005 to reach the mark. The Huskers enjoy a 17-to-9 advantage in home runs over their opponents. After the first weekend, NU enjoyed a 6-to-5 advantage, marking the first time since April 18, 2004, that Nebraska has more home runs than its opponents at any point during the season.

Nebraska homered in seven straight games to open the season, the longest stretch since NU homered in 10 consecutive games March 10 through March 17, 2002. The Huskers also have produced four multi-home run games in 2006, after posting just one in 2005 and three in 2004.

Carwile Climbing Freshman Home Run Chart
Freshman Crystal Carwile's three home runs in the first five games of the season were the most home runs by a Husker freshman since Nicole Trimboli hit eight in the whole 2001 campaign. Carwile has since added two more homers to give her five on the season. The school freshman record is 13 by Ali Viola in 1995.

Carwile's five roundtrippers would have ranked third on the 2005 NU squad and her total matches the home run total of all freshmen from the 2004 and 2005 seasons combined.

The Right Stuff
While the overall highlights of last weekend's Florida State Invitational focused on the achievements of the team and program, the accomplishments of junior Ashley DeBuhr and freshman Molly Hill cannot be overlooked.

DeBuhr and Hill combined to allow just seven earned runs in six games last weekend. Even more impressive is that all seven of those earned runs came in the first seven innings of the tournament, meaning the duo combined to throw 33.2 innings without allowing an earned run entering Tuesday's doubleheader. The streak extended to 38.2 innings after DeBuhr tossed a one-hit shutout in a five-inning victory over Northern Colorado in the first game of Tuesday's doubleheader. The streak ended in the first inning of the second game after Hill allowed one earned run.

In the final four games of the FSU Invitational, Hill and DeBuhr posted three shutouts and allowed just two unearned runs in the other contest. In those four games, the pair combined to pitch 27.2 innings, allowing just 12 hits and posting 42 strikeouts. DeBuhr tossed a complete-game one-hitter and two-hitter, while Hill concluded the tournament with a two-hit shutout.

After allowing one earned run in 12 innings on Tuesday, the pair have now allowed just one earned run in the last 45.2 innings.

Stolen Bases
Nebraska finished a perfect 16-of-16 in stolen bases in six games last weekend, averaging nearly three swipes per game. In the doubleheader with Northern Colorado on Tuesday, NU stole 2-of-3 bases. When freshman Kimberly Fuller was thrown out in the third inning of Tuesday's second game, it snapped Nebraska's streak of 22 consecutive stolen bases without being thrown out.

On the season, NU has been successful on 41-of-46 stolen base attempts, stealing at an incredible .890 clip. In comparison, opponents have stolen just nine bases in 13 tries.

At this rate, this year's team could become just the fifth team in school history to record 100 stolen bases in a season. Last year, the Huskers - who were led by All-American Anne Steffan's single-season school-record 32 stolen bases - tallied 91 stolen bases in 108 attempts (.843).

The school record is 128 set by the 2002 Huskers.

Aumua Records 100th Hit
Senior Lizzy Aumua, in her second year at Nebraska after transfering from Mt. San Antonio Junior College, collected her 100th hit with an infield single in the bottom of the third inning in the first game of Tuesday's doubleheader with Northern Colorado.

It took Aumua just 80 games and 239 at bats to reach the milestone. Aumua is the second-fastest player to reach the milestone in school history. Ali Viola (1995 to 1998) was the fastest.

Aumua joins fellow seniors Jessica Yoachim (151) and Trisha Tannahill (150) as current Huskers with 100 or more career hits. Yoachim and Tannahill each recorded their 150th career hits in the past two games.

The Producers
In the first 15 games of the season, four Huskers produced double-figure RBI totals. Junior Jamie Waldecker drove in 16 RBIs in 15 games, while fellow junior Devin Porter produced 14. Freshman Crystal Carwile also boasted 14 and senior KoKo Tacha tallied a career-high 10 in just 15 contests.

In the past five seasons (2001 through 2005) a grand total of four Huskers drove in 10 or more runs in the first 15 games of a season. This year marks the first season in that stretch that more than one Husker drove in 10 or more runs in the first 15 games of a season. In 2005, Sheena Lawrick was the lone player, in 2004 it was Nicole Trimboli, in 2003 it was Lisa Wangler and in 2001 it was Amber Burgess. No player produced double-figure RBI totals through the first 15 games of the 2002 season.

After Tuesday's doubleheader, senior Trisha Tannahill and junior Carmen Kier also reached double-figures in RBIs giving the Huskers six players with 10 or more RBIs through the first 22 games of the season. In 2005, a total of six Huskers produced double-figure RBIs in the entire season.

