Nebraska Returns to Action at Leadoff Classic

After taking last week off following a six-day trip to Hawaii, the 21st-ranked Nebraska softball team returns to the diamond this weekend with its 11th consecutive trip to the 12th Annual NFCA Leadoff Classic in Columbus, Ga.

The Leadoff Classic features a stellar field of 20 teams divided into four pools. Friday and Saturday will consist of round-robin play where each team will play every opponent in its five-team pool. The top team from each pool will advance to the double-elimination Gold Bracket on Sunday, while the Nos. 2, 3, 4 and 5 seeds will also advance to double-elimination bracket play against their same seed from the other three pools.

Joining Nebraska in Georgia are a slew of ranked teams, including No. 13 Michigan, 17th-ranked Baylor, No. 18 Georgia, 19th-ranked Florida, No. 21 Florida State and 25th-ranked Massachusetts.

Nebraska’s pool is one of only two pools to feature more than one ranked team. The 22nd-ranked Seminoles join the 19th-ranked Huskers along with Mississippi State, Seton Hall and Tennessee Tech.

While the caliber of teams promises exciting softball action, weather could again be a factor this weekend. Each of the last two NFCA Leadoff Classics have been cut short due to rain and the tournament has been played to its conclusion only once since 2003. Forecasts for the weekend only call for a small chance of rain on each day of the tournament.

It seemed rain was the only thing that could stop the Huskers last year as they breezed through day one of the tournament before the final two days were canceled due to inclement weather.

NU opened the tournament with an historic effort, setting four Leadoff Classic records while scoring the second-most runs in program history in a 21-1 five-inning rout of Illinois.

The Huskers then used back-to-back first-inning home runs to defeat Florida Atlantic, 5-0, in the nightcap.

On the day, NU hit .421 in its two games, tallying four doubles, six home runs and 25 RBIs while outscorings its opponents 26-1.

Nebraska hopes a return to Georgia rekindles the hot bats, as the Huskers struggled offensively while posting a 4-3 record at the season-opening Paradise Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii.

The Huskers won three games by a score of 1-0, scored only 16 runs in seven games and were shut out once.

With the offense struggling, Nebraska’s pitching stepped up tossing three shutouts and allowing more than two runs just twice while posting a collective 1.75 ERA.

Senior Ashley DeBuhr highlighted the staff’s efforts by going 3-1 with a 0.82 ERA and tossing a pair of two-hit shutouts against then-No. 24 Auburn.

Scouting Tennessee Tech
Tennessee Tech is just 4-5 on the young season, but the Golden Eagles have played a challenging schedule. Last week, TTU was in Auburn, Ala., where the Golden Eagles went 2-3.

Of their five losses, four have come to teams that have either been ranked or received votes in one of the first two USA Today/NFCA Coaches polls, including a 6-3 loss to an Auburn team Nebraska twice defeated by a score of 1-0.

Tennessee Tech has been solid offensively, scoring 37 runs for an average of better than four runs per game. Bonnie Bynum leads the team with a .476 average in seven starts. Five of her 10 hits have gone for extra bases including three doubles and two home runs. Ashley Potts paces a powerful lineup with three home runs and seven RBIs as the Golden Eagles have pounded eight home runs in nine games. In comparison, Nebraska has yet to homer through the first seven games of the 2007 season.

While the top and middle of the order are solid, Tech has five regular starters hitting .231 or lower, including three batting just .150 or lower.

In the circle, Bynum and Sarah Street have split the innings, with Bynum throwing 31.0 innings and Street 22.2. Bynum is 2-3 with a 2.03 ERA and has 39 strikeouts, while Street is just 1-2 with a 4.32 ERA and has only struck out 15. As a staff, Tennessee Tech boasts a 3.52 ERA, but their opponents have an ERA of 3.50.

Friday’s contest will mark the first-ever meeting between Nebraska and Tennessee Tech.

Scouting Florida State
Florida State enters a Wednesday doubleheader at Troy with an 8-1 record and a No. 20 ranking in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches poll. The Seminoles opened the season with six straight wins before losing to Kansas last Friday.

Although FSU’s schedule has lacked big-name schools, the Seminoles have put up incredible numbers. Florida State has outscored its opponents a whopping 65-14 margin. FSU is hitting a robust .356 as a team as nine players are hitting .375 or better.

