Huskers Head to Las Vegas This Weekend

The 23rd-ranked Nebraska softball team ended the NFCA Leadoff Classic on a high note, finishing the tournament on a season-high three-game winning streak and the Huskers hope to carry that momentum into this weekend’s UNLV Invitational in Las Vegas, Nev.

Wins will not come easily this weekend as two of the Huskers’ first three opponents have spent time in the national rankings this season. NU opens the tournament against a Fresno State squad that just recently dropped out of the top 25. Nebraska then closes day one of the tournament against a DePaul squad that finished first at the season-opening Paradise Classic, where the Huskers finished fourth despite a 5-1 victory over the Blue Demons.

Day two of the UNLV Invitational begins with a matchup against traditional powerhouse and 18th-ranked Cal, who has eliminated Nebraska from postseason play in two of the last three seasons, including knocking the Huskers out at home in the round of 16 in 2004.

A hot-hitting Southern Utah squad is up next for Nebraska, before the Huskers finish the tournament on Sunday against Delaware State.

Nebraska is making its first trip to the desert since 2005, when NU made its final of three straight appearances in a UNLV-hosted tournament. The Huskers traditionally do well in Las Vegas as they own a 12-6 record there since the 2000 season.

NU will be without the services of senior catcher Jamie Waldecker this weekend. The Huskers’ No. 3 hitter and a two-time All-Big 12 selection, Waldecker suffered a broken hand last weekend and may miss up to six weeks.

Last weekend, Nebraska went 3-2 and captured the bronze bracket championship at the NFCA Leadoff Classic. After dropping two tough games on the opening day of the tournament, the Huskers pulled out three straight one-run victories to close the event, including a nine-inning victory over Mississippi State and a 2-1 win over 18th-ranked Georgia.

Nebraska struggled to score runs at the Leadoff Classic, but that doesn’t mean the Huskers didn’t have opportunities. NU did score 15 runs in five games - including a season-high seven against Mississippi State - but the Huskers stranded a total of 53 runners on the weekend, an average of more than 10 runners per game.

NU did improve on its situational hitting as the tournament progressed as Nebraska left just 25 runners on base in the final three games of the tournament after stranding 28 in the first two losses.

The missed opportunities have cost NU this year, as the Huskers have lost three one-run games.

One bright spot of the weekend was sophomore right-hander Molly Hill, who picked up her first victory of the season by tossing a three-hitter against No. 18 Georgia.

Scouting Fresno State
Fresno State, the preseason favorite to win the Western Athletic Conference title, is 8-6 on the season after taking 2-of-3 in a three-game series with Louisville last weekend. Nebraska is 0-2 against the WAC this season, losing twice at Hawaii in the first tournament of the year.

The Bulldogs have faced a pair of ranked teams this season, losing 10-2 to Texas A&M and 4-3 to Northwestern.

FSU is led offensively by Haley Perkins, who leads the team with a .333 average, 17 hits and three stolen bases. Robin Mackin is the team leader in home runs with two and she is one of four players with at least six RBIs, whereas Nebraska has just one player with six RBIs. As a team, Fresno State is hitting just .237, but the Bulldogs are averaging better than three runs per game.

Nebraska associate head coach and Team Canada head coach Lori Sippel will see a familiar face in the circle for Fresno State. The Bulldogs’ top pitcher is Mackin, who also pitches for Sippel on Team Canada. A power pitcher, Mackin is just 6-5 on the season but boasts a 1.36 ERA. She has struck out 83 batters in 77.0 innings, while surrendering just 57 hits and tossing three shutouts.

Two of the most storied programs in the history of NCAA Softball, Fresno State and Nebraska have met 18 times, with the Bulldogs enjoying an 11-7 series edge. Five of the meetings have come in the Women’s College World Series, with FSU owning a 3-2 advantage. The teams last met in 2003, splitting a pair of games with the Huskers posting a 1-0 win and Fresno State winning by a score of 7-3. The Bulldogs have won nine of the last 11 meetings.