Winning Streak Snapped
Nebraska saw its 10-game winning streak snapped on March 4 by Big 12 foe Kansas in non-conference action. The Huskers ran off 10 straight wins after a season-opening loss to then-No. 7 Stanford, before the Jayhawks shutout NU, 4-0.

The Huskers committed a then-season-high two errors in the loss, while the four runs allowed were the most since the loss to Stanford. At the plate, Nebraska failed to score at least two runs for the first time this season and the Huskers were held to a season-low three hits.

NU quickly responded by winning its next two games by a combined 16-4 score.

Triple Your Pleasure
Nebraska hit two triples in the fourth inning in the first game of Tuesday's doubleheader to push its season total to six triples. In 2005, the Huskers produced a total of three triples in 59 games.

Hill Suffers First Setback Since 2003
Freshman right-hander Molly Hill suffered the first loss of her career in a 4-0 setback against Kansas on March 4. Hill had started her career 6-0. Hill also finished with a perfect record in her senior year of high school and had not lost a game (excluding travel ball) since 2003.

Hill quickly bounced back by earning a win in her next start. She is 9-1 on the season with a team-low 1.22 ERA in a team-high 68.2 innings.

Huskers Explode for 21 Runs
After a 12-day layoff, the Huskers exploded for seven first-inning runs, eight more in the second and five more in the third en route to a 21-1 rout of Illinois on the first day of the NFCA Leadoff Classic on Feb. 24.

The 21 runs were the second-most in school history (23 is the school record) and marked only the second time in program history that Nebraska scored 20 or more runs in a single game. The Huskers batted around in each of the first three innings and finished with 16 hits.

NU also pounded out four home runs by four different players. The four-homer game marked the first time since March 13, 1998 against Bowling Green - a span of 484 games - that the Huskers had four players hit a home run in the same game.

The 21 runs and 20-run margin of victory were both the largest in the history of Illinois softball, while the Huskers also set and tied several NFCA Leadoff Classic records in the 11th year of the annual prestigious event.

Nebraska's 21 runs were a new Leadoff Classic record, as were the Huskers four home runs. Junior Jamie Waldecker established a new tournament record with six RBIs in the win, while senior Lizzy Aumua also earned a spot in the record book with five hits.

Tacha Off to Career-Best Start
Senior KoKo Tacha is having a career year in her final season as a Husker. While that may sound premature with the season only 20 games old, consider that Tacha has already surpassed some career highs and is approaching her single-season career highs in nearly every offensive category.

Tacha is hitting .302 in 16 starts this season. She has hit three doubles and produced 13 hits and 10 RBIs, all of which are new career bests. She also boasts one home run, which ties her single-season career best. Tacha has also stolen one base while her career high for a season is three.

DeBuhr in Control
Junior right-hander Ashley DeBuhr has been in control in the circle this season. She has shown great command of the strike zone, registering a whopping 95 strikeouts against just 12 walks to post a strikeout-to-walk ratio of nearly 8-to-1.

Back-to-Back in Back-to-Back
Nebraska hit back-to-back home runs in consecutive games on the first - and only - day of the NFCA Leadoff Classic Feb. 24.

In a 21-1 rout of Illinois, freshman Crystal Carwile and senior Trisha Tannahill belted back-to-back home runs in the top of the first inning. Then in the bottom of the first in the second game of the day against Florida Atlantic, junior Jamie Waldecker and Carwile hit back-to-back solo shots.

Tannahill and Carwile were the first Huskers to hit back-to-back home runs since Katie Linke and Peaches James accomplished the feat on March 27, 2004 at Oklahoma State.

Carwile Opens Career with a Bang
Freshman Crystal Carwile not only got off to a tremendous start to the 2006 season, but an incredible start to her Husker career in the first tournament of her rookie season.

Carwile went 1-for-6 with an RBI in her first day, before exploding onto the scene on day two, and finished the tournament as the Huskers' cleanup hitter and boasting a .375 average, three home runs, seven RBIs and a 1.000 slugging percentage.

The Chino, Calif., native opened the second day of her career with a 1-for-3 effort against Cal State Northridge that included her first career home run. Carwile then put together possibly the greatest single-game performance by a freshman hitter in school history.

Hitting in the No. 4 spot for the first time, Carwile quickly produced with an RBI double in the first inning against Utah State. Following a ground out in her next at bat, Carwile belted a solo home run in the fifth inning and secured a Husker victory with a three-run shot in the seventh. She finished the game 3-for-4 with five RBIs.