The Seminoles also boast a great mix of speed and power. Florida State has been successful on 26-of-27 stolen base attempts this season, while the team has produced a .495 slugging percentage including a total of 21 extra-base hits.

Two-time All-American Veronica Wootson has started all nine games and is hitting .385. The catalyst of the Seminole offense, Wootson has scored 16 runs, produced seven RBIs and stolen 10 bases already this season. LaShaun Davis has posted the best power numbers, as she is hitting .391 with four doubles, one home run and a team-high 11 RBIs while posting a .696 slugging percentage and a .483 on-base percentage.

In the circle, Tiffany McDonald is 2-1 with a team-low 0.59 ERA in a team-high 23.2 innings. McDonald has struck out 34 and opponents are hitting just .091 against her. Terese Gober (3-0) and Melissa May (2-0) boast respective ERAs of 1.21 and 1.27 as the Seminole staff has a collective 1.11 ERA.

NU leads the all-time series 9-4 and has won four of the last five meetings, including a 1-0 upset of the third-ranked Seminoles in 2004.

Scouting Seton Hall
Seton Hall went 0-6 last weekend in its first competition of the season at the UNLV Desert Classic. It was a tough first weekend as the Pirates were oustcored 52-8, losing by an average of more than seven runs per game.

SHU was shut out in three games and surrendered 10 or more runs in three games. The Pirates were run-ruled in three games and struggled both offensively and in the circle.

Offensively, Jenna Best hit .357 with a double and two RBIs at the Desert Classic and is the only Pirate hitting above .235. Seton Hall is hitting just .155 as a team with an on-base percentage of only .278.

While the Pirates are hitting just .155, their opponents are hitting a robust .430 with a .702 slugging percentage and a .508 on-base percentage.

Kim Schweitzer has been SHU’s top pitcher, throwing more than half of the staff’s total innings, compiling an 0-3 record with a 5.16 ERA. In 19 innings, Schweitzer has allowed 30 hits and 16 run (14 earned) as opponents are hitting .390 against her and have drawn nine walks while striking out just four times. The Pirates other three pitchers all have ERAs above 15.00 as the staff has a collective 10.39 ERA and has struck out only nine batters in 33 innings.

Saturday’s contest will mark the first-ever meeting between Nebraska and Seton Hall.

Scouting Mississippi State
Mississippi State is 7-3 this season and will host Mississippi Valley State on Wednesday, before traveling to the NFCA Leadoff Classic on Thursday.

The Bulldogs competed at the UNLV Desert Classic last weekend and had an up-and-down tournament. Although MSU lost two of its final three games in Las Vegas, the Bulldogs still managed to pull a huge upset, run-ruling No. 10 California 9-0.

Nebraska and Mississippi State share one common opponent this season in Hawaii. MSU lost to Hawaii 3-2 last Saturday, while the Huskers dropped a pair of one-run decisions to the Rainbow Wahine at the Paradise Classic. MSU is also 1-1 against Iowa State in 2007.

Offensively, the Bulldogs are hitting .304 as a team. Chelsea Bramlett leads the regular starters with a .410 average. A speedster, Bramlett leads the team with 16 hits, 14 runs, two doubles and nine stolen bases. Courtney Bures is hitting .345 and leads the team with 10 RBIs, while Hayle Guess leads the team with two home runs and a .538 slugging percentage.

In the circle, Kelli Miller has thrown nearly half of Mississippi State’s total innings and is 4-1 with a 0.68 ERA. Although she has limited opposing hitters to a .232 average, she has only struck out 14 in 31 innings. Sara Hickerson (0-1, 0.76 ERA) and Kelsey Nurnberg (2-1, 4.32) have also seen extensive time in the circle.

The Bulldogs have struggled defensively, committing 19 errors while posting a .942 fielding percentage. Five players have at least two errors, led by Bures’ six errors in 49 chances.

Nebraska leads the all-time series with Mississippi State, 2-0, with both meetings coming in 2003. Although they have only met twice in school history, the programs are somewhat familiar with each other as Mississippi State traveled to Lincoln for NCAA Regional play in both 2003 and 2004.