Scouting DePaul
Nebraska is quite familiar with DePaul, as the Blue Demons have been at each of the first two tournaments with Nebraska before heading to Las Vegas this weekend. DePaul boasts the same record as the Huskers at 7-5, but Nebraska topped the Blue Demons, 5-1, at the season-opening Paradise Classic on Feb. 9.

DePaul has played a challenging schedule and has several opponents in common with the Huskers. While Nebraska finished fourth at the five-team Paradise Classic, DePaul claimed the championship finishing 5-2, while Nebraska was just 4-3.

Offensively, Marcy Wilus has started all 12 games and is the only Blue Demon hitting better than .300. Wilus is hitting .343 on the season with team-high totals of 12 hits, one double, six runs, three home runs, eight RBIs and a .629 slugging percentage. As a team, DePaul is hitting .254 but is averaging nearly four runs per game.

In the circle, Tracie Adix has been stellar despite some spotty defense behind her. Addix has thrown nearly half of the team’s innings and is 4-1 with a 0.42 ERA. She has been tagged for nine runs in 33.0 innings, but only two have been earned as opponents are hitting just .179 against her. As a staff, the Blue Demons are holding opponents to a paltry .180 average.

Nebraska trails the all-time series with DePaul, 7-2, as the Huskers picked up just their second victory ever - but second in the last two meetings - over the Blue Demons in the fourth game of the season.

Scouting California
Twice the Huskers’ postseason nemesis in the last three years, Nebraska will get a shot at California in the regular-season this Saturday. A young Cal squad enters this weekend with a 10-6 record. It has been an up-and-down season for the Bears, as six of their 10 wins have been run-rule victories, while they have been run-ruled in three of their six losses.

Cal has faced a challenging schedule that has included three ranked teams, with the Bears dropping each contest. California has also faced three Big 12 teams, defeating Kansas 8-0 in the season opener, before beating Oklahoma State 6-3 and falling to undefeated Oklahoma, 11-3 in five innings last weekend.

Offensively, Christina Schallig is off to a great start, hitting a team-high .425 while starting every game this season. Schallig leads a potent Bear lineup that is hitting .294 this season while averaging nearly six runs per game. Three Bears have scored 10 runs and three players have also totaled double-digit RBIs, while Nebraska’s leader in each category has seven runs and six RBIs. Katie Vickers has also been stellar, hitting .378 while leading the team with 19 home runs. The Bears also boast a fast lineup, as they have stolen 26 bases in 30 tries.

In the circle, Cal uses a balanced staff, but each pitcher has an ERA above 3.00. Freshman Brittany LaRosa - a high school teammate of Husker freshman Crystal Gonzalez - has thrown a team-high 32.2 innings. Although she has thrown Cal’s only two shutouts, LaRosa is just 3-2 with a 3.64 ERA. Lauren Frankiewicz leads the staff with a 3-1 record and a 3.03 ERA in 30.0 innings, while Marissa Drewrey (4-3, 4.57 ERA in 30.2 innings) has also seen extensive action.

Nebraska leads the all-time series with Cal, 14-12. The Bears have won the last four meetings, with all of the victories coming in the postseason as Cal has eliminated the Huskers from two of the last three NCAA Tournaments in the regional finals. Nebraska owns a three-game winning streak during the regular season.

Scouting Southern Utah
Southern Utah is just 8-7 on the season but the Thunderbirds feature a balanced and explosive lineup. Southern Utah and Nebraska share one common opponent, as the Thunderbirds beat Portland State 11-8, while the Huskers split a pair of games with Portland State, winning 1-0 before falling 2-0.

Offensively, SUU is hitting .329 and has belted 23 home runs while averaging nearly seven runs per game. Seven regular starters are hitting .326 led by Marci Pratt who is hitting .417 with a 1.042 slugging percentage, including seven doubles and seven home runs.