Carwile closed her first weekend at Nebraska on a three-game hitting streak, finishing 1-for-3 against Nevada in the final game of the Kajikawa Classic.

Hill Brilliant in Career Debut
While Crystal Carwile was making an immediate impact at the plate as a freshman during the season-opening Kajikawa Classic Feb. 10-12, Molly Hill stepped into the circle and produced in her first career tournament as well.

Hill appeared in four games at the tournament - including two starts - and posted a 3-0 record with a 1.53 ERA. In the first start of her career, Hill tossed a complete game and allowed just two runs in an 8-2 victory over 15th-ranked Oregon State. The Wayne, Neb., native then earned a win by tossing four innings of one-hit relief against Cal State Northridge and followed that performance with a victory against Utah State.

Hill was the pitcher of decision in three straight games, earning the victory in each of those contests.

Hill allowed just four earned runs in 18.1 innings in her first weekend of competition. She also struck out 18, while walking just five.

Freshmen Contributions
While Crystal Carwile and Molly Hill have made the biggest impact of Nebraska's six-player freshman class, all six newcomers made their career debuts in their first weekend as a Husker.

Meghan Mullin has also made a significant impact, starting nine games and hitting .278 with six runs scored. Catcher Brittany Pascale has earned 12 starts and is hitting .279.

Kimberly Fuller has earned one start and is 1-for-7 with a run scored and two RBIs. Darcy Rutherford has not earned a start, but has appeared in 14 games and has scored three runs while going 0-for-3 at the plate.

DeBuhr Eclipses 400-Strikeout Mark
Junior right-hander Ashley DeBuhr struck out nine in a five-inning victory over Illinois on Feb. 24. Her fifth strikeout of the game was the 400th of her career, making DeBuhr the fifth player in school history to reach the mark. DeBuhr set the NU sophomore record with 335 strikeouts in 2005.

In 2006, DeBuhr has struck out 108 batters in 68.0 innings. She now has 472 strikeouts in her career.

Multi-Hit Games Boost Team Average
Nebraska has opened the 2006 season by posting a .311 team batting average and recording double-figure hits in seven of its first 22 games.

Senior Lizzy Aumua (.487 average) leads a contingent of five Huskers who are hitting .300 or better. Senior Jessica Yoachim ranks second with a .426 average, while freshman Crystal Carwile (.328) and seniors KoKo Tacha (.311) and Trisha Tannahill (.311) are also hitting better than .300.

Eight Huskers have produced 43 multi-hit games through the first 22 contests of the 2006 season. Aumua leads the way with 12 multi-hit efforts, while Yoachim has produced eight and Carwile and junior Jamie Waldecker have five multi-hit games. Tannahill and Tacha have each produced four games with at least two hits.

Revelle Reaches Another Milestone
Head Coach Rhonda Revelle reached another career milestone on the second day of the Huskers’ season-opening Kajikawa Classic on Feb. 11. When Nebraska defeated Utah State 7-3 in its fourth game of the weekend, it marked Revelle’s 800th game as head coach of the Huskers. Revelle, who pitched for NU from 1981-83, played in 128 career games and has currently been associated with 945 of NU’s 1,552 all-time games (61 percent).

RBIs in Bunches
Through the first 14 games of the season, a Husker produced five or more RBIs in a single game on four occasions. Prior to this season, a total of four Huskers had produced five or more RBIs in a game in the past five years.

Junior Devin Porter has a five- and six-RBI game to her credit, while fellow junior Jamie Waldecker also has a six-RBI game. Freshman Crystal Carwile has also produced a five-RBI game. The school record for most RBIs in a single game is seven, set by Jenny Smith in 1996.

Porter produced five RBIs in consecutive at bats against 15th-ranked Oregon State in the second game of the season. She hit a two-run single in the top of the third inning and belted her second career home run - a three-run shot - one inning later.

Carwile matched the feat the next day when she drove in five against Utah State. Carwile had an RBI double in the first inning, a solo home run in the fifth and a three-run homer in the seventh to give her five RBIs in the game.

Prior to Porter's performance, Nebraska had not had a player produce a five-RBI game in 109 games. Porter and Carwile are also the first Husker teammates to have a five-RBI day in the same season since Nicole Trimboli and Amber Burgess accomplished the feat 29 games apart in the 2002 season.

Junior Jamie Waldecker added a six-RBI game against Illinois at the NFCA Leadoff Classic on Feb. 24, two games after Porter's performance.

Against Northern Iowa on March 5, Porter drove in six runs in consecutive at bats. She hit her first career grand slam in the third inning, then belted a two-run double in the fourth.