Huskers Post Big Wins, Tough Losses at Season-Opening Tournament
Nebraska had a mixed opening weekend, finishing in fourth place at the Paradise Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii, with a 4-3 record. Although the Huskers’ win-loss record was not what they hoped it would be, two of NU’s victories came via a shutout against No. 24 Auburn while a third victory came in a 5-1 win over DePaul, which moved into the top 25 the following week.

Hawaii played the role of spoiler for the Huskers, as the Rainbow Wahine twice rallied from behind in the late innings to hand NU two of its three losses. Nebraska’s other loss came to a Portland State team the Huskers’ had shut out the previous day.

Nebraska was close to posting a much better record at the tournament, as the Huskers had a lead in every game they played except one. Hawaii was the only team to come back and take a lead at any point in a game in which the Huskers’ led.

As is often the case in a season-opening tournament, the NU pitching staff was stronger than the Husker offense. While the staff combined to throw three shutouts and allowed more than two runs in only two of the six games, Nebraska’s offense was shut out once and held to just a single run on three other occasions.

A Look at the Expected Lineup
1. Devin Porter, SS (7 starts, .238, 0 HR, 0 RBIs)
Porter has made great progress as a player through her first three seasons in the Husker program. She has been named the Huskers’ Most Improved Player in each of the last two years and enjoyed her best season in 2006, when she earned second-team All-Big 12 honors after leading the Huskers with a .360 average in league play.

2. Meghan Mullin, RF (7 starts, .348, 0 HR, 2 RBIs)
Mullin saw limited action as a freshman in 2006, but showed good patience and bat control in the box. As a regular starter this season, Mullin has already matched or surpassed her freshman totals in hits, stolen bases and RBIs, while recording the first three multi-hit games of her career at the season-opening Paradise Classic.

3. Jamie Waldecker, C (6 starts, .176, 0 HR, 0 RBIs)
A clutch hitter with power, Waldecker is also one of the best defensive catchers in the Big 12 Conference. Although her home run total was down in 2006, Waldecker posted the highest average of her career en route to earning her second career all-conference honor. Waldecker boasts the most career hits, home runs and RBIs of any Husker.

4. Haley Long, CF (5 starts, .467, 0 HR, 4 RBIs)
Long was a late find for the Huskers as she was brought in this past summer to add depth to the outfield. She was a sparkplug for the NU offense at the season-opening Paradise Classic, as the power slapper finished 7-for-15 to lead all regular starters with a .467 average and also led the team with four RBIs.

5. Crystal Carwile, 1B (7 starts, .286, 0 HR, 2 RBIs)
Carwile burst onto the scene as a freshman in 2006, homering three times in her first weekend en route to finishing the season with 12 home runs, one shy of the NU freshman record. Carwile began the 2007 season slowly after missing the offseason with shoulder surgery, but went 3-for-6 with a triple and two RBIs in her last two games.

6. Brittany Pascale, DP (6 starts, .188, 0 HR, 0 RBIs)
Pascale showed continued improvement throughout 2006 and emerged as one of NU’s most clutch hitters. Pascale had three seventh-inning, pinch-hit at bats that resulted in her producing the game-tying run. She has also shown patience, drawing 16 walks in 108 plate appearances, including four walks in seven games this season.

7. Alex Hupp, LF (5 starts, .133, 0 HR, 2 RBIs)
A two-time NFCA High School All-American, Hupp is a solid pitcher and also swings a big bat. She tossed a one-hit shutout in her first career start to become the first Husker pitcher to throw a shutout in her collegiate debut since All-American Peaches James in 2001. Offensively, Hupp is tied for second on the team with a pair of RBIs.

8. Ashley DeBuhr, RHP (3 starts, 3-1, 0.82 ERA, 35 Ks, 25.2 IP; .000, 0 HR, 1 RBI)
DeBuhr continued to become even more dominant in the circle, following her second-team All-Big 12 and All-Midwest honors from 2005 with first-team selections in 2006. After starting each of the last two seasons slowly, DeBuhr was dominant out of the gate, tossing a pair of two-hit shutouts against No. 24 Auburn.

9. Carmen Kier, 3B (7 starts, .111, 0 HR, 0 RBIs)
Kier enters her second season as the starter at third after belting a career-high five home runs and driving in a career-high 19 in 2006. Known as a patient hitter, Kier has drawn 38 walks through her first three seasons. She also boasts power to all fields as nearly 30 percent of her career hits have gone for extra bases.