While the offense has been nearly unstoppable, opposing offenses have had equal success against the Thunderbird pitching staff. The staff boasts a collective 5.29 ERA and has allowed 100 runs through the first 15 games. Kristina Brooks (4-5, 5.07 ERA) and Marissa Gonzalez (3-2, 6.68 ERA) have been Southern Utah’s top two pitchers. Perhaps the most promising pitcher has been Bobbie Jo Merrill, who is 1-0 with a 1.35 ERA in 10.1 innings of work this season.

Southern Utah has also been hurt by a Thunderbird defense that has committed 31 errors this season and is fielding at only a .928 clip.

Nebraska leads the all-time series with Southern Utah, 2-0, as the Huskers have outscored the Thunderbirds 20-3 in the two meetings.

Scouting Delaware State
Delaware State was selected as the pre-season runner-up to Florida A&M for the 2007 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference title. This weekend’s UNLV Invitational will mark just the second tournament of the season for the Hornets.

Delaware State opened its season last weekend at UNC Wilmington. DSU finished as the No. 4 seed in the six-team field. The Hornets split on the opening day of their season, defeating Stony Brook, 9-8, after falling 3-2 to Gardner Webb in their season opener.

DSU then dropped a pair of games on the second day of the tournament, falling 12-0 to host UNC Wilmington and losing a tight 3-2 decision to Charleston Southern.

Sunday’s contest will mark the first-ever meeting between Delaware State and Nebraska.

A Look at the Expected Lineup
1. Meghan Mullin, RF (12 starts, .395, 0 HR, 4 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 surpassed her freshman totals in hits, stolen bases and RBIs, while recording the first five multi-hit games of her career to lead the team in that category.

2. Darcy Rutherford, LF (5 starts, .429, 0 HR, 0 RBIs)
Rutherford is arguably the Huskers’ most improved player. Primarily a pinch runner in 2006, when she appeared in 25 games and scored four runs, Rutherford went 2-for-4 in the first weekend to post her first career hits. She currently leads the team with a .429 average, collecting six hits in 14 at bats after going 0-for-3 in 2006.

3. Devin Porter, SS (12 starts, .231, 1 HR, 1 RBI)
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.

4. Crystal Carwile, 1B (12 starts, .300, 0 HR, 3 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 has emerged lately to post a .300 batting average.

5. Haley Long, CF (10 starts, .371, 0 HR, 6 RBIs)
Long was a late find for the Huskers as she was brought in this past summer to add depth to the outfield. A power slapper, she has been a sparkplug for the NU offense as she ranks third with a .371 average and leads the team with four doubles and six RBIs while reaching base at a .405 clip.

6. Brittany Pascale, C (10 starts, .308, 0 HR, 2 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 19 walks in 133 plate appearances, including a team-high seven this season.

7. Ashley DeBuhr, RHP (5 starts, 4-2, 1.47 ERA, 48 Ks, 43.0 IP; .188, 0 HR, 2 RBIs)
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.

8. Alex Hupp, DP (7 starts, .091, 0 HR, 3 RBIs)
A two-time NFCA High School All-American, Hupp is a solid pitcher who can also hit. 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 has added a pair of hits and three RBIs.

9. Carmen Kier, 3B (12 starts, .118, 0 HR, 2 RBIs)
Kier enters her second season as the starter at third after belting a career-high five homers and driving in a career-high 19 in 2006. Known as a patient hitter, Kier has drawn 43 career walks, including five last weekend. She also boasts power to all fields as nearly 30 percent of her career hits have gone for extra bases.

10. Whitney Barrett, 2B (10 starts, .118, 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 has limited her vision, Barrett has appeared in all 12 games and has started 10 contests. She has been in and out of the batting lineup as the Huskers search for production from the bottom of the order.