9. Whitney Barrett, 2B (6 starts, .222, 0 HR, 1 RBI)
Just a freshman, Barrett is expected to be a key contributor for Nebraska this season. Despite being bothered by an eye problem that limited her vision, Barrett hit .222 in her first weekend as a Husker and also added an RBI. She was also solid defensively, committing just one error while making several nice plays at second.

Crystal Gonzalez, CF (6 starts, .222, 0 HR, 1 RBI)
Labeled as "probably the best defensive prospect in Southern California" by the Los Angeles Times, Gonzalez was perfect in the field in her opening weekend and also added four hits and two stolen bases.

Darcy Rutherford, OF (2 starts, .500, 0 HR, 0 RBIs)
Rutherford is arguably the Huskers’ most improved player. Primarily a pinch runner in 2006, where she appeared in 25 games and scored four runs, Rutherford went 2-for-4 at the Paradise Classic to post her first career hit.

Kimberly Fuller, INF (1 start, .000, 0 HR, 0 RBIs)
In limited action in 2006, Fuller went 2-for-11, but drew three walks to post a .357 on-base percentage. She is expected to see more time this season and in one start is 0-for-3.

Jaime Borg, OF (1 start, .000, 0 HR, 0 RBIs)
Borg moves back to the outfield after being the Huskers’ No. 3 pitcher in each of the past two seasons. She recorded her first career hit and stolen base last season and added a career-high 10 runs and two walks.

Molly Hill, RHP (2 starts, 0-2, 3.41 ERA, 15 Ks, 12.1 IP)
Hill is the Huskers’ No. 2 pitcher and is expected to make a few starts this weekend. As a freshman, Hill went 18-2 to establish a school record with a .900 winning percentage. She is 0-2 this year after the first weekend of play.

Nebraska at the NFCA Leadoff Classic
The Huskers will be making their 11th consecutive trip to the 12th Annual NFCA Leadoff Classic this weekend. Nebraska owns a 28-19 all-time record at the event and claimed the 2002 championship. NU was the runner-up in 1998 and unofficially finished second in a rain-shortened 2006 event, losing a tie-breaker for first place.

Nebraska went 2-0 on the first day of last year’s tournament, defeating Illinois, 21-1, in five innings and Florida Atlantic, 5-0, before the remainder of the tournament was washed out. While scoring the second-most runs in program history against the Illini, NU broke or tied four NFCA Leadoff Classic single-game records, including runs (21), team home runs (4), individual hits (5 by Lizzy Aumua), individual RBIs (6 by Jamie Waldecker) and combined runs in a game (22).

Below is a look at how NU has fared in its 10 previous trips to the Leadoff Classic, as well as the career statistics of every Husker with at least three career at bats and one career start in the circle in the tournament.

Hupp Posts Shutout in First Career Start
Freshman right-hander Alex Hupp tossed a one-hit shutout in her first career start against Portland State on Feb. 9. In an outstanding debut performance, Hupp became the first Husker to toss a shutout in her first career start since All-American Peaches James began her outstanding career with a two-hit shutout against UNLV on Feb. 9, 2001.

Hupp was masterful against the Vikings, facing the minimum through five while taking a no-hitter into the sixth. She surrendered just one hit and one walk, while striking out five and allowing only one ball to leave the infield the entire game.

DeBuhr’s Big Weekend
After starting the season slowly in each of her first three years, senior right-hander Ashley DeBuhr was dominant right from the start in 2007. Facing 24th-ranked Auburn in the season opener, DeBuhr took a no-hitter into the sixth inning while tossing a two-hit shutout in the Huskers’ 1-0 eight-inning victory.

In her next game, DeBuhr surrendered the game-winning hit in relief against Hawaii, but was not charged with an earned run. She came back strong the next day, allowing only one run in a complete-game six-hitter against a DePaul squad which entered the national rankings the following weekend.

After a day of rest, DeBuhr faced Auburn for a second time and was even more dominant. While tossing her second two-hit shutout against the Tigers, DeBuhr tied her career high with 17 strikeouts. She was called on later in the day in relief against Hawaii and the Rainbow Wahine scored two runs off DeBuhr to post a come-from-behind victory.