Jamie Waldecker, C (9 starts, .200, 1 HR, 1 RBI)
A clutch hitter with power, Waldecker is also one of the best defensive catchers in the Big 12 Conference. A hand injury, however, kep her out of the lineup in the Huskers’ final three games at the Leadoff Classic and could keep her out of the lineup for up to six weeks.

Crystal Gonzalez, OF (8 starts, .231, 0 HR, 0 RBIs)
Labeled as "probably the best defensive prospect in Southern California" by the Los Angeles Times, Gonzalez is perfect in the field this season and has recorded six hits, two sacrifices and two stolen bases.

Kimberly Fuller, INF (2 starts, .143, 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 two starts is 1-for-7.

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 (4 starts, 1-3, 1.69 ERA, 38 Ks, 29.0 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 a hard-luck 1-3 this year with a 1.69 ERA.

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.

Huskers and Their Hurlers Excelling vs. Ranked Teams
Nebraska has played a challenging schedule thus far in 2007 and the Huskers have responded against the best competition, posting a 3-1 record against ranked teams, while going just 4-4 against foes outside of the top 25.

The NU pitching staff has been especially stellar against ranked competition, compiling a 0.46 ERA. Senior right-hander Ashley DeBuhr and sophomore right-hander Molly Hill have combined to allow just two earned runs in 30.1 innings, as they have thrown two shutouts in four games, while not allowing an earned run in a third contest. In fact, the staff has not surrendered an earned run to a ranked team through the first seven innings in any of the four games, allowing its only two earned runs in the ninth inning of a loss to No. 20 Florida State.

In the lone loss to the Seminoles, DeBuhr was two outs away from tossing her third straight two-hit shutout against a ranked foe. Before giving up back-to-back homers to FSU, DeBuhr had thrown 23.1 scoreless innings against top-25 opponents, including two international tie-breaker frames where a runner was placed on second to begin the inning. She had also allowed just six hits in those 23 innings. DeBuhr is now 2-1 with a 0.60 ERA against ranked teams this season. A native of Beatrice, Neb., DeBuhr has stymied opposing hitters, holding them to a meager .111 average while striking out 26.

Hill matched DeBuhr in the Huskers’ last game, tossing a three-hitter and not allowing an earned run against 18th-ranked Georgia. She was tagged for just one unearned run while striking out six.

As a staff, ranked opponents have scored just three times in four games while hitting only .117 and striking out 32 times in 30.1 innings.

Offensively, Nebraska has been better than its ranked counterparts, but a tendency to leave runners on base has kept each of the four games close. In fact, each of the Huskers’ four contests against top-25 opponents has been decided by one run, with NU scoring just a total of five runs.

While ranked opponents have hit just .117 against the Nebraska staff, the Huskers have posted a .254 average, collecting 30 hits compared to the opponents’ 11. Nebraska also owns a .116 advantage in slugging percentage and a .105 advantage in on-base percentage, but the combined score of the four games is just 5-3.

A big part of the reason for the close contests despite the Huskers’ outstanding pitching is the fact that NU has left 38 runners on base in the four contests, for an average of 9.5 runners per game. The top-25 opponents have been much more efficient, stranding just 11 for an average of 2.75 runners per game.

Don’t Leave Me Stranded
Nebraska is off to a solid start in 2007, posting a 7-5 overall record, a 3-1 mark against ranked teams and having a lead in 10 of its12 games. What has kept the start from being spectacular is missed opportunities.

Through the first 12 games, NU has stranded 98 runners for an average of more than eight per game. In the previous five seasons, the Huskers have averaged only 73 runners left on base through the first 12 games for an average of just over six per game.

Nebraska was particularly hard hit on day one of the Leadoff Classic, stranding 11 runners in a 4-1 loss to Tennessee Tech before stranding a tournament-record 18 while being held scoreless through the first eight innings of a 2-1, nine-inning setback to No. 20 Florida State.