In her three starts, DeBuhr went 3-0 with a 0.27 ERA, 31 strikeouts and two shutouts against a pair of teams that have both been ranked in the top 25 this season.

Outfielders Step Up
On paper, Nebraska’s biggest question mark entering the 2007 season was in the outfield, where the Huskers lost all three starters from 2006 and did not return a single player with more than 24 career at bats. Adding to the uncertainty at the position was the fact that only four players were listed as outfielders - two sophomores, a junior college transfer and a freshman - prompting freshman pitcher Alex Hupp to earn an opening-day start in left field.

While the season is just one tournament old, the outfielders did their part in the opening weekend to answer any questions about how a lack of experience on the Division I level would affect their ability to contribute to the Huskers’ success in 2007.

Four outfielders rank among the top five on the team in batting average, while sophomore Haley Long leads the team in RBIs and sophomore Meghan Mullin and Hupp rank second. The outfielders have also combined to post two of Nebraska’s seven extra base hits and four of NU’s five stolen bases.

As a group, the starting outfield combined to hit .333 with eight RBIs, seven runs and a .420 on-base percentage in seven games at the Paradise Classic. Five different players saw time in the outfield and each player collected at least two hits.

Mullin’s Fast Start
Sophomore Meghan Mullin saw her first consistent play as a starter at the Paradise Classic and responded in a big way. Mullin, who appeared in 38 games last season with 12 starts, surpassed some of her 2006 totals in only the first weekend of the 2007 season.

On opening day, Mullin went 2-for-4 against both No. 24 Auburn and host Hawaii to post the first multi-hit games of her career. She also added a stolen base in each game to match her total from a season ago. After the second day of the season, Mullin had a career-high four-game hitting streak and her six hits and two RBIs through her first 12 at bats matched her total from her freshman season when she had 24 at bats.

A native of Mesa, Ariz., Mullin added another two-hit game against the 24th-ranked Tigers before finishing the opening weekend with a .348 average (8-for-23) after hitting .250 (6-for-24) in 2006. Mullin also recorded a career-high four putouts in Hawaii.

DeBuhr Strikes Out 700th Batter
When senior Ashley DeBuhr struck out Auburn’s Jorja Bell in the seventh inning of the Huskers’ 1-0 win on Feb. 11, the strikeout not only gave DeBuhr a career-high-tying 17 in the game but also marked the 700th strikeout of DeBuhr’s career.

A native of Beatrice, Neb., DeBuhr is just the fifth player in school history to reach the 700-strikeout plateau. She needs just six more strikeouts to move past Jenny Voss for fourth-place on the NU all-time chart. DeBuhr also has a chance at the all-time strikeout record at Nebraska.

DeBuhr entered the season needing 278 strikeouts to claim the top spot, an attainable mark considering DeBuhr has averaged nearly 320 strikeouts over the past two seasons. With one week of competition under her belt, DeBuhr trails Peaches James’ all-time record by 234.

Huskers Well Represented on Big 12 Honor Roll
The Nebraska softball team was well represented on the Big 12 Commissioner’s Fall 2006 Honor Roll, with a total of 10 current and former players earning a spot on the list.

Sophomore pitcher Molly Hill and former Husker KoKo Tacha highlighted the list by posting a perfect 4.0 grade-point average. To be eligible for the honor roll, student-athletes must have maintained a GPA of 3.0 or higher. In all, 270 Nebraska student-athletes were honored, including 33 with a 4.0 GPA.

Tacha made the list for a ninth time, as she has been named to the honor roll every semester. Senior Jaime Borg earned a spot on the list for the seventh time in seven semesters, while Hill and fellow sophomore Meghan Mullin each made it a perfect 3-for-3. Other repeat selections included senior Ashley DeBuhr (fourth honor) and former Husker Jessica Yoachim (eighth selection), who is in her fifth year at Nebraska after earning an undergraduate degree in Communication Studies in May of 2006.

Newcomers to the honor roll were freshmen Alex Hupp, sophomores Brittany Pascale and Darcy Rutherford and senior Jamie Waldecker.

Huskers Hope to Parallel 1998 Team’s Success
While Nebraska was disappointed with its 4-3 record at the season-opening Paradise Classic, the Huskers hope to build off the Hawaii trip much like the 1998 team did.

The 1998 Huskers were the last team to travel to Hawaii and after finishing with just a 3-3 record at the Paradise Classic, NU went on to post a 45-9 record the rest of the season to set the best single-season winning percentage in school history, become the only team to finish Big 12 Conference play with an undefeated record, sweep the league regular-season and postseason titles and advance to the Women’s College World Series.

Nebraska gets its first chance to follow in the ?98 team’s footsteps this weekend at the NFCA Leadoff Classic. The Leadoff Classic marked the second tournament of the season for the 1998 Huskers, who responded to a disappointing Hawaii trip by posting a 5-1 record and a runner-up finish at the Leadoff Classic.

Pitchers Perform Well in Hawaii
The Husker pitching staff - considered the strength of the team - posted a solid opening weekend, finishing with a 1.75 ERA, allowing just 12 earned runs on 33 hits in 48.0 innings. The Husker hurlers also struck out 55, walked only 13 and picked up three shutouts.

While these numbers are more than respectable, they could have been even greater had it not been for a pair of games against host Hawaii. In two games against the Rainbow Wahine, NU surrendered 10 runs (nine earned) in 13.0 innings for a 4.85 ERA. The staff also combined for just nine strikeouts while walking four.

In the five other games of the Paradise Classic - which included a pair of contests against No. 24 Auburn one game against DePaul, which entered the national rankings the following week - the staff posted incredible numbers. In posting a 4-1 record in these games, Nebraska allowed just three earned runs in 35.0 innings for a microscopic 0.60 ERA. The staff also combined to post 46 strikeouts and walk only nine.

Crowded Basepaths
Although Nebraska struggled offensively in Hawaii, the team can take comfort in the fact that while it didn’t score a lot of runs, getting baserunners was not a problem.

NU played a total of 49 innings at the Paradise Classic and had at least one baserunner in 35 of those frames (71 percent), including getting the leadoff hitter aboard 17 times (35 percent). Despite plentiful opportunities, the Huskers plated a run in just nine innings, only converting on 25 percent of the opportunities where they had least one baserunner in an inning.

The Huskers left a total of 49 runners on base in seven games, an average of seven per contest. Considering the middle of the Husker order features three All-Big 12 honorees and some of the Huskers’ best and most experienced bats, if the success at producing baserunners continues, it should only be a matter of time before that translates into more runs.

DeBuhr Taken in First Round of 2007 NPF College Draft
Senior right-hander Ashley DeBuhr was selected by the Philadelphia Force in the first round of the 2007 National Pro Fastpitch College Draft, held on Feb. 14 in Denver, Colo.

DeBuhr was the eighth overall pick and the third pitcher selected. A native of Beatrice, Neb., DeBuhr was one of eight Big 12 players drafted among the 27 total picks.

Players selected in the NPF draft will be permitted to pursue any available roster spot on their assigned team after completing their college season. To be eligible for the draft, each player had to be a senior however being does not affect a player’s remaining collegiate eligibility.

Tough Schedule Ahead
Nebraska has grown accustomed to playing one of the toughest schedules in the nation, and 2007 will be no exception. NU will play at least 18 games against teams that earned 2006 NCAA Tournament bids.

The Huskers will also play at least four regular-season contests against teams that advanced to Super Regionals, including a pair against Women's College World Series participant Texas.

Nebraska is also scheduled to play at least 13 regular-season games against eight teams ranked in the USA Today/NFCA preseason top 25 poll.

Revelle Nears 600th Wins
Head Coach Rhonda Revelle boasts a career record of 565-294, including a 557-278 mark at Nebraska. Already the first women’s coach of any sport in school history with 500 career wins, Revelle ranks third all-time among all coaches in NU history with her 557 wins at Nebraska.

Revelle is approaching another milestone this season, as she needs just 35 victories to reach the 600-win milestone and 43 victories to record her 600th win at Nebraska.

Huskers Look for 13th Consecutive NCAA Tournament Appearance in 2007
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 12 NCAA Tournaments and they look to make it 13 straight in 2007. NU also has a history of earning high seeds in the tournament. In the eight seasons prior to the format switch in 2005, Nebraska earned a No. 2 seed or higher in the NCAA Regional every season. The only other teams that accomplished that feat were Arizona, Michigan, Oklahoma and Washington.