NU has not had a problem getting baserunners, as the Huskers boast a .348 on-base percentage, just .002 lower than the 2006 total when Nebraska averaged nearly five runs per game (NU is averaging just 2.6 runs per game in 2007). With that being said, it is not a stretch to say that one or two hits a game could mean two or three more runs for Nebraska, a notable fact considering each of Nebraska’s five losses have been decided by three runs or less, including three one-run setbacks.

Rutherford Making Big Impact
After seeing limited time in her freshman season, appearing in just 25 games and recording only three at bats, sophomore Darcy Rutherford has made a big impact for the Huskers through the first 12 games of 2007.

Rutherford has played in seven games, including five starts. She leads the team with a .429 average and a .500 slugging percentage while also recording a slew of career firsts.

A native of Omaha, Rutherford has recorded the first hit, double and walk of her career while posting solid overall numbers.

Sophomores Continue Impressive Start at Leadoff Classic
The Nebraska sophomore class posted impressive performances at last weekend’s NFCA Leadoff Classic, highlighted by the individual success of Molly Hill, Meghan Mullin, Brittany Pascale and Darcy Rutherford.

Offensively, Mullin, Pascale and Rutherford ranked 1-2-3 in average, with each player hitting at least .400 in the tournament. Pascale led the team with a .500 average and a whopping .667 on-base percentage, while tying for the team lead with two RBIs. Mullin also tied for the team lead with two RBIs while hitting .467 (7-for-15) and posting a .529 on-base percentage while adding two runs, three sacrifices and a stolen base. Rutherford continued her emergence as she hit .400 with a pair of runs scored and a stolen base.

In the circle, Hill went 1-1 with a 0.42 ERA, allowing only one earned run in 16.2 innings. She picked up her first win of the season by not allowing an earned run in a complete-game, three-hit performance against 18th-ranked Georgia. Hill also added her first career save against Seton Hall, while she struck out a season-high 14 while allowing only one earned run in a complete-game loss to Tennessee Tech.

On the season, sophomores hold the top five spots in batting average. Rutherford leads the team with a .429 average, while Mullin (.395) ranks second, Haley Long (.371) is third, Pascale (.308) ranks fourth and returning All-Big 12 selection Crystal Carwile (.300) is fifth.

A sophomore leads the team in average, hits, runs, doubles, triples, RBIs, walks, hit-by-pitches, stolen bases, sacrifices, slugging percentage and on-base percentage. No fewer than four sophomores rank among the top five in nine of those 12 categories, including average, on-base percentage and triples, where sophomores have claimed all of the top spots.

Let’s Play Extras
After going to extra innings just five times in 56 games a year ago, Nebraska has already played three extra-inning contests through the first 12 games of the 2007 season. The Huskers were a perfect 5-0 in extra innings last season and are 2-1 this season.

Nebraska had won eight consecutive extra-inning affairs before falling to No. 20 Florida State in nine innings last Friday.

Stealing the Show
Nebraska has traditionally been known for its speed and after stealing just five bases in nine attempts at the season-opening Paradise Classic, the Husker speed returned at the NFCA Leadoff Classic last weekend.

In five games at the Leadoff Classic, NU was successful on 8-of-8 stolen-base attempts. On the season, Nebraska has swiped 13 bases in 17 tries. For comparison’s sake, every player on the 2007 roster was a combined 14-of-24 on stolen bases in their career prior to this season.

Pencil Me In
Nebraska has used a different batting lineup in each of the first 12 games of the season after having a fairly set lineup for most of 2006. Most of the starters have been set, with the exception of left field, second base and designated player.

Even with the majority of the position starters settled upon, head coach Rhonda Revelle has done a lot of shifting in an attempt to maximize the strengths of the lineup. After beginning the year with senior Devin Porter leading off, the Huskers appear to have returned to their proven pattern of having a slapper lead off.

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.

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. Through 12 games this season, Nebraska has played a total of seven contests against teams that have made an appearance in the top 25 at some point this year.

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 867 of Nebraska's 1,042 all-time victories (83 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.