Overall, NU has earned 17 NCAA Tournament bids, tying Texas A&M for the most NCAA berths of any Big 12 school. The Huskers have advanced to the College World Series seven times, the most of any school in the league.

Nebraska also has a strong history of hosting regionals at Bowlin Stadium. The Huskers have been awarded an NCAA Regional in three of the last four years.

Big 12 Dominance
Head Coach Rhonda Revelle owns at least a .500 career record against every coach in the Big 12 Conference (excluding first-year head coaches). Revelle owns a winning record over each of her Big 12 peers, with the exception of Iowa State's Stacy Gemeinhardt-Cesler, whose Cyclones posted a 1-1 record against Nebraska in 2006, Gemeinhardt-Cesler’s first year as a head coach.

Program Stability
Nebraska softball is renowned for its tradition and one of the Huskers' richest traditions is program stability. Nowhere is this highlighted more than looking at NU Head Coach Rhonda Revelle and Associate Head Coach Lori Sippel.

Revelle is in her 15th season at the helm of the Husker program, while Sippel enters her 18th year in Lincoln. Both coaches also played for Nebraska, with Revelle enjoying a three-year career and Sippel starring for four years.

In fact, Revelle and Sippel have combined to be a part of 860 of Nebraska's 1,028 all-time victories (84 percent).

Huskers Lead in Graduation Rate
Nebraska's exhausted eligibility rate among all sports reached 94 percent in the latest rates released by the NCAA in November of 2006. The Huskers' rate was the best in the Big 12 Conference for the fourth consecutive year.

Softball has done its part, as Nebraska graduated five players in 2006, including three Huskers who earned their degrees before completing their playing eligibility.

Endowed Scholarships
On Aug. 14, 2006, the Nebraska softball program proudly announced the endowment of the Julie Geis Memorial Scholarship. The scholarship, awarded annually to a member of the softball team, is the Husker softball program’s second fully endowed scholarship, along with the Richard Raimondi Memorial Scholarship.

Husker softball now has the only two fully endowed scholarships for female athletes at Nebraska.

Huskers Excelling in the Pros
Three former Huskers were named all-stars in the National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) in 2005, the only season the league held an all-star game. The Huskers’ total of three players in the game trailed only UCLA for the most selections among all colleges and universities in the nation.

Former Huskers Peaches James (2001-04), Nicole Trimboli (2001-04) and Anne Steffan (2002-05) were each named all-stars. The trio then teamed up to lead the Chicago Bandits to a league-best regular-season record in 2006, with Steffan earning All-NPF honors after finishing second in the league with a .400 average.

Olympic Connections
Associate Head Coach Lori Sippel was named Head Coach of the Canadian National Team in March of 2005 and will lead the Canadians in the 2008 Olympic Games.

In her short tenure as head coach of Team Canada, Sippel has already guided the Canadians to great success. At the World Cup of Softball in July of 2005, Sippel led the Canadians to a 2-1 upset of the United States, handing the Americans their first loss in international play since 2002.

This past summer, Sippel led her team to a runner-up finish at the Canada Cup and a third-place finish at the II World Cup of Softball. She then took her squad to the World Championship in Beijing, China, where Team Canada secured an automatic berth in the 2008 Olylmpics by virtue of a fifth-place finish.

One of Sippel's star players is former Husker Sheena Lawrick, who was selected to the 2004 Canadian Olympic Team despite recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament when the team was announced. A native of Calgary, Alberta, Lawrick started two games for the Canadians, who finished the Olympics with a 3-4 record, tying for the country's best showing ever. Lawrick also produced both RBIs in Canada's upset victory over Team USA in 2005.

Home Sweet Home
The Husker softball team continued to receive tremendous fan support in 2006. Nebraska ranked 10th in the nation in Division I softball attendance with an average of 626 fans per game. NU was one of 15 schools to draw 10,000 or more fans and one of only three schools to reach the mark in 16 or fewer home games.

The thousands of fans who passed through the gates of Bowlin Stadium were not only treated to great softball, but watched the game from one of the top stadiums in the nation. In addition to its many fan amenities, Bowlin Stadium and its tremendous playing surface was named the 2004 SportsTurf Managers Association Field of the Year.